Stripped - By Brenda Rothert Page 0,15

warm with happiness at how normal it felt to be going out for dinner with a friend. It didn’t hurt that her friend was dead sexy.

“How’s your Mom doing?” Chris asked.

“Okay. Back to her usual cantankerous self.”

“Is she hard to get along with?”

“That’s an understatement. She’s out of the sleeping medication and she’s been hounding me to get her more.”

“She shouldn’t need more.”

“I know. But drug addicts can never get enough.”

“You have a lot to deal with for a 24-year-old,” Chris said as he pulled into the packed parking lot of the small restaurant.

“Things are so much more stable now than they used to be. I’m in a good place.”

The restaurant smelled of fresh baked bread and sautéed garlic, and Abby liked it immediately. It was dimly lit, with candles on every table and soft music in the background.

“Would you like wine?” Chris asked as they sat down. The server gave him a look that said she was about to ask that herself.

“Just water,” Abby said.

“Same for me,” Chris said.

“It smells divine in here,” Abby said, closing her eyes.

“I know. I’m a fiend for carbs, too. I love pasta. Are you going to be able to find something that works? I know you’re careful with your diet, I shouldn’t have picked an Italian place.”

“They have fish and salad. This place is perfect.”

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Chris asked, folding his menu closed.

“What, you want the lap dance now?”

A slight flush colored Chris’ cheeks as he laughed.

“Well, maybe not right now,” he said. “You said in the car that things are more stable than they used to be. What did you mean?”

“Oh,” Abby said, looking away. “Like I told you the other day, my Mom got started on drugs when she was with Tim, her second husband.”

“What was that like for you?”

Abby shrugged uncomfortably.

“I try not to think about it anymore. There were times they’d be so strung out that Justin and I would go around to the neighbors’ houses asking for food. We had no idea what to do for Sara and Audrey, but we learned. And when they were out of drugs and had no money, they fought. They would scream and break things and beat the shit out of each other.”

“And you were the oldest, so you must have felt like you had to look out for the other kids.”

“Yeah,” Abby said, looking down at the white fabric tablecloth. “We all shared a room, and I’d tell them to hide under their beds during the fighting, and I would close the door and sit in front of it. Like I could have kept them out if I’d needed to.”

Chris watched her intently and Abby smiled uncomfortably.

“Were you ever abused?” he asked softly. Abby sighed and met his eyes.

“I feel like you’re trying to determine how messed up I am,” she said.

“No, I’m sorry. No. I just want to understand you. I can already see you have a lot of walls up, Abby. You’re defensive.”

“I feel like you and I are from two different worlds. You should be having dinner with someone who likes fashion and sailing instead of me.”

“Don’t assume I’m a snob because I’m a doctor,” Chris said with a smile. Abby looked away, feeling admonished. She knew what it was like to be judged unfairly.

“Why don’t you tell me about your family?” she said.

“I don’t see much of my parents. They fly in every few months for a day or two.”

“Tell me about them.”

“My Dad’s a good guy, but kind of a workaholic. He was born here, but his parents are from France. Even though he comes from money, he’s pretty down to earth. My Mom…I don’t know. We have a hard time relating to each other, I guess. We had a falling out a long time ago and I never got over it. And she’s disappointed in my career choice.”

“Disappointed you’re a doctor?” Abby asked, unable to hide her disbelief.

“Yeah. In the world my parents live in, doctors make shit money. They wanted me to go into business, but it never interested me. It took my Mom a long time to recover from the shock of the news that I wanted to be a doctor, but then she decided I could become a plastic surgeon or a cardiac surgeon. She cried when I told her I was going into emergency medicine.”

The waitress looked tentatively at them, as though she didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, and Abby waved her over. After they ordered, she