“Thanks so much for bringing me here today, Marc.”
“You’ll get your memories back soon, Liz. I know you will,” he said quickly as if it was something that he felt had to be said, not as though he truly believed it. But then swore she saw something in the way he looked at her in that moment that almost made her think he was happy to have her the way she was.
She brushed it aside and placed her red box on the floor, then flung her arms over him.
After being frozen for a short second, Marcus returned her embrace and held her tightly for a long moment.
At the apartment, Liz moved aside the coffee table in the living room and carefully emptied the contents of the red box onto the rug. She made a fresh iced tea lemonade for herself and leaned back on the sofa before reaching for the first item.
But where was she to start? Nothing was in order.
After shuffling through, Liz found that she wasn’t very organized. Letters, photographs, postcards, concert tickets and similar artifacts were muddled randomly. There was one frail purple envelope that looked as though it would tear if picked up too quickly. It was thick with a stack of folded letters. Too thick for the weight it was intended for.
Deciding to start with the far back, Liz pulled out one letter. After reading the first one, she realized they were from her mother. She slowed her pace in reading them. Most of them noted small updates made to the house and random mentions of Liz’s father and brother. Then she would get to the end. Where her mother would say words of love that would make any daughter cry. She didn’t read them all. Her heart and mind couldn’t handle more than the few.
Liz then pulled together all the items that were about Matt. Her chest tightened, as if she were about to perform complex surgery. There were concert tickets, a few photographs, two postcards, destination maps, their wedding announcement, and other keepsakes that didn’t remind her of any times. Just an insight into their time together. All seemed to make sense except for the two postcards. There was nothing specific enough in the message. He looked like he was away somewhere. She looked at the post stamp. Ireland?
Nothing better than a good old-fashioned postcard to let you know I miss you. Have you gotten my texts? emails? Can we talk soon?
Then another one behind it, cryptic.
I’m sorry. I’m coming back. You’ll have to let me in.
Liz slipped those away. It was clearly before they were married. Whatever it was, she was sure it worked out.
The front door swung open and Matt froze at the door when he saw Liz on the floor.
“Hi,” he said tentatively.
“Oh hi.” She sat up. “I’m sorry, I’ll move the table back, I just needed room.”
Matt shook his head and closed the door behind him. “I’ll move the table back. I’ll move anything you want in here for you Liz,” he smiled.
She grinned back. “Thanks. I should put this stuff away now. I’m done for today.”
Matt approached her and knelt, curiously. “What is it?”
“Apparently stuff that’s important to me.” She rolled her eyes. “My scared box.”
Matt made a face and tossed his keys to the side. He sat facing her on the rug, raising his right knee to his chest and placing a hand over it. The other hand outstretched behind him. He positioned himself comfortably, as if he were ready for her to share her findings. “I didn’t know you had one of those.”
“It’s mostly just stationary, playbills and letters,” she said quickly, tossing the items back in the box.
Matt nodded slowly. Then picked up the matchbook and grinned. “From our first date.” He held it up and winked at her, as if he’d just learned something about her.
She stood, flushed, and raced to the den to store away the box. Behind her, she heard Matt moving the table back. When she returned, he was grabbing a beer from the mini fridge by the bar.
“Where’d you find it?” he asked casually.
“What?”
A grin slowly formed from the corner of his mouth. “Your sacred box.”
“In the storage unit.”
Matt’s face went white. “The what?”
“The storage unit. Marc took me.” She reached for her iced tea, ignoring the sudden tension. “By the way, do I have a key to that? I might go back.”
Matt broke, shaking his head, and went to the built-in cabinet by the grand piano. He opened the lid of a small white porcelain bowl and pulled a key from it. The look on his face was unreadable.
“I think this is it.” He handed it to her. “But you’ll need to go during the day, I think. I don’t know where the after-hours key card to the building is.”
Liz nodded, surprised he knew as much as he had about the place and their hours of operation. “Thank you.”
Matt placed one hand in his pocket and looked at her. “So, are you okay? It wasn’t…overwhelming for you?” His voice shook.
Liz raised her head slightly, his concern becoming clear. “I’m fine.” She smiled politely.
“Okay,” he cleared his throat. “If you need me to go with you next time…”
“Thanks.”
“Oh and Liz, take it easy. Don’t try to learn your entire history in one day. It’ll all come back when you’re ready, trust me.”
* * *
After a long emotional day, Liz laid back into her bed. She was happy with the day’s progress, but at the same time, hated to admit that Matt was probably right. Taking it one day at a time was better for her. She was so consumed with sentiment and regret that she’d worked herself up emotionally, but she finally drifted into a deep sleep.
Liz drives down a dark icy road. She’s driving with people who strongly resemble the couple in all the pictures. Her parent’s faces are bright with permanent smiles, as if they were having their photo taken.
