Free Stacy's Destiny by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

she’s really ill, don’t you?” Stacy teased, trying to lighten up the lunch atmosphere.
    “Sick?” both Ron and Max asked, but Stacy thought that Ron seemed way more concerned than Max. Interesting.
    Max finally released Stacy’s hand and listened to Marie explain Stacy’s statement.
    Ron looked relieved, and Stacy finally had some space between her and the deputy.
    Before long, they were eating lunch and discussing the details about the camp.
    * * * *
     

    Stacy was relieved that the deputy finally left and she could power wash the house.
    As she worked to lift the chipped paint and old worn-out color from the cottage walls, she thought about the farm and how life in Texas would be. This was great for now and offered her time to recover emotionally from losing her job, but she couldn’t live in this cottage forever. Stacy wasn’t positive, but it seemed that Marie and Ron were more than just neighbors. He gave Marie his every bit of attention when she spoke. He touched her on the shoulder or against her waist whenever he thought no one was looking, and when Marie got upset, it seemed he got upset. She witnessed it again during lunch when that guy Gutry’s name came up. That had been another thing that unsettled Stacy. Why did she seem to attract men like Gutry? Then again, it seemed she was attracted to men like Max and Eric. Perhaps it was Max’s position of authority. Many women lost their sanity and good judgment in the presence of a hot-looking man in uniform. She could see herself throwing inhibition to the wind. Boy, did Max have a great body and hands. His hands felt so good on her. How the hell did he affect her so much? Just by holding her hand while he spoke about Gutry, he made her feel cared for and as if she weren’t alone in this. She thought about that as she worked on the last section of the house, the loud sound of the engine roaring on the diesel power-washer motor and the hard spray of the water shooting back, getting her shirt wet. She wondered instantly if anything would happen between her and Max. As soon as she thought it, she also thought about Eric. Son of a bitch! She was attracted to both of them. She wasn’t a slut. She was far from it. There had to be a logical explanation for this. She finished up the last part as she let the sprayer hit the corner of the house.
    Distracted with her own thoughts, she lost focus with what she was doing and wondered if subconsciously the idea of having both of them was placed in her head from the phone conversation with Millie. Never mind meeting Melissa and her husbands. Stacy swallowed hard. She couldn’t even imagine one woman having to satisfy and handle multiple husbands. There had to be problems with a relationship like that. There had to be times of jealousy, inadequacy, and plain exhaustion. But what did she know? She’d never even had a relationship with a man. In her eyes and in her life thus far, men could not be trusted. But still, the fact that the town of Pearl had so many of these types of relationships intrigued her. Then she remembered the paperwork for the campers. Some had multiple parent representatives on them. Stacy had wondered what that was all about but didn’t put it together until now. There were more people out there in Pearl living this kind of lifestyle. She shook her head. It just wasn’t something she was used to. Again she thought about Max and Eric. One of them would be too much to handle, but two? Yikes.
    Instantly Barry Weiner popped into her head. She remembered the threatening calls where he insisted that she see no other men than him. A worrisome feeling upset her stomach instantly. Then she tried to ignore it and minimize the fear she felt. He wasn’t in Texas, and she wasn’t going back to New York. Barry wasn’t specific enough in his threats, but she got the message even if the cops didn’t want to. Sure, he muffled his voice with some sort of device that the police couldn’t identify through. And