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“Yes, ma’am.”
Seeming satisfied with Veronica’s quiet reply, Kate dropped her hand to Veronica’s knee and asked one of the men. “What’s the arrangement for her work space?”
Travis replied, “Duke said he’d be happy to come tomorrow morning, pick everything up—all of it—and move it. He also said he’s going to make it his personal mission to track down the son of a bitch who would do this to you.”
Veronica was surprised by that. Duke surely had more important work to do than that, but Grace cut her off before she could put voice to her thoughts. “Veronica, accept that people are righteously indignant on your behalf. Duke is an Internet ninja. If he said he’s going to find that jackass, he’s going to find them. You may not have had anybody who was willing to defend you before, but Kate is right. We do things differently here and you’re one of us now, no matter where you live.”
“Because of me you were cooped up all day and unable to even step out of your house.” It had to be said. Veronica felt awful about that.
Grace laughed until her cheeks glowed and she had to catch her breath. “Are you kidding? Yeah, it was so hard. I got to help my friend in a major way. I got to work on plotting a new series practically all day long while Rose Marie spent the day with her grandmother. I got served lunch and supper upstairs by three hot guys who love me. And I got a glass of wine and a bubble bath. It was such a hardship.” She took Veronica’s hand in hers and leaned forward. “Honey, this is what it’s like when you have more than one man taking care of your needs, and a community that loves you.”
That does it.
She burst into tears. Not delicate, feminine tears. She cried big, ugly, loud, red-faced, snot-slinging sobs that left her even more wrung out and embarrassed than she already was. Grace wrapped her arms around her and patted her back and let her bawl her eyes out.
She caught a glimpse of Travis and Hank, figuring they must think she was a special kind of crazy. But both men watched her with empathy and concern as they spoke quietly with Kate, and then Hank walked back to her bedroom.
When her sobs finally subsided, Kate handed her a box of tissues to wipe up the mess and said, “Veronica, listen to me now. I shudder to think what might’ve happened if it had been the horrible person behind all of this showing up on your doorstep instead of all those nice ladies. I realize that you weren’t alone here but what if you had been? I know we’re all coming at you and that makes you uncomfortable, but in this case, you need to let Travis and Hank take care of you. It’s not that you aren’t in your right mind, honey. You’re just not seeing things from a clear perspective right now. We—they—don’t want to stop you from getting your work done, nor do any of us believe you’re ungrateful. On the contrary. We feel like we’re saving you from yourself at the moment and we think you’ll agree tomorrow that they’ve made the right decision.”
Frowning in confusion, Veronica sniffled and said, “What decision?”
Her sweet Grandma Kate arched her eyebrows and in a steely tone said, “You’re going home with Hank and Travis where you will be safe. And you won’t argue about it, either.”
“But I can’t let that troll think they got to me—”
“And neither can you stick your head in the sand about your personal safety. I’m with them on this decision, sweet girl. And I think you will be, too, once you’ve had time to think about it. They’re worried to see you so upset and that’s not easy for two strong men like them. They have a need to take care of you and you’re fighting them on it.”
“I’m not. I just don’t want to give in to—”
“You’re not giving in to anything. You’re letting two rather dominant men do what they need to do, what comes naturally to them. My goodness gracious! For such a gentle, submissive young lady you certainly can be stubborn. That’s the Benedict in you, I guarantee.”
Veronica couldn’t overlook Grandma Kate’s use of those two terms, dominant and submissive, in practically the same breath, and wondered exactly how much Kate knew. But she had a point. Veronica needed to pull back and see the situation from all perspectives and not just her own. She was usually more than able to do that, as a writer, and she realized she was being a little selfish, too.
