My Novel: Chapter 17

Running:

Worst run: From Nevada to California. I only crossed the street to accomplish that, and continued to run a few more miles before heading back to Nevada. It was way too hot in Lake Tahoe that weekend and I thought I'd die before I got back to my hotel. Pretty though. At least what I could see through the sweat pouring into my eyes...

Writing:

Worst writing: One of my own books that I wanted to chuck after reading a few pages a couple of years later, but nothing a little cleanup wouldn't fix. Oh, and a few books I didn't write and decided to chuck! (Sorry, I won't share titles of those downright bad writing techniques.) Writing tip: read your works out loud. Yep, you heard me. Listen to and hear the sound of the words. Experiment with rhythm because not everyone reads like you, and no one but you knows the story. Read as if you haven't ever read it before and have no clue what's coming up next. Don't worry if your family thinks you're crazy if they find you reading to the walls. You'll catch quite a few places where you need to change the cadence and a lot of other easily remedied things. Remember that thesaurus tip from the last post? Here's where it comes in handy.

I share my yard with all kinds of wildlife.

Even though I've decided to share this novel on my blog and you're more than welcome to read it and comment all you'd like, it is copyrighted. Please don't copy part or all of it in any manner. Thanks!

Secrets at Midnight

Leona Palmer Haag

Chapter 17

Matt turned away from Jenn, then glanced back as she sat on the sofa and felt Katie's forehead. Katie cried so she left the room with her hanging over her arm like a limp sack of beans. He frowned and typed: Baby has fever. We'll stay here until diagnosis and have proper medication. Will keep you informed.

He hesitated. His fingers tapped the keys without striking them. He finally wrote something that wrenched his guts: Jenn is struggling with trust issues.

He stared at return replies before acknowledging them and resuming serious work—skimming through files, cutting, pasting and creating a new folder.

“Matt, I'm hungry. Do you want me to go down to the restaurant to find us something or should I call room service?” Jenn said over his shoulder couple hours later.

He glanced at his watch. Time had flown. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, pulling his back and arm muscles tight before facing the worn out little girl who had somehow managed to grow up and have a kid of her own. “I'll watch Katie if you want a break.”

Like a caged animal she paced the room. “I don't want to leave her.” She stopped and faced him. “I gave her Tylenol and she's asleep, but she’s still warm.” Worry creases marred her pretty features.

He pushed his chair back and stood. “I'll go. What do you want?”

“I'm dying for a salad. Ranch dressing.”

“Anything else?”

She shook her head and resumed pacing.

He hated interruptions during the middle of a project, but shut down his computer. He wanted to tell Jenn to double, triple and quadruple lock the door and stack furniture against it, but refrained. “I’ll be back in ten or twenty minutes.”

She nodded, oblivious to danger.

He jogged to the elevator, then skipped it and raced down the stairs. When he returned to the room he found Jenn playing with her cell phone. “This dumb thing still won't work,” she complained.

“Turn it on.” He casually walked past her and put their lunches on the table. He immediately started on his hamburger, ignoring her.

A moment later she joined him, thrusting the phone at him. “I need the instructions for this spy toy.” Her face crinkled in a smile that didn’t affect her eyes. A bad sign.

He took the phone. “First, turn it on like this, then call anyone you want in your phone directory.” He pushed a button and the screen lit up. He pushed another. “Your personal directory.” He handed the phone back and waited for her reaction.

She gasped. “These are the only people I can call?”

“Technically, no.” He took the phone and pressed a button. “This is the rest of your list, but notice, there’s an asterisk by these names. You can try calling them, but you won't get through without clearance.”

“I can only call you and Marshall? I can call Nick's boss, but not him? Who made up that rule? Where did you get this lousy phone? Why can't I call my brother? What if Katie's fever spikes? Can I call 9-1-1?”

He didn't blame Jenn for being upset. In the same circumstance he’d feel the same. “As soon as things settle down and we know no one is looking for you I'll disable the blocks. Until then, calling Shawn isn't a good idea.”         

“Why not,” the petite fireball demanded.

He finished chewing the bite he'd taken from his burger. “Shawn's phones may be bugged. Would that be safe for him and his family, for you and Katie?”

Her answer was to grab her salad and snap off the plastic lid. She plunged her plastic fork into the greens. Her eyes rose to meet his. “Be glad you're not a tomato sitting on a bed or lettuce at this moment, Mr. Jensen with a capital J.”

“Which stands for Jerk,” he muttered, remembering times she'd used the word as kids when chewing him out after he'd annoyed her beyond belief.

She agreed he'd finally gotten something right. They finished eating in silence, then she got up and left, quietly shutting the French doors behind her. He heard the shower turn on and quickly made important phone calls before it shut off. She remained in seclusion for the rest of the afternoon.

Evening came without any sign of Jenn, although he heard Katie cry out and heard murmuring responses. Things had been silent for more than an hour when Matt realized starvation grumbled inside him. He glanced at his watch, surprised to find it was almost nine. He couldn’t remember how long ago he’d absently flicked on the desk lamp as shadows grew. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, wondering if Jenn had fallen asleep, and if so, whether he should wake her. He got up and paced for a few minutes, then heard a soft cry and water running in the tub. He plopped into a chair and waited for her to finish her bath. Maybe she’d appear refreshed and—reasonable.

The pink blanket he'd bought that morning swaddled Katie when Jenn opened the French doors. “How’s she doing?” he asked.

“Still feverish. I gave her a bath and doped her up.” Katie leaned wet curls on her mother's arm. The baby didn’t look great, but he wondered how the mother was holding up. She perched on the edge of the sofa arm and seemed to read his mind. “I've been better, but I've been worse. What about you?”

He shrugged, holding back ‘couldn’t be better,’ when it was far from the truth. “What do you want for dinner? It's my treat.”

“Of course it is. I want KFC. Katie wants a Popsicle. I want Ben and Jerry's. Anything with chocolate, preferably overload. Bring back a movie, too.”

The kid he’d raised had returned. He grinned and slowly stood and stretched. “Trying to run me off? Planning to lock me out? Hope I can't find my way back?”

She perked up and laughed. “Wow, you've got talent—you read my mind.”

This was the Jenn he knew best—the kid with wit and a fast smile. The girl who laughed and never let things drag her down. She forgave fast and completely, but he was pretty sure forgiveness hadn't been granted yet. Maybe never. He risked one more offense. “The office sent me some information. I've put together a folder for you to skim through.” He nodded at his laptop. “Hit enter to advance pages.” He reached down and clicked the mouse and a blue screen filled with bold yellow writing. “If you want to add details, go ahead. At the end a second file will automatically pop up. You can skip it or look at glamour shots if you want. I'll be back in about forty-five minutes.” Without glancing back to see if she'd actually comply, he grabbed a room key and left. He wondered if he’d discover chaos when he returned.  

End Chapter 17

Go ahead and leave comments. I've gone back through a few posts and caught typos and fixed them, but may have overlooked some. If you see some, let me know. Also, let me know what you're thinking.

Thanks, and come back soon for the next installment if you're reading as I post. If you're lucky enough to visit after the entire book is posted, jump on into the next chapter!

Thanks so much for your interest!  ~~Leona