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I pressed my lips together, equal parts embarrassed and amused.
“Which is it, Mr.Jack?Is Nishia a friend or a stranger?”
I tilted my head at him as he slowly, patiently, exhaled through his nose.“Yeah, Mr.Jack.Which is it?”
One of his hands was around my back, his fingers just barely brushing under my ribs, his thumb pressed into the underside of my boob.His other arm was under my thighs.At my question, his fingers contracted reflexively, and I saw something flash in his green eyes before he averted his gaze to Molly.
“Friend,” he rasped thickly.“She’s definitely a friend and not a stranger.”
“What happened to you, Nishia?Did your husband hurt you?”Molly skipped along beside us, her eyes on my face with a mixture of curiosity and empathy.
“She’s not married,” Jack answered her.
“Boyfriend?”
His fingers contracted on me again, but I chose to answer the kid this time.“I-I’ve never had a boyfriend.”
“Then it was a stranger who hurt you?”she squeaked.
“Afraid so.”
“Huh.”Molly’s brow furrowed.“Why does it sound like you have a mouth full of peanut butter?”
“Her jaw is wired shut.”Jack stopped in front of a closed door and easily opened it without dropping me.
“That sounds painful.”Molly followed us inside the room and went to sit on a little love seat while I took in the rest of the small apartment that was supposedly mine for the foreseeable future.
There was the little love seat that Molly was making herself comfortable on, a side table with a nice lamp on it in the sitting area, along with a miniature coffee table, and a small flat-screen mounted to the wall.Through an archway was a queen-sized bed, a nightstand on either side, and another door that was open to what I assumed was the bathroom.
Everything was in neutral colors, from the walls to the carpet to the furniture, even the bedcovers and pillows.It was soothing in a way that put me at ease in the small space.But although the place was on the tiny side, it was a hundred times nicer than the apartment where I’d grown up.There were no holes in the walls, no cockroaches, no peeling paint or thirty-year-old carpets that hadn’t been cleaned in just as long.The furniture appeared new, with no burn marks or springs sticking through the cushions.
“It’s small, but it’s yours for as long as you need it.”Jack placed me on the love seat beside Molly and then thrust his hands into his jeans pockets.“There’s no rush.Stay as long as you want.Stay…forever.If you want.We’re here for you, Nishia.”He clenched his jaw and glanced toward the bedroom.“I’m here for you, little fairy.”
“You’re a fairy?”Molly exclaimed.
“Um… No?”I glanced from her to Jack, who was back to the lip twitches.I already missed his smiles.“No, Molly.Jack just calls me that sometimes.He says I remind him of…”
“Silvermist,” he supplied when I blanked on the name of the fairy he thought was sweet and quirky, the one I reminded him so much of that he had taken to calling me “little fairy” like it was something precious.
Like I was precious to him.
“I love Silvermist!”Molly did a little twirl.“She’s so pretty.Mr.Jack is right.You do look a little like her with your long black hair, but she has brown eyes.That’s okay, though.I went as Anna last year for Halloween, but my hair doesn’t match, so it’s fine that your eyes don’t match Silvermist’s.”
She was sweet but hard to keep up with.I’d only met her a matter of minutes before, and I was already exhausted.
Jack crouched down at my side, gently taking hold of both of Molly’s hands.“Honey, I have to get Nishia settled.Can you be a good girl and go play in your own room for now?Nishia needs a nap.”
“Sure,” she agreed with a beaming smile, showcasing a single dimple in her right cheek.“I’ll go draw Nishia a picture.Maybe a card to welcome her to Sanctuary.I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, Nishia!”
“Umm, thanks,” I murmured as she happily skipped out of the little apartment, shutting the door behind her.“Wow.Are all kids that…”
“Energetic?Exhausting?Frustratingly wonderful?”Jack supplied with a shrug.“Yes to the first two.Sometimes, to the latter.Molly is a sweet little bundle of energy.When she and her mother first came to Sanctuary, Molly was terrified of her own shadow.It took her a little while to trust me, but now she’s my sidekick more often than not when I’m here.”
My heart clenched for the little girl.“How is her mom now?”
“Still healing, at least mentally.Physically, she’s fine, but our psychologist and therapists are helping her to overcome the PTSD from the years of abuse.”He took my hand, the one with the cast, and carefully turned it over so he could play with my exposed fingertips.“You’ll meet our mental health team tomorrow.Today, I want you to get comfortable.Don’t overwhelm yourself.Marcy will bring you a tray for dinner, but you’ll meet the others who live here at breakfast.My mom will be here to introduce you to everyone.”
I tensed involuntarily.“Gracie?”He nodded.“Where will you be?”
