Once Bitten (An Anya Maynard Novel)

Chapter Nine

I was thinking I’d have to make it a point to ask Jess to bring me into the city so I could pick up a couple of new books as I got ready for work. I wanted to stop by the library in town at least but with the double shifts haven’t found the time. I had never done it before knowing a library card was just another way to track me, and not staying in any one area long enough to get much use out of it I figured I might as well save my two dollars. And hey, since I could afford it now there was no reason not to expand on my own collection. The thought of having a whole shelf full of books actually got me a little excited. I was about to read this one, a James Patterson murder mystery, for the third time since starting the night shift. But, of course, this was my last night of third shift work so I wouldn’t have the big chunk of time to read after this.

With Jess so close to ending things with Brad there would be even less time. Not that I was complaining, just the opposite, but Jess wasn’t much of a sit down and read a book kind of girl…though she did have a lot of homework. Maybe I would still have time to read if I did it while she studied. It might not be anything exciting, but we would be together and I had a feeling she’d need the company after the break-up. I wasn’t sure what it was I could do to help her feel better, but it was like she said, all friends needed to do was be there.

I had gone down stairs and picked up the house phone three times tonight, determined to tell Jess what had happened after she left last night. But three times I put it back down. Like I had said to Brad, I didn’t want to hurt her. I figured I’d let her end it her way, on her terms, not because of me or what Brad did when he was high. I wanted her to have her happy ending.

I stuffed the book in one of my jacket pockets before I grabbed my keys and a hair brush so I could go pull my hair up in the bathroom mirror downstairs. It was the tradeoff for the extra large space, no bathroom on my floor.  There was a mirror over my dresser that I used most of the time, but after sleeping on my hair it was being extra rambunctious and I needed the sink in there so I could tamp it down with some water. Leaving the light on because I would be right back, I locked my door behind me and trounced down the stairs.

Unfortunately before I was even three steps down the staircase I heard the front door open and shut, the quick shuffling of feet as they knocked the snow off following quickly after. I picked up my pace a little when the footsteps started up the lower stairs, hoping to beat whoever that was to the bathroom. Not that I knew they were heading in there, but I would only be a minute. And if they were heading in then they could wait, since I was walking to work tonight I couldn’t.

The heavy footsteps told me it was a man even before I could see him, since I was one of two females in residence- the other being my land lady Dorothy- it could have been anyone. I managed to hit the bottom of my flight just as his hooded head became visible. I was going to beat him. I dashed around the corner as the figure shook the snow off his coat and had one hand on the door handle when he finally reached the top of the steps.

“Anya,” the figured called in question.

I spun around, “Connor? What are you doing here?” And would this weirdness never end?

“It’s snowing,” he stated.

“Um…I know. I was just leaving work when it started.”

And as my land lady so accurately predicted after I walked home today, it looked as if this was going to be a good long storm. There was already about six inches blanketing everything in sight, meaning the skiers would be descending on us soon. The weekend girls would be banking for sure.

“Oh, well…” he floundered and looked to the floor, apparently that wasn’t the answer he was expecting from me. “Then you know the roads are a mess.”