Long, Lonely Nights by Marla Monroe

the garbage in the bathroom, someone walked in.
    “Ex-boyfriend trying to make it up to you?” the lady asked.
    “You could say that.” Tina washed her hands and returned to her office. Jenna hadn’t said anything so far.
    “Why don’t you go ahead and eat, Jenna. I’m not hungry.”
    “I don’t want to leave you alone. You shouldn’t be alone,” she said.
    “I’ll be fine here in the office. There are too many people around for him to try anything here. I’ll leave my door open, and you can call to check on me anytime you want. Go on. Go back to work.”
    “You call me if you need anything.” Jenna took one of the bags and left. She made it a point to swing the door open all the way before she walked out.
    Tina knew she wouldn’t get any work done, but she refused to go home and sit, waiting for something to happen. The phone rang startling her. She answered it with shaking hands. It was Jenna making sure she was all right. Tina smiled.
    Jenna was a good friend. She had stuck by her last year when everything had happened. They had been there for each other through everything that the two of them had gone through. Between her stalker and Jenna’s ex-husband trying to kill her, the two women were closer than sisters.
    The rest of the afternoon drug by as she tried to concentrate on work. Finally, five o’clock came. Jenna was right there waiting for her to gather her things to go home.
    “I’m coming with you. You’re going to pack a bag and come stay with me this weekend.”
    “I can’t. Number one, you’re parents are coming. Number two, I can’t stay with you forever. I have to stay at home and hope the alarm system will notify the police, so they will catch him. If I’m not there, he won’t try to break in.”
    Jenna’s mouth dropped open. “You want him to try to attack you? Are you crazy?”
    “I want the police to catch him, Jenna. I want to live my life like I use to. That’s not going to happen if they never stop him.”
    Her friend shook her head. “I’m following you home to make sure you get there.”
    “Why don’t you stay and eat dinner with me then. I have a roast in the crock pot for sandwiches,” Tina offered.
    “Sure, that sounds better than the frozen dinner I was thinking about. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow.”
    They gathered her things up and strode through the building to the parking lot. Since it wasn’t dark and there were plenty of people around, Tina wasn’t worried about getting to her car alone. She tucked the umbrella under her arm and settled her satchel in one hand and her purse in the other. Still, Jenna insisted on walking her to the car, and watching her get in and lock the doors. Tina drove her car over to where Jenna parked and waited for her to do the same thing.
    All the way home, Tina watched her rearview mirror for any sign of someone following her. Twice, she almost rear-ended someone. The only car that stuck out was Jenna’s. The drive home seemed to take forever. Finally, her street came into view, and then her house. She breathed a sigh of relief once she parked the car. Tina barely had her door open before Jenna was out of the car and helping her with her bag.
    “You go unlock the door. I’ll bring your satchel in,” she said.
    Tina didn’t argue with her. She was ready to get inside and activate the alarm. She unlocked the door and turned it off until Jenna walked in with the satchel and her purse. Then she locked the door and re-set the alarm.
    “You want your work stuff in your bedroom or your office?”Jenna asked.
    “My office. How about a wine cooler?”
    “Yes. That would be wonderful.”
    Tina got them out. Then she took a good drink of hers and closed her eyes. The events of the day played through her mind. The reality of what had happened hit her, and she started crying.
    Jenna found her sitting on the kitchen floor sobbing. She couldn’t seem to stop. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the