19 October, 2012

500 Word Challenge

So when I said I was back, I really meant that I would think about posting and then forget a minute later.  Sorry!

But, as of this instant: the baby is asleep, all my houseworky things are done and I have no business stuff to do.  It took me a moment to realize - I have hobbies!  I can knit or read or...write something!  Now, I'm sure the second I get into something, he'll wake up, but!  I can try.

Here is the next bit of my 500 word challenge.  If you have forgotten where we are (as I have) I'll understand. :)  Enjoy!

(it took me a few minutes to find the right file, that's how long I hadn't worked on it.  Sigh...but babies are worth it!)



He wished she would stop wearing dresses that made her look like a fourties’s pin-up girl.
Colton helped Renee out of the car, gratefully giving her hand up to her father to turn back and help her mother out.

Alice was waiting, in her usual fashion forward clothing explosion.

“Here’s the phone,” she said tartly, hading it over. “I expect a very nice bottle of champagne for working this evening, Mr. Savage.”

He grinned at her. “Of course.”

She sniffed and went to link arms with Renee. Colton watched them whisper to each other, scowling. He didn’t need Alice keeping secrets form him.

The bright flash of a camera nearly blinded him.

Renee blinked dazedly, holding her hand in front of her eyes.

“Do you mind?” she snapped. The man standing before her started jabbering at her, asking her questions.

Colton stepped up, talking over his rambling Spanish.

“Excuse us,” he said firmly, steering Renee around him. The windows of the restaurants flashed whitely a few more times until they were safely inside.

“What was that?” Renee hissed at him.

Colton only scowled, watching the man talk on a cell from inside the front doors. “I think he recognized you.”

“From where?”

“You’ve been all over the news,” he told her.

She rolled her eyes. “I know. Somehow they got a hold of my driver’s license photo.”

Colton put aside his uneasiness and followed the matre de to their table. Her parents were scowling, too, clearly as little pleased with the paparazzi as he was.

The food was excellent. Renee’s parents had endless stories about their students blowing things up in science classes. Alice and Renee giggled like old friends the entire time.

Colton couldn’t wait to get home. Get inside his house and away from whoever had taken Renee’s picture and was doing who knows what with it.



Renee kicked off her expensive heels the instant they were back at the house.

“Super cute to look at, not so cute to wear,” she complained, rubbing her feet.

Colton didn’t have an opinion he cared to express, so just grunted.

“Thanks for dinner,” she said.

“No problem.”

She yawned. “I’m going to bed. Night!”

He watched as she scooped up her shoes and went up the stairs.

With an increasing familiar feeling of dread, he went to his office and woke up the computer. He pecked at the keyboard, inputting a search into Google.



Renee White



Her picture popped up immediately, followed by headlines dated from today all the way back to the attack. He followed a link from the morning, a press release stating she had been questioned and released, no longer a person of interest in the terrorist attack. Already it had several thousand comments below the main article, ranging from disbelieving to weirdly vehement support to ED ads.

Colton closed the browser. He’d have to check where that picture surfaced tomorrow. He really hoped it wasn’t in some crazy, paranoid tabloid. But knowing his luck, it would.
 
 
Thanks for reading! - The Muffin