Headlights shine brightly in front of her. She swerves. All of a sudden, the headlights are gone and it starts to pour. She glances back at her parents who don’t look worried at all. They’ve closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. The passenger seat is no longer empty. Matt sits in it. His expression is hard to tell. Liz stares at him for a while. She realizes he’s hurt. Shards of windshield glass splattered all over him…and on her as she spots the blood stains through her shirt. Matt seems unfazed, but her parents are still in the back, eyes closed. She looks ahead. How did she not feel the blow against the truck? Then she realizes it wasn’t pouring rain earlier, it was glass shattering. Everywhere. Her parents are gone now, and Matt is unresponsive. She was alone and she was scared.
Liz’s eyes flew open and they were already wet with tears. She sat up, shaken and sweaty. She quieted her sobs as best she could, but couldn’t hold them.
Chapter 17
MATT
Matt felt a slow sinking on the edge of his bed. He shifted uncomfortably before waking up and seeing a figure sitting in the dark, waiting for him.
Lizzy.
His eyes adjusted to the minimal amount of light coming from the window, and he could see her face clearer now. His heart froze. She looked as though she’d seen a ghost. He pushed himself to a sitting position.
“Liz?”
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t sleep.”
It looked a heck of a lot worse than that. Her face was pale, her forehead sweaty, and overall, she looked physically ill.
“What is it? Did you remember something?”
She shook her head vigorously. “I don’t know what it was…” her voice trailed off, and she shivered with chills.
“A dream?”
She looked up at him, dread all over her face. “It was terrible,” she said in a low, hoarse voice, that just about broke him.
Matt wrapped his arms around her, with one hand on the back of her head and pulled her close to him. His heart shattering for this beautiful, innocent woman who undeniably felt like she had no one to turn to or keep her safe.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured on the top of her head. The apology meant mo
re to him than she realized. She didn’t lift her face from his chest, so he concentrated on calming the pattern of his own breathing to help guide her to a softer one. After a short moment, she caught on and her breathing returned to a normal pace. He sat up slightly to draw her in and pull the covers over them. She nestled into him, her white silk slip-on slightly damp. He slid his fingers around the back of her neck, lifting her hair that clung to her clammy skin. He leaned in and blew softly behind her neck, stroking her hair away.
God only knew what her nightmare could have been about. What it meant to her and how much of it was true.
He watched his wife in a peaceful slumber for a few minutes when waking up that morning. He missed her presence next to him in the mornings. The way her head comfortably sank into the pillow. Nothing mattered at that moment. Not the lies, not the betrayal that tore through his heart. All that mattered was how safe she felt spending the night in his arms. He remembered the last time he’d held her, the night before her accident — his pathetic attempt to make her trust and open up to him. Guilt washed through him, starting from his cheekbones and stopping somewhere in his heart. He shifted away from her, feeling unworthy of the innocent woman he held.
He clenched his teeth. He moved too quickly.
She groaned and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. She focused on him and smiled, that bright smile that reached her eyes.
“Good Morning,” he smiled back.
“Are you okay?” her voice raspy. He missed that morning voice of hers.
“Only if you are.”
She stretched and glanced around. “Are you sure this isn’t our bedroom? I felt so much more relaxed here,” she breathed tranquilly.
Matt leaned in to her. “Because you were with me,” he whispered. “Where you belong.”
Liz only responded with about a million goosebumps lining up on her exposed arm. Matt glanced down and rubbed her long, toned arm gently. He kissed her forehead lightly then backed away to look at her.
“You feel like talking about your dream?”
Liz stared at Matt as if she couldn’t decide if she could trust him. “No,” she shook her head, then added, “It’s a little hazy anyway.”
Matt nodded but wished she would tell him what spooked her. “Okay,” he gave her a small smile, then stood. “I’ll let you get dressed while I make us some breakfast,” he added while slipping on his jeans and t-shirt.
Matt descended the stairs while Liz took a long shower. It was slightly later in the morning than when they normally had their breakfast. Matt was grateful for the extra sleep Liz got that night. He wondered if her nightmare was a memory she might not realize. A horrid thought crossed his mind with the realization that her first memory might be of their fight the night before her accident. Or the night she’d spent with his brother...might cause some confusion.
He shook the thought out of his mind and checked his phone. He already had a few missed calls from his mother until she finally texted.
Text 1: Call me. Your dad needs you today.
Text 2: I can’t watch him attack that thing alone, Matt. And Ben’s not answering.
Matt shook his head and threw his phone down. He was starting to regret telling his parents his summer schedule.
“Something wrong?” Liz finally joined him on the balcony. She wore an ivory sundress with a navy belt.
“I think my dad is trying to save Sydney, even though we all think he should donate her.”
Liz frowned.
Matt sighed. “Sorry. Sydney is my dad’s boat. It doesn’t really work well anymore. And if it does, you can’t take it too far.” He handed Liz her tea. “Short of getting a new engine, Sydney’s pretty much dead.”
“That’s so sad,” Liz said, sitting in her usual chair. Only this time, an orange throw pillow was placed on it. Matt liked that she was finding little ways to make herself comfortable.
Matt shook his head. “He’s always spent way too much time on that thing, anyway.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to go over there to help him.”
