Page 114 of Amnesia

“The cost of that is two kisses,” he said when I pulled back.

I laughed. “I thought it was on the house.”

“Then kiss me ‘cause I’m asking.”

I kissed him again. This time I slipped him some tongue. He moaned deep in his throat. When I pulled away, he tried to clutch me back.

I shook my head. “We’re at work!” I hissed.

“I’m pretty sure the owner won’t care.” He winked.

Somewhere in the store, a little bell rang. Eddie groaned. “I gotta go check out Mrs. West.”

I wrinkled my nose at the mention of her.

“I’ll see you up front,” he said, then went off to do his job.

Quickly, I gathered up the rest of the items we needed and met Maggie somewhere in the middle. On our way to the register, I saw the widow walking out, pulling a small wagon filled with bags behind her.

Maggie saw me gazing after her and said, “That’s the widow who lives out on the island in the lake.”

I nodded. “I met her just now.”

“Oh?” Maggie said.

“She’s very strange.”

Maggie laughed. “Oh, yes. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected considering she lives alone with no human contact except for a few times a year.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I confirmed, watching her figure disappear. But there was something about her I couldn’t shake. And oddly enough, the second she was out of sight, that spidery, tingly feeling of being watched went away.

Maybe Widow West was just an awkward, sad old woman like Maggie said.

Or maybe there was something more to her. Something a lot less harmless than people thought.

I was working in the loft when Amnesia arrived back at Loch Gen. The second the bell on the door chimed, I knew it was her, before I even swiveled around to look.

Brian was manning the front counter, and I watched from above as Am looked around for me. “Is Eddie here?” she asked.

Brian’s eyes swept over her, and a fuse of jealousy lit inside me. She was beautiful, and of course people (men, more specifically) were going to look, but I didn’t like it. I watched Brian smile at her, then point upward to where I was staring down.

Am swung around. When she found me, a smile lit up her features. “There you are.”

I leaned on the railing and smiled. “Here I am.”

“Brought you some dinner,” she said, holding up a plastic container.

“Get up here, woman,” I said, motioning with my head. I heard her rushing up the wooden steps, her feet echoing as she ran. When she made it to the top, I practically lifted her off the last one and swept her into my arms. Burying my face in her neck, I growled, “It’s been a long day. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she said.

After a quick kiss, I snatched the container out of her hand and popped open the lid. “What did ya bring me?”

“Homemade alfredo,” she said proudly. Then she frowned. “Do you like alfredo?”

“If you made it, I like it,” I said, towing her along with me to the chair at my desk. The second I sat down, I pulled her into my lap. “I’m starving.”

She handed me a fork wrapped in a napkin, and I dug in. The sauce was creamy and rich and the wide noodles were cooked perfectly. Making a sound of appreciation, I shoved another bite into my mouth. “This is bomb,” I told her.

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