Free Lost in Her by Sandra Owens

stopped and waited for her to catch up.
    “I sent my stepfather to prison,” she said, coming up beside him. “It tore my family apart, and now my stepsister hates me. My mom . . .”
    Ryan turned to face her when she hesitated. “Go on.”
    “My mom, she died believing I lied about seeing him molest my best friend. She refused to accept that Roger would do such a thing. My friend, she got a rope out of her father’s shed, went into her closet, and hung herself. She did that after I went to my guidance counselor and told her what he had done. Mrs. Bronson . . . my guidance counselor, she called the police. The same day my friend killed herself, she mailed me a letter. She wanted me to know that she hated me for telling what I’d seen, that she had never wanted anyone to know. Because of me, she said everyone would talk about her, that our other friends would think she asked for Roger to do what he did and would say she was a slut.”
    Christ. Ryan took Charlie’s hand and led her up to dry sand, then sat, pulling her down beside him. “Why would they think that?”
    “You know how kids are, but I think that it was more like how she saw herself in her own mind. She thought Roger was handsome and worldly, and she had this weird crush on him. Whenever she came over, if he was around, she would flirt with him. Sometimes she would joke about taking him away from my mother, but I never took the whole thing seriously. If I had, maybe I could have done something to stop what happened.”
    There was regret and self-blame in her voice. “How old were the two of you?”
    “Fifteen. I guess I didn’t think much of it. At the time, I had a major crush on my biology teacher. I thought he was the hottest thing ever, but it never occurred to me to do anything but stare at him with dreamy eyes. I thought it was the same with her.”
    “Good God, Charlie, no fifteen-year-old is responsible for what a grown man does. He was the one who should have known better than to touch a young girl.”
    She huffed a weary-sounding sigh. “I know that now, but back then, it felt like I was the one who put that rope around her neck. On top of that, I tore my family apart, and my mom died of a broken heart. She never forgave me for talking to the police.”
    “You did the right thing, you know, even considering the consequences, ones you couldn’t have guessed at when you reported him. If he would molest one child, he would do it again. You get that, right?” She flopped back onto the sand, and he followed her down.
    “I get it, but if I had known the consequences as you say, I would have kept my mouth shut. Then five months ago, my stepfather came up for parole and I went and spoke against his release. Now Ashley . . . that’s my stepsister . . . hates me more than ever. If not for me, her father would be out of prison.”
    “Why are you telling me all this?” A falling star shot across the sky and he followed its progress until it disappeared from sight. The night hadn’t gone at all like he had envisioned when she had agreed to meet him for dinner.
    “Because you shared a secret with me, and I’m guessing it’s one you’ve never told anyone. Because I wanted you to know that you’re not the only one whose heart hurts. But most of all, because I like you, and I don’t want you to feel so alone. Because I think you do. Feel alone, that is.”
    Ryan kept his gaze on the night sky until he was sure he could speak without a catch in his throat. Why had he told her so much? All she had needed to know was that he had been married to his childhood sweetheart, just enough to explain why he didn’t have dating experience. Her response made him feel as if she could see into his soul, a place he no longer invited anyone.
    When he was sure he had control of his emotions, he lifted onto an elbow and stared down at the woman who seemed to see too much. “That’s a lot of becauses, cherub.”
    He lowered his head until their mouths