Millie shook her head. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk about it. Just then, Stacy returned and walked over to the counter and turned on the baby monitor. Then she grabbed some cups and poured the coffee.
“Come on, Millie, you’re very strong and have a lot of self-confidence. Look how far you’ve come,” Anna pushed.
“You give me more credit than I deserve, Anna. I swear, my entire world seems to be crashing down around me and it all has to do with men.”
“You mean Frank?” Stacy asked as she placed a cup in front of Anna and one in front of Millie before taking a seat at the table.
“Frank was the worst mistake of my life. He nearly cost me my life.”
“Yeah, but you survived and he went to jail where he should still be,” Stacy stated.
“You mean Stewart, don’t you, Millie?” Anna asked, and Millie nodded as she placed her hands around the mug of hot coffee as if she were cold. It was a warm spring night and nearly eighty degrees.
“He was such a jerk,” she whispered as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What did he say to you the other night at the awards ceremony? It’s obvious that you saw him there. His company helped to support your fundraising, didn’t it?” Stacy asked.
“He was with the blonde supermodel. She was tall and thin and her breasts were hanging out of her top. She looked glamorous.”
“If you’re into skin and bones, maybe,” Anna added.
Millie chuckled.
“What happened between you and Stewart?” Stacy asked.
“Besides the skinny blonde, I think my lack of perfection.”
“What?” both Stacy and Anna asked at once.
Millie cringed.
“He put me down all the time. He said that I was fat, and at the awards gala, when other people complimented my appearance and the dress I wore, he told me that I looked cheap and that men would just want me for an easy fuck.”
“That lousy piece of shit!” Stacy exclaimed, and Millie chuckled.
“I know I’m a bit overweight. I always have been and my boobs are too big for my small frame, but they’re what God gave me.” Millie shook her head as she looked down at her coffee.
“Millie Marie Donovan, you are not seriously going to sit here and believe the words from some stuck-up stockbroker who only gives a shit about money and status. You are beautiful and you are far from fat. Women would kill for your Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe body. That asshole was jealous and he was a jerk who used you and has no idea what being a real man is about.”
“Betty Boop? Really?” Millie asked, and they all laughed.
“You know what I mean. You should be posing in Playboy. Is that a better description?” Stacy asked. Anna laughed and Millie gasped in shock then chuckled as she rolled up a napkin and threw it at Stacy.
“You have great breasts, Millie. You always have. This goes beyond the physical,” Anna added.
“It sure does. I can’t pick a man for shit. I fall all gaga over their charms and good looks and bam, they treat me like shit. I don’t know how to fight back and I wind up smacked around or where I am now, about to self-destruct. I will never live a normal life. Not as long as I remain a magnet to mean, self-centered men.”
“Not all men are self-centered and mean. There are men out there that know how to treat women,” Stacy stated.
“Sure there are, and you two scooped them up. Two very lucky women, you two are. I’m so happy for both of you. Pearl has really helped you to find happiness.” Millie took a sip from her cup of coffee.
“You should stay here, Millie. There are good men around the area, men that would surely treat you like gold,” Stacy began to say and Millie held up her hand for her to go no further.
“Stacy, I have so much baggage right now and so much fear in me that I’m not certain which direction I’m going in. If Frank is out there and he wants to hunt me down, I sure as hell can’t stick around Pearl. Not with you two here and baby Hope.”
“You’re safest here where there are men to protect you. There are more men in Pearl than there are women. Their duty is to protect the women and children at all costs. You are a member of the community and people will protect you,” Stacy stated firmly.
“I was a member of the community, but now I’m afraid that I may have to stick to moving until Detective Flynn can catch Frank in some kind of criminal activity. I have to head back to New York to get my things. I had to pay my rent for the apartment six months in advance. I left some of my jewelry-making materials there as well and that may be my only form of income for a while. There are too many responsibilities to just jump up and move back here. I came here on impulse and out of fear,” she rambled on then paused as the last words seemed to be absorbed by her friends.