Page 26 of Dimitri
She spent half an hour filling in the blanks and decided to give Jessica a call while on her way home. She wasn't delaying her journey home, she kept insisting to herself. It's just that she hadn't seen or spoken to her friend, since the incident with the blasted dress. It was time to remedy that. She was a free agentand would go home when she bloody well pleased. And he'd better not be there.
*****
"Ouch. Does it hurt?"
"A little." She rolled her eyes as she slid into the booth across from her friend. "It stings like crazy. What're we drinking?"
"Bloody Mary." Jessica pointed to her glass. "I suggest a Virgin for you since you're driving."
Allison nodded assent to the hovering barkeep. The club was hopping, the noise level bound to give her a headache and loss of hearing, but it's exactly what she needed. It was a familiar haunt for hip young people, not that she was one of the crowd. But she needed the distraction.
"I have something to take the sting and eventually heal the bruise." Reaching for a tote the size of Texas, Jessica dug around and murmured triumphantly when she came up with a tube. "Good old Aloe Vera. When you're a model, you learn the tricks of the trade. There was a lot of bitching and scratching going on and we often have to do some quick fixes." She handed the tubeto Allison. "Rub it in twice a day and in less than a week, the scratches will vanish."
"You have the strangest things in that bag of yours. Thanks."
Her friend waited until her drink was served before she continued. "Bitch, I haven't heard from you in more than a week."
"I've been busy." She took a sip of her drink and avoided her friend's eyes for a few pulsing seconds.
"Oh? And here I was thinking you were still pissed over the dress."
"That too. You did it deliberately."
"Maybe I did." Jessica's eyes danced merrily. "How was the party?"
"Crushing. You know those rich affairs, always too many people vying for attention." She surreptitiously glanced at her watch.
"Do you have somewhere to be?"
"No." She shook her head and forced a smile, all the time wondering how much she should tell her friend. "You said you had news."
"Yeah." Jessica took a deep gulp of her drink and leaned back, her eyes scanning the crowd. And there was a crowd. It was the middle of the week, but that did not matter. She supposed people used places like these to forget the troubles plaguing them. And wondered if she was one of them.
"We checked into two possibilities. Adoption and surrogacy."
Eyes dancing, Allison leaned forward, trying to block out the crashing feverish sounds of the metallic band. "And?"
"We're leaning more towards adoption. We're on the list and it looks hopeful. We've viewed several interracial babies, and you'd be surprised at how many there are. We've narrowed it down to a boy and a girl."
"Honey, that's exciting. How soon will you hear anything?"
"It's a reputable adoption agency of course. Jared and I would not want anything to come back and bite us in the ass. So, it's going to take some time." She pressed her hand to her stomach and laughed softly. "I'm a nervous wreck. Jared is the calm one,assuring me that by this time next month, we'll have a bouncing baby boy or girl in our arms. I just don't want anything to jinx it. And I keep wondering if I'm hoping too much, wanting a baby too much." She sent her friend an imploring look. "Someone said to me the other day that God doesn't want us to be parents, and we should not tempt fate. What do you think?"
Allison reached out, squeezing Jessica's hand gently. "I think that's nonsense. If you and Jared want a family, you'll find a way. People say things without thinking about how much it can hurt." She paused, letting the thrum of the club fade into the background for a moment. "You deserve happiness, Jess, and you're not tempting fate. You're chasing the life you both want."
Jessica exhaled. "I think so too. Okay," She waved a hand and darted a killing glance to the couple of guys heading their way before turning to look at Allison. "Now. Tell me what the hell is going on with you."
"I don't know what you mean." Picking up her drink, she took a sip.
"Ally."
With a sigh, she put the glass down and folded her hands on the tabletop. "I'm a mess."
Immediately concern clouded the other woman's gaze. "The case not going well?"
"No." She shook her head. "It's" Blowing out a breath, she took another sip. "There's this guy." She shook her head at the avid interest on her friend's face. "Please don't make me regret telling you."
"This sounds highly interesting. Tell me the dress had a part in you meeting someone at that function."
