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She would not give up her business, especially for a man. It was her life. No one else would tell her what to do. She couldn’t see sitting at home and doing nothing. Her mother lived for it.
Lucinda sat at the dinner table and kept her eyes off her stepfather. Why couldn’t her mother see that he stared at her all the time?
“Lucinda, you’re barely eating,” her mother said.
“I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.” She shrugged as she pushed her fork through her mashed potatoes.
“You’re never hungry, honey. You’re as thin as a bird.”
“I think she looks just fine,” Garth said.
When Lucinda raised her head and looked at him, he winked, and she wanted to throw up. She rolled her eyes, but he grinned. She shook her head, placed her fork on her plate, pushed her chair back, and stood.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m just not hungry. I should get going, anyway. I have to feed and water the dogs.” She picked up her plate.
“Lucinda, we have staff to do that.”
“They should be with their families. It’s Thanksgiving,” Lucinda muttered.
“What was that, dear?”
“Nothing, Mom. I’ll just take these to the kitchen.”
After rinsing the plate, she set it in the sink and jerked when Garth spoke from behind her.
“You’re disappointing your mother, Lucinda.”
Turning around, she was surprised to see him so close, so she stepped away.
“I’m sure she understands.” She walked away when he grabbed her wrist in his hand. She looked at him, down at her wrist, and back at him. “Get your hand off me,” she said through clenched teeth.
He released her and stepped closer, making her bump into the refrigerator.
“You should be nice to me,” he said.
“Why? You’re nothing to me.”
“I’m your stepfather—”
“And I’m thirty years old. You do not tell me what to do. Now, get out of my way. My mother wouldn’t be happy with how you treat me.”
He chuckled. “As long as I buy her anything she wants, she lets me do what I want.”
“You’re disgusting.” Lucinda put her hands against his chest and pushed him, then stepped around him. “One day, I hope she’ll wake up and get the hell away from you.”
She walked to where her coat hung, pulled it on, and looked toward the dining room.
“I’ll call you later, Mom. I love you,” she called out, then looked at Garth. “Stay the hell away from me.”
Opening the door, she stepped onto the porch, closed the door, and ran to her car. That man was no good, but her mother would believe him over her. Wanda Carpenter had to have a man in her life to be happy, no matter how creepy he was.
****
Rhett walked onto the back porch and sat in a rocking chair beside Nate.
“Why are you sitting out here in the cold?”
“I just wanted some fresh air. So, what’s been going on with you, Rhett?” Nate asked him.
