Forget Me (Hampton Harbor) (9 page)

Will gets me home around one in the afternoon, around two hours
after he picked me up in his boat. I grab a quick lunch and run upstairs to
shower and get ready for work. I'll need to take the bus into town today, and
sometimes with all the stops it take three times as long as driving. We stayed
on the shore for a while longer, kissing, talking, and finding shapes in the
clouds. Every time I think about Will, happiness covers me like a warm
blanket. 

Our relationship feels
right, and that is big for me in a time of unknowns.

         By the time
I get ready and call the dispatcher to make sure the next bus stops, it is
two-thirty. I'm at work by three, just in time for my shift. I'm just putting
on my apron when Amy cashes out her last table and drops her order pad on the
counter.

"It's been a crazy
day," she says to me. "The Crab Shack is having a special tonight so
we might not be as busy, but tips have been good." 

She takes her apron off and
drops it into the laundry bin. "Have a good night!"

She is out the back door in
a flash and I pick up right where she left off. The evening crowd is steady and
the hours pass quickly. I'm so happy and content that I manage to get all the
orders right, and my mood must be rubbing off on my tables, because I pull in
big tips.  Charles and Marie stop in for dinner around seven and I spend a
few minutes sitting at their booth.

"How was Bangor?"
I ask.

"Good," Charles
says.

"We had a lovely day
of shopping after the appointment," Marie says and I smile.

I love listening to the way
she talks about life. Everything is lovely and dear. But today I think my own
mood overshadows hers.

"I spoke to my
doctor," Charles says. "He is an old colleague of mine and I told him
a little about you."

My mood deflates just
slightly and I look back and forth between the two of them.

"Don't worry
dear." Marie reaches across the table and lays her hand on top of mine.
"We thought it would be a good idea if you had a physical. We know nothing
about your past, and you might have a condition that requires medication, or
something of that sort."

I pull my hand back.
"I've been fine so far."

"You have,"
Charles agrees. "But that doesn't mean you always will be. It is better to
be safe than sorry. Unless, of course, you want us to hire someone to find out
who
you really are?"

It isn't a threat, just a
question, but my muscles tense up immediately.

"I'll see the
doctor," I respond.

"We'll go next week,
on one of your days off." Marie pats my hand again.

"Do you need a ride
home?" Charles asks.

I just shake my head.

"I need to get back to
my tables." I stand and walk away quickly. My tongue is a lump in my mouth
and I'm having trouble swallowing. 

Charles and Marie leave
while I am back in the kitchen, and I spend the rest of the night focusing on
my tables. Shelley closes my section early and I am cleaned up and done by
nine. After I turn in my apron and clock out, I rush to the office and pull out
a bag I stashed there earlier. I head to the bathroom and change into a white cotton
dress and comfortable sandals. I brush my hair and pull it back into a nice
ponytail; it is already too creased to be worn down. I also spray myself avidly
with body splash, even though I know that the smell of lobster is baked into my
skin.

I'm going to meet Will
tonight, down at the docks. For some reason I'm twice as nervous as I was with
our first date. Maybe it's because we are moving forward with the relationship.
Maybe it's because we've already kissed. Maybe it's because my feelings for him
are stronger than I originally thought.

I mentally tell my stomach
to stop the gymnastics routine and I stash my bag back in the office. I exit
through the back door of the cafe and walk around to the boardwalk. Another
warm, breezy night in Hampton Harbor. 

The boardwalk is crowded
tonight, full of families, couples, and teenagers. An old man is playing a
trumpet along the ramp that leads up to the music store, and a clown is walking
around making balloon animals for children. I pass by each group, wondering
what their story is. Where are they from, why are they here, what do they do
for a living, and so on? If they are wondering the same about me, then I can
find comfort in the fact that other people don't know me either. I'm sure the
stories they come up with are far more interesting than I really am.

By the time I get to the
marina, it's almost nine-thirty, long before I am really supposed to meet Will.
I told him that I could get out of work anytime between ten and midnight so he
said he would just
be
around. I decide that maybe
asking Charles and Marie to help me get a cell phone might be a good
idea. 

I wander down Dock B
tonight, since I made it partially up Dock A last time. The further out I move,
the bigger the boats get. One particular yacht is lit up and music drifts over
the rails. I spot a couple leaning against the edge, a man in a tux and a woman
in an evening gown. I walk quickly so they won't catch me staring, and I pass
by yacht after yacht. At the very end of the dock I come to a small sailboat.
It seems out of place amongst the bigger boats. It has string lights wrapped
around the mast, and they are twinkling in the gray blue twilight.

I hear quick, heavy
footsteps on the dock behind me and spin around. The bright light on the
lamppost above helps me to see easily, and I watch as Will comes jogging toward
me.

"I thought that was
you I saw from my office window." He is wearing his usual jeans and
t-shirt combination, and his hair is brushed back nicely. "You know, it
isn't safe to wander the docks at night."

He is smiling as he says
this and I give him a playful smirk. "Well then it is a good thing I have
you here to protect me."

"I've already rescued
you once," he responds.

"Girls like to be
rescued," I point out.

He moves past me and jumps
into the sailboat. For a moment I think he is going to ask me to hop aboard,
but he leans down and unplugs the lights.

"I keep telling Mr.
Hatchet to unplug those as night, but he believes that it sets an ambience for
couples wandering by."

"Do many people wander
to the ends of the docks?" I ask.

