Lying Eyes and Alibis

"This is no longer open for discussion," JC told Shelby as they put the many groceries away in the very large kitchen. It was the nicest room in the house, and the only one that had been touched since the change of the millennium. It was fresh and new compared to everything else, but she had been limited in her choice of houses and knew that the large home, despite its work, would make a great bed and breakfast.

"I am just saying that he looks like that guy you used to talk to online," Shelby protested.

JC looked at her daughter."Well, it is nothing more than coincidence, and it's now a dropped conversation. I did not dye my hair blonde, cut yours to your shoulders and move you to another state so I could resume the life I have tried to put behind us."

"Spring Rock is another state?" Shelby asked like she had just learned something new.

JC stared at her daughter, appalled with what she had not learned in school. "No, Spring Rock is a town in Colorado, Colorado is a state, in the country of the United States. What are they teaching about in school?"

"Not that," her daughter answered, breaking into a box of granola bars. "The guy at the grocery store was cute though. Didn't you think he was cute?"

She sighed in minor--no make that major frustration. "Yes, he was cute, so? There are always going to be good-looking men, but Mommy is not looking for one. We just left one, remember?"

"I know, but it's okay to look," her daughter scolded, sounding older than her years.

She fought the urge to scream. "Why don't you find the bag that has the dishcloths and tea towels in it and start folding them for me?"

"Okay." She sighed and walked off, taking the box of granola bars with her.

JC let out a long exhale and looked at the groceries she still had left to unpack. Yes, she had noticed the guy at the grocery store was good-looking, once her shock wore off when she noticed who it was standing in the aisle. Never in a million years was she expecting it to be Josh and hoped to dear God he hadn't recognized her. She did look a lot different now that she was a blonde and had lost about twenty pounds--stress was great for weight loss. Her mind wandered as she stared at the full white plastic bags that still seemed to cover the hardwood of the kitchen floor.

He had only ever seen two pictures of her, and that was it. It had been just about four months since she had even talked to him online. He had probably forgoten about her. As she recalled, he had started to ignore her and was mad that she just wouldn't leave Dominic. He would've been really mad if he knew that Dominic had physically abused her.

Defeat and insecurity tickled down her spine; it wasn't like she was drop-dead gorgeous or young. She was pushing thirty, had a less than a perfectly flat stomach and was positive those little lines on her face this morning were the start of wrinkles. Shelby had told her she didn't see anything, but JC knew they were there.

"Mom, I finished the towels and stuff; they're sitting on the stairs. Can I go ride my bike?" Shelby called out from the front hall.

She wanted to say no, but Shelby was ten; it was a little hard to force her paranoia on her daughter. "Fine, where are you going?"

"Just to the park we passed up the street by the school," her daughter called as the wooden framed screen door shut.

JC did a mental recall and knew the park was straight up the street about three blocks. She bent down and grabbed the box of soda crackers and onion soup mix, and walked over to the cupboard she had assigned to dry goods.

Walking away from her life had been tough, but it had been for the best. Even her friends didn't know where she was, only that she was safe. That was not entirely true; her friend and fellow writer Kelly in Montana knew where she was. She was also the only one who had JC's new number.

JC shook her head, Josh had probably totally forgotten about her. He always had plenty of women to keep him occupied, and was usually dating more than one. She smiled at that thought; okay, so he was usually dating three, with one or two on stand-by.

She opened the white cupboard door and put the groceries away. This was it, a new life, and everything from before was to be locked away and forgotten forever.