Dr. Strange Beard (Winston Brothers, #5)

by Penny Reid

“Can I give you some advice, Ashley?” “Advice?” She shifted, redistributing her weight to the hip where her daughter perched. “Yeah. Sure.” “The next time you see someone behaving like Officer Strickland . . .” I held her gaze with mine and gave her a small, genuine smile. “Absolutely intervene. You did the right thing coming out here, thank you so much for that.” She studied me, a question between her knotted brows. “But?” “Not really a but. More like, consider. Instead of rescuing the person being harassed, and if you judge that the person isn’t in imminent danger, may I suggest you amplify that person’s voice instead?” Ashley tilted her head to the side, her gaze cloudy with confusion. “How do you mean?” “Next time, ask me if I’m okay and if I’ve been treated fairly. Give me a chance to defend myself, to use my own voice.” Her blue eyes moved between mine, so like Roscoe’s, and a wobbly half-smile tugged at her lips; her cheeks flushed. “Yes. Okay. I’m sorry.” “Oh no! Don’t apologize, please don’t!” Crap. I reached out with my hand, palm up. She held it. We smiled at each other. “Don’t apologize,” I repeated. “And please, please, please don’t feel bad. God, never feel bad about being an excellent person. Just, if you think of it, let capable people speak for themselves. Let us use our voices. People like Officer—” I thought better of what I was going to say, and restarted, “Wouldn’t it be great if folks everywhere were used to listening—really listening—to people who di...