The Freelancer – Chapter 72

“I just don’t get it,” Jenna complained after they ordered lunch.

“Get what?” Trista asked.

“Jackson.  This whole weekend was perfect, but he was completely cold to me last night.  I don’t understand what I did to piss him off.”

“He’s a man…they can’t handle it.”

Jenna was confused.  “What are you talking about?”

“You are so naïve sometimes, Jen.  Men all want a woman who will sleep with them, but as soon as they get the goods they can’t handle the fact they found a woman who actually would sleep with them.  It’s pathetic, really.”

“I don’t think that’s the problem.”  Jenna chewed on the inside of her lip in thought.  “I’m sort of his girlfriend now.”

“Did you bring it up or did he?”

“He did.”

Trista sipped her tea in thought then said, “I think it was my fault.”

“Huh?”

“I was really upset about Maureen not showing up for that deposition yesterday and I went over to talk to you, but you weren’t there.  I thought you might be over at his place.  He asked me what was wrong and I broke down.  He was really nice about it, though.”

Jenna nodded.  “He normally is nice, Trist.”

“Anyway, Collin was there with him and it looked like I’d interrupted something important.  Then he offered to help me find her, which I know will take up more of their time.”

Jenna waited for the waitress to deposit their plates on the table and leave before she spoke.  “He offered to help?”

“Yeah, I thought that was weird, too, but I guess Collin has a friend at the police department.  He called me last night to tell me that since she’d been missing for more than forty-eight hours they were opening a missing persons file on her.”

“Jackson did?”

“No, Collin.  Why?”

Jenna shook her head.  “I don’t know.  I guess I was hoping that he was preoccupied with that when I went over.”

Trista set down the pickle she was munching on.  “What’s this really about, sweetie?”

Jenna debated telling Trista everything, but thought better of it.  She couldn’t tell her that she stole Daniel’s badge and dropped it in a trash can for this guy that was going to kill Lana if she didn’t.  She couldn’t tell Trista that driving away from that park, knowing it was over, made her feel like a weight was lifted from her shoulders.  She couldn’t tell Trista that all she wanted to do once she got home was feel Jackson’s arms around her, making her feel safe again.

She couldn’t tell Trista about any of it because she was warned not to and Jenna had no way of knowing if that awful person was sitting at the next table, waiting for her to slip up.

“I told you,” she replied instead.

“You’re lying to me, Jen.  I know you far too well for you to put one over on me.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re worried that he still hasn’t told you he loves you, aren’t you?”

Jenna supposed that sounded alright.  “I guess,” she lied.

“See Jen, I told you couldn’t put one over on me,” Trista said, triumphant, before she took a bite out of her sandwich.

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