The heavy steps behind her became louder, and Alice blinked as she ran to blend into the people on the Miracle Mile.
A large hand brushed against her back. A scream got stuck in her throat.
Then Vicki grabbed her arm and dragged her into the bookstore. She pushed Alice toward the carpet, between aisles of books, like she might protect them both.
Books wouldn't stop a bullet, Alice thought. She stood up and dusted off her jeans, but said nothing as her voice wasn't able to function at the moment. Perhaps John was right that someone wanted her dead.
A pair of designer heels and a black pencil skirt joined them. Alice rocked on her feet and then gazed toward Jennifer. Her hands trembled as she waited for the insult.
Vicki, pale, asked, "Are you okay?"
"Now. I'm here with you both." Alice walked to the window and looked out. So many people were outside and she had no idea who had frightened her. She'd have to call John.
Without another word, Vicki dragged her farther into the bookstore and away from the glass. "Who was that?"
Alice wiped her hands on her pants. In a minute her heart would stop the frantic pace now that she was safe. "I don't know. Some guy was following me."
"I have it on video from my phone. I'll text it to John and Peter. The guy chasing you had a cap on."
"You saw him?"
"I couldn't make anything out, but perhaps the police can. I hate stalkers." Jennifer stood with her arms crossed, but then she sniffed the air. "You smell like sex."
Alice's entire body heated. Leave it to Jennifer to change the subject.
Vicki turned her small frame from where she'd been staring out of the window and looked at both her friends. She sniffed the air. "You mean she smells like my brother's cologne."
Alice stepped away from the pair of them. This was not a good conversation at all. Her face warmed. "Stop."
"You slept with John and then left him in bed." Jennifer tapped her foot, and Alice realized they stood in the romance section. "I thought good girls like you never did anything like that."
There was no way a normal person would ever assume such a thing. Alice lifted her head and dared Jennifer. "Like what?"
Jennifer laughed as if they shared a secret and didn't really hate each other. "Like sleep with a man before marriage. Isn't that what you hated about me in high school?"
No, it was all in the superior attitude. Alice kept her hands crossed. "You slept with every guy in our high school."
Jennifer lifted her eyebrow. "Not every guy."
Alice's feet grew apart. "Like who did you miss?"
Jennifer traced the neckline of her dress. "Not your John or Colt."
Alice opened her mouth but Vicki cut her off. "My brother had said someone was after you from the funeral. I didn't think about that when I invited you this morning, and I don't like you here without protection."
"Let it go." Alice shrugged. The further her mind went from those few moments, the better her sanity, though she quickly texted John. With only one bar of service, she could only hope it went through.
Her mind flashed to the gun shot through the glass doors of the funeral. She sighed. "Creeps don't get more than a second of our thoughts. I'll be more careful from now on."
Jennifer's grin grew wider. "Yes, let's talk about you and John."
Alice wouldn't run away from more sly insults. She took a step forward. "We could talk about you and Peter."
Jennifer shrugged. "Old news."
Vicki then tilted her head and stood next to Alice. "No. I want to know, too. What is going on between you and Peter?"
Jennifer's grin fell and she shifted toward both of them. "Peter and I are not in a relationship."
Alice had assumed they were. At the funeral, Jennifer had been on Peter's arm. "You're not?"
Jennifer's perfectly formed nose on her flawless skin gave off an effervescent air that her long dark hair silhouetted with her angelic face. "No. We're friends with benefits."
Vicki's face went white. "And you're okay with that?"
Jennifer flicked her hair behind her ears. "Of course. It was my idea."
Alice didn't believe a word. She'd never agree to that with John. She'd die if another woman entered the picture. Maybe Jennifer never worried about that. On the outside, no one competed in looks with her.
It was strange John hadn't texted her back right away. The tower hopefully sent her signal through as it read ‘sent.'
Vicki asked, "Does he not want a relationship?"
Poor Vicki had no idea what her brothers were like, since she'd been "dead" for the past six years. It was time to ask what happened.
Jennifer took Vicki's hands. "As I said, I don't want one so it doesn't matter."
Part of Alice liked that Jennifer's life wasn't perfect. It might be wrong to say that out loud, so she kept her lips sealed. Jennifer continued. "I'm not the one who walked out of your brother's bed today without a word. Why don't we ask Alice what's wrong with her relationship with John?"
"Nothing's wrong." Alice hugged her waist. She had answered too fast. Then she tried to spin out of it. "My life isn't working as it is right now. I've not solved one of my problems. I have to help my parents, and I've always wanted to be independent."
Vicki stared at Jennifer for a moment longer and then she turned all her attention to Alice. Her calmness yet attentiveness were new characteristics. Alice's skin prickled as Vicki said, "There is a time for independence and a time for your heart. What is it you want?"
Alice decided the latest bestseller needed to be held and she read the back blurb. "I want both. For years, I've told myself everything will be better when I move out on my own. It's time I do that. Today my condo is ready for me to move in. I ordered the furniture and the moving trucks months ago. All I have to do is pick up my key and walk in the door."
Jennifer tapped her foot. Then she stared down her nose. "So how does John factor in?"
Alice turned toward Vicki, but she had no sympathy from her either. She put the book back on the shelf. "I'd like to see him."
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "That's it?"
Guilt iced down her back, though she hadn't done anything wrong. She stared into Vicki's eyes. "John doesn't love me."
Vicki smiled and the brightness caused a chain reaction inside of Alice. Her insides quaked as Vicki said, "I don't believe it."
Alice's body heated again, even if John hadn't called her immediately. "You are saying that because he's your brother."
Vicki took both of her hands in hers and waited for Alice to gaze into her pretty blue eyes. "Exactly. Who knows him better than me? Alice, I have never seen John look at another woman the same way he looks at you."
Her heart hammered in her chest. "Then maybe he'll want to date, but for today, I have to do this."
Jennifer's sigh interrupted the moment. "What about me and Peter, Victoria?"
Vicki dropped Alice's hand, and her best friend's face flushed. "Jennifer, I love my brother, and I want you both to find your happiness."