She nodded and stared into her tea.
“Liz, I really wanted to spend the day with you.” He meant it. He wanted nothing more than to keep holding her the rest of the day and reassure her that she was safe with him.
She set down her tea and stood, smiling politely. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
He took a few short steps toward her and grinned. He lifted her face to kiss her forehead. This time she stood on her tip toes, tilted her head back and caught his lips with hers.
After the initial shock, he eased into her familiar kiss, the warmth of her lips spreading through his body. With his fingers around her neck and his thumbs resting under her ears, he finally dropped whatever guard he was holding against her and kissed her back. A blend of passion and relief washing through him, because he needed this. He didn’t realize how much he had needed to kiss her. Even now her lips could easily relieve the pressure and burden building inside him for the past week. He wanted to melt into her. But that was her job. Much like their first kiss, which he’d never forget. He deepened the kiss, taking a step closer to her as she moved back. He could feel her heart racing. Matt urged himself to pull away before the only place he would end up going was upstairs. He opened his eyes and gave a slow smile with his lips still on hers. She pulled away slowly, her cheeks beaming a bright red and her eyes blinking. Perhaps she hadn’t realized what she was in for when she offered him an innocent kiss.
He smiled to himself. “I won’t be long,” he reassured before grabbing his keys and bolting, his heart still racing. His brain insisting he get out of there as fast as he could.
An hour later, Matt pushed past his parent’s back door. “What the hell, Dad. Don’t you know I have a w—”
His mother came rushing out of the kitchen.
“Shh…he doesn’t know I called you.”
“What?” She had to be kidding.
“I think Sydney’s finally called it a day yesterday and your dad’s refusing to pull the plug. You’ve got to talk to him, sweetheart.”
Matt ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated with his new impossible assignment.
“How’s Liz?” she asked after giving him a moment.
Matt glanced out the window at his dad on the boat. He shook his head. “I don’t know, mom, I haven’t seen her,” he answered, agitated. Letting her know Liz is still not herself.
“Matthew,” she hissed.
“What do you want me to say? I feel like I’m living with a woman I kidnapped from the hospital who looks exactly like my wife. Only she keeps looking at me like…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words. The look that haunted him. As if she were asking him, how long are you going to keep me a prisoner here, and when can I go home.
That was up until this morning. When she seemed to have happily woken up in his arms.
Matt shuddered. “I’m going to go help dad.”
“Matt,” his mother’s warning voice called as he held his hand on the doorknob. “I didn’t ask you to come here today,” she raised an eyebrow at him.
Matt grinned widely. “No, mom,” he paused and opened the door. “It was more like threatened,” he muttered loudly.
He spotted his old man on the top deck, pulling on the latch to unhook the ropes.
“Dad,” Matt called, hastily.
Rob looked up at his son. Then dropped his head and shook it. “Your mother call you?”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Workin’ on the boat.”
“Don’t give me that crap. Dad, Sydney’s been gone for the last two years, you can’t keep shining her and trying to bring her back to life. You need to let it go.”
His dad barely paused at his task. “I don’t give up that easily, son,” his father announced bitterly.
Matt watched his father for a minute. Considering if his words were deliberate. “What is it this time?” Matt asked flatly, staring hard at his
father.
“The alternator isn’t charging.” Rob pointed with his screwdriver.
“Can’t you get a new one?”
“It’s a four-hundred-dollar part!” Rob complained.
“Well, it’s not going to burst back into life because you fiddled with it, dad. You’ll need to completely rebuild it or get a new one.” Matt was starting to lose his patience.
“How’s Liz?” Rob asked almost immediately.
“She’s fine.” Matt shook his head. He couldn’t believe he’d left her today to help with something so pointless. “And why does mom think she has no right to tell you to get rid of this thing?” he snapped.
“Is that what she said?”
Matt pressed his lips and then muttered a curse. “Not in so many words.”
Rob held up the screwdriver and stalled as if he were looking for the right place to aim it. Then he chucked the thing back into the tool box. He looked up at his son and gave him a single nod and slap on the back. “Let’s go inside.”
When Matt and his father got back to the kitchen, Ben was there with Francis. His brother held just about the same look Matt had when he walked in.
“Dad, what’s going on? You messin’ up my clean work already?”
“Alternator went,” Rob said bitterly.
“That’s like a four-hundred-dollar part!” Ben shouted.
Francis shot her husband an angry look and threw her hands in the air.
“I know, I know.” Rob held his hands up in defense. “Look, maybe I can fix it.”
“What’s the point, just buy the new part, like we all know you’ll end up doing.” Francis threw her dish rag on the counter and stormed out the back door.
Rob shot Matt and Ben an exhausted look and followed behind, leaving the two brothers alone in the kitchen.
The silence in the room intensified with every second that passed by.
“We could stand here till winter or we could talk,” Ben offered.
“Is there a third option?” Matt muttered.
“No.”
“I didn’t come here to talk to you.” He pulled his keys off the kitchen counter and headed for the back door. “Tell them I had to get back.”
Remember Me Page 9