Numb (Alliance Trilogy)

EX

Chapter Nine

The time on the small hen shaped chicken on the kitchen wall read five in the afternoon and Jenny had done absolutely nothing today. She sat in her living room once again clicking through all the channels unable to find anything of interest. Finally, she forced her finger to stop clicking down on the faded channel button and placed the remote on her lap. The news flashed on and she watched as the world around her moved on.

"I can't take this." Jenny sighed.

She pushed out of the living room and found herself facing the front door rather than the staircase. Reaching out to the doorknob Jenny pulled the door open and pushed herself out unto her porch. Since yesterday, she had refused to think about Max, but now that she looked down to see his handiwork she could not help but let his face invade her thoughts. A smile broke her neutral expression and carefully Jenny pushed her chair a little further out into the ramp. It felt steady and well-built as she managed to make it down unto the pavement.

"Jenny Grant?"

She turned to face her caller and found no other than an old school mate from High School making his way towards her.

"Danny?" Jenny greeted.

"May I ask?" He gestured down to her chair.

Jenny looked down at her dead stems and felt her mouth twitch as she looked up at him. Danny had not changed a bit; his golden blond hair remained the same after High School, untamed with not a drop of gel to control it. His blue eyes still held a friendly aura and his great smile reached from ear to ear as he looked down at her. The freckles sprinkled across his cheeks had been the first thing that had captured her attention when she first met him. They had dated for nearly three months and then he had decided that it had been long enough. She held no remorse against him; he had let her down easy and kindly. Jenny had guessed Danny feared that maybe a bad rivalry would start between their mothers since they were neighbors.

"Had a bad hunting accident." She replied.

Danny pressed his lips into a thin line and ran a hand through his hair before turning over his shoulder. "I have to run an errand for my mother, but how about I come back later so we can catch up, say eight?" he asked.

Jenny found herself hesitating to nod her head but in the end nodded not really putting her hopes up.

"I'll see you then." He grinned.

Danny walked away and Jenny quickly retreated into her house closing the door so that the sun could not invade it. She paused for a moment as she turned to look at her empty residence and cursed. If Danny came back by some miracle, the last thing she wanted was to let him in here.

***

Max paced his living room watching as the time went by, Izzy resided in the kitchen where she had left off almost two weeks ago. This morning she had shown up, and Lord forgive him but he had really hoped she had not.

"This is crazy, impossible." Max muttered to himself as he turned to look at the clock again. The time read seven thirty and every time the red hand clicked, he felt his heart thunder with it. Why was it impossible to believe that deep down he missed her, he and Jenny had simply shared little but few words and a meal.

"I'm doing it again." He argued with himself.

He had a weakness for pretty faces, and that part of him still refused to leave him, or so he thought. The clock ticked again and Max growled under his breath as he ripped the clock from the wall and tossed it into the wastebasket.

"I'm going for a walk." Max called out.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour." Izzy called out.