Remembering Ivy

by Claire Kingsley

  Most of them just had the name Will Green beneath them. But finally, I found a photo with a longer caption.

  Will Green has been a hunting and fishing guide since he was eighteen years old. His sharp natural instincts combined with years of mentoring and practical experience make him an ideal choice for your next trip. Will is known throughout the region for his excellent tracking skills and remarkable stealth.

  I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

  “William?” I called out into the other room.

  He peeked through the door. “Did you find something?”

  “Not the building,” I said. “But I think Eric might have found you.”

  “What?” He stepped into the room and looked at my screen.

  “He sent me this.”

  I moved so he could take my seat and waited while he clicked through the website, looking at the photos. He stared at the screen, his face unreadable.

  “It looks like me,” he said, his voice soft.

  “It is you,” I said. “Unless you have a twin named Will.”

  He laughed softly.

  “How would you feel about me calling them?” I asked.

  He met my eyes and his mouth hooked in a little smile. “You want to make sure he lets my wife and kids know I’m alive?”

  “That’s not funny,” I said.

  He stood and kissed my forehead. “It’s a little funny.” He kissed me again. “I don’t mind if you call. I think it’s better if it’s you. It’s hard to talk to someone who might know me when I don’t remember them.”

  “Okay.”

  William touched the side of my face and kissed me, soft and slow. “I’ll take Edgar for a walk.”

  I nodded. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  He left, closing the door behind him.

  I got the phone number from the website and called.

  A man’s voice answered, “Backcountry Guide Service.”

  “Hi, can I speak with Jack, please?”

  “You’re talking to him.”

  “My name is Ivy Nichols and I’m calling about a man named Will,” I said. “I think you know him as Will Green.”

  “Yeah, what about him?” he asked.

  “Well, this is going to sound odd, but I think the man I know as William might be him,” I said. “Only, he was in an accident and lost his memory. I’m just trying to connect the dots to see if I can find out who he was and where he came from.”

  “No shit,” he said. “Yeah, I know Will. Known him most of his life. Is he okay?”

  “Other than his memory, he’s fine,” I said.

  “That’s good to hear,” he said. “What sort of accident?”

  “Well, we haven’t figured out the details, but he was picked up by the Coast Guard,” I said. “He was in the water, but we’re not sure how he got there. They brought him in and he was taken to a hospital. He was there for a while before he woke up.”

  “And he doesn’t remember anything before that?” he asked.

  “Actually, his memory begins even later,” I said. “He doesn’t remember the hospital at all, although he was there for months.”

  “Jesus,” he said.

  A wave of nervousness hit me. I was so afraid of what I’d discover. “Does he have any family?”

  “No,” he said. “His dad was out of the picture and his mom died in a plane crash a couple years back—small plane, had trouble with the landing. She didn’t have any other kids, and Will didn’t have any other relatives that I’m aware of.”

  “Was there… anyone else in his life?” Please say no.

  “Nah, Will was kind of a loner,” he said. “Nice guy, everyone liked him. Always had a few girls chasing after him, but he never seemed serious about any of them. Liked his space, I think. But he was always kind of an odd kid.”

  Oh thank god. Relief washed over me. No wife or kids. “So, he worked for you as a hunting guide? Is that right?”

  “He was one of the best,” he said. “Good instincts. He could track anything.”

  “Somehow he wound up in Washington,” I said. “Do you know anything about that? Did he tell you he was leaving?”

  “Yeah, he did,” he said. “It was out of the blue, but that was Will for you. Said he was heading south for a while.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “Not specifically. He just said he felt like it was something he needed to do. That was like Will, though. I wasn’t surprised he needed to get out in the world a little bit. See some things. Maybe some of those things he was always painting.”

  “He painted when he lived there?”

  “Yeah, talented guy,” he said. “Painted some beautiful stuff. He gave one to my wife the year before he left. It’s the view from our porch. So, you say he lost his memory? Completely?”

  “Most of it,” I said. “Although he seems to know his name, or at least his first name. He told the hospital staff that his name is William. But he said William Cole, not William Green.”

  “Did he? That’s interesting.”

  “Why? Does Cole mean something?” I asked.

  “That was his mother’s maiden name,” he said. “Suzanna Cole. His father was Phillip Green. What a bastard he was.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. He put up a good front so none of us knew what was really going on in that house,” he said. “But he was hard on Suzanna and Will. Hit the both of them a fair bit, I think. First Suzanna, but they always hid it. I think he started in on Will when he tried to get the piece of shit to stop hitting his mom. Sorry, pardon the language.”

  “Oh my god, that’s terrible,” I said. “You said his dad wasn’t in the picture. What happened?”

  “Will got big enough to fight back,” he said. “He must have been fourteen or fifteen. Rearranged his dad’s face, then kicked his ass out. Suzanna and Will stayed with us for a little while after that. We helped Suzanna get a restraining order filed. Divorce went through later. Phillip left town and he’s never been back.”

