UnderFire by Denise A. Agnew

Kathleen allowed the
totally girl side of her to emerge. Tears touched her eyes too but she quickly
made sure they disappeared before her friends could see them.
    “We’re pathetic. We’re crying over weddings and dresses,”
Kathleen said.
    As Melanie unzipped Danelle’s dress, Danelle said, “You love
weddings. Why the cynicism?”
    “Why?” Kathleen’s hands went up. “Eight times a bridesmaid.
I want to start planning weddings so I don’t have to be in them all the time.”
    Lena grinned at her as she stepped out of her dress and
stood in bra and panties. “Maybe you can plan a wedding for Melanie and Matt.
The way they’ve been drooling over each other makes me think they’ll be next.”
    Melanie turned read and swatted Lena’s arm, then she threw
her friend a tight grin. “Shut up.”
    They laughed, and Kathleen loved the lightheartedness that
surrounded their little group. “We’ll remember this day. Hell, we’ll remember
the entire last week for more than one reason.”
    “That’s for certain.” Danelle sat on the bed and her face
had turned serious. “You know, if anything had happened to you guys…” Tears
welled up.
    “Damn.” Lena sat on the bed next to her and put her arm
around her friend. “It’s all right.”
    Danelle sniffed as her eyes swam with tears. “I’d like to
blame this on hormones but it’s not. I think every day about what might have
happened, how this all would have ended so much differently if…”
    As Danelle trailed off, Kathleen allowed herself to go
there. Her throat went tight. “I’m glad Jake was there in the supply closet. I
know we would have made it out all right but he protected me. He was a rock. He
protected everyone in there, even that awful man.”
    Danelle took the tissue Melanie handed her and Melanie sat
on the other side of Danelle. “All the guys were wonderful. There’s no denying
that. I was so damned scared in that bathroom. I thought… I don’t know what I
thought. I was worried about what was happening to all of you.”
    Danelle took a big breath and let it out. “Sorry. Sorry.”
She stood. “I didn’t mean to start this. Let’s get out there before the men
take over the universe and convince us they’re the best thing since sliced
bread.”
    “Okay, bitches,” Kathleen said in mock seriousness, “it’s
time to eat. Just don’t eat too much or none of us will fit into our dresses
Saturday.”
    The other woman laughed again.
    Danelle hung her dress on a padded hanger and slid it into a
special place in her closet. “There’s tea tomorrow. We can’t starve until
Saturday. I want you ladies to have a good time. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
    They would have enjoyed it a bit more but as they stepped
out of Danelle’s bedroom, Rick said something that put a damper on the entire
thought.
    “Weddings. I’m not ever getting married,” Rick said.
    Lena’s face fell like a cake.
    * * * * *
    As Jake drove Kathleen back to the hotel, Kathleen sank deep
into her thoughts. After Rick had said he never wanted to get married the
atmosphere of the holiday had chilled slightly. Kathleen stepped into the dead
silence by rounding everyone up to put out the rest of the Thanksgiving food.
Talk about the possibility of testifying and the shooter’s trial came up.
Kathleen’s voice cracked when she said all she wanted to do was forget it had
happened. When Jake had taken her hand, the comfort that had flowed from his
touch had brought a huge lump to her throat. Lena seemed most traumatized by
the mall incident, and although Rick tried to reassure her, his earlier
statement about weddings had visibly put a damper on her interest in listening
to his advice.
    “Rick stepped in it tonight,” Kathleen said as they entered
her hotel room.
    Jake shut the door but didn’t take his coat off. She threw
hers across the straight-back chair.
    Bewilderment covered his face. “How?”
    Kathleen sat on the bed and pulled off her boots. She let
them