Her heels made no noise on the thick carpet as she crept forward. Her heart was beating fast. Her palms were sweaty. Her breathing was coming in shallow gasps. She stopped dead when she heard a creak coming from the floor. Taking a breath, she moved closer to the cubicles to keep hidden. Her hands skimmed over the rough industrial fabric as she got closer to the room.
She bent down as she slowly made her way forward, using the cubicles to hide behind. They wouldn’t like her being here. There was only one cubicle separating her from the room. Quietly, and on unsure legs, she crept into it. She was so close to the source of the music that the loud bass shook her whole body.
Looking around the cubicle, she saw the typical family pictures, desktop, and supplies all behind her. She crawled forward, closer to the room. She sat down with her back against the scratchy fabric and took a deep breath. She was sure it was nothing. She just had to be sure, though. She spun around on the balls of her feet. She placed her hands on the cubicle wall and slowly rose up...
Kenna awoke with a gasp. "Oh thank God!" She was still in her soft bed in Miss Lily’s. She fell back against the pillows with relief. Looking over at the clock she saw that it was early. Too early, but she might as well get started on her studies. She didn’t think she’d be able to go back to sleep anytime soon.
Kenna pushed open the screen door and walked onto the front porch. It was a cool, spring morning so Kenna pulled her Syracuse University lacrosse sweatshirt on over her white t-shirt. She was glad she had put on her old jeans this morning. She set the heavy stack of Kentucky statutes and criminal and civil procedure books down on the table beside the hanging, white bench swing. The bar exam was just two weeks away, and she wanted to impress the district attorney at her interview tomorrow.
Arranging herself on the cushion, she grabbed the “Green Book,” also known as the Criminal Law of Kentucky. It held all the relevant penal code statutes and criminal law procedures she’d need to know for the job and for the bar exam.
She opened the heavy tome and started reading. She had a pen in one hand and a highlighter in the other as she alternated between highlighting important issues and writing notes about cases. She had become so engrossed in her studying that she didn't hear Mr. Wolfe’s whistling until he was halfway up the steps.
“Good morning, my dear. How are you this lovely spring morning?” he asked, jovial as ever.
“Good morning, Mr. Wolfe. I am well. Just got up early to study some and prepare for my interview tomorrow,” she smiled.
“Well, I'll make sure to let Tom know you're more than prepared for the job when I see him for lunch today,” Mr. Wolfe winked. He then added, “You make sure you start calling me John or I'll start thinking you don’t like me too much.”
“Thanks, John. What brings you by this morning?” John’s jovial welcome dispelled the last of the darkness left behind from her nightmare.
But before John could answer, Miss Lily came bustling out the door, wiping her hands on her apron. “John! What a pleasant surprise,” she said as she straightened her shirt and wiped imaginary flour off her apron.
“I came by to see if I could talk my way into some of your banana nut pancakes, Lily Rae.”
“Of course you can. Come in, come in.” Miss Lily, lacking her broom, had to herd John in through the door with the dishtowel that had been hanging over her shoulder.
As she ushered John through the door, Miss Lily turned and looked at Kenna. With a slight blush to her cheeks, she hurried in after her guest of honor. Kenna smiled and wondered if there might be something special going on between them. But the thought of how Miss Lily’s sisters had cooed over him at the cafe last night came back to her. Kenna laughed. Old John was a player.
Just as Kenna bent back over her book, June came out, looking perfect in another Ralph Lauren outfit. This time it was a black jersey, belted wrap dress that stopped just above the knee. She had on black strap sandals with three-inch heels and rhinestones running down the heel. Kenna suffered shoe envy for a moment before looking up at June’s perfectly coifed blonde hair and smiling face.
“If I didn’t like you so much, there's a very real possibility that I'd knock you down and steal those shoes,” Kenna said, eyeing the strapped sandals again.
“I’ll give them to you if you want. I almost didn’t wear them since they are from Prada's spring line from two years ago,” June said with such thought, as if she were still deciding if she should wear them.
“Oh, well, in that case, give them to charity. I couldn’t be caught dead in two-year-old Pradas!” Kenna and June laughed.