Free Clarity 2 by Loretta Lost Page B

unreal. It causes more tears to slide down my cheeks. “What am I going to do?” I ask him. “How can I live in the same house with that man? He threatened to kill my sister and her baby.”
    “Just take it one step at a time,” he tells me. “One day at a time. You might find that once you rid yourself of fear, life will surprise you and you’ll learn a great deal.”
    His words of wisdom are somehow soothing; even when I’m in this state. For an instant, I recognize how vulnerable I am. Liam is already incredibly nice, but compared to Grayson, he seems like a storybook hero. I am not in a good place to be making decisions or judgments about anything or anyone. I really don’t have any clarity. Maybe I never did.
    “I would like to invite you out on a date,” Liam suddenly says.
    “A date?” I ask guardedly.
    “Yes. I spoke to Dr. Howard earlier, and I told her about your gran ola-bar-and-protein-shake diet...”
    “ Don’t forget the wine. I also drank wine,” I inform him stubbornly.
    “That doesn’t help too much with your overall nutrition,” he says lightly. “Leslie is concerned about your health and wants to run a full physical on you and some diagnostic tests on T hursday, before we proceed with the clinical study. At this rate, she might also have to treat you for frostbite.”
    “T hat doesn’t sound much like a date to me.”
    “Oh, not that!” He laughs lightly. “I meant that maybe I could pick you up and take you to the appointment, and we could hang out afterwards.”
    “ I would like to—but isn’t that unethical?” I ask him.
    “Yes,” he says softly. “It would technically be unethical for me to date you until after the study is complete, and some time has passed. Otherwise, it puts my career in jeopardy.”
    “Oh,” I say in disappointment. “Well, we shouldn’t risk it. I understand.”
    He seems to ponder over this briefly. “ Or maybe... I could not be ethical,” he suggests.
    “ Yes,” I tell him quietly. “Please. Please—don’t be ethical. I don’t need ethical right now.”
    He takes my hand and puts reassuring pressure on my palm. “Then I’ll see you on Thursday,” he says decisively. “I’ll plan something awesome for us to do, to take your mind off all of this.”
    “I doubt you can take my mind off this,” I say skeptically.
    “I’ll consider that a challenge,” he says with a chuckle. “But for now, let’s get you inside and get you warm. For god’s sake, woman. What will your father think of me? It’s not a good first impression that I let his daughter get turned into a popsicle.”
    The mention of popsicles makes me smile in memory of Owen’s stories. After sitting and chatting with Liam, I am definitely feeling better and stronger. When I let him guide me to my feet, I am not so terrified of the future. It helps to have one pleasant thing to look forward to.

I toss and turn between the sheets.
    I have been locked in my bedroom for days. I have no idea how I’m going to last until Thursday.
    After the wedding , I had the housekeeper help me move my suitcase from my old bedroom to one of the guest rooms on the other side of the house. It is closer to my dad’s bedroom, and as far as possible from Carmen and Grayson’s new room. Of course, it also has its own bathroom, and not one that opens into any other rooms. Choosing this strategic location has made me feel slightly more at ease. I even asked the housekeeper to study the outside of the house and make sure that the window wasn’t easily accessible by climbing up any drainpipes. She probably thought I was crazy. I figured that I could keep to the safety of this room for the most part, but venture out into the rest of the house when Grayson was at work. But it just so happens that he was able to get many vacation days to celebrate his wedding.
    Unfortunately, he didn’t use them to go on vacation.
    I’m not sure why they didn’t go on a honeymoon—I think it’s because