Page 80
“Huh?” Jenny was definitely confused.
“Where’s all your stuff?” Jada asked.
“My stuff?”
“Yeah, your stuff. Your things that you put into storage before you left for Bangladesh.”
“I’d rented a furnished flat, because I knew my assignment was only going to last a year. I took what clothes I might need with me to Bangladesh. The work suits and stuff I just gave away when I left London. I have some things that I left in storage here in Virginia, but it was stuff I bought right out of college. There’s nothing like what you’re showing me.”
“So we’ll start from scratch.” Jada grinned with anticipation.
“Jada, I have to warn you, I don’t spend much on clothes. I’m a saver.”
“We won’t spend much. You just need some classic pieces that you can add onto. You’re going to be job hunting right?”
Jenny nodded.
“Then we need to look. And aren’t you going to be going out with Brax?”
“He’s a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.”
“I’ve seen him dress up. You’re going to need a couple of dresses. I think with your coloring that autumn colors would look good on you. What do you think?”
“I think what I really need to do is call Tina and Fiona. I haven’t called them since I got back to the States. If they saw what happened in the news, they were probably a bit worried.” Jada got up and started backing away from the table.
“Okay, you do that. I’ll call Amy and get some of my accessories that I think you might like. Too bad we’re not the same shoe size.”
Jenny fled to Gideon’s study, then checked the time and realized it was the middle of the night in Spain, so she gave up on the idea of calling Fiona. Instead, she decided to dial Tina’s number.
“Oh my God. You actually called!” Tina shrieked in her ear.
“Calm down.”
“I will not calm down. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
She’d really screwed up. She should have known that Tina would be worried about her. What had she been thinking?
“I’m sorry, Tina. But didn’t you read that I was back in the States, safe and sound?”
“Don’t give me that line of garbage. They said you were recovering from injuries. You’d been a hostage for three weeks. What did they do to you, Jenny?” Jenny’s heart lurched when she heard Tina’s whimper. Then Tina started to cry.
“Please don’t cry. It’s all okay. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” Jenny didn’t know how long she crooned different words while Tina calmed down. She finally heard her friend blow her nose.
“You’re lying to me. You’re not fine.”
“Really, Tina I am.”
“Three weeks. You were a hostage for three weeks, and then you had to go to the hospital. What happened? Please tell me.”
Jenny couldn’t say anything. There was no way she was going to tell her friend about the mud hut. “I wasn’t abused, if that’s what you’re worried about. Nobody raped me.”
“But they did other things, didn’t they?” Tina persisted.
“Tina, it’s over with. It’s in the past.”
“I need to come to you. I need to make sure you’re all right. I’m taking the first plane to Virginia.”
And then it clicked. Tina was much more than just a friend. Tina was the sister of her heart. How had she not realized that? Jenny felt a tear trickle down her cheek. How lucky was she?
