Never Forgotten (Never Forgotten Series) (15 page)

“Do you have to ask?” Mom’s reply was so quiet that I barely heard it.

“Am I that much of a beast?” David asked. Hearing the tone of his voice, I pictured a sneer marring his face. “Do you think I would steal our daughter from you?”

“I didn’t think you would intentionally, but what about her? What would her choice have been?” I had to strain to hear my mom now. Without thinking, I had moved so close that I was within the doorframe and able to see my mom sitting on her bed, her back to David. He stared at her with a dark expression on his face.

“What if she had left me as you did?” Mom’s voice was little more than a whisper. I made out the words, but didn’t understand what she was saying. I was only a baby. Why would I have left her? How could I have left her?

Whatever I missed, David understood. His face softened and he dropped to her side, placing his hands on her face. “Oh, Sharon, is that what has worried you all these years? That she would come with me of her own free will?”

Mom nodded, closing her eyes tight. It didn’t stop the tears from escaping. “I couldn’t bear it, David. I couldn’t lose her, too.”

He kissed her, and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. I turned away. It was a private moment. Why did Mom worry that I would leave her? I would never leave her. She was everything to me. I walked back outside. I’d heard enough for one day.

Grandma Mary looked up as I came out. “How is she?”

“Resting peacefully,” I lied. I worried that something on my face or in my posture would give me away. My grandmother merely nodded and turned back to clearing the dead stems out of her flowerbed. I started past her, down the driveway.

“Wherever you’re headed, Meara, be back in about two hours for dinner.”

“I will,” I called back, although that was a good question. Where was I headed? I didn’t know where to go. This was turning out to be a strange day. I wanted to think more about my mom and David’s conversation. I had no idea where to start. I was trying to put together a puzzle that was missing all the center pieces. Sure, I had the border more or less figured out, but the whole picture, the main part of it, was a mystery.

Evan wasn’t coming over tonight, and Katie was either at work or hanging out with Brian. I was on my own.

I realized that I was heading down the path to the shoreline. Apparently, some part of my brain knew where I wanted to go. When I realized it, I quickened my pace. The brush cleared and I stood before a mile or two of rocky shore, the large stones smoothed by water over time. The sun, low on the horizon, bathed the ocean in fiery shades of red and orange. The scene staggered me—the rough, natural beauty of it. There was no one else in sight.

I sat on a large, flat boulder. Leaning back, I rested on my elbows, staring off at the roughest waves. That was when I saw it—a large, grey seal sitting on the edge of the shore. It looked at me with its enormous, wise eyes. As I watched, it nodded as if in greeting. Had I not been alone, I would have felt silly. Seeing as no one else was here to witness, I nodded back. It stretched its neck out and barked. Was it talking to me? No, I was being ridiculous. As we watched each other, I couldn’t help feeling a connection to the magnificent animal.

I rose and approached. It watched me cautiously. When I got within five feet, it turned and slid into the sea. I stood for a moment, feeling a profound sense of loss. I didn’t understand the feeling, but it was there nonetheless. I watched until the sky darkened to a brilliant pink purple. The seal didn’t return. With a sigh, I headed home.

The next few weeks of school passed quickly as I anticipated Kim’s visit. Before I knew it, Evan and I were waiting for her in the airport lobby. It was the Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving—the one that fell on a Monday, that was. Would I ever get used to Canadian holidays? I bounced on my toes, straining to see Kim coming out of the gate before she spotted us. Evan leaned down and whispered in my ear, “A bit excited, aren’t you?”

I didn’t turn to him for fear of missing that first glimpse of her, and the expression on her face when she saw me. “She’s my best friend, Evan. And, it’s been almost six months since I saw her last.”

“I know, I know. I’m just teasing.”

“There she is!” I began to wave when I spotted Kim’s strawberry-blond curls. She was walking next to a man in a business suit. He was pretty good looking for someone who had to be in his forties. She was talking animatedly, and he nodded in reply, a bemused expression on his face. Leave it to Kim to have made friends on the plane. I pointed to her. “She’s the one in the green sweater.”

“Oh? You mean the one running at us?” Evan asked. When I looked back, Kim was indeed running at us. Within seconds, she tackled me, wrapping me in a big bear hug. Well, as big of a bear hug as my barely five-foot-tall friend could give.

“Meara, you look fabulous!”

“Thanks. You do, too. Single life is treating you well.”

She shrugged. “I’m not single anymore, but we can discuss that later. Oh, I can’t wait to hear all about everything. Let’s grab my bags and get out of here. I’m ready for a good meal and lots of juicy gossip, I hope.” She linked her arm through mine, then looked up and saw Evan. Her jaw dropped slightly. She recovered fast, snapping it closed. She raised one eyebrow—speculating, I’m sure—and then tapped me on the arm lightly. “Were you planning on introducing me, Meara?”

