Page 12 of A Reclusive Heart

Jamie opened her mouth to say that she couldn’t hold but didn’t get the chance. She suddenly felt like a kid playing hooky from school. Maybe she should just hang up and shut her phone off? As long as she edited a book today, they should be happy, right?

She paced her small bedroom, mentally berating herself for not just hanging up. It was easy. All she had to do was press the “End” button and then turn the ringer off. Then, she could spend the rest of the day wrapping her mind around everything and try to make sense out of the surprise she’d gotten yesterday.

Of course, it all could have been a fluke brought on by a very vivid imagination and the two glasses of champagne she’d consumed at the spa. Not to mention the laser eye surgery. That had probably altered her sight, making her see things that really weren’t there.

There was no doubt about it.

Her mind had played a trick on her, a mean trick, but a trick nonetheless. She’d been with two women that she didn’t want to disappoint and she saw what she knew they wanted to see, but it wasn’t true. That woman wasn’t her.

She wasn’t...

She wasn’t beautiful, wasn’t cute, wasn’t that woman that stared back at her through the mirror. She just wasn’t. Jamie was the sensible, boring, quiet one. She was just background, wallpaper, and nothing more. She didn’t draw attention unless it was to point and frown. Caitlyn was the natural beauty. She was the daughter her parents adored. The one her mother babied and pampered even though Caitlyn was the oldest. She was the one her mother brought to the beauty parlor when they were little because she was a natural beauty, not Jamie.

Jamie paused midstride as she caught a glimpse of the surprising beauty in the mirror. She was beautiful. Her hair was shorter, ending just below her shoulder blades with a hint of soft curls. It flowed like silk with every movement. Jamie pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear and was startled when the beautiful woman in the mirror did the same.

It was wrong.

The woman before her was beautiful. It definitely couldn’t be that simple. A day at a spa and a shopping trip and she looked like this? Impossible. If it was really that simple, why hadn’t her mother done it for her years ago? Her mother loved going to the spa, so wouldn’t she have brought Jamie along with Caitlyn if something like this was even possible?

Caitlyn was the favorite, everyone knew that, but wouldn’t her mother have been happy with two beautiful daughters? Shouldn’t she have tried for Jamie’s sake? A small sob escaped before she could bite it back.

Why had her mother been so sure that there was nothing to her? Exactly when had Jamie been designated as ugly, useless, and nothing more than Caitlyn’s plain little sister?

With a shaky hand, Jamie pushed her hair back and smiled nervously as the golden silky hair slid back into place. She traced her newly thinned arched brows. With her glasses now permanently gone, she could see her features better. They were softer than she thought they would be. Her skin was definitely softer and healthier looking, thanks to the torture she’d endured yesterday.

She’d never done much for herself. What was the point? Jamie thought. All those comments from her family had kept her in her place. She’d never ventured past the basics of self-care, never even considered that there might be more for her.

Why would she?

All those years...

She’d been such a fool.

Was this the real her? Jamie wondered as she took in the pink tank top Dana picked out for her yesterday. She’d never worn anything that fit her so well before. Normally, she picked clothes that were plain and baggy, whatever helped her blend into the background.

Now, she couldn’t help but smile. As a child, she’d always been stick thin. It wasn’t until college that she finally began to fill out. Not that anyone noticed. She’d never thought her body was anything special. Plenty of women had breasts, hips, and a nice figure, but the difference was that those women had a pretty face to go along with the package, and now, so did she.

Jamie smiled as she looked down at the cute pink flannel pajama pants that hung low around her hips. They were a little bit baggy but in a complementary way. It really surprised her how good she felt in these clothes.

For the first time in her life, she’d actually enjoyed going shopping. When they’d entered the store, out of habit, she’d wandered over to the discount area, not because she was broke, but because that’s where the plain clothes were. Before she could start searching through the bins, Dana and Amy dragged her away.

Under their guidance, she’d bought everything from shoes to simple lingerie. Her bedroom and half her small living room were now filled with shopping bags. An excited smile tugged at her lips at the thought of going through everything and playing dress up. A first for her, Jamie thought, unable to help but smile.

“Miss Harris, please hold while I transfer your call to Mr. Quinn,”Jennifer suddenly announced, breaking through the Christmas-morning-like euphoria Jamie had going on.

“Ah, that’s not really necessary!” Jamie said quickly, but it was already too late. As the last word flew out of her mouth, she heard the audible click of the phone being switched to a different line.

“Good morning, Miss Harris,”Nick said smoothly.“I hear you’re not feeling well this morning.”

“I...ah, that is...I’m...” she rambled on nervously.

“You’re planning on working from home today, I gather.”

“Yes,” Jamie answered before she remembered that she was supposed to be sick. Wincing, she cleared her throat and tried to sound sick, “Yes.”

“You don’t sound so good.”

Relieved that he was buying it, Jamie relaxed a little. “Yeah, I think I just need a day or two to recover. I should be fine in a few days, but in the meantime, I’ll just have to work from home.”She added a disappointed sigh at the end to make it sound like she wasn’t entirely happy with the idea of skipping the office for a few days with the hopes that it would be enough.

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