I was just too quick. When I realized how seriously deranged he could get, I left. But he followed me. That’s why I had to keep moving for the last couple of years.” Her shoulders slumped, drawing his attention to her cleavage. “I’m just tired of constantly looking over my shoulder and having to relocate. I’m hoping I outsmarted him this time.” She smiled and stacked the clean laundry in the basket. “I’m originally from Colorado, and I always talked about going back when we were together. When I started moving around, I realized I was heading in that general direction. I’m hoping he thinks that’s where I went. Maybe when he doesn’t find me, he’ll give up.”
He thought of the man Francyne talked with and decided not to mention the old lady’s hunch.
Taking the basket from her, he held open the door and then followed her across the courtyard. “If you’re not too tired, I thought maybe we could have dinner at my place.”
“You cook, too? I love to cook. Baking is my specialty.” Her face fell. “I should have picked up some pans and groceries. I could have brought dessert.”
“Next time,” he promised, setting her basket inside her door when she opened it. “I made a decadence cake the other day that will still be good.”
“Decadence cake?”
“You never heard of a chocolate decadence cake? It’s devil’s food with fudge marbled through it. Very rich and moist. Gooey fudge frosting, and then I go one step beyond by adding whipped cream and a drizzle of hot fudge right before I serve it.”
“Stop!” She placed her hand on her flat stomach. “I think I just gained five pounds from talking about it! What time should I come over? I saw a shop on the corner, would you like me to bring anything? How about wine?”
“Wine would be good, but I have some, so don’t bother unless you just want to go out. How about in an hour or so?”
“No bother.” Her teeth flashed in the shadows when she smiled. “See you in an hour.” She went up on her toes and brushed a kiss across his cheek, setting off sparks to travel up to the tops of his ears.
Jamie twirled in front of the mirror at the resale shop around the corner from her apartment. The blond hair and deep tan no longer shocked her, and the yellow tank dress she had on looked fabulous with her new coloring. A glance at the price tag had her chewing on her lower lip. Though not pricey, the dress would easily pay for a week of groceries.
“That dress was made for you, doll,” Shirl, the salesperson of questionable gender, said in her/his deep, gravelly voice. “You should buy it.”
Without waiting for a reply, Shirl resumed flipping the pages of a tattered issue of Vogue .
“I should, shouldn’t I?” Jamie turned and glanced at her back in the mirror, enjoying the way the yellow brought out the tan on her skin and the way the neckline dipped scandalously low. “But…I just don’t know.”
“Didn’t you see the sale sign in the window?”
“What sale sign?”
They walked to the plateglass storefront and looked at the signless window.
“Damn kids,” Shirl said. “Must’ve snatched it. Anyway, today is Tuesday. It’s half off of half off day.”
“Really?” What luck. She did some quick tabulations. The dress still would set her back more than she really should spend.
“And it’s also, ah, blond-hair day. You get an additional thirty percent.”
“But I’m not really a blonde,” she confided.
“That’s okay.” Shirl patted the voluminous pile of red hair he/she sported. “I’m not really a redhead either. So what’s your name, doll?”
“Jamie. But I—”
“Listen up, Jamie.” Shirl looked around the deserted store. “Tell you what I’m gonna do. For today only, for the next five minutes, I’m giving a special Jamie discount. An additional fifteen percent. You look totally hot in that dress. You know it. I know it. Whoever you’re dolling up for will know it, too. So what do
He thought of the man Francyne talked with and decided not to mention the old lady’s hunch.
Taking the basket from her, he held open the door and then followed her across the courtyard. “If you’re not too tired, I thought maybe we could have dinner at my place.”
“You cook, too? I love to cook. Baking is my specialty.” Her face fell. “I should have picked up some pans and groceries. I could have brought dessert.”
“Next time,” he promised, setting her basket inside her door when she opened it. “I made a decadence cake the other day that will still be good.”
“Decadence cake?”
“You never heard of a chocolate decadence cake? It’s devil’s food with fudge marbled through it. Very rich and moist. Gooey fudge frosting, and then I go one step beyond by adding whipped cream and a drizzle of hot fudge right before I serve it.”
“Stop!” She placed her hand on her flat stomach. “I think I just gained five pounds from talking about it! What time should I come over? I saw a shop on the corner, would you like me to bring anything? How about wine?”
“Wine would be good, but I have some, so don’t bother unless you just want to go out. How about in an hour or so?”
“No bother.” Her teeth flashed in the shadows when she smiled. “See you in an hour.” She went up on her toes and brushed a kiss across his cheek, setting off sparks to travel up to the tops of his ears.
Jamie twirled in front of the mirror at the resale shop around the corner from her apartment. The blond hair and deep tan no longer shocked her, and the yellow tank dress she had on looked fabulous with her new coloring. A glance at the price tag had her chewing on her lower lip. Though not pricey, the dress would easily pay for a week of groceries.
“That dress was made for you, doll,” Shirl, the salesperson of questionable gender, said in her/his deep, gravelly voice. “You should buy it.”
Without waiting for a reply, Shirl resumed flipping the pages of a tattered issue of Vogue .
“I should, shouldn’t I?” Jamie turned and glanced at her back in the mirror, enjoying the way the yellow brought out the tan on her skin and the way the neckline dipped scandalously low. “But…I just don’t know.”
“Didn’t you see the sale sign in the window?”
“What sale sign?”
They walked to the plateglass storefront and looked at the signless window.
“Damn kids,” Shirl said. “Must’ve snatched it. Anyway, today is Tuesday. It’s half off of half off day.”
“Really?” What luck. She did some quick tabulations. The dress still would set her back more than she really should spend.
“And it’s also, ah, blond-hair day. You get an additional thirty percent.”
“But I’m not really a blonde,” she confided.
“That’s okay.” Shirl patted the voluminous pile of red hair he/she sported. “I’m not really a redhead either. So what’s your name, doll?”
“Jamie. But I—”
“Listen up, Jamie.” Shirl looked around the deserted store. “Tell you what I’m gonna do. For today only, for the next five minutes, I’m giving a special Jamie discount. An additional fifteen percent. You look totally hot in that dress. You know it. I know it. Whoever you’re dolling up for will know it, too. So what do
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