The Forgettable Miss French (Shadowvale Book 3)

by Kristen Painter

  “I thought you and your aunt were in danger. That’s what it looked like. I was just trying to save you.”

  “Same,” Lucas added.

  She glanced at the lake beyond Easy, then sighed in frustration. “Seymour’s a friend.”

  “For one thing, there was no way I could know that.” Easy glared at her. “And for another, your friend just tried to electrocute us.”

  “No, he didn’t. He was scared. It’s his only defense. If he’d really wanted us fried, we’d be floating facedown.”

  “That’s reassuring.”

  Ginny pursed her lips. “You scared him. He was just protecting himself. He might be big, but he’s harmless.”

  “Not with that kind of firepower and those teeth.” Easy had expected a very different response from her. A much more grateful one. “How was I supposed to know you’d come out here to swim with a monster?”

  “You weren’t. But you could have asked if we were all right when you saw us in the water with him.”

  This wasn’t going the way he’d thought it would go at all. He frowned. “I could have, but you could have been eaten by then.”

  She sighed, put her hands on her hips, and stared out at the open water. “Poor Seymour. He just freaked out. He probably thought you were going to hurt him. Or us. He’s a little jumpy around people he doesn’t know.”

  Easy rolled his head around. The monster’s zap had left him with itchy muscles. “Yeah, I get that way around strange monsters.”

  Ginny glanced at him, amusement in her eyes. “It was very kind of you and Lucas to leap to our defense like that.”

  “Thanks.”

  She tipped her head. “What are you doing out here anyway?”

  “I have good news. I wanted to tell you face-to-face. I went to Emerald Manor, but you weren’t there, but I ran into Lucas, and he said you’d probably be here. So. Here we are.”

  Ginny nodded and moved closer. “What’s the good news? It must really be something if you wanted to tell me in person.”

  “It is. I got shocked changing a light bulb in my office this morning and fell off the ladder—”

  “That’s terrible news!”

  “It is, but the result of that shock is that I remember you again. All of you. Last week. Everything.”

  Her eyes rounded. “That’s awesome!”

  “I thought you’d think so.” He looked in the direction that Seymour had gone. “And if I still remember it after that heavy-duty jolt, then I’m thinking it’s permanent this time.”

  She squealed and threw her arms around him. “That’s wonderful.”

  He hugged her. “It is.”

  She leaned back. “You’re kind of wet. And fully dressed.”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “You should have shifted before you dove in.”

  He made a face. “Not sure your monster friend would have been scared off by a Pomeranian.”

  “You might have turned into a wolf.”

  “Maybe.” He sighed. “But then again…”

  Lucas and Gwen were stopped on their way toward the ladder that led up to the pier. Lucas put his hand up to shield his eyes. “How about we dry off and go eat? Gwen and I are hungry.”

  Ginny answered, “We have that stuff from the bakery in the Jeep.”

  Gwen shook her head. “I’d rather have real food first.”

  Easy nodded. “I could eat. I’d like to dry off, too.”

  “You can use my towel,” Ginny said. Then she spoke to Lucas and Gwen again. “Let’s go to the diner. They have breakfast all day.”

  Lucas gave her the thumbs-up.

  Ginny and Easy headed for the ladder.

  He placed his hand on the small of her back, even though that part of her was still underwater. She was in the more modest red bikini again. “I’m sorry I scared Seymour off.”

  “I’m sorry he shocked us.”

  “Has he ever done that to you before?”

  “Once. Accidentally. But this time was a little more intense.”

  As she started up the ladder, Easy looked out over the lake. “Will he come back?”

  “I’m sure. Then I’ll explain to him that you didn’t know he was a friend.”

  Easy glanced up, admiring the view right before she climbed onto the pier. “So you talk to him? And he understands you?”

  She nodded down at him. “Yep. He seems to.”

  He climbed up and joined her, her aunt, and Lucas on the decking. “You must be the descendant of a fairy-tale princess. Do bluebirds land on your finger when you’re out walking with your herd of pet deer?”

