The furniture was worn but comfortable. As a rule, clients didn’t come to the offices, but when they did, the conversations generally went better when people were more relaxed. Desks with computers could be intimidating as a backdrop.
When they were seated, Sienna tucked her legs under her, then opened her iced tea.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Erika tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, then clutched her bottle of water. “This isn’t going anywhere, is it? You won’t tell anyone?”
“If you share something that makes me think someone’s life is in danger, I’m required to report that. Otherwise, I’m basically like talking to a lawyer. I keep your secrets.” She smiled. “Without charging by the hour.”
“Okay.” Erika set her water on the coffee table, then grabbed it again. “It’s my cousin. Her boyfriend’s beating the crap out of her and I don’t know how to make her leave him.”
“How long have they been together?”
“Two years.”
“What does beating the crap out of her mean? Bruises? Broken bones?”
“He hits her every now and then. I don’t think he’s broken anything, but she’s had a black eye a few times. I’ve met him and he seems really nice, but apparently he has a temper. I’ve told her to just walk away, but she won’t.” Erika shook her head. “That’s the part I don’t get. She’s this great person. Why does she put up with that?”
Sienna stood and walked to a small desk on the far wall. She opened a drawer and pulled out several sheets of paper, along with a brochure. She took them back to Erika.
“You need to read these,” she said as she took her seat again.
“You’re giving me homework?”
“Yes. Look at the brochure first. Items three and five are the most important right now.” Sienna held up one finger. “Help your cousin design a safety plan. She needs to know what to do if it gets bad.” She held up a second finger. “Don’t intervene. You’ll only make her situation worse.”
Erika wrinkled her nose. “What makes you think I’d do that?”
“I’ve known you since we were kids. You love wading into the middle of trouble. This is not the time to do that. If you try to fix this yourself, you could get your cousin killed.”
Erika’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Completely. You’re smart and capable and you are totally out of your league on this one. You don’t have to like me, but you do have to trust me.” She motioned to the papers. “Read those,” she repeated. “Go online and educate yourself. While no two situations are exactly the same, they do tend to follow a pattern. He will escalate the abuse. If you want to help your cousin, you have to do it on her terms in a way that supports her.”
“Okay. Thank you. I appreciate the information. What if she wants to leave?”
“Then we can help. Where does she live?”
“Sacramento.”
“Good. That’s far enough away that coming here would make sense. You have my number. If she leaves, call me anytime, day or night. I’ll get her to a safe place.”
“Is that your job?”
Sienna smiled. “No, I raise money for the organization. But things will go more smoothly if you can reassure your cousin that you have a personal relationship with me. I’ve done it before. Once your cousin is here and settled, I’ll introduce her to our support staff.”
“Just like that?”
“Like I said—it’s what we do.”
Erika took a drink of her water. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll read this and then talk to her. It’s been pretty awful and I really didn’t know what to say.”
“For what it’s worth, those of us who haven’t been in the situation usually can’t understand why they stay. The material will help with that.”
Erika leaned back against the sofa. “Now I have to feel guilty about not giving you my great-grandmother’s kitchen stuff.”
“Yes, you do. You should write a generous check to make up for that.”
Erika laughed. “Maybe I will.” Her humor faded. “Why do you do this? Work here? Why aren’t you working for a fashion magazine in New York or something?”
“You mean why isn’t my work more shallow?”
“Yeah.”
She raised one shoulder. “I was a marketing major my first year at college. I got a summer job at a travel magazine. One of the staff members was being abused by her husband. When she left, she came to me for help. I was nineteen and had no idea what to do, but I found a women’s shelter in the phone book and arranged for her to go to them. The next year I started volunteering there. Then I changed my major and ended up here.”