Rowdy (Marked Men #5)(82)
There was subtext there I didn’t want to hear even though it was loud and clear. I sighed and moved to rest my forehead against the hard muscle of his thigh.
“You think she talked to one of my parents, don’t you?”
He put his hand on the back of my head and massaged my scalp. “Walking away for you was different. You never cared what they thought, never wanted to fit into the mold that they had crafted for you. Poppy wasn’t like that. She valued your dad’s opinion. She wanted to please him and have him love her unconditionally. That’s a hard habit to break free from.”
I lifted my head up and stood so that I was right next to him. If we were anywhere but at work I probably would have jumped him and kissed him all over.
“Can you watch the front for me for just a second? I want to go upstairs and talk to her really quick.”
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “Take it easy on her. I know it’s been a long time and a lot of miles for you, but try and remember what living under his thumb and under his roof was like.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to run my fingertips over the way his bicep flexed enticingly as I moved around him and made my way upstairs. The door to Cora’s office was open and she was on the phone at her desk. Poppy was standing in front of one of the fun-house mirrors making faces at herself, which made me laugh out loud and had her turning around to glare at me.
“What? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do in them? I don’t know how anyone is going to use them when they try on clothes. They make your reflection crazy and totally unflattering.”
“There are normal mirrors in the dressing rooms. These are just for fun.”
She made her way over to me and took a seat on the vintage velour lounger that was now right in the middle of the room. It was covered in purple velvet and just as wacky and gaudy as the rest of the decor of the shop. It was a nice place for boyfriends and husbands to sit down while their ladies shopped.
“This place is so cool, Salem. I see so much of you in it. This really is the perfect place and the perfect job for you.”
“It’s going to be even better when the guys find time to add art to the collection, and I’m still working on Rowdy to convince the gang to make a sexy calendar.”
She laughed at that even though I was dead serious about it. Those boys would have them flying off the shelves if I could just get them to agree to it. I knew it was a long shot but I still really liked the idea.
I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me, Poppy. Did you tell Mom or Dad you were here in Denver with me? I just want to know how Oliver would’ve found out exactly where my apartment was. Denver is a pretty big city. It’s not just like he stumbled upon it out of luck.”
I saw her pale under her caramel-colored complexion. Her honey-colored gaze got wide and I saw her bottom lip start to quiver. I squeezed her shoulder in comfort and pulled her forward into a one-armed hug.
“Poppy, it’s fine. I just wanted to know. I want to keep you safe.”
“I called Mom to let her know I was okay. It was one thing for Dad to justify Oliver hurting me, but I figured there was no way a mother could condone that happening to her child. I told her I was staying with you and that I would be back soon to get the rest of my stuff and that I was going to file for divorce.” She gulped and pulled away from me so that she could shove her hands through her hair. “Mom told me to come home. She said everything can be worked out if I have enough faith and that I should trust God and look into counseling.. She told me she was disappointed in me and that Dad was devastated by my betrayal.” She laughed so sharply I was surprised it didn’t draw blood when she spit it out. “My betrayal. Can you believe that?” Well, of course I could. That was why I had left, but she kept talking, so I didn’t get the opportunity to tell her that. “I didn’t tell her where you apartment was, though. I would never do that to you. I know if you wanted them to know where you lived, you would’ve have told them yourself.”
“Oh, Poppy.”
“I know. I feel like I should have known better. The idea that Oliver might have been watching you, could have followed you home from work or something, makes my skin hurt. I know he’s dangerous and I can’t believe I would so recklessly put you in harm’s way after you took me in without question.”
The idea that her husband might have followed me to find out where I lived had never occurred to me but it made my skin crawl. That was definitely unnerving.
“It’s hard when you realize the people that love you the most actually care about you the least. Dad has always been way more focused on the church and his image than he was on what was happening under his own roof. He thought control and dominance was a substitute for love and understanding.” I rolled my eyes at her. “And Mom just follows his lead. There was never room in that house for us to be anything but their little, perfect dolls. We weren’t supposed to individuate, and when we did”—I shrugged—“they just couldn’t handle it. You need to tell yourself over and over again that none of this is your fault.”
“I feel like it all is, though.”
I hugged her again, realizing my sister was going to eventually need some professional help when all of this died down. She had been in the mix of my dad’s machinations and in an abusive relationship far too long for my love and support to be enough to get her head around everything.