Page 38 of Love and Memories

ISABELLA

The town of Blackwater bustled in the warm, summer day. Kids chased each other on the sidewalk, and adults greeted people they passed with wide smiles. It was a community straight out of a postcard.

None of it was familiar. Isabella had sat on Anna’s couch for hours over the last few days pouring over maps, town names, online articles, and legal records, searching for pieces of her life.

They’d learned very little. Anna found photos and a news article from Bella’s high school graduation, but that was an event she remembered. It was theafterpart that was missing. No record of a job or an address where she’d received mail. She wasn’t registered to vote, and she hadn’t even had a traffic ticket or registered a vehicle. She had a photo ID from Nebraska, not a driver’s license, that was renewed the year before, but that was all. Even that was a dead end because it listed her parents’ address.

Thankfully, they’d also found no trace of a marriage license. That part was a relief.

Outside of Omaha and Blackwater, Anna’s best resources hadn’t been able to match her to an Isabella Young anywhere else. It was as if she hadn’t existed.

“Are you sure we can’t shop somewhere else?” Anna asked.

“The thrift store will be fine. I have zero money. None,” Bella reminded her.

Anna took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you didn’t like more of the clothes I have. You can have any of them. Any of them!”

“I know, and you’re so sweet, but they were all a little fancy.”

A little fancy was an understatement. The clothing Anna received from boutiques ranged from sophisticated to smart casual and upwards on the formal scale. Isabella didn’t have a job or a way to gettoa job yet. Where would she possibly wear things like that?

“Maybe you can get a job where you need a wardrobe like that. Then you’d be all set.”

“You can dress up a pig, but–”

“Stop it,” Anna said. “I refuse to listen to you talk about yourself like that. You’re beautiful, and the amount of money in your pocket doesn’t determine your rank on the wealth scale.”

Isabella clamped her jaw shut. This wasn’t the first time Anna had implied wealth wasn’t a monetary value, but it was difficult to see it any other way.

Anna’s phone rang, showing Travis’s name on the screen, and she pressed a button on her steering wheel to answer it. “Hello, mother hen,” she said in her cheery voice.

Bella clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle. Travis called to check on her often, and while Anna always indulged him, she did make small jokes that Bella loved.

“How’s Bella?” he asked. No nonsense or beating around the bush.

She couldn’t ignore Travis’s constant attention, and it took every bit of her focus to remember that he was just checking on her. Having feelings for a stranger was absurd, right?

He was the nicest man she’d ever met. Well, at least as far as her memory served. But she had absolutely nothing to offer him. She wasn’t self-sufficient in any manner, and taking care of herself and standing on her own two feet had to be her first priority.

“I’m great. Thank you for asking,” Anna said. “I kept Bella alive through another night. You’ll be happy to know we’re getting her a phone today, so you can stop pestering me.”

“Sorry,” Travis said. “I just want to know she’s okay.”

Anna turned to Bella and winked. “She can hear you.”

Travis cleared his throat. “Morning, Bella.”

His words were deep and sweet, rolling over her heart like a protective shield. “Morning, Travis.”

Anna pressed a hand to her chest. She’d made plenty of comments on how doting Travis had been for Bella, but the safest thing to do was ignore the talk. It would hurt too much to be wrong about his feelings.

“What are you ladies up to today?” he asked.

Bella waited for Anna to answer, but she stayed quiet–completely against her nature.

Bella took a deep breath. “We’re going shopping, then getting a phone.”

“Could I have your phone number? I think Anna is getting tired of me,” Travis said.

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