A Stranger In My Home

Chapter 7

Coming down the stairs, Julie had noticed the stain on the carpet was gone, and Jason was already up, making breakfast. Now, she was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping the remains of her coffee.

“I hope you don’t mind. I called my friend this morning,” Jason said.

“Oh?”

“He said we couldn’t have had better timing. His wife is pregnant and she’s been helping him at the office up until now. He was just about to put out an ad for an assistant. It’s very basic – answering the phone and running errands. If you want, I could drive you there this afternoon?”

“Wow…” Julie said. “You move fast.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to…”

“No, I… I need to get started on my new life. The sooner the better, right?”

“But if you feel you need some time…”

“It’s fine. Really. But he knows I don’t have much experience, right?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jason said reassuringly. “Like I said, Jim’s a friend.”

-

“Jim Richie, pleased to meet you,” the lawyer smiled and extended his hand to Julie. She noted he was probably in his late 30s, his dark hair graying at the temples and his hairline receding slightly. “I was just fresh out of law school when I got to know Jase here,” he said and patted Jason’s back jovially.

“Yeah, he’s gotten a lot better since then,” Jason mocked his friend.

“Hey,” Jim said, feigning hurt.

“Hope you’re keeping people out of jail these days, Jim,” Jason continued.

“Well, the ones that don’t belong there, at least,” he shrugged.

“Fair,” Jason said. “So how’s Glory?”

“Glorious,” Jim joked.

“You know,” Jason said, turning to Julie, “I’ve never actually met this woman, but every time Jim came to visit me at the jail, he would tell me stories about Glory and what an amazing woman she was. I figured he was just trying to keep my hopes up and that once I got out, he’d reveal the cold, hard truth – that there were no women left in the world.”

“Oh, I think that’s impossible,” a female voice said from behind them. “Women rule the world, after all.”

“And there she is,” Jim beamed at his wife, a blonde beauty with a proud belly encased in a stretchy fabric of sorts. “Glory – this is Jason,” Jim said and gestured to Jason. “Jase, my wife.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jason said and extended his hand. Glory, however, had a different idea and wrapped him into an embrace.

“So great to meet you, Jason. Jim’s told me all about you.”

“All lies, I’m sure,” Jason said and extricated himself from her grip. “This is my friend Julie,” he said and moments later, Julie was wrapped up in a Glory-cocoon as well.

“She’s a hugger,” Jim chuckled as Julie struggled for air.

“I’d hug closer if this little one didn’t get in the way,” Glory said and rubbed her belly. “I’m so happy you could come on such short notice – it was getting a bit hard to carry the Starbucks tray all the way over here from across the street,” she joked.

“Well, I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” Julie said timidly. “I mean, if…”

“Oh, you haven’t told the poor girl she’s hired yet?” Glory scowled at her husband. “Shame on you, Jim Richie, stringing her along like that.”