by Wood, Lauren
“Don’t get any ideas, Jesse. I am still as opposed to it all as I was the last time that big conference came through here, or when you tried to set me up with Rita from church.”
The old woman just shook her head at me, her eyes glinting with sadness. She was thinking about Elizabeth, and I wanted to tell her that I thought about her all the time as well. I tried not to admit it, but that was one thing I’ve not been able to get over. Losing Elizabeth was it for me, the end. Why couldn’t anyone understand that I wasn’t going to find another like her again? I didn’t feel anything for other woman, so there was no point. She didn’t understand that, though. No one in town seemed to know why I wouldn’t just move on.
Jess seemed to get the hint and started cleaning up and polishing off the dozen rooms that were needed for the conference. I couldn’t remember the company’s name, but it didn’t matter. They were the guests that I needed to keep afloat. I didn’t care where they came from, as long as they stayed, paid their bill, and didn’t get too rowdy.
Many times, city folk would come to the Changeling and think that they were the ones that needed to become something else. It never ended well, thus why I had focused more on business retreats and such. Mary from the library had helped me make a website promoting it and it had brought in a lot more clientele, and they were the ones that paid, acted right, and didn’t threaten to put me back in one of the three jail cells in town.
“Hey, stranger. How are you doing over here all by your lonesome?”
The voice grated on my nerves. I knew it well. Jolene was close enough that I could feel her breath on me. She giggled and backed up a step, like she hadn’t seen me standing there. My eyes took in the huge rack that was busting out of her whore-red dress. It suited her, as did the red lipstick that covered her lips. She was like a raging bull and had about the same sense of finesse as one would imagine. She also wanted me, badly, had even when I was married. Just like Jessica, she’d thought that once Elizabeth finally passed, she was going to swoop in.
There would be no swooping and after three years, Jolene still didn’t get it. She tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and got the biggest grin on her face. She was a few years older than me, but we were worlds apart. I could feel her aggression, but I didn’t need it, not today. I had a lot of work to do and she was not part of it.
The only problem with Jolene was she was always around. She’d caught me once a little too drunk and she’d looked good. I’d bent her over a sink in the local bar’s bathroom and ever since then, I couldn’t shake her. She was always around, waiting for me to slip up again. I don’t know what she wanted from me, but it felt nefarious.
“Morning, Jolene. You know I am never alone. The spirit of my wife keeps me company.”
That got me a look, but the ill feeling didn’t last long, because her tits were soon pressed against my arm, like she didn’t know they were there.
“What can I do for you, Jolene?”
She smiled and literally batted her eyes, like she was in a cartoon. I had to muffle a chuckle, because if there was nothing worse than telling Jolene no, it would be to make fun of her. She would not understand it, and I didn’t want her as an enemy. It was already bad enough the way it was.
“I was just wondering if you could help me with something a little later.”
“What is it, Jolene?”
I waited for her answer, almost cringing. “You know, I need help with my pipes.”
“Well, since your cousin Wally is a plumber, why don’t you give him a call? I am busy today, have a dozen coming in.”
She made a comical frown. “You are going to be too busy for me?”
Yes, thank God!
“Sad to say, but you know that I am sure we will see each other around. Shadow Valley isn’t that big.”
She agreed and got the hint, leaving right out the way she came. Her departure brought relief and a bit of frustration. What was it with the women in this town? Couldn’t they just leave a man be?
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Also by Lauren Wood
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