Read Online The Glimpsing by James L. Black, Mary Byrnes - Free Book Online

den?”
    Jack only kept staring at the gallery.
    “Yes, I think you have,” Janice answered for him. “She’s different than the others, whether you want to admit that or not.   You like her, and I don’t mean that lightly.   You really like her.”
    Jack was now even more annoyed, but he was being careful not to let it show.   Doing so would only confirm the woman’s absurd notions.   “Don’t get yourself too excited, Janice.     She’s just another girl.”
    Janice gazed down her nose at him.   “Hardly.”
    Jack stifled another reaction, although unconsciously he did clear his throat.
    “Does Portia know what’s going on?”
    “No.”
    “Do you and Gabrielle intend to tell her?”
    “Sooner or later.”
    “Well when, after the wedding bells?”
    “Who the hell said anything about me marrying her?” Jack retorted, then realizing his blunder, tried to pull himself back.   It was already too late, however, if Janice’s suddenly suspicious glower was any indication.
    “If you’re going to insist on behaving this way, then the least you could do is be honest and let Portia know.   If she found out some other way, she’d be…”   She trailed off.
    “She’d be what?” Jack asked.
    “I don’t know.   Matters such as this have a way of bringing out the worst in a person—even in someone as harmless as Portia.”
    “When the time comes, I think I’ll be able to handle anything she wants to throw at me.”
    Janice reared a bit.   “Oh...   Oh, I see.   This affair is intentional.   You actually want to hurt Portia.”
    He held her gaze for a moment, and was about to speak when he saw Janice’s eyes flick away.   She then began strolling toward the dresser, her eyes trained on the painting perched on top.
    “What is this?” she said with a degree of wonder.   She picked the painting up and gazed at it in amazement.   “Portia?   Is this… Portia?”
    “More or less,” Jack said.
    “Did you have this made?”
    “No.   Portia gave it to me herself.”
    “Well, who painted it?”
    “She did.   At least that’s what she claims.”
    “It’s lovely.   I had no idea she was an artist.”
    “I’m not sure anyone did.”
    “But… it’s so strange.   I can’t imagine why she would want to portray herself like this, so dark and seductive.   It’s completely out of character for her.”
    “Maybe she wasn’t always the saint you assume her to be.”   He rose from the bed, made his way to Janice’s side, and looked at the painting along with her.   “She did it when she was eighteen.”
    “That long ago?   Why in the world would she want you to have it?”
    “She said she wanted me to have something to remember her by.”
    “She’s not over you?” Janice asked.   But Jack didn’t seem to hear the question.   He had reached out and was letting his fingers glide along the woman’s face.   Noticing this, Janice added, “Or is it the other way around.”   Still, he did not hear her.
    “Her name is Rose,” Jack said as if touched by some kind of awe.
    “Portia told you that?”
    He moved his hand away.   “No.   Rose told me that herself.”
    Janice looked at him.   “I don’t understand.”
    “I mean last night, in a dream,” Jack said.   “She said her name was Rose.”
    “Oh, I see.”
    “Only, it didn’t’ feel like a dream; it was very strange.   I saw her lying right there on the floor.”   He motioned with his hand toward the base of the bed.   “I picked her up, put her in bed, and when I turned the light on, there she was, looking just the way you see her here: dark eyes, dark hair, red dress and all.   I thought Portia had dyed her hair, changed her eyes, and broke into my house as some sort of gag.   I didn’t even realize I was dreaming until later on, after Rose and I had been talking a while.”
    “You mean you had a lucid dream?”
    He looked at her.   “What’s that?”
    “It’s like waking up inside a dream