Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
She hadn’t gone back to the bar. Part of her didn’t want to, in case he didn’t actually turn up.
This was so stupid. He finally told her his name, and now she didn’t have a clue where he was. Braxton had called an end to it, and now it was over.
She ran a hand down her face and tried to clear the fog from her mind. Nope, it was still pretty foggy up there.
“What do you think?” Lucille asked.
Pressing her lips together, she turned toward Lucille and smiled. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
“You’re acting very strange today, are you okay?” Lucille reached out and pressed a hand to her cheek.
“I’m fine.” She didn’t pull away. She wasn’t going to tell her boss that she was pining for a man who might not even exist. “It’s just been a long day. I’m a little tired is all.” She forced a smile that she didn’t feel.
“Well, if you’re feeling unwell at all, please let me know, and I will find someone to cover for you. You know you haven’t had a lot of vacation time since you started working for me.”
Jade hadn’t wanted to go on vacation. In the early days, it had been because she’d been mourning her parents, and time alone made her think about them. Missing them constantly didn’t help the soul to heal. Working helped.
And then, there hadn’t been any other reason to take a vacation. She must have used a couple of days over the years when she got very sick, but that was about the extent of it. Other than that, she didn’t take time off. Working constantly helped her.
She felt like she needed work now more than ever because she had a feeling Braxton had said goodbye the moment he told her his name.
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lucille nodded, and after the shop was closed, Jade waited for her boss to leave before taking that first step away from the shop. The moment she did, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t go straight back to her apartment this time. Before leaving for work this morning, she noticed the fridge was verging on empty and needed a refill.
She had to take a quick stop to the supermarket. Usually, she liked shopping at the supermarket, but for some odd reason, today didn’t feel like a good day. She couldn’t help but constantly look around to see if Braxton was lurking, watching her. He had admitted to spying on her, so there had to be a chance of him actually still doing it.
Jade didn’t know if it was wishful thinking or not. She wanted to imagine that he hadn’t just had his fun and left. She knew men did it all the time. She’d never experienced it herself, because being a virgin would require a man to want her. She’d never had that until Braxton, but that seemed to be fleeting on his part.
Entering the supermarket, she didn’t get that usual buzz the moment she stepped under the florescent lights. She felt empty inside.
This was insane. It wasn’t like she knew Braxton that well. He could be a serial killer, a monster. Actually, she kind of felt that was exactly what he was, considering the body of her attacker was found in that same alleyway.
Any normal person would have called the cops. Not her.
She didn’t even want to think about what her parents would think of her right now.
Walking around the supermarket, Jade got some fresh vegetables, a couple of pieces of chicken, some pork, and then some shrimp for the week. She checked out the freezer section and wrinkled her nose. Any inspiration she had to cook was long gone.
After paying, she walked home, keeping to the streetlights. It was always so dark when she walked home. She’d been able to stand it, imagining Braxton was following her. It didn’t need to matter. She was a big girl, and could handle this on her own.
Arriving back at her apartment, she locked the doors, went straight to the kitchen, and began to prepare the food to be stored in the freezer. She preferred to do this. Her mother always told her it was better to get fresh and prepare for the freezer, than to rely on others to do it. Again, she didn’t argue with her mother.
After she prepared the food, she nibbled her bottom lip, and then just to see if he was there, she stepped into the main sitting room and flicked on the light. She looked toward the chair where he’d been before, waiting for her to arrive.
It was empty. Of course it would be. Braxton had better things to do.
She would not cry. Neither of them had made any promises to each other, so nothing was lost. She would be fine.