Free Over You by Christine Kersey Page A

bathrooms. Just as they passed the door to the Ladies room, the blond woman walked out and ran into Jessica.
    The woman flashed her perfect smile at Jessica. “I’m so sorry.”
    “That’s okay,” Jessica mumbled, noticing the musky scent of the woman’s perfume. She continued following the server and a moment later they walked through a door marked Employees Only.
    A few steps in, the server stopped and pointed toward another door. “That door leads to the alley. You can leave through there.”
    The other employees stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Ignoring them, she smiled at the man who had been her server and was now her lifesaver. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
    He nodded. “Have a good evening.”
    Jessica nodded in return, then turned and hurried toward the rear door, pushing it open. Cool evening air washed over her and she inhaled deeply, feeling liberated from the trap she had found herself in. Glancing to the left and then the right, she could see the street where she had parked and headed in that direction. As she approached the end of the building, she paused and glanced around the corner of the building to make sure Kyle and his date weren’t coming out. Seeing the coast was clear, Jessica hustled over to her car and quickly got in.
    Exhaling in relief that she’d made it without being seen, she turned on the engine and drove away. Once home, she found she was exhausted from the events of the day and went to bed a short time later. As she tried to fall asleep, she worried about how she was going to face Kyle the next morning when he came to work on the house. Though she was certain he had no idea she’d seen him with someone whom he appeared to care about, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her distress over seeing him with another woman.
    “Why do I even care?” She said aloud.  
    At the sound of her voice, Hudson, who was curled up next to her, began to purr. Jessica rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow while rubbing Hudson’s soft fur with her free hand. She felt comforted by her cat’s presence.  
    “We broke up years ago.” She gazed at Hudson as she spoke. “I’ve moved on, right? I’ve dated. I’m probably just feeling vulnerable because I broke up with Alex so recently.”
    Hudson stood and rubbed against Jessica’s arm, purring madly.  
    “It’s not that I still care about Kyle, right, big guy?” Jessica scratched under his chin and he nipped at her fingers. Laughing, Jessica flopped onto her back and closed her eyes, but instead of falling asleep, she kept seeing the interplay between Kyle and his date. A mixture of jealousy, anger, and desire whirled inside of her.
    As drowsiness began to overtake her, she felt a vague sense of wanting Kyle back. But then she remembered that he didn’t want her. After all, he was the one who had broken things off without any explanation and no further contact. Clearly, he had no desire to have a relationship with her ever again. As she drifted off, she realized that she needed to put away all thoughts of having any kind of relationship with Kyle Judd and simply move on with her life.
    Jessica awoke the next morning to the sound of Hudson meowing insistently. Then she heard a loud knock at the front door. Leaping out of bed, Jessica looked out the window and saw that Kyle had already arrived.
    “What time is it?” she muttered as she glanced at the bedside clock. “Oh. I guess I slept in.”
    Frowning, she threw on a robe and rushed through brushing her teeth.  
    Suddenly irritated at Kyle for being in her life again, she wondered why she should hurry. But then she pictured her aunt Ellen and how disappointed she would be if her bathroom wasn’t done when she came home.
    “All right,” she muttered, then went down the stairs, deciding not to care how she looked since there was no possibility of a relationship with Kyle. She found the thought liberating and she actually had a smile