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“It is a conundrum,” I nodded, internally thinking how batshit crazy she was. But she was my batshit crazy friend, and I had grown attached to her ramblings about morbid and unpleasant thoughts. “Maybe it’s time to move on to someone else.”
“But who?” she sighed, her shoulders slumping. “There’s no one in town like him. Maybe if he cheated on me I would feel better about the whole thing.”
“Would you like me to ask him to do that?”
Her gaze snapped to mine in horror. “Are you kidding? Then I would always know that he did it for me. How could I ever derive pleasure from a man who would so willingly throw himself under the bus to help me achieve an orgasm?”
I was pretty sure I needed a drink to deal with her brand of crazyright now. No matter what I said, it was wrong. I didn’t know how to get inside her head and truly understand her objective. And when I tried, I felt almost dirty. It was best I stayed away.
“I should take a shower and get my shopping done. The school year is starting soon and I haven’t even bought any new clothes.”
“When do you go back?”
“Next week.”
“Ah, so only a short reprieve before the children of hell rip your soul to shreds and leave you feeling like less of a human being.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Do you want to come with me?”
She grimaced at the suggestion. “I take no pleasure from getting dressed up to look nice for other people.”
“Well, when I’m done, maybe I’ll see you at the bar tonight. I can keep you company.”
“Oh, joy,” she said in a monotone voice.
Despite her lack of enthusiasm, I knew there were nights that my presence was the only thing that kept her from pulling a knife on some poor, unsuspecting woman who smiled too much and the man she was with who would give Lee a tip she didn’t feel she’d earned. I’d be there whether she wanted me to be there or not.
After showering, I headed one town over to the mall that was surprisingly still running. Only two shops had closed down over the years, and they were now filled with seasonal items, like Christmas and Fourth of July decorations. Unfortunately, too many stores had opened for the younger crowd who dressed way too scandalously for someone like me. I liked a cute top as much as the next girl, but I wanted it to cover my whole stomach.
It was only after I walked into the third store that I ran across someone familiar. My eyes kept flicking over to her face, trying to place where I’d seen her. She kind of looked like that actress from all those romantic comedies, but what would she be doing in a small town in Kansas?
I must have been staring too long because her eyes met mine and a smile lit her face. I was shocked when she walked over to me, immediately introducing herself.
“You must be Laura! I’m Anna!”
She thrust her hand in front of me, catching me off guard. Reluctantly, I held out my hand, wondering how she knew my name. “Umm…yeah. Do I know you?”
“Sorry, that was probably weird. I’m married to Fox. He works with Dash.”
As I wrapped my hand around hers, I noticed some scarring rubbing against my skin. I tried not to look, but my eyes inevitably flicked down to see the puckering on the outside of her hand. It was horrible looking and it had to be painful.
I quickly looked away, trying to think of something to say so I wasn’t just staring at her like an idiot. “Fox?”
“Yeah. Well, his name is Neal, but no one calls him that.”
“Yeah, Dash is a pretty weird name too. In fact, I’m not even sure how he got it.”
“Not sure on that one. So, what are you looking for?”
“Work clothes,” I answered, still feeling weird about talking with her. Wasn’t it strange that she was talking with me when she didn’t even know me?
“Oh, what do you do?”
“I’m a teacher. What about you?”
“Retired actress,” she nodded.
My eyes widened in shock. It was really her. How could that be? “Sorry for asking this, but how is it you’re here?”