  She laughed. “No. Seymour’s pretty easygoing. I think he’s lonely. As far as I know, he’s the only one of his kind in this lake. At least, I’ve never seen another one like him.”

  Easy took that in. “That would suck. Being the only one of your kind.” Then new understanding hit him. “I can see why you two would be friends.”

  Ginny smiled at him as she pulled a towel out of her bag and handed it to him. “I know it’s odd, but he seems to remember me.” She shrugged. “That’s hard to ignore in my situation.”

  He took the towel. “Well, maybe I can come with you sometime and apologize in person.”

  “That would be nice. I love coming out to the lake for any reason, but that would be a great one.”

  “We’ll do it.” He looked around as he did his best to dry off. “Does this place have a boat ramp?”

  “Only for nonmotorized boats. Pretty sure the town council knows about Seymour. Motors would be bad for him.”

  Easy considered that. “They would be. Kayaks would be cool, though.”

  “They would. Do you have one?”

  “No, but if I get this book in on time, maybe I’ll dip into that money and buy one. The kind that seats two.”

  Her smile broadened. “That would be fun.”

  They walked back to the cars.

  Easy stared at his, slowly shaking his head. “I really don’t want to sit on that leather while I’m this wet.”

  Ginny pointed at the towel he was still holding. “Sit on that. I know it’s wet now, too, but it’s better than nothing. Unless you want to go in mine? I can bring you back later to get your car.”

  “That’s kind of you, but the towel will be fine. So long as Lucas can use your aunt’s.”

  Gwen nodded. “No problem.”

  “Okay.” Easy and Lucas got into the Mustang, while Ginny and Aunt Gwen climbed into the Jeep.

  With the top off and the warm air blowing over them, the women were almost dry by the time they reached the diner. The boys were still pretty damp, but didn’t seem to mind. Ginny and her aunt put their cover-ups back on in the parking lot, then they all went in and found a booth.

  Easy and Ginny sat on one side, her aunt and Lucas on the other. Easy couldn’t help but smile. He liked being this close to Ginny. Liked feeling her knee brush his and the warmth of her radiating toward him.

  He itched to put his hand on her leg, but wasn’t sure if that would be welcomed or not. And after he’d scared away her favorite lake monster, he didn’t want to push it.

  Today was going really well, all things considered.

  He didn’t want to do anything to run it off course.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Ginny had been mad about Easy and Lucas ending the enjoyable morning she and Aunt Gwen were having, not just because time with Aunt Gwen was precious, but also because Seymour had borne the brunt of their enthusiastic defense.

  Granted, the big zap he’d given the four of them hadn’t been fun, but they’d survived it and weren’t the worse for wear. At least not that she could tell.

  Part of her wondered if such a zap would have an effect on Easy, seeing as how electricity tended to change things for him. But he still knew who she was and wasn’t having any problem remembering her, so the latest jolt didn’t seem to have done anything.

  With the incident behind them, it was simple to see how
Easy and Lucas had misread the scene. Of course, their desire to protect was part of their wolf DNA, but it was also very sweet. Flattering, really. If a little misguided. But Ginny also understood why Easy would be so eager to tell her his incredible news face-to-face.

  Being remembered again was everything. It meant he wouldn’t have to work so hard to keep her in his mind. That meant a real relationship was possible.

  For Ginny, that was life-changing. She was giddy about it. So much so that she reached under the table, took his hand, and laced her fingers with his. She needed to be more than just close to him, she needed to touch him.

  He glanced at her, the smile in his eyes filling her with bliss. “Hey,” he whispered.

  “Hey,” she whispered back.

  Life was so good right now that she vibrated with the joy of it.

  He leaned in. “What’s good here? And don’t say all of it.”

  “Everything?” She laughed.

  He shook his head, grinning.

  “I’m getting the steak sandwich,” Lucas announced. He put his menu down, then shifted his attention to Gwen. “What about you, honey?”

  She smiled. “I think I’ll do the same.”

