Page 49 of The Sandbar saga
He wanted to lecture and punish her, despite her age, despite he had no right to treat her that way. Caught between being her guardian and her therapist, he floundered in a gray area where he wanted to make her happy.
That gray area went against everything he was. He lived in a black and white world. The investigation board would have his license if they suspected his involvement with a patient.
Hell, she hadn't even signed a release form, breaking their relationship with him as her psychologist.
She probably had no idea that he was contractually obligated to provide emotional support and guidance. His reluctance to tell her was for his benefit. He needed that piece of paper to remain in his filing cabinet to keep from breaking the ethic code he swore to when he received his license.
"Why don't we talk about what just happened?" he said, keeping his voice level.
She stared out at the pool. The lights under the water clicked on. It was getting darker earlier in the evenings now that October had arrived.
He waited for a reply. Her silence spoke volumes.
She would never admit she went looking for answers on how to find her mother. To speak those words out loud would make her too exposed, even to him.
If he'd learned one thing about her over the years, he knew her strength. Katie furiously held on to the barriers she erected to protect herself from her vulnerabilities. Though, he suspected she let the pain and hurt come out when she was alone.
That suspicion killed him.
He was a psychologist. It was his job to share the self-discoveries and face the memories with her, to help her cope with repercussions. There were ways of getting past her childhood trauma if she let him show her.
She shivered. He watched her fight, not only the chill in the air, but the adrenaline rush going away.
"What did you expect going onto the property, back to the house you grew up in?" he said.
"Grew up in? I was twelve years old when she sent me away. I wasn't done growing up." She snorted. "I'm going to bed before you start playing twenty questions with me."
He never stopped her from going back into the house. Pushing her would make him lose her, and the way she acted tonight proved she wasn't ready to go out on her own.