Sarah and Jackson's bedrooms were at opposite ends of the long hallway. As close as they were, they liked their privacy, and with their keen hearing, distance was required. Jackson didn't concern himself, since he never brought women home. They might get the wrong idea, or worse yet, come back.
He considered going down to the drawing room for a drink, but decided, he too, felt quite weary. It had been a long day. I wonder if what's-her-name from last night is still at the hotel. Maybe I could rally for a little nightcap after all. Oh crap! He had forgotten to send her that jewelry. Might as well call it a night.
Jackson had a strange dream. He stood in a forest with a woman, whose face he could not see. She wore a flowing, diaphanous gown and had long, wavy, bronze colored hair. He yearned to see her face, but when he approached to make her turn, she disappeared, the moment they touched. He whirled around and there she would be, just out of reach. This happened again and again. Every time he moved close enough to see her face, she vanished. He rarely had dreams, and when he did, they were nice dreams of feeding on some beautiful woman. This one disturbed him.
He woke at 5:00 a.m., feeling frustrated and confused. He tried to shake the dream off and go back to sleep, yet couldn't. Throwing on some jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of Nikes, he decided to take a walk, but first, he would check on Sarah. The door to her room was open and the room, empty. "So much for my walk. Damn." He wanted to listen in when she talked to Skippy in case he got out of line, so hurried downstairs. He found Sarah in the kitchen.
He held her shoulders. "You were supposed to come and get me if you couldn't sleep."
"It's morning."
"Hardly." Two cups of coffee sat on the counter. "That one for me?" He knew it was not, but wanted to make her squirm a little for breaking her promise.
"Sure, take it." She turned to get another from the cupboard.
"He's probably still sleeping you know." Jackson knew the odds were that guy hadn't slept a wink all night, but he wanted her to wait as long as possible.
"Then I'll wait until he wakes up."
"Why don't we go for a nice walk first? I'll try to convert you to a leaf peeper."
"Jackson, please, I'm going nuts here. I have to see him or I'll burst."
"All right, but I'm listening in for a while, until I'm sure he's not going to be a dick about things."