First Visions: Second Sight Book One

Chapter Seven

Hours later, Kate sat typing away at her laptop in the library. Shopping with her mother had actually turned out to be a lot of fun and diverted her attention away from dwelling on the previous night's vision. She had not only found an amazing gown for the wedding, but also a killer dress for her night out tomorrow. Her mother had approved of the formal dress, but had frowned at the other getup. The black asymmetrical dress hugged her curves and featured a metallic overlay design. She bought some bangles to accessorize the sleeveless arm and a new pair of earrings. Her mother complained about the length, but restrained herself from asking what corner Kate planned to be working the next night. She knew the outfit advertised her desperation, but she was that determined to rid Jared from her brain.

The idea she might have another vision of him freaked her out. She knew her version of the nine circles of hell would be to have to watch him and Nikki get it on over and over again. No one should have to be exposed to that kind of torture. Of course, she lamented, this would be the type of vision she'd have. She couldn't have lucked out and simply saw him solo in the shower.

She was relieved he had yet to call or text her. It was close to five in the afternoon and she was hoping he might turn out to be a no show. It would make her freaking year if he found Cori and no longer needed her assistance on the case. In the meantime, she had no clue how to act in front of him. Her emotions were transparent most of the time and she was sure her discomfort would be obvious. Shaking her head, she decided to return her concentration back to her paper on James Joyce.

About half an hour later, a cough startled her. She looked up and saw Jared in front of her with the smile that usually instantaneously melted her. He was changed out of his standard shirt and tie uniform and wore a short-sleeved blue polo shirt and a pair of jeans. His ebony hair was damp and she briefly thought back to her wish for a shower vision. Thankfully, the image of him and Nikki quickly pushed it away and she was repulsed by him once again.

He held a stack of papers in his hands. "Sorry if I sneaked up on you. You looked really intent on what you were doing."

"Yeah, I guess I was..." She shrugged without finishing her sentence and he took a seat uninvited in the chair across from her. Without hesitation, she prompted. "Are those the pictures of the cars?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Well, let me see them."

He gave her a startled glance as she reached across the table and grabbed them out of his hand. Silently, he stared at her as she shuffled through the photos. She stopped at one and closely inspected each detail.

After a resolute nod, she passed the paper to him. "This is it."

"The Ford Taurus? Are you sure?"

"Positive. The color matches, too. It was a dark shade of green, but definitely had a metallic sheen," she explained. She crooked her body away from him and resumed typing without another word to him.

"That's great, I'll let the other detectives know," he remarked. After a brief pause, he inquired, "So, what are you working on?"

"A paper on James Joyce's Ulysses," she answered shortly. "Doubt they teach that one in cop school." She hoped he would take the hint and leave. The urge to throttle him was growing more insistent with each passing second.

Jared looked taken aback. Typically, her tone was teasing with him and she discerned he picked up on the malice in her words. "Everything ok with you?"

She gave him a bored look. "Yup, I'm fine."

He didn't reply, but only sat there gawking at her with his head tilted. She couldn't even look him in the face. As they spoke, her mind kept replaying the soft porn scene from the previous evening. She was equally sickened by his and Nikki's words echoing around in her head. It was humiliating to think about how he was only being nice to her because he felt sorry for her.