I’m safe in your arms

And you make me believe

The song continued on and Jamie suddenly realized that the small woman had not removed her hand. She reached up to cover the fingers around her arm and smiled. "Erin...I…"

"There you are," said Bridgett, interrupting Jamie’s words. "I was just about to come looking for you two."

The dark haired woman jumped at the voice and her thought flew away with the moment. "It’s a good thing you were pre-occupied then." Jamie nodded toward the other dancing couples.

"Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it," said the red head.

Erin felt the tall woman stiffen beside her. Her natural curiosity was screaming at her to find the answers to this mysterious and troubled woman.

"Are you ready to go Jamie?" asked the hostess.

There was a hesitation during which a small part…okay a big part of her wanted to stay. But she knew it was over. It was time to go. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t come at all, she thought. "Yeah, I’m ready," she said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"Okay, give me about ten minutes. Can I get you anything sis?"

"No, I’m fine."

"Why don’t we sit down?" suggested Erin. "My sister said you live close to Paramount Studios?"

"Yeah. Are you living here with your sister?"

"No, actually I have a place at the beach, but since it’s so late, I’m saying here tonight. Brig will take me home in the morning."

"Well, Erin it was nice meeting you. Thank you for showing me the sunset and the other beautiful sights."

Bridgett came bouncing back to the table. "We can go now Jamie."

"Nice meeting you to Jamie. I hope we can talk again sometime."

"Maybe," came the forced cheerful response. "Goodbye Erin."

The two women walked away, leaving Erin in her silent contemplation. Her left hand affectionately stroked the golden head sitting at her side. The evening had been a total surprise to her. She had expected to sit alone, enjoying the sounds of her family having a good time, exchanging the occasional words with her sister or maybe reading to her niece. And she would have been content with all those activities. But meeting Jamie stirred something inside of her. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. If she were totally honest with herself, something she had never felt. During their short time together, Erin was captivated by the enigmatic quality the woman had. She longed to know what she looked like, drawing several illustrations in her vivid mind. I have to talk to her again. I can get her phone number from Bridgett. I can invite…

"Aunt Ewin," said the small voice, interrupting her thoughts. "Can I sit in you wap?"

"Sure sweetie." She picked up her niece and settled her sideways. "Are you tired honey?"

The small head bobbed up and down and lay back against her aunt. Erin rocked the tiny body and softly hummed a lullaby, while thinking about her future.

Bridgett’s van cruised down the LA freeway, cutting through the darkness, nearing the lights of the city. The radio had been the only sound in the car for the first few miles, but Bridgett thought it was about time. "I told you so," she said, as they passed under the one-mile warning sign for her exit.

Jamie kept her steely gaze forward. "You told me so what?" Jamie asked, hiding a small smirk.

"That you’d have a good time."

"And how do you know I had a good time?"

"That’s easy. I figured you’d stay at least an hour to be polite. An hour and a half if you liked the music and the food. Two hours if you snuck one of your books in under your shirt and found a quiet corner. But three hours, you must have been deliriously happy."

"Smart ass. You’re pretty proud of yourself huh?"

"Absolutely. Even if you did monopolize all of my sister’s attention."

Jamie turned to the driver at the mention of her favorite subject. "Why didn’t you tell me she was a famous author?"

The older woman shrugged. "I guess I don’t think of her that way. To me, she’s just my sister."

"Well, she’s the most interesting person I’ve met in a long time. No offense."

Bridgett laughed softly. "None taken. And I agree with you. She’s great. But I know she’s lonely. I don’t understand why she won’t go out with any of the dates I offer to set her up with. They’re all nice men."

"I’m sure your sister will find her happiness," Jamie said as the car pulled into the parking area behind her apartment building. Stopping under a brilliantly lit lamppost, Bridgett parked the car, intending to wait until her friend was safely inside. Jamie lifted her casted foot and slid out of the seat. She closed the door and stuck her head back into the rolled down window. "I’ll see you Monday, Bridgett." She started to walk away, but turned back again with a crooked smile. "And I did have a good time. Thank you."

Jamie dug the keys, to her apartment, out of the pocket of her snug fitting jeans. She didn’t know what was worst part about breaking her ankle, having to cut back on her exercise regiment, having to maneuver with the stupid cane or having to split the leg of all her jeans to fit over the huge, ugly hunk of plaster on her left foot.

The overhead light in her small living room sprang to life with the flick of a switch. The clunk of keys hitting the coffee table was followed immediately by the punch of the button on the stereo.

A Miller Lite, which she had pilfered from the party, with two swallows missing, soon sat next to the keys. Jamie reached for the TV remote and hit the power button, then the mute. She flipped through two dozen channels, not really seeing what was on any of them, before she turned it off again.

Jamie thought she had the restlessness beaten. There was something inside, chasing around her nervous system like two roller coasters on a collision course. She hadn’t felt this since her teen years, when she was fighting herself. Before Jamie left her foster home, she had been through four counselors. One she scared away, two just gave her up as a lost cause and one had more serious problems then she did, she’d found out first hand. Only years later, after the string of tragedies, did she discover that she could lose herself in books. That’s when her life, such as it was, started to come together.

Jamie swallowed the last of her beer, dropped the bottle into the recycle bin and headed to the bathroom. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and brought a hand up to rub her jaw. Why does my face hurt? she thought. Because you haven’t smiled that much in a long time, dummy. She stared at her own reflection, but only saw the beautiful, blonde headed author. Her smile was infectious though. The grin soon faded as two other faces flashed across her memory. A tear slid down her cheek and plowed another deep furrow of grief on her well-worn soul. Jamie scowled at herself. "You could hide behind her mask of blindness for awhile, but eventually she’d still see right into your soul and go running into the night. I can’t do that again. I can’t do that to her."