  Easy added his menu to the stack. “Sounds good to me.”

  All three of them looked at Ginny.

  “Well, I can’t order a salad now.” She laughed. “Not that I was going to.”

  The server came by with four glasses of water, which she distributed as she greeted them, then she stood with her pen and pad at the ready. “What can I get for you folks? We have a buffalo chicken sandwich on special, by the way.”

  “Aunt Gwen,” Ginny said, “you go first.”

  “I’d like the steak sandwich with fries. And an iced tea.”

  Lucas and Easy echoed the order, except Lucas got a strawberry shake and Easy got a root beer. Ginny asked for the same as her aunt, iced tea included. The server took their menus and left.

  The four sat back to wait.

  Lucas shook his head. “This has been quite a day, and it’s not even lunchtime yet.”

  “You can say that again.” Easy slid down in his seat a little as if he was worn out. He held on tight to Ginny’s hand, though. “This town never fails to amaze me.”

  Aunt Gwen turned to Lucas. “Ginny and I are going to plan a picnic up at Nightingale Park soon. Would you like to join us?” She looked at Easy. “You’re invited, too, of course. We’ll go for a run, then lounge around in the sun while we eat. Maybe dip our toes in the creek.”

  “Sounds great, and I’d love to join you.” Easy laughed. “Good to know our daring rescue attempt isn’t being held against us.”

  Lucas nodded. “I’ll say.” He leaned forward, voice low. “Have you ever seen a creature like that? Or felt such a shock? I swear, my back teeth must have lit up.”

  “The creature, no. But I’ve had a worse shock,” Easy answered.

  Ginny leaned in. “He was struck by lightning.”

  “No.” Lucas’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Saw that happen to a man once when I was on the force, doing crowd control at a rally. Big storm rolled in, and lightning cracked a guy holding a sign on a metal pole.”

  “Did he make it?” Easy asked.

  Lucas shook his head slowly. “He was human. Didn’t have a chance. But you must have been awful sick from it.”

  “I was.” He glanced at Ginny, like he expected her to say more, but she just sat there, waiting on him. This was his story to tell, and she wasn’t going to assume otherwise. He took a beat, gathering his words. And maybe his courage, too. It was a lot to reveal. “Messed up my ability to shift, too.”

  Lucas sucked in a breath, and Gwen put her hand to her mouth.

  “I can shift,” Easy continued. “I just can’t always control when. And…what I become.”

  The two older wolves looked at Easy with such concern that Ginny hurt for him all over again. “It’s why he moved here.”

  Easy nodded. “I didn’t have much choice. Way too risky to live like that in the human world.”

  “I’ll say,” Gwen said softly. “You poor man.” Then her face lit up with a luminous smile. “I am very sorry for your trouble, but I’m glad it led you here. And to my Ginny.”

  Ginny smiled. That was Aunt Gwen. Always finding the bright spot in something.

  Easy slipped his hand from Ginny’s to put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad about that, too.”

  But the concern had yet to leave Lucas’s gaze. “That’s going to make it hard on you with the pack.”

  “I know,” Easy answered. “That’s part of the reason I’ve held off introducing myself. The other part is Ginny.”

  Lucas squinted. “This has something to do with her curse, doesn’t it? Gwen told me about that.”

  Easy nodded, then he blinked, mouth open like he was stuck on a thought and not ready to speak until he sorted it out. A moment later, he came out with it. “Ginny, have you noticed that Lucas hasn’t seemed to have forgotten you once since we’ve been together? Well, since the shock anyway.”

  She’d been so wrapped up in the joy of the company that she hadn’t noticed. “No, but you’re right. Aunt Gwen hasn’t either, and she couldn’t remember me this morning.”

  Aunt Gwen made an odd face. “Honey, your curse has never had an effect on me.”

  “I know,” Ginny said. “But when your memory issues kick in, it sometimes feels like my curse is working on you. Today was one of those days.”

  “Oh.” She looked utterly forlorn. “I guess I didn’t remember that. I’m so sorry.”

