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But she looks at her lap like she’s trying to remember the cat, too.
Don’t get your hopes up,I order myself.Don’t get your hopes up.
I feel Liv’s free hand curl around my forearm, and I realize I’m squeezing her other hand a little too hard. I relax my fingers and—
“That sounds nice,” Lolly says in a contented tone.
—I try not to exhale as loudly as my relief wants to.
She didn’t tell me it never happened. She didn’t look at me with blank confusion.
Thank you, God.
“Yes,” Liv agrees gently, “it does sound nice.”
Over the next couple of minutes, I’m tempted to bring up more memories, but I resist. I’m too scared to push my luck. So Liv, Rae, and I take turns asking Lolly this and that, nothing too complicated, nothing too big. Then someone comes in with her dinner tray and we figure we ought to head out; we don’t want to accidentally overstay our welcome with her, plus we’re hungry, too.
She’s in a good enough mood that she lets us all hug her. I say I love her even knowing it might send her mood south, because I don’t want to leave without her hearing it.
Although she doesn’t say it back, she does say, “Thank you,” warmly, which I choose to view as a good thing. At least she didn’t recoil and look at me like I’m some weird bastard.
It’s strange how I’m simultaneously hurt and at ease as we leave the room.
“Good job,” Liv murmurs to me as we start down the hall.
“Thank you,” I breathe out. “Wouldn’t have been able to do it without you guys.” I look around her at Rae. “Good job in there, kiddo.”
She gives me a toothy smile. “She wasn’t in a very bad mood!”
“Nope. I was worried there for—”
Just when I face forward again, I’m tugged to a stop by Liv’s hand. I look at her and see a very odd expression on her face.
Rae asks, “Did you leave something back there, Annie?”
Liv just blinks and gazes in the direction we were walking, looking bewildered and…upset?
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I look that way, too. All I see are a man and woman a little way down the hall…
…and I seethey’restopped and staring atus.
Well, actually, they seem to be staring at—
“Hey,” I hear Rae say, “that man kind of looks like Landon!”
Liv sucks in a sharp breath and grips my arm hard.
I…don’t do anything.
I don’t speak.
I don’t breathe.
Not until the man and woman start coming this way again, that is. Then I draw a breath that seems incredibly loud. My heartbeat is loud, too—the closer they get, the more my body is hit by—assaultedby—
“Landon,” he sighs as he stops in front of us.
I don’t recognize his voice whatsoever.