“Maybe if you stop talking for a minute,” I teased. “Kim, this is Evan. Evan, my best friend, Kim Greeley.”

Kim extended her hand and gave Evan one of her widest, dimpled smiles. “Nice to meet you, Evan. Meara’s told me a bit about you.” She scowled at me. “Not as much as I’d like to hear, of course.”

“Of course.” Evan nodded in agreement. His eyes lit with laughter. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Kim.”

Kim linked her arm through mine and talked nonstop as we walked to baggage claim. Evan grinned at me when she wasn’t looking. I just rolled my eyes. It was so Kim, and to be honest, I found it comforting to know she hadn’t changed.

From the moment we picked her up until we said goodnight to Evan, Kim kept the conversation flowing nonstop. We went out for pizza, and then headed back home. When Evan dropped us off, he and Kim were well on their way to becoming friends. I shouldn’t have been surprised, knowing Kim and her outgoing personality, but a part of me just couldn’t believe how easily my oldest friend fit into my new life.

We all got out of the car and started walking toward the door. Kim stopped us, patting Evan on the arm and giving me a quick squeeze. “I’m just going to run up, say hi to your mom, and introduce myself to your grandparents.”

“What? No. I’ll come in with you and introduce you to them.”

“Your mom can introduce me, Meara.”

“True, but…”

“Give the poor boy a break. He put up with your pesky best friend all evening and was on his best behavior. Doesn’t that deserve some kind of reward?” She stressed the last word and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Evan was pretending not to listen, taking a keen interest in Grandma Mary’s flower garden, but I saw his lips twitch. She gave me a meaningful glance. “No rush, Meara.”

“You’re exasperating,” I muttered. Kim laughed at me, winked once, and then ran up the steps and knocked on the door. Mom opened it and let her in. She waved at Evan and me, closing it again. Wasn’t everyone accommodating tonight?

“Sorry about that,” I said, turning to wrap my arms around Evan’s waist.

His arms circled my waist and pulled me closer. “I like her. She’s a lot of fun, and she cares about you. She’s a good friend.”

“Yeah,” I said. “She’s the best.”

I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. He raised one arm to run his hand down the length of my hair, and then down my back, which sent a shiver up my spine. I would think that by now that I would be getting used to his touch. Instead, I seemed to be reacting stronger each time.

“Are you cold?” he whispered, nuzzling my ear and then kissing my neck.

“No,” I said, tilting my head to give him better access.

“Mmm…too bad,” he murmured against my neck. “If you were cold, I’d have to warm you up.”

“Oh?” Intriguing thought. “In that case, I’m freezing.”

He laughed and kissed me one last time before reluctantly pulling back. “I better let you go. I’m sure Kim is anxiously awaiting details.”

“As if she’ll get them,” I said. “One more goodnight kiss?”

I closed the distance between us, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. When I pulled back, Evan asked breathlessly, “What was that for?”

I grinned. “If she wants details, I might as well give her something to talk about.”

“I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Yes.” He was driving back to campus tonight. At least I would see him at his house on Thanksgiving. One last kiss on my cheek, then he went to his car. He waved once before starting the engine. I waved back, and then went inside.

Kim was waiting for me. She sat on the couch next to my mom, talking to her and my grandparents. When she saw me come in, she feigned a big yawn. “Oh my, it’s been a long day traveling. I think I better get some rest.” She stood. “Meara, would you mind showing me to your room?”

My mom lowered her head and bit her cheek to keep from laughing; she was used to Kim’s antics. My grandparents, however, were easily fooled by the charade. Grandma Mary jumped up and went to grab some extra blankets for my “travel-weary” friend. Grandpa Jamie said goodnight to us both and seemed relieved to turn his attention back to the television.

Mom rose from the couch and walked over to me. “I think I’ll head to my room, too,” she said. “We have a lot of cooking to do tomorrow and Sunday.”

When Mom said ‘we’, she meant Grandma Mary, Lydia, and herself. I had been told that there were enough cooks in the kitchen, and Kim and I would not be needed. It wasn’t that I was a bad cook. Scratch that. I was a bad cook, and the three of them were outstanding. Plus, Mom wanted me to have as much time as possible with Kim. Who knew when I’d see her again after this visit?

Hugging me tight, my mom kissed my cheek. “Have fun catching up.”

“Night, Mom,” I said. “I love you.”

Kim grabbed her bag and followed me down the hall into my room. As soon as we were there, she dropped it, shut the door, and pulled me over to the bed.

“Spill, Quinn,” she ordered. “Where in the world did you find that gorgeous man, and what have you done to him? He is putty in your hands.”

