Page 34 of The One She Can't Forget

I also didn’t know how to tell him that I’d been getting a few more memories. I knew he’d take that as a good sign, but it didn’t feel good. It was disorienting and often came with a splitting headache to go along with whatever mostly meaningless glimpse into my life decided to reappear. A retirement party at work for a fellow nurse. Decorating my tiny Christmas tree with a Faithmark movie I didn’t recognize on in the background.

And then, a kiss.

No real context. Just the searing memory of Jake’s lips on mine and a feeling of thrill and satisfaction.

I couldn’t tell him that I remembered, because it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t the memories of a relationship. Just a single moment. An apparently amazing moment I still felt disconnected from. A moment that made me blush just from thinking about it.

Which was why Carla needed to be the one to take me to small group and bring me home.

She pulled into the driveway, and I jogged down the front steps. I needed to move out. Whatever Dr. Patel said, I was ready to be at home. I’d take it slow and not drive if she insisted, since I wasn’t especially ready to tackle that anyway. As much as I loved Mom and Dad, it was time for them to have their own space. And for me to not feel like such a teenager anymore.

“Hey, Carla. Thanks for the lift.”

“No problem. Happy to help anytime you need something. All of us are,” she added. “I heard Jake took you to your doctor’s appointment the other day?” Her eyebrows did a suggestive dance with her words.

I shook my head and laughed. “Don’t get any ideas. He was just being kind.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. You guys would be so good together.”

Another memory flashed into mind. Carla was sitting in front of me, cups of coffee between us at B&J Bistro in the little nook with couches.

“I don’t know why you guys don’t just see where it goes! You basically ignore each other, but I’ve seen him looking at you.” She took a sip of coffee. “Wish he looked at me like that, is all I’m saying.”

“Do you have a crush on him?” I asked suddenly, coming back to the present.

Her eyes widened. “What? No. I mean, maybe I thought about it when he first joined our group. But he couldn’t seem less interested. Besides, there’s that guy at the gym I told you about.”

I raised an eyebrow. “When was that?”

“Oh yeah. Sorry.” She winced. “I forgot. His name is Trent, and he’s so cute. An engineer, can you believe it? We’re going out this weekend.”

“Oh wow! I wish I’d known. You must be so excited.”

“And nervous,” she confirmed. “It feels like a real possibility, you know?”

“How well do you know him?”

She shook her head. “Not well at all, but that’s why we’re going out, right? To get to know each other?”

I shrugged. I guess that made sense. I wondered briefly how I had gotten to know Jake. I was pretty sure we didn’t go on dates.

Small group was being hosted at Garrett and Mandy’s house this week. I saw Jake’s truck there when we pulled in, and I tried not to let my heartrate tick up. I could do this.

We were friends. Or acquaintances, anyway.

Who had kissed.

I pasted a smile on my face and followed Carla up to the front steps. Mandy ran a daycare out of their home, and the front walk was covered with sidewalk chalk drawings of rainbows and castles. I opened the door and walked inside without knocking.

Mandy greeted me with a hug. “Hey, come on in. Grab a snack. Adelaide and I made cookies this afternoon.”

“Where is the big twelve-year-old tonight?” I knew Adelaide had a spring birthday. It was hard to believe she was nearly a teenager. It didn’t seem like that long ago that Garrett had unexpectedly gotten custody of his four-year-old niece.

“She’s at Lily and Josh’s house tonight. Maia has been begging for a sleepover.”

“That’s so fun. Addy is such a good cousin.” Mandy’s brother, Josh, and his wife, Lily, had adopted Maia several years ago from Guatemala and she was several years younger than Adelaide.

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