Free Afterthoughts by Lynn Tincher Page A

David and me. We seemed to have so much in common and he
seemed to be so totally in love with me.
    Now …” she blushed looking at him.
“You don’t want to hear that.”
    “ Sure I do. I’m your
partner as well as your friend,” Jay smiled and winked at
her.
    “ Okay, you asked for it.”
She toyed with the corner of her napkin just as Jay had done. “Even
before Anthony’s death he was becoming more distant. When he was
around it felt like he was a million miles away. I didn’t know how
to handle that. I tried to figure out if I had done something wrong
or if he was just dealing with something. I even wondered if he had
changed his mind about us. After all, I wasn’t around much myself
with work and all.”
    “ Don’t blame yourself,
Paige. Things happen for a reason.”
    “ I know, I know. I think
the only reason he comes around now is because with all I’ve been
going through he hasn’t had the heart to tell me anything else.”
She took a drink of her coffee.
    “ Then again, maybe all of
this made him realize that he wants to be around,” Jay choked on
the words, knowing that was what happened to him.
    “ I don’t know. Maybe after
things settle down, he and I can have a long heart to heart and get
to the bottom of some things.”
    “ That sounds like a good
idea. I don’t think Dolly and I were ever on the same page. She
always seemed to want something different,” he laughed. “I hope
pudgy Phil has better luck than I did.”
    Paige had to laugh at that. She
couldn’t imagine why anyone would turn away from Jay and toward
Phil, except for the fact that Phil had a lot of money.
    It was nice to sit and talk to Jay.
She felt their bond of friendship growing stronger. Paige really
needed that, realizing that he and Aileen were all she had. She was
beginning to wonder if, in the end, David was going to be there for
her at all. The thought saddened her, but it didn’t break her
heart.
    Paige started feeling sorry for
herself again. Self pity was not a luxury she was going to allow
herself have. She needed to pull herself together and concentrate
on finding out what really happened to the Stecklers. To prove how
strong she was, she paid the bill for breakfast despite the
opposition from Jay. He shook his head at her but decided it was
best to let her win this battle.
     
    After Jay dropped Paige off at her
house, she decided to write in her journal. It would be nice to
write down a few good things for a change.
     
    “ Jay and I are becoming
closer as friends, which is something I have in short supply now.
It’s nice to know that he is here and that he cares for me. I’m not
quite sure how I feel about it though.
    Only time will tell, but
it’s nice to write something positive.”
     
    Paige sighed, closed the journal, and
hugged it. It did feel good to write something positive and what
she perceived to be sane. Hoping that she was on the way to
recovery, she put the journal on her nightstand and went to take a
bath.

Chapter 13
     
    The man was becoming impatient. For
the first time he felt like he was losing control.
    He slowly smiled again as he walked
toward the door. He turned once more to look at the room.
Confidence and pride began to swell in him as he remembered all
that he had accomplished already. He took pride in all of the pain
he caused her to make her weak. He knew that he could once again
regain complete control. It was not going to fall apart now. Not
ever.

Chapter 14
     
    Jay tried to avoid getting too close
to Paige without letting her know.
    He wanted to still be there whenever
she needed him but he would not allow himself to get too
emotionally attached. He knew over the last month he had fallen in
love with Paige yet he still didn’t know how he was going to handle
it. For now, he decided, avoidance was best. He would have to get
over it and find someone new. It was damn hard to be near her,
wanting her, and not being able to have her. He realized he was
making himself