The Freelancer – Chapter 14

Jenna wanted to climb into bed and forget about the night as soon as she got home, but knew she couldn’t.  She was gone much longer than she’d originally anticipated and her three-year-old grey cat let her know she was late once the door opened.  He was accustomed to having his dinner promptly at seven every evening.  He made his displeasure known by biting her on her right calf.

“Okay Buddy, I know I’m late.  Let’s go get something to eat.”

Once she put his canned food onto a plate, he began to purr to show she was forgiven.  Under ordinary circumstances, Jenna would search for her calico kitten, Chloe, but she was ready for her day to be over.  Chloe would have to wait.

She changed into her pajamas and washed her face.  The thought of curling up in bed with a good book crossed her mind, but was dismissed straight away.  Jenna crawled under the covers and hoped sleep would come quickly so she wouldn’t have to replay her evening on an endless loop.

“Meowwwwwwww!”

Chloe had other plans for her.  Jenna shook her head in frustration.  She would almost swear that cat knew when she was trying to get some sleep.  She had no use for Jenna the rest of the day.

“Chloe.”  Jenna called out into the darkness, knowing full well her feline friend was on the floor beside the bed, looking up at her with those big yellow eyes.

“Meooowwww!”

“Come here, little girl.”

“Meow.”

“Get up here or shut up.”

On cue, Chloe jumped up and bumped heads with her.  She stayed in bed purring for about five minutes before she leapt off the bed to chase Buddy down the hallway.  Jenna, now fully awake, cursed the playful kitten phase in silence and stared at the inside of her eyelids.

As she lay there, Jackson’s words tumbled through her head.  She hated to admit it, but he was right.  She was sure he hadn’t realized he was giving her advice she needed to hear.  Jenna had been living with a ghost for the last two years.

Oddly enough, that hadn’t bothered her until tonight.  It was only once she opened herself up to the possibility of meeting someone else that what she was doing dawned on her.  It also made her bed feel extra empty tonight.  A strong, handsome man next to her would take the edge off her insomnia.  Where that thought came from was a mystery, an accurate assessment, but still a mystery.

Granted, after the way she flaked out on him, Jenna wouldn’t be surprised if she’d slammed the door on that possibility.  At this point, he probably thought that she was insane, or at the very least, way too high maintenance to pursue.  Either way, she didn’t know how to smooth things over.

Jenna resisted the urge to get dressed and go across the hall to talk to him.  It was just as well because she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.  He’d made his interest in her known and she was beginning to think she might feel the same.  No, going over there now wasn’t an option.  Her mind was conjuring all sorts of scenarios that were wildly inappropriate based on the length of time she’d known this guy.  Going across the hall would be like giving him the green light to make a move on her.

That thought conjured more images, all racing through her mind with fiery intensity.  This was ridiculous.  She was fantasizing about a man she’d known for a few short hours.  At this rate, Jenna realized she may as well head over there because there was no way she’d be able to get any sleep.  But she couldn’t do that; the voice in the back of her head wouldn’t let her.

“Don’t be mad, Tony.  I think it’s time for me to move on,” she whispered, hoping sleep would soon take her so she wouldn’t have to dwell on the man thirty seconds away.

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