He shoots me a wicked grin.
"Frisky teenagers."

I cover my mouth with my
hand and laugh. "I mean, for all we know
I
might be a
teenager."

"God I hope not,"
Will says as he climbs back onto the dock. "I don't think you look
sixteen."

"Are you calling me
old?" I say in mock horror.

Will holds up his hands
defensively. "No, you are just more matured than a sixteen year old."

I raise an eyebrow.
"Oh really?"

He laughs. "In more
ways than just physically."

"So, Mr. Davey, did
you
 sneak
around the marina like a frisky teenager?"

For one of the first times
since I've met him, Will seems embarrassed.

"Sorry, that was a
really bold question."  I try to recover. "Hey, for all we know
I had some frisky teenage years."

Will's jaw clenches and he
watches me closely for a moment. He reaches out to grab my hand in his.
"Follow me."

We are hurrying away from
the sailboat and back into the shadow of the yachts. He makes a turn down a
side dock and stops in front of an average sized yacht with maroon streaks
running along the side. 

ANNA
is written on the side in a
black script.

Will removes a large key
ring from his pocket, one adorned with dozens of keys of different shapes and
sizes.

"What are you
doing?" I whisper yell at him when he kneels down and starts to unlock the
ramp that is tightly secured to the dock. He bends it up and onto the side of
the ship, where it latches perfectly to a lower walkway. There is a small door
there, one that presumably leads into the yacht.

Will looks at me.
"What? I have keys to all the boats in the marina."

I look in either direction
a few times. "Will," I whisper yell again. "You're going to get
us in trouble."

"I know the owner of the
docks, I think we're good."

Will rolls his eyes and
steps across the ramp. He leans against the side of the boat and crosses his
arms over his chest, waiting.

I stare him down, pretty
set on not giving in.

He unlocks the door and
pushes it open, bringing his eyes back to mine.

         
  
I think about telling him off when
I hear voices moving down the dock.

"Ben's yacht is
soooo
 stuffy
tonight," a woman says. "And did you see the size of the rock on
Marla's finger?"

I don't hear the rest of
the conversation because I am across the ramp and through the door in less than
five seconds. Will follows me and pulls the door closed behind him, enveloping
us in darkness. He steps further into the room and sensor lights pop on along
the floor, making small paths around the room.

"This way," he
whispers as he takes my hand. 

         He pulls me
down a hallway to the side and I barely have time to take in my surroundings.
I'm not sure if I've ever been in a yacht before, but I know they are built for
luxury. We ascend a small staircase and pass through a door that leads to the
main deck. 

"Will, you are
so..." 

I hesitate as I think up an
insult and Will takes the pause in conversation to his advantage. He pulls me
close and presses his lips to mine, silencing any ill thoughts I previously had
of him. I draw closer to him, wrapping my hands around his waist and settle
them on his back. His hands travel over my shoulders and into my hair, and then
back down again. I am overly aware that my body is pressing against every inch
of his, and that his lips have moved from my mouth and are trailing down my jaw
line and to my ear.

A woman giggles nearby and
I push away from him. We are both breathing heavily, and I have trouble pulling
my eyes from his. I tiptoe to the side of the boat and look down. I think I see
the silhouette of a couple but the boat casts the dock in deep shadows here.

I turn on Will. "What
if we get caught?" I whisper. "Oh my gosh, can you imagine what would
happen if they took me to the police station. What's your name? What about an
address? Can I see some ID?"

I can hear the panic rising
in my own voice and Will steps forward, putting one hand over my mouth.

"Jane, calm
down." He pulls his phone from his pocket and uses his finger to scroll
through it for a moment. He turns it and holds it up so that I can see. There
is a picture of a family in front of a yacht.

The
 
Anna!

As I look closer I
recognize Will. There is an older couple, a man with Will's thick hair and a
woman with Will's eyes and smile. There is an older version of Will standing
with them as well, his arms wrapped around a pretty girl. A younger boy is
standing in front of Will, his looks are more similar to the older man, but he
has the older woman's light hair.

"This is
your
 boat?"
I ask.

"Well, my parents’
boat." He puts the phone back in his pocket.

"Anna is..."

"My mom," he
finishes for me. 

"You could have told
me." I put my hand over my heart. It is still beating rapidly.

"Sorry." Will's
expression is full of remorse. "I didn't know it would freak you
out."

I work to control my
breathing and look out over the water. The sun has dipped below the horizon and
stars are dotting the sky. I lean my head back, feeling the tip of my ponytail
graze against my back.

“What are you afraid will happen?” Will
asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“No one is going to blame you for your
reaction to losing your memories,” Will says. “It isn’t illegal or anything.”

I close my eyes. “I guess you’re right.
With out my memories I feel extra anxious…. and afraid.”

I feel Will’s arms snake
around my waist and he sets his chin on the top of my head.

“You have nothing to fear
with me,” he whispers.

My heart beats rapidly in
my chest and I decide to change the subject.

“Do you sneak girls onto
your parents boat often?” I ask.

Will chuckles and moves to
stand beside me. "Once, in high school, I threw a crazy after prom party
on this boat. I'm not sure why I thought I wouldn't get caught, considering how
much noise was coming out of the boat, but it was a good three or four hours
before someone realized we weren't having just another dinner party. It took me
three straight days to clean the entire boat, and my parents had to replace the
carpet in two of the bedrooms."