Page 34 of Help Me Remember
With that, I walk into my apartment, close the door, and prepare myself to unlock all my secrets.
ChapterEight
BRIELLE
For the first time since my entire world collapsed, I sleep dreamlessly. Nothing haunts me, and I kind of like it. At least, I needed it more than anything because today starts the work.
I take a shower, loving the scent of the new brand of shampoo I apparently use, which isn’t a brand I could buy from the drugstore. After I get dressed, I sit at my desk, rummaging through drawers for a notebook or something that might give me a hint about the last three years. All I find are the typical bills and a few birthday cards.
I smile when I see the one from Holden, Emmett, and Spencer. Since I was a little girl, they’ve always made a big deal of my birthday. Mostly because I was the most annoying person in the world as we approached it, but I still thought it was sweet.
My phone rings, and I glance at the screen before answering.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Hello, Brielle. How are you this morning?”
I walk into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I fill her in about the key memory, Henry, and all the other mundane things. I start to ask her about the store, but she cuts in before I can.
“What are your plans for the day?”
“Spencer is picking me up so we can head to Portland.”
“You sure you’re up for that?”
I can feel the censure through the phone. “Yes, and even if I wasn’t, I’d be going anyway. How are things at the store? Anything from the insurance company?”
My mother has only three great loves in her life: her children, my father, and her art store. She’s lost my brother and almost lost me, my father, and I don’t know if she can endure another.
“I spoke with the insurance adjuster, and he is putting the claim in today so I know what will be covered. In the meantime, I have the water mitigation people here, and Bruno is trying to salvage what he can. I just can’t afford to lose everything.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to rebuild it,” I try to reassure her.
“I hope so. I put so much into it over the last five years. Selling repurposed wine bottles isn’t easy, but we’ve done so much to make each piece unique. I can’t replicate what we’ve lost.”
I know that feeling. “Maybe you can’t replace it, but you can make something even better.”
Mom sighs. “Yes, but I also hate having to deal with this when I should be there with you.”
She forgets she would have left in four days, so it isn’t as if she’d planned to stay much longer anyway. “It’s okay, really. Besides, I have Addy here until the end of the week, and Spencer and I will be working through my past. If I needed you here, I would tell you.”
“Yeah right.” Mom laughs.
“Okay, I normally wouldn’t, but this time, I would.”
There’s a knock on my door, and I jump up. “I have to go, Mom. Spencer is here.”
“Be careful, Brie. I love you very much.”
“I love you too.”
“Call me tonight and let me know how things went.”
“I will. I love you.”
We hang up, and I rush to the door, ready to see Spencer.
“Hey.”
