Turning by Dawn Kirby

Clouded

“Well, how’d it go last night?” Jennifer asked as she slid into the passenger’s seat of Alana’s Jeep. “Did you finally get to have some fun?”

“I don’t know if I call it fun,” Alana answered, waiting for the door to slam shut, “but it did get me out of the house for a while.”

“According to Matt you had a wonderful time. He said you left with a good looking stranger.” She flashed a smile at her friend and put her seatbelt on. “Come on. I want details.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, “I didn’t leave with anybody. If he saw a man with me, it was probably one of the men on staff. They do offer that there, you know. Most women don’t like walking out to their car alone at night.”

“Hun, I’ve been to that club plenty of times and I don’t ever remember seeing anybody, employee or otherwise who even remotely looks like the one Matt described.”

“Do tell.” Alana put the Jeep in drive and pulled away from the curb with a smile on her face. Matt was her older brother and Jennifer’s roommate. “I’m dying to know what this mystery man supposedly looks like.”

Jennifer looked over at Alana dumbfounded. Was she serious? Had Matt just been pulling her leg? No, he wouldn’t joke about something like this. Not after what had happened to her and Paul. If he said she left with a man, she left with man. He was so terrified Ben would find a way out of prison and hunt her down; he’d taken to following her whenever she strayed off her normal work-home routine. He knew more about his little sister than she knew about herself.

“You’re serious? You really don’t remember the guy?” Alana shook her head. “According to your brother the guy was about six feet tall. He said he had, what was it again? Oh yeah, shoulder length raven black hair and iceberg blue eyes. I’d say he was pretty unforgettable”

“Raven black? Iceberg blue?” she giggled. He’s always had a habit of describing women’s features in relation to cars. It was only a matter of time before he started doing it with men as well. “I think he’s been huffing the paint way too long.”

“Maybe so, but he saw you walk out with the man,” Jennifer said adamantly. “Matt left right after y’all did, but he said your car was gone by the time he got to the parking lot.”

“No doubt he went straight to my apartment after that,” she said under her breath. He tailed her religiously and it was really starting to get old.

“You bet your sweet ass he did! He’s not about to let anything like that ever happen to you again.”

“And what’d he find when he got there, pray tell?”

“Your car in the parking lot and a locked front door,” she answered smugly. “All your lights were off, too.”

“And that’s unusual why? It was late. I lock my door AND turn out my lights before I go to bed.”

“Yeah, well-,”

Alana sighed. “Look, if I left with somebody don’t you think I’d remember it?”

“You wouldn’t if you were drugged,” Jennifer said quickly.

“Did Matt say anything about me acting like I had been? Was I stumbling out the door? Did he think I looked sick in any way?”

“Well no. He said you hadn’t had anything to drink either.”

“See, how can I be drugged if I didn’t drink anything? I’m not saying Matt didn’t see me talking to somebody, but that was all I did.” She vaguely remembered talking with a man, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember what he looked like or even what they’d talked about. Couldn’t have been a very stimulating conversation, she thought. “Besides, you know as well as I do the last thing I’m looking for is another relationship.”

“You don’t have to be in a relationship to get an itch scratched,” Jennifer pointed out. “We all do it at least once in our lives.” Alana started to say something, but Jennifer was too quick. “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s too soon. You’re gonna have to let some of the fear go. I know that’s probably easier said than done, but if you’re ever gonna have a healthy relationship again something’s got to give.”

“I already gave up my peace of mind,” Alana said quietly. “I can’t afford to let anything else go.”