Free Over You by Christine Kersey Page B

on her face when she opened the door. Kyle’s eyes opened wide in surprise and Jessica wondered why. Was it because she was still in her robe or because she hadn’t bothered to brush her hair? In either case, she had to swallow the laughter that threatened to burst forth. “Good morning, Kyle,” she sang out, suddenly in a very good mood now that she wasn’t allowing herself to care about Kyle or what he thought.
    “Uh, hi there.”
    “Sorry I’m not dressed yet. I guess I overslept a bit.” Jessica watched as Kyle’s gaze took in her appearance, stopping on her hair which she knew was sticking out in several directions.
    “I thought you usually got up early.”
    Jessica found her good mood vanishing at Kyle’s familiarity with her normal routine. It felt much too personal and she didn’t like that he knew her so well. With forced cheerfulness she said, “Well, I guess you don’t know me as well as you thought you did.”
    Kyle’s eyebrows drew together and his eyes met hers. “No, I guess I don’t.”
    Jessica smiled in response. “I’ll let you get to work. I have a busy schedule myself, so just let yourself out when you’re done.”
    “Okay.”  
    Holding the door open wider, Jessica waited for him to walk past her and up the stairs. He gazed at her as he walked in and she stared back, then she closed the door behind him. She tried not to glare at his back as he walked up the stairs, although she still felt the sting of his comment.  
    As if he knows me so well, she thought angrily, all the while knowing that he knew her better than any other man did.

Chapter Eleven
    Once Jessica heard the unmistakable sounds of Kyle working, she tiptoed up the stairs and into her bedroom. Though she wanted to shower, she was hesitant to do so. The thought of Kyle being in the next room while she would be in such a vulnerable position made her uncomfortable. And her discomfort made her irritated at him for causing her to feel that way.  
    I need to dig around in the attic anyway, she thought as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I can shower after he leaves.  
    A few minutes later she climbed the stairs to the attic, and when she reached the door she hesitated. The last time she’d been in the dusty space, she had been with her Uncle Patrick. The large open room had always felt creepy to her and she’d never gone there on her own.
    Ellen really wants that wood carving that belonged to Patrick, she thought as she pushed the attic door open. I just hope it won’t take too long to find.
    The door creaked a bit and she flicked on the flashlight she’d brought with her. Shining the beam around the room, she found the string hanging from one of the bare light bulbs and pulled, illuminating a portion of the room. She turned on the other two lights, and then turned off her flashlight and set it on a table layered with dust.
    Trying not to think about the spiders that might be hiding in the corners, she pushed aside the cobwebs in her path and surveyed the boxes stacked against the walls.
    “This might take a while,” she muttered as her gaze wandered over the boxes, looking for some indication of where to start searching.
    None of the boxes were labeled, so she decided to start with the nearest box.  
    An hour later she’d unearthed the Christmas decorations and lots of old books, but she still hadn’t found the wood carving that her aunt had described. She pulled an unopened box near the light. The four flaps of the box were folded neatly together and when she lifted them up, a cloud of dust filled the air, making her cough.  
    She began digging through the contents, looking for anything made of wood, but all she found were stacks of papers. Lifting some of them out and setting them on the floor, she continued searching until she reached the bottom of the box. No sign of a wood carving.
    Sighing, she began to put the papers back in the box, when something on one of the pages caught her eye. Pulling