She
sat on the bed and took a quick peek at the charm necklace in her
palm. Then all at once she remembered Jean-Pierre saying, when
he'd arrived, that he had brought her something.
The bathroom light went out, and she carefully tucked the object
into her robe pocket. Assembling the bedclothes as best she
could, she pulled the comforter over her legs, then shut off her
night lamp.
Dressed in his pajamas, Matthew stood at the foot of the bed.
"Since you're not feeling well," he said, glancing at the
mascara-streaked pillows, "I'll sleep in the guest room." He shut
off the remaining lamps as he left the room. When she heard his
door close down the hall, she switched her night lamp on again
and pulled the necklace from her pocket. She inspected it more
closely under the light.
It was a tiny horseshoe charm. She squeezed the charm tightly
between her palms, feeling him again. Then she clasped the
necklace around her neck and turned off the lamp. She pulled the
comforter over her body. "Good night, Jean-Pierre," she
whispered. She kissed the charm, then squeezed it tightly in her
left fist and held it against her breast.
As her thoughts swirled into pleasant dreams, her grip relaxed,
then gently unrolled, and the symbol of Jean-Pierre's love
slipped through her fingers, and she slept like never before.
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