Page 38 of The Homemaker
“You were in denial.”
I nod to myself. “Yes,” I whisper.
“Alice, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I feel your disappointment. Who does what I did?”
“Oh, no, sweetie. That’s not it. I’m not disappointed in you. I’m heartbroken for you and disappointed in myself. A mother should know when her child is struggling and unwell. And I just …”
“You were grieving too.”
She doesn’t respond.
“It was in the past. I moved on. But now he’s here.”
“What does this guy and his fiancée think of you working for her parents?”
“I don’t know what he thinks because I haven’t let him know that I remember him.”
“What? Why on earth not?”
“Because he’s engaged. And I really like this job. Not to mention the free rent and great pay. So I don’t want to lose it or make things awkward. And what if he hasn’t told Blair, his fiancée, about me? Also, I still don’t remember the details of that night, so all I have is what you’ve told me. What would I say? ‘Hi! Remember me, the woman who lost her mind from PTSD and ended up in a mental hospital?’”
“I can’t believe you never told me about your relationship with him.”
I wrinkle my nose. “What do you mean? Why is that so surprising? I was ashamed of what I had done to everyone.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“I left!” I sigh, rubbing my temples. “I left,” my tone softens. “Escaped when everyone else had to deal with reality. I didn’t let anyone be there for me, and I wasn’t there for anyone else.”
“Alice, it was awful. No one blamed you for leaving. We knew you’d come back.”
I grunt a laugh. “I came back in pieces.”
“And your pieces have been put back together.”
“And I’m working near the one person who could unglue every single one of them.”
“Alice, what are you talking about? So you had sex with a stranger because you weren’t yourself. That was eight years ago. It’s not like you fell in love with him.”
I don’t respond.
“Alice?”
“Huh?”
“Youdidn’tfall in love with him, did you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Alice
Reality is what we make it,
so make it unforgettable.
Eight Years Earlier …
