Stripped (13 page)

“Hmm,” Charlotte said, furrowing her brows. “Any
thoughts on that?”

“Well, I’m not a
shrink
or anything, but I
think Abby’s sexually repressed. She believes sexual gratification is only for
men, and that she’s supposed to give it, not receive it.”

“You said she was uncomfortable before it happened.
How was she after?”

“Totally satisfied, of course. Hasn’t Reed told you
I’m a rock star in bed?”

“Um, no.” Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. “And how
would my husband know that, anyway?”

“Oh, we had some good times in college. Before he
met you, of course.”

“Good times? Tell me you guys haven’t experimented
with each other or anything.”

“Oh, fuck no, Charlotte. We shared a room at our
fraternity house. I just mean we both had some sleepless nights while the other
was entertaining a woman.”

“Alright, back to Abby. What do you think is next
for you guys?”

“I don’t know. I’m making her dinner tonight. But I
just don’t know. I’m really into her, but the closer we get, the more bothered
I am by the stripping. I don’t want her sharing that part of herself with
anyone but me.”

“You mean her body?”

“Yes, and her sensuality.”

“But you know that’s not her heart, Chris. What if
you had that? Would it be enough?”

“No. I either want all of her, or none of her.”

Chapter 8

The moment she opened the door to the house, the
rich smell of beef stew made Abby sniff in confusion. No one ever cooked but
her. She wondered if Justin had thrown something together, but it was so unlike
him.

She stopped with surprise as she entered the kitchen
and saw her mother standing over the stove, stirring something in a large stock
pot with a metal spoon.

“Hi,” Abby said, setting down the sack of groceries
she had planned to make dinner with.

“Hi. I thought I’d make dinner tonight. It’s nothing
fancy --”

“It smells great. Thanks for making it.”

Kathy’s dark brown hair was still wet from a shower.
She sometimes emerged from the depths of her addiction and tried to reform. It
had always been short-lived, but that didn’t stop Abby from hoping each time
that it would stick.

“Did the girls start their homework?” Abby asked.

“Oh. Didn’t they come home with you?”

“No, on Thursdays they walk home. They should have
been here by four.” When she looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:20,
panic struck Abby with full force.

“Maybe they’re in the basement,” Kathy said. “They
could have come in while I was in the shower.”

They both ran down the stairs and Abby couldn’t
suppress the tears that welled in her eyes when she looked around the large,
quiet room.

“Audrey! Sara!” she yelled, racing back up the
stairs.

“Stay calm,” Kathy said. “I’ll call the school.
Maybe they stayed after or something.”

Abby’s heart pounded wildly as she ran into every
room of the house, calling her sisters’ names.

“I think I know where they are,” Kathy said grimly
when Abby went back into the kitchen. “Tim was here earlier. I was asleep. He
said something about the girls, but I don’t remember what.”

Abby bounced up from the chair she sat in.

“Mom! You let him take them?”

“No! I didn’t say he could. I was out of it, and I
just remember him saying something and then leaving.”

Abby buried her face in her hands, near tears.

“I didn’t say he could!” Kathy said, her voice
rising with emotion. “I wouldn’t do that, Abby. I don’t want him to --”

“We have to go get them,” Abby said. “Where are
they?”

“I don’t know,” Kathy said sadly. “I don’t know
where he lives anymore.”

“This is a nightmare. This is my actual worst
nightmare.” Abby allowed herself to cry, fear washing over her with such
strength she was afraid she might collapse. She took her phone outside and
pushed Chris’ name as she paced the driveway frantically.

“Hey,” he said, his warm tone making her wish he was
beside her.

“Can you come over? I need you.”

“Sure, what’s up? Are you okay?”

“Audrey and Sara never came home from school, and my
Mom thinks Tim has them. I can’t believe I let them walk home alone. God,
Chris, if something happens to one of them, I will never forgive myself.”

“I know you’re upset, but try to focus on getting
them back. Can we go get them?”

Abby sighed, collecting her thoughts as she heard
Chris’ car engine starting up.

“My Mom doesn’t know where he lives.”

“Okay… I’ve got a friend who’s a cop. I can have him
search for Tim’s name and address for us.”

“Should I call the police to report this?”

“I don’t think they’ll do anything since he’s their
father.”

“Right. I’m going to call Audrey and Sara’s friends
and see if any of them saw anything.”

“I’ll be there soon, okay?”

The phone calls turned up nothing, and Abby felt
like a caged animal as she paced the house frantically. Her mind raced with all
the terrible possibilities she never wanted her younger sisters to have to
face. As soon as Chris pulled into the driveway, she ran from the house to meet
him.

“Anything?” he asked hopefully.

“No. Mom tried to call Tim, but he didn’t answer.”

“Did you call the school? Are you sure Tim has
them?”

“There’s no one left at the school.”

Chris reached for her, and Abby sank into his arms
with an anguished sob.

“I can’t stand not knowing where they are and
imagining what could be happening to them,” she cried.

“I know,” he said softly, holding her tightly. He
led her into the house, where Kathy was pulling on her shoes.

“I’ll find them,” she said.

“We’ll come with you,” Abby offered, reaching for
her purse.

“No. Let me. I’ll have to go to some places that I
need to go alone.”

“Mom, is it safe?” Abby’s voice broke with worry.

“It’s safe for me. Don’t worry. Stay here in case
they come back, okay?”

Abby nodded numbly, allowing Chris to help her onto
the couch.

“You have to be at work soon,” she mumbled.

