Christmas Escape

Chapter Eight

Micah

I was glad when Camilla and George were here to see Peyton. I wasn’t close enough to hear what Camilla said to her but knew that she would be pleading for Peyton to stay safe. After the breakfast dishes were in the kitchen, I brought the phone into the dining room so that Peyton could call her dad.

I could hear Peyton on the phone reassuring her dad that she was safe and comfortable. I was glad that she’d slept as well as she did and gave Bessy a gentle pat on the door frame as I walked back into the kitchen to begin on the dishes and to start preparing meat to roast for dinner that night.

The door to the kitchen swung open once I was halfway through putting dishes in the dishwasher. I looked over my shoulder to see Peyton coming in with my phone. “Thank you for letting me use your phone,” she said as she placed it down on the bench.

“You’re welcome to use it whenever you need,” I said returning her smile.

Peyton nodded her head and then looked around the room. One thing I’d learned from working with abused women, often they struggled to meet a person’s eyes. Peyton was no different.

“Do you need some help?” she asked.

“Sure, would you mind rinsing those pans for me?” I asked. Peyton’s answering smile lit up her face as she went to the sink and began to rinse the fry pans and platters that I used for breakfast.

We worked in a companionable silence for some time until the dishwasher was completely stacked and turned on. Peyton began to wipe down the surfaces, while I pulled out meat and vegetables to prep for dinner.

“What are you making?” she asked looking over my shoulder.

“I’m going to roast up some venison that one of the local hunters brought me,” I replied. “Want to help?”

Peyton smiled and nodded her head. I watched as her shoulders relaxed and for the first time since I met her the day before she seemed to be feeling comfortable. I still made sure to keep my distance from her so that she didn’t feel crowded. As Peyton cut up vegetables, she attempted to make them as perfect as possible. I didn’t say anything, knowing that anything I said could be misconstrued as criticism. Although I recognized criticism as a good thing, I also knew from experience that women who had been through what Peyton had been didn’t see criticism as anything healthy.

I scored the meat and sealed it on the stove. Once it was covered in salt and pepper, I took the potatoes that Peyton had cut into perfect cubes and layered them on the bottom of the large oven dish with onion, carrots, and pumpkin. Placing the venison on top of the vegetables I slid it into the giant oven to slow cook for the afternoon.

Silently Peyton cleaned up the scraps and wiped down the bench. She looked around the room and sighed, wiping her hands on her yoga pants.

“What else do you need help with?” she asked.

“Nothing right now,” I said glancing at the clock that sat on the wall. It was almost lunch time. We didn’t serve lunch at the lodge and normally I would use the time to do bookwork or clean the rooms of those that had checked out. It just happened that on that day we didn’t have anyone checking out and I really didn’t feel like doing the books.

“Would you like to come and have lunch with me? I was thinking about going to the diner. They have the world’s best steak there,” I said with a wide smile.

Peyton watched me for a few beats. At first, I thought she was going to decline my offer, but she surprised me when she nodded her head. “I’ll go and put some shoes on,” she said as she turned and walked quickly up the stairs.

I watched after her as she left. “What do you reckon Bessy? She going to be alright?” I asked quietly.

Bessy’s pipes groaned letting me know that she was going to protect Peyton. After a few minutes Peyton returned to the living room wearing a thick sweater over the top of her yoga pants. Her boots sat snugly on her feet. I knew that she was still not going to be warm enough. Even though the diner was literally down the road.

I went to the coat rack and pulled off one of the spare winter jackets I kept there as well as a beanie, scarf, and gloves. “Here put these on. It will be freezing out there,” I said with a smile.

Peyton took the jacket from my hands and slipped it on. The jacket pretty much swallowed her. It reached to almost her knees and the sleeves hung off her hands. She lifted the sleeve and brought it to her nose, sniffing in the scent of the old jacket.

Her cheeks blushed slightly when she caught me watching her and she lowered her eyes to the ground. Quickly she slipped the beanie low on her head and wrapped the scarf around her neck. I smiled and swung the front door open. “Look after yourself Bessy,” I said as I stepped over the threshold, guiding Peyton down the front stoop and onto the street.

Snow blinked from where it had settled on the sidewalk. The aroma’s of the bakery floated through the air, and people milled around doing the last of their Christmas shopping. There was only a week before the big day. Thankfully, I had gone out early to purchase all of my shopping. Not that I had many people to buy for, but I always liked to give to some of the locals and to my guests.

Peyton and I wandered in silence along the street. Peyton’s head swiveled taking in everything to be seen. A few times she would slow down in front of a shop window when something caught her eye before moving on. When we arrived at the diner, I swung the door open and guided her in.

The scent of cooking food hit my nostrils the minute I stepped into the diner. “Hey Micah, grab a seat and I’ll be with you in a minute,” Delilah called. She was an older lady who had worked there for as long as I could remember.

I guided Peyton over to a table in the corner of the room that looked out onto the street. Peyton sat carefully and picked up the menu as she began to peruse it.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

Peyton pursed her lips and scratched at her chin. I remained silent. I didn’t imagine she was allowed to make her own decisions, so this was something that I wanted her to do for herself.

“I don’t know what is good,” she said. “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

I smiled and nodded my head. “The fried chicken is really good, so is the steak. I guess it depends on how hungry you are.”

Peyton looked back down at the menu and sighed. “It’s so stupid that I can’t even decide what to eat.”

“It’s not stupid at all honey,” Delilah said startling Peyton. “Lots of girls in your position struggle to make decisions when they first leave.”

“How did you know?” Peyton asked looking at me to see if I had told anyone.

Delilah chuckled. “Believe me girls look all the same when they have finally left those assholes. Timid, beat to hell and overwhelmed. But they don’t realize how strong they really are.”

“I don’t feel strong,” Peyton murmured.

Delilah reached out her hand and stroked the back of Peyton’s hair. “You will in time. Do you know how to eat an elephant?” Peyton frowned with confusion and shook her head. “One bite at a time. That is how you will make it through. One minute at a time.”

Peyton sighed and relaxed into her seat. I smiled up at Delilah in thanks. Delilah caught my eye and gave me a little wink.

“I think I’ll have the chicken sandwich with a side of fries, please,” Peyton said.

“Great choice honey, would you like something to drink?” Delilah asked.

“A soda would be great, thank you,” Peyton replied, seemingly finding it easier to make the request.

“The usual steak for you Micah?” Delilah asked with a grin. I nodded my head and watched as Delilah ambled off to the kitchen to put our order in.

Peyton breathed out a long breath. “She is nice.”

I nodded my head. “She is. Delilah has been around forever and has always reached out to the women that escape to Badger Valley.”

“Do you think she has been in my situation?” Peyton questioned glancing over at the older woman as she refilled coffee cups for the locals that sat against the bench.

“That’s possible.”