Page 107 of Touch of Class

She scoffed. “Boy, you’re good at your job. If I didn’t know you, I might believe you mean that.”

“I do,” she said firmly. “I am good at my job, but I’m not working right now, and I don’t think it takes an advanced degree to know, on a core level, that no woman is ever responsible for abuse, and that’s what you suffered.”

“Yeah, well I—”

“You were getting a business off the ground and working from home because you had to, and you were parenting an amazing kid and trying to have a social life.”

“And I failed on every count.”

“No, someone contrived and schemed to use all your best qualities against you with a great deal of thought and predatory ambition. You were preyed on, Daphne, and that’s not your fault.”

“It wasn’t Izzy’s fault either, but she paid the price. She saw her, and she saw me flounder and get scared, and it shattered her faith in me, which shattered my faith in myself. Even after I got the restraining order and it all stopped, we weren’t the same. That’s why after about eight months Hugh pushed for this move. It’s why he got me the office, and why Izzy’s at a private school. I think it might even underlie her decision to take up fencing.”

“I’m not sure a preteen girl needs any extra motivation to play with swords.” Gillian gave her leg a little squeeze.

“Maybe not,” Daphne admitted, “but I still worry about the effects of it all. I worry I’m a bad mom in ways no amount of movie nights and toboggan rides can make up for.”

“Absolutely not,” Gillian said. “I’ve been watching, captivated by the family you created with grace and creativity and love. And even when I wanted so badly to believe your job was insane, I could always clearly see that you’re a great mom.”

“You mean that? In your clinical opinion?”

“And my personal one, too, if it means anything.” Gillian laughed. “I’m serious, Daphne. You’re a good parent and good co-parent, a good friend, and a good addition to our waiting room. You’re also a good kisser with a good sense of humor who’s good at arguing your point even when it’s wild. You’re good at so many things because you are a fundamentally good person. No woman should ever have the power to shake that knowledge from you.”

“But I should have—”

“No.” She cut her off again, this time unfolding Daphne’s arms and taking both her hands in her own. “No. Any woman willing to break boundaries like that would do it whether you sat at her table in a coffee shop or not, and whether your job had written rules or not. Plenty of therapists have had clients step way out of line, and we have all the rules in the world. If Brooke Metcalf isn’t safe, then no one ever truly is.”

Daphne cocked her head to the side. “The story about why you lock the door?”

“Yeah.” Bile rose in her throat, but she pushed on. “And Brooke hadn’t led him on. She hadn’t opened doors or shared coffee. She’d even seen him coming, eyes wide open. The woman is a human lie detector, and she still couldn’t stop him from coming in one night and pinning them in the room, intent on not leaving until he hurt someone.”

“But they made it out.”

“And you did, too,” Gillian said emphatically. “You’re the one who told me to trust that Brooke and Tegan had survived. Now look at yourself. You didn’t just start over. You made something better. From where I stand, you’ve had the most beautiful reset. You didn’t let a major bump in the road derail you. You bent the road to your will, and this path suits you. You’re thriving in the aftermath of upheaval. So is Izzy. That’s life, that’s humanity, that’s something to be proud of.”

Daphne leaned forward and kissed her.

“What was that for?”

“For continuing to surprise me.” Daphne scooted closer so they sat side by side. “Thank you for being perfect.”

“I thought my perfection annoyed you.”

Daphne rested her head on her shoulder. “Most of the time it does. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you still shared a story about Brooke in a boundary-busting situation rather than one about yourself.”

“My boundaries are unassailable.”

“There it is.” Daphne sighed. “The rest of us are allowed to be human, but you get to remain above it all.”

Gillian wrapped an arm around her. “You said I was perfect. I merely said my boundaries were. There’s a price to pay for that, and I’ve paid it on many levels.”

“What about this?” Daphne kissed her on the mouth, slowly, deeply. “Looks like the boundaries between us are getting pretty blurry. How will you pay for that?”

Gillian returned the kiss, slowly easing Daphne back onto the bed and crawling over her prone body before admitting, “I don’t know, but I’m certain of one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You are worth whatever the cost will be.”