Author's Note: So, here is the long-awaited continuation of Used! I've decided for my sanity to split up the chapters. The final chapter is in the works as well as the third of Only You. Again, thanks for reading and continuing to bless my little stories with your kind words. You guys are kickass! Happy Reading, Sienna H.
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She was flying down the highway in her pearl gray Highlander, the sounds of Keyshia Cole's Heaven Sent blaring through her speakers.
The music was so loud, she almost didn't hear her cell ringing.
Slipping on her Bluetooth headset, she pressed the answer key to her cell phone.
"What's up, Nora-poo?" she yelled.
"Jamie? Jay, turn down the damn radio!"
Giggling, Jamie did as she was told.
"Can you hear me now?"
Nora's high pitch laugh rang in Jamie's ear. "Yes, dumbass. I can hear you perfectly. How far away are you?"
"About twenty minutes away. I'm on 32 right now."
Nora squealed. "I can't wait to see you."
"Me either. It's been so long."
"Jay, it's only been two years."
She chuckled. "That's like a decade in the real world." There was a deeper chuckle in the background. "Is that Danny I hear?"
Nora let out a girlish giggle. "Yes, he's here waiting for you too. Hurry up!"
"Alright, already! I'll be there before you know it." She pressed the off button and sighed happily.
Two years. It had been two long years since she saw her best friend. Things just got in the way. Immediately after college she had gone to work at a major public relations firm in Manhattan. Her sister was so proud of her. She was a grunt and it was hard work, but it had promise, potential to move up the work ladder.
She had shared an apartment with a girl from work. Martha was nice enough, but she just wasn't Nora. Martha was more concerned with press releases and crisis communication plans than staying up late to eat ice cream or go out clubbing.
Though Jamie was good at her job, she just didn't love it. It disappointed her, staying in college, graduating with a degree only to discover it wasn't her passion. She had known from a very young age that her heart's desire was art.
Her father had discouraged it, calling it a fleeting fancy. It wasn't something concrete like journalism was. So she held off on her dream to pursue her father's in hopes that he could show her just once that he was proud of her. It didn't work out that way, however. He still criticized.
It was about seven months ago when she called the big 'Fuck It.'; fuck the job, fuck the apartment, and especially fuck Roger Kincaid. She left the apartment, moving into a small studio in the Village. She enrolled in a graphic design class at the local community college. But the biggest change was the job.
After talking to her boss about how unhappy she was working at the large firm, the woman actually understood. She referred Jamie to a friend of hers who was currently looking for someone with design skills to help him create webpages for arts and entertainment companies.
The company was relatively small, about twenty employees, but it was exactly what she needed. She could design at work and paint and sculpt at her leisure. When she told her sister Rina, she was initially shocked, but she stood by her decision.
Jamie reasoned that her sudden life upheaval was one of the reasons why she and Nora hadn't seen each other. They stayed in contact through the occasional email and odd phone call here and there. So to be able to visit Nora for a full week was pretty exciting. That is how she found herself on the road to Maryland to visit her best friend.
After college, Nora went to grad school and completed the master's program within a year for psychology. She was now working on her doctorate and was a guidance counselor at a private school. Danny worked as an architect in a high-end firm. They both lived together in relatively quiet Annapolis neighborhood.
She smiled at the thought of the two of them. They were such a shining example of true love. They had already begun to establish a life together while Jamie still struggled to pick up the pieces of her own. She was happy for them but also a tad bit jealous though she'd never admit to that aloud.
In no time at all, she arrived in the sunny tree lined neighborhood where Nora currently resided. Jamie shook her head. Nora would live in a place like this. It was just beautiful. Tall trees with crisp, verdant leaves outlined the picturesque houses with their quaint colonial structures. Children played happily on the sidewalk, the sounds of high-pitched laughter and sprinklers letting her know summertime in the 'burbs was here. She pulled a piece of paper with Nora's address scribbled on it out of her large bright yellow purse.
Her eyes darted this way and that, searching for the house number. 607, 607 she repeated in her head. After driving further down, she reached the moderately sized brick house. It was three-storied, with colonial columns that stood majestically on a large wraparound porch. Its dark green shutters added to the quaint feeling of the house. She parked her Highlander on the street next to the house and stepped quickly from the car.
As she walked up the cobblestone walkway, she smoothed down the wrinkles in the pale green sundress she was wearing. She walked up to the steps and rang the doorbell.
The door swung open immediately, as if the person on the other side was watching her come up the walk.
"JAY! Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you!" Nora Masters grabbed her best friend in a crushing hug and pulled her into the house.
"Nora, you're making it difficult to breathe" Jamie said, even as she squeezed Nora tightly.
"Shut up, I miss you." She let go of her friend and stepped back. "Let me get a good look at you." Jamie felt a little foolish when Nora twirled her around. "Man, you look awesome; so different."
Jamie had changed. She had lost a little bit of weight due from walking all those city blocks. She was still slightly curvy but with a helluva lot more tone to her body. Her once short black hair was longer now, curling softly around her brown shoulders.
"I don't look that bad do I?"
Nora shook her head. "Nonsense, you look fabulous."
Jamie smiled. "So do you." And she was right. Nora had this glow about her. Her wavy blond hair was now straightened, its length about the same as Jamie's. Her amber eyes were still happy and thoughtful. "Love agrees with you."
Nora's pale pink lips curled into a sly smile. "And speaking of my love, he's in the kitchen waiting for you." Grabbing Jamie's hand, she led her down the hallway into the large modern kitchen. It was tastefully decorated, in warm green and black appliances.
Danny Eisenberg's curly brown head was currently stuck in the refrigerator. He emerged when he heard them enter. "Jamie," he said grinning. "It's so good to have you here. He grey eyes twinkled as he embraced her warmly.
"Thanks Danny. I'm glad you guys let me crash at your place."
"No problem. We're just happy that you could take some time off."
"Yes, Jay. How's the new job going?" Nora reached into one of the dark hardwood cabinets and pulled out three wineglasses.
"Good. I think I'm finally where I'm supposed to be, you know?"
Danny nodded as he pulled out a bottle of zinfandel from the wine cooler. "I know that feeling. I shopped around with job after job until I found the right one for me. It seems like only my baby knew exactly what she wanted to do as soon as she left school." He smiled at Nora who grabbed the bottle from him and uncorked it smoothly.
Jamie couldn't help but notice they way they moved as if in unison, their movements flowing perfectly with one another. It was ridiculously cute. "Yeah, Nora knew she wanted to be a psychologist since birth. Always trying to help somebody."
Nora smirked when she passed Jamie the wineglass. "I was always there to help you out, Jay."
She couldn't help the warm smile that spread across her face. "Yeah, you did. That's why I love you."
The two friends clinked glasses. "I love you too, girl. That's why Danny and I have a surprise for you."
"Really? What is it?"
