Page 107 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“What is it about this guy?” she asked as I booted up my laptop and went online.

“I don’t know. He’s funny and hot. Great sex. That’s always a good thing.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never seen you so willing to drop everything for a man. I mean, besides James, and look how that turned out.”

“Believe me, if I had a job and wasn’t going out of my mind, I wouldn’t drop everything for Patrick. It’s not like that with us.”

“No, but he wrote to you and asked you to come, and you packed a bag.”

I winced at her assessment of the situation. “Technically, he didn’t ask me to come.”

“He didn’t?”

“Well, he said send reinforcements, but I’m pretty sure that was a joke.”

“Then why are you going?”

“Because I’m going out of my mind here,” I laughed humorlessly. “I have no job, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get one with James being a douchenozzle. Which means I need to find a new path in life. This is not the way I thought my life would change. And since I don’t know what to do, getting away for a few days might just give me some insight.”

“Maybe.” She gnawed on her lip in thought. “So, you’re really not going out there to see if things could work out?”

“Not at all,” I chuckled. “Trust me, he’s just not that type of guy. We might have some fun, but that’s where it’ll end. I’m well aware of that, and I’m fine with it.”

“Because of James,” she hedged.

“Because James really fucked with my head. I’m not sure I could date any man right now and trust that he wouldn’t screw me over.”

“Well, as long as you’re clear on where you stand.”

“Trust me, I set up these borders all on my own. The only thing this trip will do is help with the boredom.”

She still didn’t look like she believed me, but that was okay. I didn’t need her approval. I knew in my head and my heart what was really going on here, and that was all that mattered.

I finished buying my ticket and then looked for jobs in the hour before I needed to head to the airport. This time around, I had medicine to knock me out. It was a risk, for sure. If the plane went down, I wouldn’t be able to jump out of the plane. Then again, I doubted anyone on this flight would have a parachute, which meant I would go down in a fiery blaze, and it was really better to be unconscious for those things.

“Do you want me to go to the airport with you?” Jeanie asked as I picked up my bag.

“Nah, I think I’ve got it this time around.”

“Well…” She shifted uncomfortably, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “You know, don’t go falling in love with any Kansanites.”

“Is that what they’re called?”

She shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Just come back as yourself.”

“I think I can say without a doubt, that will happen. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

She hadnothing to worry about, but I was on the verge of a panic attack. I dug through my bag again, but couldn’t find any pills. “Where are they?”

I growled in frustration as anxiety built inside me. I would never make it on this flight without something to knock me out.

“Or alcohol,” I murmured, glancing at the clock. I had enough time to get good and wasted before the flight started to board, and that’s what I fully intended to do. But before then…

I pulled out my phone and texted Patrick for the first time on the brand new device. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Headed your way to rescue you. Flight 783. You’d better be there to pick me up because the only way I’m boarding this flight is drunk.

I didn’t wait for him to respond before I tossed my bag over my shoulder and headed to the nearest restaurant. I walked right up to the bar and signaled the bartender.

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