"Roberta, I am fine. Thank you for telling me this place was open and for the furniture. I didn't know where we were going to go or get anything here. I could only bring the few boxes I could pack." I said as I hugged my friend and landlord as we stood in my new home in a small coastal town in Florida.
"Does she know what is going on?" Roberta asked about my 7-year-old daughter who was sitting at the small kitchen table, reading.
"No I think she is pretty oblivious. I just told her that we were leaving and she didn't ask questions." I asked and looked down at my arm where the handprint bruise was.
"Did he ever touch her?" Roberta asked and I shook my head.
"No I took it all and hid her from it. She didn't need to see it or deal with it. I was the idiot who married him." I said and Roberta placed a hand on my shoulder and shook her head.
"You were young and in love." Roberta said.
"And an idiot." I said and Roberta huffed a laugh.
"You get her enrolled in school?" Roberta asked and I nodded.
"Yeah she starts on Monday and I start work at the vets office on Monday as well, that's the one thing that went right. The town vet retired a month ago." I said and Roberta smiled.
"Mom, I'm hungry." My daughter Remy said not taking her eyes off her book and I sighed.
"Okay well...I have some mac and cheese I can make. Do you want some?" I asked and she made a gagging noise.
"You love mac and cheese." I said.
"Not when I have had it every meal for the past billion days." Remy said.
"Not billion maybe million." I said with a small smile and Remy laughed.
"Momma, can we please get pizza?" Remy asked. I sighed.
"Any good pizza places around here?" I asked and Roberta nodded with a smile.
"I will call and order it for you and have it sent to here. Just relax tonight. I will bring you over some wine for when she goes to bed." Roberta said and I smiled.
"Anything stronger?" I asked and Roberta laughed.
"Possibly." Roberta said and I smiled.
"Good, bring that." I said and Roberta smiled. She walked over to Remy sitting at the table and kissed her head.
"See ya later kiddo." She said.
"Bye Roberta." Remy said and I smiled.
"Pizza will be on it's way soon." Roberta said and I smiled.
"Thank you." I said and Roberta walked out. I stood up and looked around.
"Hey, you want to go outside and sit on the steps? It's too nice to be inside." I said and Remy sighed.
"Can we unpack my room instead? I still cant find my special item box." Remy said and I knew she meant her keepsake box she started keeping a year ago of special things to her. She started around the time her dad started beating me.
"Okay, let's go." I said and she ran to her room and I sighed with a smile. I walked into her room and opened up the window to get some fresh air and Remy smiled.
"Mom, can I call dad soon?" Remy asked as I grabbed a box and started to unpack.
"I'll think about it okay?" I asked and she nodded. I looked through a box and smiled.
"Hey....look at what I found." I said and pulled out her keepsake box.
"YOU FOUND IT!" Remy yelled excited and I handed it to her. I continued to unpack until the pizza arrived. Once we ate Remy and I decided to sit outside on the front steps and just enjoy the night.
YOU ARE READING
Fresh Start ⭐
Fanfiction~*COMPLETE*~ Frank Adler is just trying to raise his 7-year-old niece Mary and do right by her when Bailey moves in a few houses down with her 7-year-old daughter Remy. Bailey seems to be running away from something and Frank becomes a good friend...
