Party Crashers

that included an afternoon of "tubing" down the 'Hooch. Single employees were allowed to invite two guests, so she'd asked Leann and after much hesitation, Gary, to sit in an inner tube and float, butt in water, down the river. Leann had taken an instant dislike to Gary, but Jolie had felt the first stirrings of something deeper as he made jokes and entertained them all afternoon.
    A memory chord strummed...Gary teasing her about her fear of the brown, frothy water, about not knowing what was beneath the surface.
    The 'Hooch would be the perfect place to dump something you wanted to get rid of. There's no telling how many cars and guns and bodies are just beneath us . Then he'd reached over and grabbed her bare leg like a snake striking, howling with laughter when she'd let out a scream.
    Had he remembered his observation when he was looking for a place to dump his car and a body? Had the woman already been dead? The likelihood of him being near the river bank and accidentally driving into the water seemed remote, and if it had been an accident, why hadn't he contacted the police?
    Fear took root in her stomach, slowly encompassing all of her internal organs. Denial warred with reality. Had she allowed a cold-blooded killer into her home and into her bed? Was it only happenstance that had kept her from being the woman strapped into his car and sent to a watery grave?
    When the enormity of her gullibility hit home, tears threatened to engulf her. She gripped the steering wheel and gulped for air until she gave herself the hiccups. By the time she pulled into her assigned parking space in the apartment complex, the day sat on the precipice of darkness, and she was thoroughly spooked. She gathered her things and swung out of the car in one motion, slamming the door behind her. She trotted to her first-floor apartment door, warily looking for movement, shadows, anything.
    Looking over her shoulder, she stuck her key in the lock and turned the deadbolt, then practically fell into the dark interior. A ringing phone pierced the silence. She fumbled for a light and scanned the kitchen and living room for intruders. Seeing none standing out in the open, she pulled the door closed behind her and clambered for the phone. She yanked up the cordless unit, her heart hammering. "Hello?"
    "I'm sorry," Leann said.
    Jolie's shoulders yielded to the pleading tone in her friend's voice and she dropped into her favorite chair, an overstuffed wingback, with a heavy sigh. "It's okay."
    "No, it isn't. You've probably had a nightmarish day, and I go and say something stupid like that."
    "It wasn't stupid," Jolie said miserably, kicking off her shoes. "It's true—I'm gullible when it comes to men, else how could this have happened?"
    "We've all been fooled by men," Leann said, her voice wistful. "Let's just pray the police leave you out of this."
    Jolie murmured her agreement.
    "So...how was your first day as a shoe salesperson?"
    "Exhausting. I never knew how much there was to know about shoes. Oh, and get this: Sammy Sanders stopped by."
    "Ew. Was she terrible?"
    "Oh, yeah."
    "Well, between her and the police officer, were there any bright spots?"
    Beck Underwood's interesting face flashed into her mind. "Well, I crashed into a guy while I was carrying an armload of shoes."
    "That doesn't sound like a bright spot."
    "The bright spot is I didn't get fired."
    Leann laughed. "I admire you, Jolie—no matter what life hands you, you simply take it in stride."
    "Give me an alternative," Jolie said lightly. "How's your sister?"
    "Bloated, nauseous, and depressed."
    Jolie hummed her sympathy. "Do you know how much longer you'll be there?"
    "At least five more months, unless the baby comes early. This sounds selfish, but I keep thinking about all the clients I'm losing to other interior designers." Leann sighed. "And now this business with Gary. Listen, you probably just got home, so I'll let you go. But call me if you need to talk about it."
    "I will," Jolie promised, said goodbye, then returned the phone to its cradle. She sighed, missing her neighbor friend. They had met only months ago at the apartment laundry room, but they had become fast friends, bonded by Leann's occupation in interior design and her own job in real estate. Even though she was seeing Gary, Jolie had made time to foster the new friendship because she appreciated the other woman's plain-talking wisdom. She sent good thoughts toward the ceiling for Leann's sister's problem