“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”
She shook her head.
The baby shifted slightly in her arms.
I knew what I should have done—call a shelter, give her information, let someone else handle it.
Instead, I heard myself say, “I have a guest house.”
She blinked, stunned.
“You… you’d let me stay there?”
“Yes. Just for a few nights. Until you figure things out.”
Her expression changed—not quite relief, more like she had forgotten hope was even possible.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
I looked at the baby instead of her.
“Because you need somewhere safe.”
That was true.
Just not the whole truth.
Her name was Judith.
For illustrative purposes only
