No Turning Back by Tiffany Snow Read Free Book Online Page A

into her apartment. Taking a sip, she groaned in appreciation before artfully collapsing onto her couch. I sat in the nearby armchair, curling my legs up underneath me.
    It was grossly unfair how she could look so perfect even when she'd just climbed out of her bed. Her hair was smooth as it splayed over her shoulders and, even though she wore no makeup, her complexion was flawless and her eyelashes dark and lush. If she wasn't so nice, I'd have to hate her on principal alone.
    "So," I began, "guess what happened to me yesterday." Tigger, her cat, jumped up on my lap and I began to pet him. He purred contentedly. I knew I'd be covered in marmalade colored fur when I left, but I couldn't resist. Tigger was one of the friendliest cats I'd ever known.
    She cracked an eye open. "You met a guy?" she asked hopefully. Sheila was always on my case to get out more, go on dates.
    "Well," I said, "you could say that. Except he had a knife." Both her eyes opened now and I told her the story of the crazy guy in the courthouse.
    Her mouth was agape when I finished. "Oh my God, Kathleen!" she exclaimed. "You could've been killed!" I shrugged off her concern.
    "I don't think he would've killed me. He just wanted to make sure everyone thought he was crazy."
    She didn't look convinced but I changed the subject before she could pursue it. "How was your night?" I asked. "Have you seen Mark?" Her expression turned grim.
    "We were supposed to get together last night," she said, taking another sip of coffee. "But I had to cancel. That guy requested me again so I had to go." I nodded sympathetically.
    "How did Mark take it?"
    "Not very well," she admitted. "He's supposed to come over tonight. I thought I'd make him dinner or something. Men like that, right?" I didn't know why she was asking me. My experience with men was vastly inferior to hers. The question must have been rhetorical because she didn't wait for me to answer.
    "Anyway, I'll be glad to have a night off. I think this guy is getting a little weird. He was very...strange last night."
    "Strange how?" I asked.
    She shook her head. "It's hard to explain. Moody, maybe?" She didn't elaborate and I didn't question her further. We talked about her job only sparingly. I think she knew it made me uncomfortable, though I tried to hide that from her out of respect for her feelings.
    "What are you going to make for Mark?" I asked, changing the subject.
    "No idea," she said with a grin. "Maybe I'll get something from a restaurant and just put it on my plates so he'll think I cooked it." I laughed. That sounded like something Sheila would do.
    "What are your plans for today?" she asked me.
    "I have to work tonight so probably just hang out, clean, do laundry. Nothing terribly exciting." It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her about Blane last night, but something held me back. Talking about it would make it seem too real and part of me just wanted to forget about it. I didn’t want to imagine something where there was nothing. I wasn't exactly his type.
    We chatted for a while longer until we'd finished our coffee, then I pushed the orange lump that was Tigger onto the floor and went back to my apartment. Deciding to make good on what I was supposed to be doing today, I scrubbed my apartment and hauled my laundry down to the basement.
    Before long, it was time to get ready for work. I showered and changed into my work uniform – black pants and a dark blue, boat-neck shirt with sleeves that came down just past my elbows. It was comfortable and easy to work in. It had the added advantage of bringing out my eyes since the shirt was almost the exact same color. I left my hair down and loose. It would get in the way a bit, but it never hurt to look as good as possible when you were working for tips.
    I threw on my jacket and caught a familiar whiff in the air. Pressing my nose to my sleeve, I realized it smelled faintly of Blane's cologne. I wasn't sure if this pleased me or not, but I did take