  “Not your fault, Aunt Gwen.”

  “But,” Easy said, “you remember her now?”

  Gwen nodded. “Without trying.”

  He looked at Lucas. “And you?”

  “Sure. How could I forget her?”

  Ginny took that in. “I was thinking the zap from Seymour hadn’t had any effect on us, but it’s definitely done something. Something good. Could it be that I’m not forgettable anymore?”

  “Sure seems that way,” Easy answered. “How about that?”

  Their server returned with their drinks on a tray. She walked by the table once, giving them an odd look, then came back again and stopped. “Did you just take this table?”

  “No,” Easy answered. “We’ve been sitting here. You took our order a few minutes ago. Those are our drinks on your tray. Two iced teas, a root beer, and a strawberry shake.”

  She put the tray on the table and passed out the drinks. “That’s what I have on here, but I don’t remember taking your order, and I sure as heck don’t remember the four of you sitting here.”

  The chill that went through Ginny made her grab Easy’s leg. She whispered to him, “She doesn’t remember us. Any of us.”

  He nodded, a little paler than he had been a second ago. “Miss, would you mind getting us some napkins?”

  “Sure, be right back.” The server left.

  Aunt Gwen looked confused. “What’s going on?”

  Ginny shook her head. “I don’t even want to put it into words.”

  Lucas’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Well, one of you needs to, because I’d like to know what’s happening.”

  Easy was watching the server. “She’s not coming back.” He lifted his hand and got the server’s attention.

  She came back to the table. “What can I do for you?” Then she frowned. “This is my section, but I see you have drinks already. Did someone else wait on you?”

  “No,” Easy said. “You did.”

  It was clear by the look in her eyes that none of this was making sense to her. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember that.”

  Ginny’s heart dropped. “No, you wouldn’t. Could you just give us a minute?”

  The server left again.

  Ginny let out a sigh of despair. “I am so sorry.”

  “What’s happening?” Aunt Gwen asked. “Explain it, Ginny.”

  “As best as I can tell, wh
en Seymour shocked us, you all got a piece of my curse. That’s how you can remember me, but the server doesn’t remember any of us. You’re part of it now.”

  * * *

  Easy didn’t want to believe that, because if they’d all gotten Ginny’s curse, wouldn’t they have gotten his, too? He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. “If that’s true, then…”

  Ginny put her hand on his arm. “We could all have your curse, too.”

  “Yes,” he breathed out.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe. There’s only one way to find out. And we can’t do that here.”

  The server returned. This time, her tray was loaded down with their sandwiches. She gave them an odd look. “Were you guys here a couple minutes ago? I could have sworn there were different people here.”

  Ginny sighed. “Welcome to my life.”

  “We are the same people who were here,” Lucas answered. His gruff tone made the server’s brows shoot up.

  “My bad. Sorry.” She handed out their meals, then quickly disappeared.

  Aunt Gwen’s expression was haunted. “Is this really what it’s like, Ginny? Do people forget you that quickly?”

  Ginny couldn’t even pretend to smile. “Pretty much as soon as they stop looking at me. And yes, all the time.”

  “You poor thing.” She reached out and grabbed her niece’s hand. “Well, we’re in it together now.”

  Easy picked up his sandwich, although his appetite was mostly gone. “We should eat, then go back to my house and see what happens when we shift.”

  “Agreed,” Lucas mumbled through a mouthful of food. “Although I’m not so sure I can shift on command. And my full moon ointment is back at the condo. You’ll see when you get to be my age.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Easy said.

  They ate in relative silence, and it was clear that despite how tasty the food was, none of them was really in the mood for it anymore. Easy had been chewing the same bite of his sandwich for minutes. Ginny and Gwen were picking at their fries.

  Lucas, however, had finished half of his plate and all of his milkshake.

  He frowned at the rest of them. “It’s not the end of the world. Stop moping. Eat your lunch. We need to keep our strength up for whatever comes next. And regardless, we’re in this together.”