KILLER DATE (SCANDALS) by Kathy Clark Page B

a contradiction that I couldn’t quite figure her out.  Outwardly, she looked like an edgy rocker chick, but the more I got to know her, I realized she was relatively inexperienced and very vulnerable.  I had a feeling that if a man were to care enough to get really close…as in naked close…he’d have to take it slow and not frighten her away.  She’d been cautious and focused for so many years, that it wouldn’t be easy for her to let go.  I was not the kind of man who took anything slow.  And I didn’t take advantage of helpless females.  Jenny for all her fierce bravado could take care of her sister, but didn’t know how to take care of herself.
    Jenny looked around and tried to find Amber.  “I think I’d like another one of those lemonades.”
    I was afraid another drink would wipe her out completely, so I shook my head when I saw Amber heading our way.  “I think it’s time we left.”
    “Ah, come on.  I’ll probably never make it back here and this was the best night I’ve had in a long time.”
    “Me, to o,” I told her, and I was amazed to realize that that was absolutely true.
    She pulled a one hundred dollar bill out of her envelope and added the fifty that had appeared under the glass.  “Is that enough?  For some reason, I can’t figure out how much tip I need to leave.”
    “That’s good.” 
    She stood and had to grab the back of her chair to keep from swaying.  “Did you feel that?”
    “What?”
    “The earth moved.”
    I knew it was rum-related, but I didn’t think she would appreciate me pointing that out.  “You must have stood up too quickly.”  I put my arm around her waist and steadied her as we walked toward the door.  As we passed Amber, I slipped her another $100 and got a flirtatious wink in return.  Jenny didn’t notice because she was digging around in her purse, searching for her car keys.  As soon as she pulled them out, I took them.
    “I’ll drive,” I told her.
    She started to protest, but she must have realized she was just a little bit tipsy, so she relaxed and leaned against me, accepting my support. 
    Luckily, she gave me her address as soon as we got into the car because she was asleep before we were out of the parking lot.  I punched the address into my phone and let Siri guide me across Austin until I reached a tree-lined street on the other side of I-35.  It wasn’t a great part of town, but from the mixture of old homes and new builds, it appeared this was one of the areas that was enjoying a rebirth fueled by young professionals who wanted to stay close to the action downtown, but had grown tired of apartments and condos.  Jenny’s duplex was nestled between two large two-story houses, one of which had been completely remodeled, and the other that was in the process of being torn down to make way for a brand new structure.
    The driveway on the left had a car parked on it, so I pulled into the driveway on the right, assuming that would be Jenny’s si de.  She was still sleeping like the dead, so I looked through her key ring and picked the one that looked like a house key.  The porch light was on, but it was dark inside.  Luckily, the screen door was unlocked and the key fit into the lock on the front door and turned.  I opened it and reached inside to switch on the lights.
    It was small, but neat and colorfully decorated.  I returned to the car and tried to wake Jenny up, but ended up gathering her into my arms.  Her eyes didn’t open, but she wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled her face into my chest.  The screen door had swung shut, so I had to juggle her so that I could reach the handle.  Once inside, I kicked the door shut behind me, then hesitated.  Should I leave her on the couch?  Should I make a pot of coffee and try to sober her up?  Should I just put her in her bed and let her sleep it off?
    I decided on the latter.  She w as feeling no pain, so a good night’s sleep was probably the best thing