“No, someone’s covering me. I’m staying with you.”

As Abby’s mind continued to spin with the possibilities,
her chest tightened and she pressed her hand to it.

“I think I might be sick,” she said. “I’m so hot,
and my chest hurts. I can’t breathe.”

“Lay back,” Chris said, reaching for her wrist to
feel her pulse. “Let’s put your feet up. Try to relax, Abby. Take some deep
breaths. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“I love them so much. They mean everything to me.”

“I know. Just close your eyes and take some deep
breaths. I want you to stay right here while we wait.”

She reached for his hand, clasping it tightly as she
closed her eyes. Time seemed to stop as they sat together in silence. The
tightness in Abby’s chest passed, but her nausea wouldn’t subside.

As soon as Kathy’s headlights passed over the window
as she pulled into the driveway, Abby bolted from the couch.

“Please, please have them,” she whispered. She ran
to the kitchen door and opened it, choking back a cry when she saw Audrey and
Sara.

“Abby, I’m sorry,” Audrey said as Abby reached for
them both and pulled them close for a tearful embrace.

“You guys! I’m so glad to see you! Where were you?”

“Dad picked us up on the way home,” Sara said. Abby
pulled back, glancing at Audrey.

“I’m sorry,” Audrey said, looking guilty. “I didn’t
want to go, but Sara did, and I told her not to, but…I thought I should go to
look after her.”

“Are you both okay? Did anything bad happen?” Abby
asked frantically.

“We’re okay. He took us to the park and out for ice
cream,” Audrey said.

“You know you can be honest with me, no matter what,
right?” Abby asked.

“I know. I know what you’re worried about. We’re
both okay.”

Abby felt weak as the sick feeling passed, and she
led the girls into the house.

“Mom, thanks for getting them,” she called outside
to Kathy, who was still in the driver’s seat of her car.

“I’m going back out,” Kathy said, backing out. Abby
looked at her, confused.

“What about dinner? Aren’t you hungry?”

Kathy was already out of earshot, and Abby closed
the door.

“Chris, will you eat with Sara while I talk to
Audrey?” she asked, walking Audrey into her bedroom.

Abby stroked her younger sister’s hair, sighing as
she considered.

“Aud…when you said you knew what I was worried
about, what did you mean?”

“You don’t want Dad to hurt us, the way he hurt
you.”

“What do you know about that?”

“I’ve heard Mom talking about it. That you and
him…it’s a word I’m not supposed to say.”

Abby’s face crumpled with sadness. She had always
hoped the girls didn’t understand the things Kathy said about her.

“I don’t think you’re a whore,” Audrey said
defensively. “I know what that is, from school. He shouldn’t have done that to
you. Grown-ups shouldn’t do that. You should have told someone, and he would
have been in trouble.”

“You’re right,” Abby said with a small smile.

“I hate him,” Audrey said. “I don’t want to see him.
I told Sara she should hate him, too.”

“Sweetie, it’s a hard thing. It’s hard to hate your
parents.”

“Why don’t you hate Mom? I hate her, too. You’re the
one who takes care of us, and she’s so mean to you.”

“Mom is…she’s sick, Audrey. Not just with her health
problems, but with other things.”

“I don’t care.” Audrey’s hazel eyes, a match for
Abby’s, darkened with anger. “She likes drugs better than us, and I hate her.
She’s going back to Dad’s because he told her he’s got something good to
share.”

Abby covered her face with her hands, anger swirling
inside her at Audrey having to deal with such things at the age of 12. When her
sister spoke again, she heard fear in her voice.

“If you ever leave, I’ll have to take care of Sara.
I don’t know if I can.”

“I’ll never leave you!” Abby said, reaching for
Audrey. “Never! You and Sara are everything to me, and to Justin, too.”

Audrey nodded, but Abby still saw shadows of worry
on her young face.

“Let’s go get some dinner,” Abby said. “No more
walking home from school. We’ll work something else out so this never happens
again.”

Marla’s brows were furrowed with confusion as she
walked into Abby’s office, staring over her glasses at a paper in front of her.

“Abilene?” she said. “Your name is Abilene? How did
I not know that?”

“Oh, yeah,” Abby said dismissively. “It’s the city I
was born in.”

“I assumed it was Abigail,” Marla said.

“How did you find that out? There’s not a memo about
my real name circulating that I don’t know about, is there?”

“Oh, no, just some HR records I was looking over for
your review. I’ll do it now. You’re getting a five percent raise, which is the
max I’m allowed to give. You do an amazing job, and I love having you as my
assistant, but you are dramatically overqualified for this job.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me to recommend you for a better job in
another department? HR, or even PR?”

“I like working for you,” Abby said, feeling a
little hurt.

“I like it, too, but I want you to reach your
potential. You can do a lot more than push papers around and organize stuff for
me.”

“I’d rather stay here. This is comfortable, and I
need that. I only work here for the insurance anyway.”

“Okay.” Marla shrugged as she walked toward the
door. “If you ever change your mind, let me know. I’d be sorry to lose you, but
I want the best for you.”

She was lucky to have Marla as her boss, Abby knew.
The memory of getting fired for being a stripper still stung. The executive who
had given her the news had gaped at her like she was a leper. She didn’t want
to go through explaining it to another boss. Marla knew and had no problem with
it, and that was worth more than a fulfilling job was to Abby.

Her stomach rolled with a mixture of excitement and
nervousness as Abby drove to Chris’ apartment. She hadn’t been there yet,
though she had wondered what it looked like.