  “Wow,” I said. “This is… I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Will loved his mom,” he said. “Took good care of her after they got rid of his dad. He got pretty reclusive after she died. Even more than before.”

  My heart broke for William. I knew what it was like to lose a parent. But I’d known my dad’s death was coming. He’d been sick for a long time. William had lost his mom suddenly. That must have been a terrible thing to live through.

  Maybe that was part of why he couldn’t remember. He didn’t want to.

  “That sounds like him,” I said. “He’s a good man.”

  “That he is,” he said. “You’re sure he’s all right?”

  “Yeah, he is,” I said. “He’s living in the Seattle area now. He works as a model. I guess that’s a far cry from a hunting guide.”

  Jack laughed. “I always teased him about having a pretty face. Do you mind if I ask about you? Are you a friend of his, or…”

  “I’m his girlfriend.”

  “Good for Will,” he said. “He needed to settle down with a good woman. It’s a shame about his memory, but I’m glad to hear he found you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Anytime you two want to come up here, just give me a call,” he said. “I’ve been checking on his cabin from time to time, so it’s in good shape. Or you’d be welcome to stay with us. We have room.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that. I’ll let him know.”

  “Who knows, maybe seeing where he grew up might help,” he said.

  “It might,” I said. “Thank you so much. This was really helpful.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “Tell Will I said hello.”

  “I will.”

  I ended the call and set my phone down. The picture of William—of Will Green—smiled back at me from my computer screen.

  William was still out, so I replied to Eric’s message, filling him in on what Jack had told me.
He replied, letting me know he had a lead on how William ended up in the water. He’d call me as soon as he knew for sure.

  I clicked through the photos again. There was a question nagging at me in the back of my mind. Something I’d almost asked Jack, but hadn’t. It was probably crazy, but I decided I ought to find out. I dialed his number again and called.

  The Past

  William and Edgar were gone for over an hour. I talked to Eric again and we compared notes. It seemed we had finally fit all the pieces of the puzzle together—or most of them, at least.

  When they came back, William wasn’t interested in talking. He gave me that smoldering look that made me want to drop my panties, and backed me up into the bedroom.

  I let all the worries about the past—about Alaska, paintings, and brick buildings—fall away while he made love to me. His strong body and masculine scent were intoxicating. He was feverish and intense, driving into me with ferocity and passion. I loved the way he felt, his body connected to mine. His stubble scratching my skin. The way he lost control, growling in my ear as he came.

  Afterward, we lay together for a while, tangled in the sheets, catching our breath. I got up and used the bathroom, then slipped back into bed with him.

  “I guess that means I’m not married to someone else,” he said.

  I laughed and snuggled against him. “No, you’re not married.”

  “I told you I wasn’t,” he said.

  “Do you want to hear what I found out?”

  He took a deep breath, his muscular chest expanding against me. “Yes. I think I’m ready now.”

  “Your name was Will Green, and you worked as a hunting and fishing guide in Alaska,” I said. “You realize that’s kind of funny, right? When you first found me, you were using skills you didn’t realize you had.”

  “I was hunting you,” he said.

  “Yep, you were.” I slid my hand along his chest. This part was going to be harder to tell him. “When you were a child, your father abused your mom. You tried to stop him, but he hurt you too. When you got big and strong enough, you put a stop to it. It sounds like you beat the crap out of him. He left town, and your mom divorced him. She’s where your last name comes from. Her maiden name was Cole.”

  “She died, didn’t she?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said, almost a whisper. “Do you remember any of this?”

  “No,” he said. “I could tell by your voice.”

  I took a deep breath. “She was killed in a small plane crash. Jack said you loved her, and you were pretty reclusive after losing her.”

  “Why did I leave Alaska?”

  “He wasn’t sure,” I said. “You told him it was something you felt like you needed to do. And then you came down here.”

  “Do you know why I was in the water?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “According to what Eric could find, you were probably en route from Alaska on a fishing boat that was being moved to Washington. Maybe you knew one of the crew members, or just arranged to go with them. We’re not sure. The boat was in an accident and none of the other crew survived. When the Coast Guard picked you up, they didn’t have any way of knowing who you were. If you had a wallet or ID on you, it got washed away in the water. And since you weren’t part of the crew, there wasn’t any record of you being on board. So your identity was a mystery.”

  “And the Coast Guard sent me to the hospital,” he said. “Where I spent several months unconscious in room three twenty-two.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So that’s all?” he asked. “I was an Alaskan mountain man, and on a whim, I decided to come down here?”

  “There’s one more thing.” I sat up, holding the sheet over my chest, and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. “I had a feeling about something, so I asked if Jack would mind checking for me. He sent me this.”

  I handed William the phone, open to the picture I’d asked Jack to send. A painting of a brick building, ivy crawling up the façade.

  “This is the building,” he said. “Where did this come from?”

  “You painted it,” I said. “Jack said it was still sitting on your easel, like you’d been working on it just before you left.”

  He put the phone down and stared at me. “I painted this before.”