“Mind if I change first?” I picked up my pajamas. “I’ll be back in a second. I have a feeling you’re going to keep me talking for a while. I might as well get comfortable.”

She growled at me, but didn’t say anything else. I took it as consent and continued to the bathroom, stalling. The curiosity would eat her alive. A special part of our friendship was how much we enjoyed pushing each other’s buttons. It was almost a contest between us. I went through the usual nightly ritual—brushing my teeth, combing my hair, and washing my face. It didn’t take long, but I waited an extra five minutes for good measure before heading back to the room. I couldn’t help myself; I loved to torment her.

“What’d you do?” she asked dryly. “Fall in?”

“Funny,” I said. I took an extra minute to fluff the pillows and pull back the covers before sitting down again. Kim ground her teeth, barely containing herself.

“Meara!” she yelled. I raised my finger to my lip to quiet her, and she lowered her voice—just barely. “Will you please tell me something?”

“What would you like to know?”

She rolled her eyes. “I haven’t seen you since June. Why don’t you start at the beginning or wherever you think will be most interesting. It’s not like your emails were descriptive. In fact, you suck at writing, Meara…At least when it comes to keeping your best friend up to date on your life.”

Where some people might take offense, I just laughed. “Okay, okay. The trip here was rather uneventful, but our first day here, my mom and I went into town. We stopped to visit Mom’s friend, Lydia, at her bed and breakfast. I met Evan there,” I added, “He’s Lydia’s son and my friend Katie’s brother.”

“Convenient,” she said. I ignored her.

“I went out with Evan, Katie, and some of their friends to a carnival, and after that, Evan asked me out.”

“And the good parts?” she asked.

“What good parts?”

She sighed. “You know, the first kiss, when you discovered you were in madly in love…that kind of good stuff.”

“Oh, that.” I cleared my throat. I wasn’t used to sharing details about my love life, mainly because Kim was always the one dating, not me.

“Our first kiss was the night of the carnival. Katie stayed in town at a friend’s house, and Evan brought me home.”

“Has he said the ‘L’ word?”

“Not yet.”

“Have you?” I shook my head. “You will. It’s coming. The way he looks at you? Wow. Hot.”

“Really?” It was weird to hear Kim’s perspective. Katie would never say something like that. Evan was her brother after all.

“Definitely.” She relaxed back against the headboard. “All right, Meara, I’ll stop interrogating you. I know how uncomfortable you probably are right now.” She leaned forward again and looked in my eyes. “Seriously, I’m happy for you. Evan is great.”

“Thanks,” I said, more than anything relieved to be changing the subject. “What about you? You said you’re no longer single. What’s that about?”

“Do you remember Ryan Johnson?”

“Sure.” I’d known Ryan almost as long as I’d known Kim. I remembered he was a bit of a class clown.

“He’s the one who asked me out last week. One date turned into several dates in a row. He is so fun! We have a blast together.”

I hugged her. “I’m so happy for you, Kim. I always liked Ryan.”

“And you never cared for Mike.”

I shrugged. “I’m happy as long as you’re happy.” She looked at me with one brow raised; I squirmed a little. “But, since you are no longer with him, I guess it’s safe to say that no, I never liked Mike.”

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I should have dumped him a long time ago and saved myself some heartache.” She leaned in and looked at me intensely. I squirmed again, wondering what was coming next. “Now that the boys are out of the way, why don’t you tell me what you’ve really been holding back?”

“I haven’t,” I said defensively.

Kim stared at me in silence, crossing her arms and waiting for me to continue. “I’ve got all night, all day tomorrow, all day Sunday, most of the day Monday, and the drive to back to the airport. It’s just a matter of time, Meara. We can do this the easy way or my way. I’ve known you too long, and I know that there is a much bigger story than Evan Mitchell, cute though he may be.”

I sighed, resigned. Under my breath, I muttered, “I met my father, David.”

“You what?” She jumped off the bed and stared at me. “How? When?”

My face flamed under the intensity of her gaze. She huffed out a breath and sat back down. “You better start at the beginning and don’t skimp on the details. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”

“It wasn’t intentional, Kim,” I apologized. “I just had no idea how to tell you. You know I hate phone calls and email. Forget about me writing you a letter. This was better left for in person.”

I told her about my dream the first night at my grandparents’ house and all the occurrences since then, up until the afternoon last weekend when I eavesdropped on David and my mom. For a change, she didn’t interrupt. I could tell she was hanging on every word, every detail.

When I finished, she asked. “That was the last time you saw him?” I nodded. “That is quite a story, Meara.” She leaned back against the headboard and studied my face. “I don’t know what to make of it.” I must have looked shocked, because she quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just that…you know me…I have never believed much in fairy tales or ghosts or whatever.”