From the Heart

away, he took her shoulders. “Come on, Jessie.” The eyes behind the glasses softened. “You know I didn’t mean it that way. But he’s a stranger and you’re . . . well, you’re just too trusting.”
    “Am I, David?” She swallowed the sudden rise of tears as she studied his well-known face. “Have I made a mistake by trusting?”
    “I don’t want you to get hurt.” He squeezed her shoulders before he dropped his hands. “You know I love you.” The admission seemed to make him uncomfortable. With a shrug, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “And damn it, Jessica, you must know how crazy Michael is about you. He’s been in love with you for years.”
    “But I’m not in love with him,” she said quietly. “I’m in love with Slade.”
    “In love with him? Jeez, Jessie, you hardly know the guy.”
    The use of the silly exclamation brought a quick laugh from her as she dragged a hand through her hair. “Oh, David, I know him better than you think.”
    “Look, let me check into him a little bit, maybe find out—”
    “No!” Swiftly, Jessica cut him off. “No, David, I won’t permit that. Slade is my business.”
    “So was that creep from Madison Avenue who soaked you for ten thousand,” he muttered.
    Turning away, she covered her face with her hands. It was funny, she thought. She should be able to laugh. Two of the most important people in her life were warning her about each other.
    “Hey, Jessica, I’m sorry.” Awkwardly, David patted her wet hair. “That was a dumb thing to say. I’ll butt out, just . . . well, just be careful, okay?” He shifted from one foot to the other, wondering why she was suddenly so emotional. “You’re not going to cry or anything, are you?”
    “No.” That did nudge a small laugh from her. He sounded suspiciously as he had when he’d been twelve and she’d come home after fighting with her current boyfriend. Loyalty came full circle, overlapping everything else. “David . . .” Turning, Jessica laid her hands on his shoulders, looking beyond the lenses and deep into his eyes. “If you were in trouble—if you’d gotten in over your head and made a mistake, a serious one—would you tell me?”
    His eyes narrowed slightly, but she couldn’t tell if it was from curiosity or guilt. “I don’t know. I guess it would depend.”
    “It wouldn’t matter what you’d done, David, I’d always be on your side.”
    The tone was too serious. Uncomfortable, he shrugged his thin shoulders and tried to lighten it. “I’m going to remind you of that the next time you jump me for making a mistake in the books. Jessie, you really don’t look good. You ought to think about getting away for a few days.”
    “I’ll be fine.” Sensing an argument, she continued. “But I’ll give it some thought.”
    “Good. I’ve got to go, I told Michael I’d open up today.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry if I came on too strong before. I still think . . .” Hesitating, he shifted his shoulders again. “Well, we’ve all got to do things our own way.”
    “Yes,” she murmured as she watched him walk to the door. “Yes, we do. David . . . if you or Michael need money . . .”
    “Are we going to get a raise?” he asked with a quick grin as he turned the knob.
    Forcing a smile, Jessica picked up her comb again. “We’ll see about it when I come back to work.”
    “Hurry back,” he said, then left her alone.
    Jessica stared at the closed door, then down at the comb in her hand. On a sudden spurt of rage, she hurled it across the room. Look at what she’d been doing! Pumping him, half hoping he’d confess so that she could see an end to things. She’d watched him, searching for some sign of guilt. And she wouldn’t be able to prevent herself from doing the same with Michael. Her own lack of trust appalled her.
    Dropping onto the stool of her vanity, she stared at her reflection. It wasn’t right that she should feel this way—alienated from the two people she’d felt closest to. Watching for signs, waiting for them to make a mistake. Worse, she thought, worse, wanting them to make one so that she could stop the watching and waiting.
    She took a long, hard look at herself. Her hair was wet and tangled around an unnaturally pale face. The pallor only accented the smudges under her eyes. She looked frail, already half beaten. That she could put an end to with a few basic practicalities. Stiffening her spine,