that—"
"But I have some more good news, it made me feel so much better. Your sister is here."
The clock stopped the second her mother mentioned her sister. Her eyes dried up like the inside of her mouth. "Carly's home?"
"Yes! Isn't that wonderful? I was beginning to think she'd forgotten all about us. But she said she's here to visit for a while. Taking a break from touring the world and all that. And she has pictures!"
"Uh, great."
Mike pointed to his watch, signaling that she needed to hurry up.
"Listen mom, I only called to let you know I found my wallet. I'll be over tomorrow to say hi to you and Carly."
"Actually I was thinking she and I would drop by tomorrow and visit you at work. Then all three of us could hang out, and Carly could see how well the store is doing."
Jackie clenched her teeth. The last person she wanted was for her high style, too tall and too thin model sister, the sister that their mother was so proud of, see that she still worked in their mother's little shop because she couldn’t get her own career. "Great, uh, listen mom I have to go. Love you."
"I love you too, and so does Carly."
Jackie hung up and handed Mike his phone. She couldn't help it. Her sister was always a sore subject for her.
"I guess you'll need a ride home?" Mike asked.
Like a starving dog, Jackie jumped at the scraps he offered. "Could you?"
He smiled, eternally patient. "Any time. Now let's go."
FIVE
Jackie answered questions about what she knew of Kyle, what she saw in the alley, and what happened when she kissed him—all four times—for nearly an hour and a half before Mike decided she didn’t have more information than that and drove her home.
He leaned across his seat and looked up at her when she got out of the car. "You alright?"
She nearly shook her head but managed to hold it back, though she had suspected that despite the wide smile she threw on her face and a chipper, "Never better!" He saw right through her.
He hesitated before nodding and letting her walk up to her apartment by herself.
Jackie dragged her feet up the stairs. Yeah, she was fine alright, as long as she ignored the guilt that fed off her insides like termites.
All she could see was Kyle’s face as the police led him out of the library in handcuffs. The look in his eyes that she didn't even have the guts to face as he passed her nearly zapped her into about a million pieces.
Jackie pulled her keys from her purse, trying not to make much noise in case Mrs. Harlen across the hall heard her and came out to ask about the man she'd allowed into her apartment.
She wasn't even mad enough at the older woman to demand her spare key back.
Jackie let herself in and switched on the light, half expecting Kyle to be waiting in the dark for her. There was no one. Her apartment remained silent and empty as though he’d never been there in the first place.
She sighed at the sight of the finger holes in her drywall, then pulled her garlic spray out of the wall and shook her head at the hole. That would need to be fixed, but only after she got a good night's sleep.
"I did the right thing, I know I did," she muttered, stripping off her clothes and heading for the bathroom and the hot shower that awaited her there.
But if she did the right thing, why didn't she feel like she did? What was wrong with her? She had no attachments to him, didn’t know who he was or even how much truth there was to his story. She should feel no guilt whatsoever.
Especially if what Mike said was true, but even if it was, that didn't make Kyle guilty, just a suspect.
She stood in the shower and soaked for some minutes before getting out, wrapping a yellow towel around her torso and another in her hair before she went to her room. She didn't have the energy to put anything on for bed so she crawled under the blue covers as she was and tried to sleep.
A tingling itch she couldn’t describe immediately took control of her body. The tingling turned to
"But I have some more good news, it made me feel so much better. Your sister is here."
The clock stopped the second her mother mentioned her sister. Her eyes dried up like the inside of her mouth. "Carly's home?"
"Yes! Isn't that wonderful? I was beginning to think she'd forgotten all about us. But she said she's here to visit for a while. Taking a break from touring the world and all that. And she has pictures!"
"Uh, great."
Mike pointed to his watch, signaling that she needed to hurry up.
"Listen mom, I only called to let you know I found my wallet. I'll be over tomorrow to say hi to you and Carly."
"Actually I was thinking she and I would drop by tomorrow and visit you at work. Then all three of us could hang out, and Carly could see how well the store is doing."
Jackie clenched her teeth. The last person she wanted was for her high style, too tall and too thin model sister, the sister that their mother was so proud of, see that she still worked in their mother's little shop because she couldn’t get her own career. "Great, uh, listen mom I have to go. Love you."
"I love you too, and so does Carly."
Jackie hung up and handed Mike his phone. She couldn't help it. Her sister was always a sore subject for her.
"I guess you'll need a ride home?" Mike asked.
Like a starving dog, Jackie jumped at the scraps he offered. "Could you?"
He smiled, eternally patient. "Any time. Now let's go."
FIVE
Jackie answered questions about what she knew of Kyle, what she saw in the alley, and what happened when she kissed him—all four times—for nearly an hour and a half before Mike decided she didn’t have more information than that and drove her home.
He leaned across his seat and looked up at her when she got out of the car. "You alright?"
She nearly shook her head but managed to hold it back, though she had suspected that despite the wide smile she threw on her face and a chipper, "Never better!" He saw right through her.
He hesitated before nodding and letting her walk up to her apartment by herself.
Jackie dragged her feet up the stairs. Yeah, she was fine alright, as long as she ignored the guilt that fed off her insides like termites.
All she could see was Kyle’s face as the police led him out of the library in handcuffs. The look in his eyes that she didn't even have the guts to face as he passed her nearly zapped her into about a million pieces.
Jackie pulled her keys from her purse, trying not to make much noise in case Mrs. Harlen across the hall heard her and came out to ask about the man she'd allowed into her apartment.
She wasn't even mad enough at the older woman to demand her spare key back.
Jackie let herself in and switched on the light, half expecting Kyle to be waiting in the dark for her. There was no one. Her apartment remained silent and empty as though he’d never been there in the first place.
She sighed at the sight of the finger holes in her drywall, then pulled her garlic spray out of the wall and shook her head at the hole. That would need to be fixed, but only after she got a good night's sleep.
"I did the right thing, I know I did," she muttered, stripping off her clothes and heading for the bathroom and the hot shower that awaited her there.
But if she did the right thing, why didn't she feel like she did? What was wrong with her? She had no attachments to him, didn’t know who he was or even how much truth there was to his story. She should feel no guilt whatsoever.
Especially if what Mike said was true, but even if it was, that didn't make Kyle guilty, just a suspect.
She stood in the shower and soaked for some minutes before getting out, wrapping a yellow towel around her torso and another in her hair before she went to her room. She didn't have the energy to put anything on for bed so she crawled under the blue covers as she was and tried to sleep.
A tingling itch she couldn’t describe immediately took control of her body. The tingling turned to
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