No Turning Back by Tiffany Snow

realization that someone had been in my apartment made me pause before I answered her.
    "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this," I said to Gracie, "but Sheila is dead." I flinched inwardly at the abruptness of my words, but didn't know how else to put it.
    Gracie's face froze in shock for a moment, then she seemed to recover herself. She didn't cry. Actually, she looked more resigned than anything else.
    "How did she die?" she asked quietly. I swallowed heavily before answering.
    "Someone killed her," I answered. "I found her late Saturday night in her apartment."
    Gracie leaned back against the counter and looked up at the ceiling, blinking her eyes rapidly. I remained silent, letting her absorb the news about Sheila and regain control of her emotions. Finally, she took a deep shuddering breath and looked at me again.
    Smiling a little, she said, "She talked about you, you know. She really liked you. Said you were sweet and kind and brought her coffee in the mornings." Now I was the one who felt tears stinging my eyes.
    "We got along pretty well," I said, clearing my throat from the tears clogging it. I began unpacking my bags and Gracie helped. As I put things in the refrigerator, I had a thought.
    "Would you like to stay for dinner?" I asked, and her bright smile appeared again.
    "I'd love to," she said, "thank you."
    It would be nice to have someone to cook for, for a change, I thought. Usually, it was just me. I felt a brush against me and looked down to see Tigger winding his way around my legs.
    "You have Tigger!" Gracie exclaimed, bending down to scoop him up. I winced. Gracie was wearing dark jeans that fit like a second skin and a long-sleeved black blouse. Tigger was going to shed all over her.
    "I couldn't let him go to the animal shelter," I said, "and I thought Sheila wouldn't mind me taking him."
    "Yeah, she would have wanted you to have him," Gracie confirmed, nuzzling Tigger's fur. He purred contentedly in her arms.
    I started cooking dinner while we chatted. Finding half a bottle of wine in the refrigerator, I poured two glasses. I found out that Gracie was originally from Ohio and had moved to Indianapolis with a boyfriend, but they had broken up a while ago.
    "So how did you know Sheila?" I asked, ladling soup into two bowls.
    "We worked together," she answered, as we sat down at my small kitchen table. I thought I knew what that meant even though she clarified. "For the escort service, you know."
    "I don't plan on doing it forever," she said, taking a sip of her wine. "I'm saving my money so I can travel. I've always wanted to go to Ireland."
    "My family is Irish," I said, and her eyes brightened with interest. "Well, my dad's side anyway."
    "Have you ever been there?" she asked excitedly, and I hated to disappoint her but I shook my head.
    "No, but I'd like to go sometime." She asked what I did for a living and I told her about the firm and working at The Drop.
    "You know," she said, eyeing me with interest, "you could probably make pretty good money doing what me and Sheila do - did," she corrected herself. "You're really pretty and you've got gorgeous hair, a real unusual color." I was embarrassed by her scrutiny and her compliments, though I thought she was being overly kind. I was sure I'd look exactly like a dumpling standing next to her.
    "I don't think so," I said. "I don't think I'm...cut out...for that kind of work."
    "You know, it's not always sex," she said, which caught my attention. I thought that was what they did. At my questioning look, she explained.
    "Some men really do just want a pretty and entertaining companion for the evening." She shrugged her shoulders. "They pay for someone so they don't have to worry about getting involved or any entanglements." Huh. Well, that was interesting. It certainly didn't sound like a bad job. I remembered with more than a little longing what Sheila had told me she made. Then I shook myself out of my reverie.
    "No, I couldn't. It's just not me."
    "Suit