Page 58 of Rescue Me (Forget the Past 1)

As I leave the garage, I try not to move so fast that it looks like I’m fleeing.

I’m relaxed. Super casual.

Outside, the party has reached a new volume level, likely fueled by the open bar. Doesn’t matter that the majority of the guests are over forty; they still know how to get wild. I’m just hoping that they’re all done telling me how sorry they are for me.

You’d think I built my entire life around Martin.

Well…I guess I kind of did.

I shake off that depressing thought and scan the crowd, hoping the Kellers aren’t wearing some elaborate masks. But I’m lucky. Over by the live band, I see the two of them dancing together. The sight has me grinning.

Mrs. Keller is dressed in a flapper-style dress, the little strings flipping and swaying with each of her movements. The silver shines bright against her dark skin, and her normal tight curls have been covered with a wig of smooth slick ringlets adorned with a glittering headband and one lone feather. Mr. Keller has on a pinstriped suit, and a fedora, matching his style with his wife’s ‘20s look.

They are elegant and yet still playful as they swing each other around the dance floor.

I weave through the crowd until I’m close enough to catch their eyes and wave. Mrs. Keller immediately breaks away to sweep me up in a hug.

“Baby girl. We’ve missed you.” Her whisper is soft against my cheek, and suddenly I get the urge to cry.

“I missed you too, Momma Keller.” I press my face into her neck and breath in deep. She smells like the coconut oil she uses to keep her skin soft and smooth. For a moment, I’m a kid again, sleeping over at my best friend’s house and getting a kiss goodnight right before I slip into my sleeping bag.

“Paige.” Mr. Keller’s voice brings me back to the present, and I return his gentle smile. He leans down to press a kiss on my forehead even as his wife keeps her arms wrapped around my waist. “I’ll go find your father.” He wanders off, likely to smoke one of those forbidden cigars.

The thought has me chuckling.

“Come talk to me, baby girl. You never stay long enough on the phone for me to learn anything.” I wince at the slight chiding in her voice as she pulls me toward the patio and settles us on a loveseat next to each other.

It only takes certain well-aimed questions to have me spilling everything that happened between me and Martin. And not just the cheating discovery. I tell her about the distance in our relationship the year leading up to moving to NOLA. And the confusing hurt and relief of not being in a relationship with him anymore. When I detail the surprise brunch with his mother, she gives me a horrified look that does a good job justifying my anger. Just like her son did.

I love the Kellers.

As I’m nearing the end of my depressing story, Pumpkin wanders up to us and places her heavy head in my lap.

“Now, who’s this sweet pup?”

That story is happier, and I find myself smiling again as I detail how the two of us found each other.

“I’ve been training her. With the help of my friend, Dash. Watch.” I stand up and put Pumpkin through her paces.

My dog performs like an actress made for the stage, and Mrs. Keller plays the appreciative audience, clapping and praising our demonstration.

I sit back down with a dramatic sigh, feeling just a bit lighter having talked about everything. There’s something about Charlie’s mom, an easiness I have around her, that enables me to drag out every embarrassing detail of my failed relationship without drowning in shame.

“Now I’m just trying to figure out where I go. What is my life without Martin? I spent so long with him, I’m not sure I know how to live on my own.”

Her warm coconut-scented hands cup my face, forcing my gaze to pair with hers.

“You are a strong woman. That boy meant something to you, but he didn’t define you. It might take some time, but you’ll be alright. I know it.”

I have to blink fast to push back the tears. She lets her hands fall away, only to clasp mine and drag them to her chest with a silly hopeful stare.

“Will you fall in love with my son now?”

A watery chuckle escapes my chest at the old joke. “I fell in love with Charlie a long time ago. It’s just not the kind of love you’re hoping for.”

Mrs. Keller gives me a rueful smile as she tucks a stray hair behind my ear. “As long as he has you in his life in some way, I’ll count myself a lucky Momma.”

In that moment, I wish more than almost anything that I could kindle a lustful flame for Charlie. Isn’t that how all the romance novels go? Childhood friends grow up to realize they belonged together all along, and they live happily ever after.

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