  I nodded.

  “So it’s not because of the accident,” he said. “It’s not from hitting my head.”

  “No. I think this might be why you left Alaska.”

  He picked up the phone and looked at it again. “I’ve never wished I could remember until now. I wish I knew what I was thinking when I painted this the first time.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Maybe you saw it in a dream, or maybe it was a vision like you have now. But, you know, if this started before you were in the hospital, it might not have anything to do with me.”

  “No, it does,” he said. “I’m sure of it.”

  I settled back down against his chest. “Then we’ll keep looking until we figure it out.”

  Brick and Ivy

  The evening air was crisp, the sun just finishing its trip across the sky. Streetlights began winking to life in the fading light as William and I walked, hand in hand.

  We’d spent the afternoon with Jessica and Peter at a new wine tasting room in Seattle near Queen Anne. Jessica had been dying to go for weeks. The winery owners had partnered with local artists to showcase their work, which made her art-loving heart blissfully happy. Art and wine, as she’d said, was a perfect pairing.

  The wine had been lovely, and we’d all enjoyed sampling a variety of hors d’oeuvres. Cheeses, olives, bacon-wrapped dates. Fresh crusty bread and smoked salmon. We’d left the tasting room relaxed from the wine, and very full. After saying goodbye to Jessica and Peter, we’d decided to take a walk before heading back to William’s Jeep.

  “Jessica still looks at me funny,” William said.

  “No, she doesn’t,” I said. “Does she?”

  “Sometimes,” he said. “It’s not like she’s still suspicious. But I think she’s trying to figure me out.”

  “Maybe she’s trying to picture you in a plaid shirt, chopping wood,” I said. “Or dressed in camo, tracking elk.”

  He shook his head and we turned a corner, walking up a hill. “Maybe. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went to see a guy who teaches archery the other day.”

  “Did you? Why?.”

  “Jack’s website has a picture of me with a bow and arrow,” he said, “I was curious if I still knew how to shoot one. He let me test one out.”

  “And?”

  “I’m very good at it,” he said.

  I laughed. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I don’t remember ever having done it before, but I knew exactly what to do. And I’m a great shot.”

  “Next thing I know, I’ll come home, and you’ll be skinning a deer in the front yard.”

  “I hear venison is delicious,” he said.

  I laughed again but William stopped, his hand tightening around mine.

  “What’s wrong?”

  His eyes were wide, and he pulled me closer. “That’s it.”

  “That’s what?”

  “It wasn’t a building.”

  “What?” I glanced around, but the street was deserted. Then I realized what he was looking at. Flanking the street, right next to us, was a tall brick wall, covered in ivy. It straddled the distance between two buildings, most of its surface covered in the leafy green vines.

  It looked exactly like William’s painting.

  My heart started racing and my limbs tingled with the sudden surge of adrenaline. William looked around, his jaw clenched tight, still keeping his grip on my hand.

  “Maybe we should keep walking,” I said, my voice small in the growing darkness. “Get out of here.”

  He nodded but just as he pulled me forward, a man with a hood drawn up over his head, his hands in his pockets, stepped around the corner.

  It felt as if ever
ything began to move in slow motion, but it all happened in an instant. The hooded man looked up, still walking toward us, and pulled his hand out of his pocket. Raised it, pointing something at me. William let go of my hand and shoved me hard toward the ivy-covered wall.

  I heard an odd metallic swish. William grunted, his body jerking backward. There had hardly been a sound. My shoulder hit the wall, pain radiating down my arm. William staggered, then straightened. His left arm hung limp at his side, but he stalked toward the man.

  Another swish, then a ping. William kept walking.

  “Fuck,” the man said. A voice I recognized.

  He raised the gun again—I could see it now, the barrel long and round. I screamed. William walked straight for the gun, unflinching. Before the man could fire another shot, William grabbed his arm and stepped in closer.

  They struggled, William with one arm hanging useless at his side. The man’s hood fell backward, but I already knew who it was. Blake’s face contorted in an angry grimace and he landed a blow across William’s jaw. William’s head barely moved, and he twisted Blake’s arm.

  With shaking hands and a pounding heart, I fumbled for my phone, trying to get my handbag’s zipper open.

  The two men stumbled backward, out of the circle of light cast from the streetlight above. I could see them moving, struggling for control. Low grunts and growls. Another metallic swish and one of them hit the ground, the other standing above him.

  I couldn’t take a breath, like the air had been kicked from my lungs. Oh my god, please no. With my heart in my throat, I rushed to them.

  William looked back at me over his shoulder. Blake lay at his feet, unmoving, his body a crumpled heap. The gun fell from William’s hand and clattered on the pavement. His eyes met mine and for the barest hint of a second, he smiled.

  Then his legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

  I was at his side in an instant. Blood soaked his shirt, running down his arm. I kicked the gun farther away, but Blake wasn’t moving.

  “William.” I cradled his head in my lap. “William, please. Baby, please don’t leave me. Please don’t die.”