Page 2 of Unforgotten

“You sure?” He scanned the crowd again. “Mamm and Daed are around here somewhere. I thought they were going to sit with Candace’s parents, but I don’t know...”

“I’m sure they’re around, but I don’t need anyone to look after me. I’m fine.” Of course, she wasn’t exactly fine. She was currently on the verge of another panic attack. In spite of her best intentions, her smile trembled, betraying her emotions.

Holding her gaze, he sighed. “Bethy.”

“I’m fine. Really. I was thinking about something else.” She hated that her younger brother felt obligated to look after her. She also hated that until recently she would’ve clung to him like a parasitic vine. One day she was going to act like his older sister again. “Go. I’ll see you later.”

He didn’t move. “You know what? I can take Melonie out—”

“Right now,” she finished, her voice firm. Then seeing Melonie walking up the center aisle toward them, she shooed him with her hands. “There she is. Go. We can meet up later.”

Lott followed her gaze and waved at Melonie, then turned back to Bethanne. “Do you need me to accompany you home?”

“Nee. It’s not a long walk. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“More than sure.”

Her brother grinned. “I’ll see you later, then. Don’t forget to tell Candy congratulations for me.”

She laughed as he started toward Melonie. “If she wins, I sure will, but I won’t be calling her Candy. She hates that nickname.”

Feeling like an odd combination of wallflower and doting aunt, Bethanne watched her brother rush to Melonie. Hetouched his fiancée’s hand but refrained from clasping it. Within a minute they were out of sight.

Sitting back down on her chair, Bethanne placed her purse neatly on her lap. If it wouldn’t look so odd, she would pull out her book. She always carried one with her, whether it was for pleasure or for her job as a reviewer for a local publishing company. Reading had been a favorite pastime for her, especially after what happened with Peter Miller and Seth.

Then about six months ago, she’d decided that some things about her life needed to change. She had to stop worrying about the past and start thinking about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She was only twenty-three. It was past time she got over Peter’s death. And the fact that he’d attempted to rape her. And what happened to Seth Zimmerman when he came to her rescue. Why the Lord had allowed Seth to hit Peter hard enough for Peter to fall, hit his head, and die was a mystery. But it had happened, and she’d survived.

Like always, guilt slammed her. If she hadn’t been so weak afterward, she would’ve convinced her parents to allow her to testify on Seth’s behalf. She’d witnessed the fight, after all. But she hadn’t done a thing to plead for mercy for Seth. So he’d spent two years in prison while she descended into a very dark place.

“If Seth Zimmerman can move forward, you certainly can too,” she whispered to herself for not the first time. “You have to.” Which meant that she needed to stop dwelling on bad memories. Her counselor had told her more than once that she needed to make peace with the past instead of trying to forget everything that had happened.

“Hey, Bethanne.”

As Bethanne looked up, Jay Byler sat down—right next to her. “I thought it was you.”

Her whole body tensed even though Peter’s best friend had never done anything to harm her. “Why are you sitting here?” she hissed.

He had the nerve to look incredulous. “Do you mean I should be doing something other than waiting to see who’s crowned this year’s Miss Crittenden County?”

“Come on. You don’t care about such things.”

“How would you know what I care about? It isn’t as if you’ve given me more than a few minutes of your time these last few years.”

Even though his words were true, they still hurt. Everything about Jay made her hurt. Though tempted to stay silent, she wasn’t able to. “You know why.”

“Of course I know.” His voice softened. “But even though I know the reason you ignore me, it doesn’t mean it’s okay. It hurts.”

She shifted uncomfortably and looked away. His tone didn’t confirm whether he was being sincere or sarcastic.

“After all, we were once friends.”

Were they? She couldn’t remember much about their interactions beyond the obvious—that he’d been best friends with Peter and she’d almost been Peter’s girlfriend.

Hating that the dark memories threatened to overwhelm her again, she glared at him. “I don’t want to talk about you and me. Or our past. Ever.”

“Fine. Let’s talk about the beauty pageant.” He glanced at the mostly empty stage. “I know you’re rooting for your cousin, but who else do you think has a chance?”

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