Chapter Ten
Billy Jo sat down. Chase wanted to say something encouraging to her, but he clamped his jaw shut and wiped off the smile that had tried to pop up. If he did, she’d bolt, and this progress—and, damn, this was progress—he was making would all be undone. She wasn’t in a place right now where she could hear anything nice about herself, any of the praise that was so important for children and teens to hear to thrive, to build self-confidence. Having anyone say something good about her would have the opposite effect, and she’d see him as an enemy wanting to take something vital from her. That made him angry and sad at the same time. Baby steps.
Her hands were clasped in front of her on the table, her grip hard, her knuckles white. She was now sitting ramrod straight. Great posture,
