Chapter 5
Jamie tossed and turned in the bed that night, uncomfortable and on edge for reasons she didn’t understand. She’d lost plenty of sleep after the discovery that her sister was missing in outer space, but this didn’t feel like the same thing.
Lance had dropped her off on the doorstep of her spacious one-bedroom, NASA-sponsored apartment. He’d given her a chaste kiss on the cheek before reminding her of his early morning meeting and jogging back down the walk to his car.
She wasn’t used to this lack of physicality in a relationship, especially considering how strapping and manly her fiancé appeared. In the past, Jamie had always found herself attached to one handsome guy after another, and she’d never been shy about going after whatever, and whomever, she wanted.
But Lance wasn’t like her previous boyfriends who’d often had a problem keeping their hands off of her. Instead, her fiancé was the type that seemed satisfied with occasional kisses and hand-holding.
She assumed he was a traditional male, a conservative who waited until after marriage to reveal his sordid sexuality. Jamie almost laughed, considering what kinkiness a mathematician turned space explorer might be hiding.
Usually, the absence of sex in a relationship would have worried her, but she was strangely glad Lance hadn’t pursued that sort of connection with her yet.
There was nothing wrong with how he looked; on the contrary, Jamie knew plenty of women who lusted after the dashing spaceman. And yet, she wasn’t really one of them. She’d fallen into a relationship with Lance because, perhaps for the first time in her life, she’d needed some stability in her life. Someone she could turn to in a new city. Someone well-connected who could help her find her sister.
It had seemed foolish to turn down his proposal when he was her best chance of getting Sylvie back. Now she drifted along in a relationship that was safe but passionless.
Perhaps this is best, she thought, reflecting on the guys that had come before Lance. They’d always been attractive, some rich, some exciting, a few with enough confidence to overcome whatever other deficiencies they might have.
But none had stuck around.
No, that was wrong. She hadn’t stuck around. Jamie always went into relationships with no plans for anything more than casual dating and mutual enjoyment. There was always a sense of finality about them, including her current engagement. At some point, usually after a few weeks or months, the relationship unraveled, mostly amicably, and both parties went their separate ways.
If she were willing to admit it to herself, she might realize that the same was likely to happen with Lance after Sylvie was brought home again. Would she still seek safety and stability once her universe was righted? Or would she go back to frivolous relationships and a life spent flitting from trend to trend, from man to man, out of restlessness?
Jamie cast her mind to picturing her fiancé. He was tall, well-built, with an easy smile and kind eyes. But in that moment, when she was trying to remember their exact shade of blue, another pair of eyes sprung into her thoughts.
They were much darker eyes, filled with steely determination. She realized they belonged to the man who had saved her from the assault earlier in the day. And then she’d seen him, outside the restaurant during her dinner with Lance.
The man was entirely average. Average height. Average build. Just another bland face in the crowd.
So why had her eyes locked onto his like an arrow seeking its target?
And why had she felt like she was the one being hit when her gaze met his?
There was something decidedly out of the ordinary with her Average Joe. For one, why had he turned up outside that restaurant?
She could believe their encounter earlier was coincidental. He’d been a Good Samaritan, in the right place at the right time to come to the aid of a damsel in distress.
But to see him again that same night skirted the realms of chance. Sure, it could be synchronicity. Or maybe it was something more…sinister.
Since her sister had gone missing and she’d been trying to get her back, Jamie had repeatedly encountered the stone wall of bureaucracy. Even with her connected fiancé and her tireless efforts at the highest levels of NASA, she’d gotten few results. Just empty assurances that everyone was doing the best they could to bring Sylvie home.
The lack of progress was frustrating, but it wasn’t the only thing worrying her. At times, she could swear there was something else going on, something she was being kept out of the loop on. Although she was far from a conspiracy nut, Jamie could swear that they weren’t telling her everything.
It was in the pregnant looks that passed between NASA’s director and his underlings, Lance included. In the way they fell silent when she passed by, waiting to resume their conversations until after she’d gone.
And it was in the feeling that hit her, in random moments. The feeling of being watched.
Perhaps the Average Joe was part of the conspiracy. Maybe he was meant to watch over her, keep her out of the bigwigs’ hair while they took care of business.
Jamie stared at the ceiling, vowing then to be more observant. She would determine whether Average Joe’s appearance had been mere chance or whether it was something more.
With a disgruntled groan, she turned over, punching at her pillow and trying to find a more comfortable position. But, as it had been since the day she’d gotten word of Sylvie’s disappearance, things still seemed off.
Although she would have refused to admit it, Jamie had always admired her older sister. It had been Sylvie’s perfectly stable life that had made it possible for her to live her decidedly unstable one.
Sylvie had always been there for her, to help with rent, to give her advice (which Jamie happily ignored), and to chastise her for failing to settle down into a routine, any routine.
If only you could see boring old me now, Jamie thought. A part-time job as a buyer’s consultant for a major retail clothing chain. Days spent pounding the pavement at various government administrative offices, begging for attention and assistance at finding her big sister. Although it might chafe to admit it, this was the closest thing to a routine she’d had since she’d moved out on her own at 17.
Jamie and Sylvie had lost their parents when they were teens. Sylvie was in her last year of high school and had promptly asked for accelerated coursework to finish ahead of the rest of her class. She’d had an early acceptance to MIT to study biology, and she’d brought Jamie to Boston with her, where she’d worked hard to take her courses during the day, study, and still hold down two part-time jobs to supplement her scholarships and keep a roof over their heads.
And instead of appreciating all the things Sylvie did for her, Jamie had done nothing but complain. By the time she was a senior in high school, she’d informed her sister that she was moving in with her older boyfriend.
That boyfriend had led to a string of other boys, to roommates and couch-surfing, and finally to a small studio apartment packed to the gills with clothing and nonsense. Now, ten years later, Jamie realized that Sylvie wasn’t there to save her from her mistakes, to loan her money for rent or a new interview outfit as she moved from one dead-end retail job to another.
Now Jamie was the one who was responsible for not only herself but for getting her sister back. Sylvie had left her with some large, and sensible, shoes to fill, but this time she wouldn’t give up.
This time she’d prove to her sister, and herself, that she could get the job done.
If only I could get some sleep, she thought with a wry smile. A peek at her phone told it was close to two. Jamie sat up, deciding to give up on sleep. She grabbed her tablet, figuring now was as good a time as any to do some work.
She scrolled through fashion blogs, designer’s web pages, collections, and magazine sites, her eyes trained for something fresh. Something new.
A blond model dressed in a tight-fitting jumpsuit against a barren backdrop reminded her of her sister. I bet Sylvie’s seeing something new. Something none of us has ever seen before.
I just hope she lives to tell about it.