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“No, I doubt it. But maybe you should talk to Casey about this, Megan.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Right. Sorry.” A change in topic was necessary, and I had another question. “How come my mother or father haven’t been to visit me?”
“Oh, honey.” Her eyes filled with sympathy, and I felt my gut clench. “Sara died when you were in culinary school. She was so, so proud of you, told anyone who would listen that her baby girl was going to be a famous chef.”
One tear slid down my cheek for the woman I couldn’t remember. Not yet. “My father?”
“The scoundrel divorced Sara soon after you moved here. Picked up with a woman half his age and lives in Florida.” She rolled her eyes, which told me exactly what she thought of him.
No parents. Another bullet point to add to my biography. “Thank you for telling me.”
Jen nodded and flashed another sympathetic smile. “You have plans for the rest of the day?”
I blinked. “No. Why?”
“Because I’ve got some lemonade in the fridge that’s just begging to be spiked with bourbon. It’s perfect for an afternoon of girl talk and giggling.”
A slow smile crept across my face. “Sounds good to me.” I needed a few hours to forget.
Ironic, I know. But spending the afternoon chatting with Jen was just what I needed. She was sweet and funny and sassy, and she didn’t coddle me. Instead we sat out in the gorgeous backyard with tons of flowers and herbs, the scent of rosemary and jasmine infused me with relaxation and I sank into the plush lounger until my limbs were loose. My mind was clear. Jen told me what I needed to know as if I merely needed my memory jogged, and she didn’t make a big deal out of it. I loved her instantly, but after two or three spiked lemonades, I knew that I loved this woman even before some thief conked me on the head.
I reached out and hugged Jen, grateful I had her when it felt like I had no one. Not Persy or Gus or Hannah, not even Casey. Maybe most especially Casey.
“Oh honey, not that I ever turn down a hug, but what was that for?”
I smiled. “For being you, Jen. For making me feel normal for the afternoon. Thank you.”
Jen turned in my arms with a watery smile of her own and squeezed me back. “I’m so grateful you’re still here with us, dear. You gave us all a big scare.”
I sank into her embrace, feeling emotional because Jen was the first person I was certain I knew. “I’m glad to be here too, Jen.”
Casey
“Megs, it’s just me, Casey. I’m home!” It felt odd to have to announce my presence in my own home, but Megan was still a little jumpy. And I owed her an apology. On my way home from the hospital, I stopped for the biggest, prettiest bouquet of flowers I could find, a mixture of roses and wildflowers, because Megan loved pretty, fragrant arrangements. I also had a big bag of Thai food because nothing went better with crow, than Tom Yum Goong. “Megs?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Her voice sounded odd, her words a little slow, her tone exhausted or maybe frustrated.
I found her sprawled on the sofa, a notebook on top of the blanket draped over her legs, half a bottle of white wine starting to sweat on the coffee table. “Everything all right?” I felt my brows knit in concern because even though this Megan wasn’t exactly like my Megan, I could tell something was wrong.
She looked up with glassy eyes and a crooked smile. “Just peachy. What’s in the bag?”
“Thai food.”
“Good. I’m hungry.” She climbed off the sofa clumsily and I knew then she was drunk. “Let me help you with that.” She grabbed the bag of food, ignoring the flowers before she made her way to the kitchen.
Yep, still mad.
I followed her into the kitchen and found Megan unpacking the bags, opening each container carefully to taste each one, quite expertly, with a pair of wooden chopsticks. “I owe you an apology, Megan.”
She froze at my words, but she didn’t turn around, didn’t look at me. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry. I reacted badly when I should have shown you nothing but love and support. I don’t know why it hit me like it did, but that’s my problem, not yours. And I am really sorry, Megs. Really.”
Finally, she turned and her eyes landed on the flowers. “Is that what those are for?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. You love flowers and I figured they would get you to listen to my apology.”
Her gaze narrowed and she set down the chopsticks, folded her arms and looked at me for a long time. “I spent the afternoon with Jen today.”
I blinked. “Okay. How did it go?”
“It was fine. Good, actually. She said we’ve been disconnected lately. Why?”
