Trust in Love

Chapter 4

On Saturday morning Justine met Sandy at the mall to go shopping. At the gala Sandy had promised Justine they would reconfigure her wardrobe. Justine was excited. She always bought clothes that her mom recommended. It would be nice to find something a little more updated.

At every store they went to, Sandy would send Justine to the fitting room and then she brought her outfits to try on. Some of the clothes were tighter than she was used to, but they made her feel slender and curvy at the same time.

Justine ended up buying enough clothes for ten different outfits. She felt fashionable for the first time in her life. She couldn't wait to start wearing her new clothes. Sandy was ecstatic with the changes Justine had made.

They went for lunch at the food court.

As Justine was taking a bite of her salad, Sandy asked her how long she'd had a crush on Jared.

Trying not to choke, Justine finally swallowed and asked, 'How did you know?'

Sandy shrugged and said, 'I could tell by the way you were looking at him the other night. I don't think he noticed anything, though.'

Justine breathed a sigh of relief. It would be so humiliating if he found out she had feelings for him and he didn't care about her the same way.

'Is he seeing anybody?' Justine asked curiously.

'Not as far as I know,' Sandy replied. 'You know he had a wife, right?'

'No, I didn't know,' Justine replied, her heart sinking.

'She died in a car accident about five years ago,' Sandy explained. 'Ever since then Jared has focused mainly on his career.'

'Wow, I had no idea,' Justine murmured.

'Nigel says he dates lots of women, but he doesn't take any of them seriously.'

'Oh,' Justine responded.

'Don't give up, girl! I'm sure you could change his mind once he gets to know you.'

Justine wasn't so sure about that. Her confidence was at an all-time low. Maybe the new clothes would get Jared's attention. She had nothing else to lose.

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As the days passed, it seemed like the gala had happened in another lifetime. Justine wore her new clothes every day, but she never saw Jared on campus. She supposed he was busy.

One afternoon the phone rang when Justine was in the middle of transcribing notes.

'Nigel Compton's office.'

'Hi, Justine. It's Jared. How are you?'

'I'm fine. Nigel is in class right now. Can I take a message?'

'Actually, I'm calling for you, not Nigel,' Jared corrected.

'Oh, I see.'

'I feel really bad about neglecting you at the gala and I was wondering if I could make you dinner tonight.'

Justine was in shock. She didn't think Jared even remembered her.

'Dinner? Tonight?' she repeated.

'I hope it's not too short notice for you. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you,' Jared reasoned.

'It's not an inconvenience. I would love to have dinner with you,' Justine replied eagerly.

'That's great! How about six o'clock?' he asked.

'I can be there then,' she replied.

He gave her his address and instructions on how to find his street. She thanked him and they hung up.

Justine rested her head in her hands. How was she going to see Jared without her mother finding out? Ada would make a big deal out of nothing and blow it all out of proportion. She thought Jared was a huge catch and should be courting Justine properly. There was no such thing as 'courting' these days. Her mother was way out of touch with reality.

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When Justine got home after work, she told Ada she was going to a pottery class that night.

'A potter class? Tonight?' Ada repeated incredulously.

'It's just for employees of the university,' Justine explained. 'A bunch of us are going to grab a bite to eat and then meet up at the class.'

'But I made cabbage rolls tonight,' Ada argued. 'And since when do you like pottery?'

'I thought I'd try something new,' Justine replied. 'It doesn't cost anything.'

'Well, I guess we'll be having leftovers tomorrow night,' Ada remarked. 'Clint won't be home, either. He's studying at Mark's house.'

'I'm sorry, Mom,' Justine said contritely, feeling guilty. She hated lying to her mom. She hoped the dinner with Jared would be worth all the anguish she was going through.