Not Damaged Read Online Free PDF

asked.
    “Yes, did you?”
    She was always so polite.
    “Yes.” After he’d brought himself to orgasm, cleaned away
the mess he slept like a baby with no dreams at all.
    They sat together staring out across the pond. Several small
children were throwing bread to the ducks. Every time he came to this spot he
always felt at peace.
    “This is a lovely place,” she said, resting her head on his
shoulder.
    “Good. I think it’s a great place to wind down from work,
especially dealing with clients I imagine you get all the time.” He rested back
on his hands, liking the way she rested against him.
    “Yeah, we get all kinds of cases. Divorce,
murder, family, and a few others that have gone out of my head.” She
rested a palm against her forehead. “It’s hard at times watching them all come
through knowing some of them are suffering.”
    He listened to her talk. Ryan believed part of her problem
was she rarely got the chance to really talk without someone dissecting
everything she said.
    “I see some women who come in and are happy to be getting a
divorce. They’re happy to get severance pay or something for time taken. I
don’t like them so much, especially if kids are involved. I’ve seen
gold-diggers at first hand. It’s surprising how upset some of the men get when
they realize they’ve been used.”
    “It’s a hard business, honey.”
    “Yeah, then there are the women who love their man and
they’ve been replaced by a younger model.” She sighed. “I think I need to look
for another job. I’m starting to sound depressing.”
    “No, it’s good to talk.”
    After several minutes of silence he reached out toward the
basket. “Are you ready for some good food?” he asked.
    “Yes, I really am.” Her beautiful smile stopped him for a
moment. Something different was happening to him. The woman before him wasn’t
just a challenge to him, she meant so much more.
    They barely knew each other and he forced that knowledge to
the back of his mind. There was no need for him to get all serious. He’d take
each day as it came before heading into any kind of relationship.
     
    * * * *
     
    How did he do it?
    Jesse watched him unload the picnic basket he brought,
wondering what it was about him that made her feel so comfortable. Not one
member of her family asked about her job, not one. They never allowed her to
talk about her life. Thinking about her time with her family, most of her time
was spent listening to them talk about their achievements.
    Everyone disappeared when she tried to talk. All of them
thought she still suffered and preferred not to listen.
    Jake only listened to part of her life. He still saw her as
damaged. How could she move on when no one would let her?
    “Thank you,” she said.
    “What?” he asked, dishing out little portions of everything
onto a plate.
    “For letting me talk. It has been so long since I’ve talked
about work or anything.” She frowned, looking up at him. “It’s insane.”
    “No, it’s not insane." He offered her a spoonful of
something. "Open.”
    Opening her lips, the flavor of a pepper pasta salad
exploded on her tongue.
    “Good?”
    “Very good. I like everything with
spice in.”
    “Do you cook?” he asked, offering her something else.
    “Yes, I love cooking. I live in a small one bedroom house on
the outskirts of the city. I’ve got a proper range cooker but I don’t always
get a chance to use it.” Her family rarely asked her to bring anything to
dinner.
    They’ve been there for
you.
    “What are you thinking?” he asked.
    “What?”
    “You were thinking something you didn’t like, what was it?”
    “ Erm , I was thinking about my
family and how they’ve been with me over the years. I don’t know.” Tucking some
loose strands of hair behind her ear, she stared out over the lake.
    “They’ve been there for you yet you feel they’re keeping you
trapped in a little box labelled fragile ?”
    She gasped, turning back to look at him.