Page 21 of Must Have Been Love

Still, I’m nothing if not a trier. “Thank you for your help the other day with the little girl,” I say.

Eileen frowns. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Not only is she overworked, she’s losing her memory. “With Ayda Fitzgerald,” I remind her. “You messaged Autumn for me when I found her.”

“No I didn’t.” She sounds completely sure about that.

“You did.” Now I’m starting to doubt myself. “You were on the guest house porch.”

“I haven’t been on that porch in years,” she says. “Horrible place. So many bad memories.”

Somebody behind me laughs softly. I turn and Autumn Fitzgerald stares at me with an amused gaze. “Hey,” she says. “How are you doing?”

Not great, but I won’t tell her that. Or that I think I might be the one losing my mind. “Um… in need of caffeine.”

“Well I can help you with that, dear, if you’d just give me your order,” Eileen says, sounding peeved.

“An iced latte, please.” Because I’ve decided I should go for a walk to clear my head, and it’s already warm outside. Spending too much time in the bar must be addling my brain.

“Of course.”

“I’ll have the same, Mylene,” Autumn tells her.

Wait. What? “Mylene? I thought your name was Eileen.”

Eileen – or Mylene – looks like I’ve just slapped her with a cold dead fish. “Never say that name in here.” Her voice is almost a growl. Conversation in the coffee shop stops dead.

“What name?” I’m so confused now.

“It’s okay,” Autumn whispers, touching my arm with her warm palm. “Just get your coffee and I’ll tell you.”

When our coffees are ready, Autumn and I walk outside to sit at one of the white painted metal tables on the sidewalk. Autumn sits, crossing her legs, a smile still playing at her lips.

“Okay,” she says, looking delighted that she can share some gossip with me. “So Mylene and Eileen are twins but they haven’t spoken to each other in decades.”

I look back to see Mylene serving another customer. Surely this is a joke, right? A way to tease the newcomer.

“There are two of them?” I ask her, suspiciously.

Autumn nods. “Yes. Apparently, they left the island for a few months when they were twenty-one and when they got back they weren’t talking to each other.” She leans forward. “It’s been almost forty years. They’re both pretty stubborn.”

“But they live on this tiny island.” It’s so weird. “They must see each other all the time.” I point at the guest house, with the sign clearly visible.Eileen’s By The Sea.

“They ignore each other completely. It’s like they can’t even see each other.”

“And nobody’s ever tried to reconcile them?”

“Oh hell no,” Autumn says, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “They’re both way too fierce and scary. We all just pretend it’s fine.”

I try to imagine not talking to Lee for forty years and the thought makes my chest feel tight. We can barely go a day. “That’s so sad.”

“Ah, they thrive on it. Just never get them mixed up again. Mylene will give you one chance, after that she’ll probably poison your coffee.” Autumn looks cheery about that. “Anyway, I’m glad I caught you. I meant to come over yesterday to say sorry about my brother.” She wrinkles her nose. “Maybe I should stop talking tohimfor a few decades.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him.” It’s weird how my mouth feels dry at the mention of Hudson Fitzgerald. “He’s a big guy, he can apologize for himself.”

“He did say sorry, right?” Autumn asks. “Because he told me he did, but I wouldn’t put it past him to make things worse.”

The memory of his half-assed apology and my stupid flirting make my cheeks feel hot. “Um, yeah. Kind of.”

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