A Little Harmless Fantasy(89)
“I think she needs professional help.”
“She doesn’t need professional help. You’re mental if you think she does. Maura is a focused woman. She’s been thrown off balance.”
He wanted to argue, but who was he to say. The truth of the matter was that Zeke was the longest relationship he had ever had. Everyone else had been short term. He would take a step back like Zee suggested but he would definitely keep an eye on her.
Rory wasn’t losing another woman in his life that way. He would do everything in his power to prevent it.
* * * *
Maura looked out over the water and sighed. She was smart enough to understand what she was doing to herself. Dr. Obenhaus had explained it a long time ago. Throwing herself into work avoided the issues and she got sicker by the day. But, thankfully, Dr. Obenhaus also understood that she needed time to get through it.
“Why do you think there is someone watching you, Maura?” Dr. Obenhaus asked, her calm patient voice soothing Maura.
“I don’t know. It’s a sense I have. I felt it again when I went to work. I thought it was because of the detail that Zeke and Rory put on me.”
“So, you knew they were there and dismissed your worries.”
Not really, she thought. If only she would have gotten sleep the last few days. As it was, she’d only gotten snatches of sleep since she returned from Hawaii. She avoided the pain pills the doctor there had given her.
“Maura?”
“They didn’t know I knew, though.”
“So, you kept it from them. Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know.”
“Power.”
“Yes, I am sure a lot of that has to do with the attack. It’s okay as long as at some point you come back out of that shell you always build.”
The bad thing about having a therapist who had known her so long was that Dr. Obenhaus knew exactly what she did wrong. But, then, it was one of the reasons she went to her.
“Are we going to talk about the men?”
“Men?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You think I don’t know you are involved with these men?” she asked, her voice a little lighter.
“Did Conner talk to you?”
“No, but then I would never discuss you with him. Once you turned eighteen I told you that I wouldn’t tell him things. I didn’t tell him much when you were younger. So, these men.”
“Yeah. Hmm, well, it was just a bit of fun.”
“Oh, Maura, don’t worry about upsetting me. I know about going against people’s wishes.”
She accepted that. Dr. Obenhaus was a lesbian who had been living openly for years in Georgia.
“It’s just...I can’t deal with it right now.”
“You love them.”
“Yes. But that is not always enough.”
“I agree. Just make sure you take the time to figure out if it is enough for you.”
“Okay.”
“So, are they good looking?”
She laughed. “Yeah, and Irish and bisexual.”
“Good for you. Now, make sure to check in with me, but don’t use me as a crutch. You need to talk to the people in your life, Maura.”
“I will.”
They hung up and she stared out over the traffic again. She didn’t hear the knock at the door until the door squeaked open.
She turned and saw Zeke and Rory standing just inside the door.
“Did you need something?”
“We just wanted to check on you,” Rory said surprising her.
Damn, they looked good. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into their arms and seek some kind of acceptance and love, but she couldn’t. They thought she was crazy. They hadn’t said it out loud but they got the same tone in their voices that Conner did. They thought she had lost her mind about the attacker.
“I’m fine.”
They said nothing.
“Is that all?”
Zeke walked closer. “Maybe you should go home and get some sleep this afternoon.”
She looked up from her computer screen. “What?”
“Love, you look worn out.”
She frowned. “Way to make me feel good, Zeke.”
“No, seriously, how much sleep have you gotten?”
She glanced at Rory who was watching her closely as if worried she would break down in tears.
“Not much. I have insomnia most of the time when I return from Hawaii.”
Which was kind of true. Okay, not really, but she figured she wouldn’t go to hell for a lie. Considering the things she’d done in Hawaii with these two, God would probably be more upset with that than her little white lie.
“Still, you look really tired. Why not at least work from home? It might do a little good to get out of the office.”
She looked from one to the other and hurt. The pain in her chest was worse than when she’d been attacked. Going home wasn’t what she thought she would do today, but maybe a break from seeing the two men she loved but who apparently didn’t love her, might be a good thing.