She’d make sure that when they began detox, most of those things would be gone.
Joe was going to be living in the guesthouse for a minimum of six months. Months that would be somewhat long and hard for him—at least in the beginning—but Bitty knew he’d be thrilled with the outcome. The experience would be life changing. It always was with her neediest clients.
Bitty felt the energy in the room shift. Knife in midair, she looked up and saw Allie in the doorway, her gray eyes flashing in defiance.
The old woman examined the girl, head to toe, taking in the face full of caked-on makeup, heavy black eyeliner, and loud red lipstick. She wore the same faded blue half-shirt, scraggly, cutoff denim shorts, and flip-flops she’d arrived in. Slung over her shoulder was the military green backpack she’d slept with since her first evening. Bitty guessed it contained all she had left of her previous life.
Despite the tacky way she presented herself, the girl’s beauty was undeniable. It was easy to see how it could attract trouble. Bitty would have to keep a sharp eye on all of her male clients, even the hired help, because she knew from experience that no matter how well you thought you knew people, you really didn’t know them at all. Or what they were capable of.
She hated pessimistic thoughts, but it was reality, and she had lived it and learned the hard way.
“I laid a shirt out for you to wear today,” Bitty said, her eyes grazing the girl’s taut abdomen. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you put it on?”
“Why should I?”
“To cover your skin.”
The girl’s eyes hardened. “I happen to like my skin.”
“That’s fine, but before I take you anywhere, you will change. And that’s that.”
Allie didn’t say anything.
“Well, don’t just stand there like an old bump on a log. Have a seat and eat your breakfast.”
Bitty continued to study the girl as she walked to the table. Yes, physically, the girl was gorgeous. Almost shockingly so. Her skin was tanned and smooth, her dark hair long and silky. She had lean limbs and curves in all the right places, and her big gray eyes were nothing short of breathtaking.
It hadn’t been included in the caseworker’s file, but Bitty guessed that Allie had been some type of sex worker. It wasn’t just the clothes and makeup, but also a certain guarded quality in her eyes. Girls like her usually related to men much more easily than to other females, so Bitty would make sure she had access to a man she could talk to. Someone outside of the buttoned-up confines of a therapist’s office.
Miss Bitty had the perfect man in mind. Allie was definitely going to be a challenge, but that was okay. Miss Bitty liked challenges. She would fix the girl because that’s what Bitty did.
She fixed people because she didn’t know how to fix herself.
CHAPTER 12
ALLIE STOOD AT the kitchen table, wringing her hands. An overweight man sat across from her, entranced by his iPad. As he reached for his coffee, he glanced up and noticed her.
Startled, he leapt up, a beefy thigh clumsily bumping into the chair next to him. Chair legs scraped against the tile floor.
His face exploded into a smile and he extended a big hand. “Oh, hi there. Great to meet you,” he said. “Joe. Joe Hicks.” The man’s face was mottled and puffy, and his belly spilled over khaki pants. He looked a little too pleased to see her.
Just like every other man she’d ever met.
She refused to give him her hand, the memory of the truck driver still weighing heavily in her mind. She didn’t trust men. In fact, she didn’t trust anybody.
The man’s round cheeks reddened. He withdrew his hand and sat back down.
Bitty appeared at the table. “Allie, where are your manners?”
Allie didn’t answer. Since leaving the bedroom, her pulse seemed to have tripled and she was having a difficult time catching her breath.
The old woman went on. “Joe, this is Allie. She’s the new foster child I told you about.”
Joe nodded.
“And Allie, this gentleman is Joe Hicks. He’s a businessman out of Southern California. He’s a new client of mine who will be living in the guesthouse for several months. You will see him frequently so you might as well play nice.”
A client of hers?
Allie thought about her mother’s various clients over the years. She thought of her own clients in seedy little motel rooms across Texas.
“What kind of client?” she asked.
“Well, as your caseworker explained when you got here, I’m a wellness practitioner. I teach unhealthy people to become healthy through diet and lifestyle. I’m going to help Joe here lose some weight and regain his good health.”
Wellness practitioner? She’d never heard of that. It didn’t sound like a real job. The people she’d always known had normal jobs. They waited tables, drove trucks, sold sex for cash.
The door to the attached mudroom opened and a man walked in. “Good morning, Louis,” the old woman called. “Come sit. I have people for you to meet.”
The man kissed Miss Bitty on the cheek, then went to the table.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Sure.”
As Louis sat, the old woman poured coffee and made the introductions. “Louis, this is Joe Hicks. He’s my new out-of-state client and he’ll be staying here about six months. And Joe, this is Louis. He’s my right-hand man. He does a little of everything around here and also tutors a handful of students in the area, including any foster children I might be caring for.”
“Nice to meet you, buddy,” Louis said.
The two men shook hands.
“You, too.” Joe smiled, his cheeks pink.
“And Louis, this young lady is Allie. She’s the new foster child I told you about. She’ll be staying with me until the right forever home is found for her.”