Sunlight began peeking through her drab beige curtains as silence enveloped her. The isolation, the complete aloneness, was almost too much to bear. It’s only your birthday. You should be used to spending the day alone. Though she’d made casual friends while living and working in San Antonio, none of them had been close enough to even know the date of her birthday, let alone take time out of their busy schedule to celebrate it with her. She sniffed and touched a finger to her face where a single tear trickled down her cheek. She really had to shake these blues. It was a waste of time feeling sorry for herself. Is it company you miss? Or Deke? Deke. She didn’t miss Deke McCall, but even as she denied the thought, his handsome face drifted through her mind. He’d only been gone five days. Five days! She balled her fists and closed her eyes. Why was she lying here thinking about Deke? She didn’t need a man in her life, didn’t want a man in her life. Hadn’t she learned the hard way that men couldn’t be trusted, couldn’t be depended on?
