“Yes, I was there,” David said, thin-lipped.
“You almost had a second heart attack,” Matthew pointed out.
“Yes, I almost did.” David held his head up high. “And I still think we should welcome Jade to our hotel.”
Kathleen looked practically murderous. Ruth’s face had whitened as Matthew finished the story. Allison’s mouth was slightly open, as though in shock herself. Patton looked downright scared.
“Why would you trust someone like that to be around our children? To be around us?” Kathleen asked David. She sounded outraged.
“I’d like to hear from Jade,” Ruth said and looked expectantly at Jade. “Why would you do something like that?”
Jade blushed in shame. Her chin wobbled as though she were trying to hold back another volley of tears. “I can’t defend what I did,” she finally said. Her voice trembled with emotion. “I can’t take my actions back. They haunt me. They’ll always haunt me. At the same time, I believe I made the right decision in order to survive. You don’t know what it’s like out there. You have to understand that I’ve met loads of men like that guy from the gas station. I’ve run into shady people who only want to take advantage of others, especially of young women. He was just another guy trying to get something from me before he tossed me aside. He wasn’t going to give us a discount. I shouldn’t have overreacted like I did, but I was so angry. He’d disrespected me in front of Matt and David. If I’d been alone without a way to defend myself, I know for a fact he would have taken advantage of me.”
Kathleen let out a shaky breath and glanced at her daughter with something like sorrow in her eyes. Matthew couldn’t understand the look, but he understood her fear. The thought of Allison out on her own without any support system was horrendous. And if someone had acted like that toward her…
“The world has made me callous,” Jade continued. “I’ve been calloused by the world. After Matt ran me off, I realized that being so cruel was the thing that was going to get me killed. At some point, I’d be in the exact same situation again, and I knew down in my bones that the next person I fought with would be the last. If it wasn’t for Matthew’s compassion, I wouldn’t be here at all. No one would be that merciful to me again. I realized I needed to make amends for what I’d done,” Jade said, finally letting her tears flow freely. “I’d acted as though David and Matt were the bad guys. In reality, I was the bad guy. I didn’t want my actions to impact them or take away that compassion, either.”
“I think she should stay,” Patton said fiercely. “Dad, she’s sorry. We can’t throw her out.”
Matthew looked at his son with a sad smile. “Patton, buddy, you’re very mature and brave, but you’re still a child. You’re going to have to sit this family vote out.”
“But I’m part of the family,” Patton argued. “I deserve a vote. Does Allison get a vote?”
Matthew nodded. “Yes. She’s old enough to weigh the options.”
“So am I!”
Matthew shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no.”
“That’s not fair.” Patton looked furious. “If it’s a family vote, I should be included.”
“If you vote we won’t be able to have a clear consensus. Jade doesn’t get to vote for herself and you don’t get to vote because you’re too young. We’ll have the five of us decide.”
“He’s right, honey,” Kathleen said. “When you’re older, you’ll understand.”
Patton’s face collapsed into an expression of smoldering anger. He crossed his arms and glared at Matthew.
“All right,” Matthew said, “let’s take a vote. Whoever votes for Jade to leave, raise your hand.”
He raised his hand. So did Kathleen. Ruth bit her lip and Matthew waited, knowing she was still deliberating. Jade fingered at the fringe of her jacket and pulled on the leather as though she would tear it off.
“Now, raise your hand if you’d like Jade to stay,” Matthew said.
Allison, David, and Patton raised their hands. Ruth studied Jade a moment longer before finally putting her hand into the air.
“Three against two. Jade stays.” Matthew said, ignoring Patton’s vote. He felt his heart drop into his stomach. Jade let out a soft whoop of relief and smiled.
Kathleen’s face turned bright red. “This is a mistake,” she said before turning on her heel and storming off toward the hotel. Matthew watched her hunched shoulders and her clenched fists. She stomped into the hotel. His own fear started to transform into anger inside of him. He couldn’t believe Allison and Ruth had decided to vote for Jade after what had happened, but at least now he wouldn’t have to take all the responsibility if Jade turned on them.
David touched his elbow and watched Kathleen go. “She’ll calm down,” he said to Matthew. “I know she’s angry with me, but I hope once she’s had some time, she can understand why I voted the way I did. I hope you can understand, too.”
“You’re in charge of her,” Matthew said and was shocked at how venomous his tone sounded. “You wanted her to stay, Dad, so you keep an eye on her. Between my distrust of her and Kathleen’s worry for the kids…I can’t handle it all. I want nothing to do with her.”
David looked sad. “I understand. You’ll see. This will be the best choice for everyone. I know she’ll prove herself.”
“You better hope so,” Matthew said and pulled away from his father. He raised his voice to address the others. “We should go back to the hotel. It’s getting late. We have a lot of work to do in the morning, and we’ll all need some
