At just after noon, I stepped out of Loch General and onto the sidewalk. My father was inside with one of the employees. He came into work this afternoon because I was taking the rest of the day off.
I was anxious to find Amnesia. It was already later than I’d planned to pick her up. But a mysterious phone call from her changed my plans. Apparently, she was going somewhere with Maggie this morning, but she didn’t say where. My eyes strayed to the windows of the store more than once this morning as I watched for her on the street. I didn’t see her, though, which made me even more curious. There wasn’t much to do in this town that wasn’t on this main street.
When my phone finally beeped a few moments before, it was a text message from Maggie, asking me to meet her up the street in front of Barb’s. I nearly ran out of the place without saying good-bye to anyone.
Barb’s was more than halfway up the street, on the right-hand side of Loch Gen. Attached to the front of the shop was a barber pole, but instead of being blue and red, it twirled around with pink and white. Above the door was a sign with the name of the place and a big pair of scissors. All the ladies in town (and some of the men) got their hair done here. And their nails… and all the other stuff women were always doing. I stayed away from the place. Too much gossip and giggling for me. I preferred the actual barber around the corner. Jack’s place was tiny, literally a barber’s chair in the center of the room. Sports played on the TV, and the only gossiping men did was about each other’s boats.
Fall was definitely in full swing here in Maine. The wind was close to being cold; leaves blew across the brick sidewalks and gathered at the doorsteps of all the businesses. Everyone was putting out pumpkins and mums, and the store already had a big load of Halloween candy in the back room, ready to be put on display.
When I got close to Barb’s, Maggie stepped out of the shop, the bell on the door jangling behind her. She waved the second she saw me, and I smiled.
“Where’s Am?” I asked.
“Inside. She’s just finishing up. She’ll be right out.”
I hitched my thumb at the door. “Barb’s?”
Maggie nodded and leaned closer. Her voice was secretive. “I think she’s feeling a little insecure about the way she looks. Especially her hair.”
I nodded. I’d picked up on that.
“I think she’s just trying to feel comfortable in her own skin,” Maggie added.
“She got her hair cut?”
Maggie bobbed her head. “She got a new outfit, too. Picked it out herself. I thought it might be good for her to make some decisions regarding herself, even if they are as small as her appearance.”
“That’s a really good idea,” I murmured. I wished I’d thought of it. The lack of control in Am’s life had to be disconcerting. She had no power over nearly everything. She was sort of just swept along by life, and it seemed all she could do was hold on and try not to be swept away completely.
“It might really brighten her day if you complimented her when she came out.” Maggie elbowed me in the middle.
“Like that’s going to be hard to do.” My mouth twisted with a smile.
“I thought you might say that.” She chuckled.
The bell on the door jingled again, and a young woman stepped out. I glanced at her, then immediately away, turning my attention back to Maggie while I waited.
“There she is.” Maggie beamed. “It’s just perfect for you.” She went on.
My neck snapped back around. It took a moment for my brain to catch up with my eyes.
Holy shit.
“Do you like it?” Amnesia asked, her voice slightly unsure.
All I could do was stare at her. My mouth was dry, and my heart hammered erratically.
“Just beautiful,” Maggie said and threw out her arms to hug her.
Amnesia looked to me once Maggie stepped back, offering a tentative smile. I shuffled on my feet, suddenly feeling as if all the charm in my body somehow dried up in seconds and left behind an awkward boy with no vocabulary. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I made a sound kind of like a grunt.
“I’ve never seen this one speechless before!” Maggie exclaimed and then laughed.
Amnesia’s smile faded, her brown eyes drifting downward.
Speak! I commanded my brain. “I love it,” I said, low.
Am looked back at me. “Yeah?”
Um, yeah. Her hair was no longer uneven and choppy. It no longer fell past her shoulders. Instead, it had been cut into a style that just grazed over her collarbone. The ends were cut into layers so all the short, uneven pieces blended in. The style itself still looked like her (or at least the way I thought of her), the strands wavy, sort of uncontained. Some of the ends curled out and some flipped under. All of it was shiny beneath the sunlight and looked more golden out here than it ever did in the hospital.
She also had a fringe of bangs now, which I assumed blended a couple of the severely short pieces that had been around her face. The bangs fell slightly to the side, trying to conceal one eye.
The cut made her freckles stand out more, her cheekbones seem wider, and her eyes more of the focus of her face.
“You cut your hair,” I said, only realizing after the words came out it was a dumb thing to say. Way to point out the obvious, Eddie. Stepping close, I lifted a strand and rubbed it between my fingers.
She nodded, eyes bouncing between mine.
“And you got a new dress.” I continued.
Just call me Captain Obvious.
“Well, I’ll just leave you two to it. Eddie? You’ll make sure Amnesia gets home okay?”
I nodded but didn’t look away from Am.
“Amnesia, I’m assuming you won’t be home for dinner?”
Amnesia shook her head, her eyes still on mine.
Maggie laughed, reached out, and took the bag I didn’t even notice Am was carrying. Then she disappeared. Or maybe she walked away. I didn’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.
“You really do look beautiful,” I whispered. “Even more beautiful than you usually do.”
Amnesia smiled, and it felt I’d been given some kind of prize. “I mentioned to Maggie how much I didn’t like my hair, and she suggested we come here and get it fixed. On the way, we passed by this little store…” Her brows furrowed.
“The boutique at the end of the block?” I asked.
Her eyes lit up. “Yes! I saw this dress in the window, and I thought it was so beautiful.” She glanced down at the fabric, smoothing over it with her hands. The dress fell to about knee length and wasn’t tight or fitted, but loose and sort of flowy. It gathered around her waist, which kept it from swallowing her up, and had long sleeves that flared out a little around her wrists. The dress itself was multicolored with mossy green, yellow, and burgundy. Up at the neckline, two long strings tied together to make a bow, and the ends trailed down over her chest and fluttered every time the wind blew. “Maggie insisted,” she said, still glancing down at it. “She said I should have something I picked out for myself.”
“You should,” I said, unable to keep my hands to myself any longer, palming the side of her hip. “Waiting for you this morning was worth it,” I told her.
She smiled.
“I’m gonna kiss you now,” I murmured, stepping so close my Adidas bumped against hers. “Right here in the street.”
Her tongue jutted out to wet her lips. “You are?”
“Unless you tell me not to,” I replied, cupping the side of her face. “I should warm you that probably everyone on this street is plastered to the windows, watching us.”
“Everyone inside the salon asked me about you,” she whispered, then giggled.
I cocked my head to the side and smiled. “And what did you tell them?”
“I told them you were a terrible kisser.” She couldn’t even say the words without grinning mischievously.
“Did not,” I countered. My thumb swept over her lower lip.
Her breath caught. Slowly, she shook her head. “You’re right. I didn’t.”
“Here I come, Am.” I warned her.
She didn’t pull away.
I touched my lips to hers with gentle pressure. The soft sigh of relief I felt throughout my entire body was most alarming. Instead of pulling back, I shifted closer, wound one arm completely around her waist, and pulled her fully into my chest.
She sighed and clutched the front of my T-shirt, her lips moving beneath mine, so I kissed her a little bit deeper.
I didn’t want to pull back. I wanted to get lost in her, but we were standing on the street. My father was going to give me a damn lecture about respecting women and blah, blah, blah. I respected women. Amnesia above them all.
But I also admired her beauty and couldn’t help myself.
Pulling back, her eyes fluttered, then focused on mine.
“The entire town is going to be buzzing about this.” I mused.
“I’m sure I’m not the only girl you’ve ever kissed on the street.” She scoffed, looking down.
Using my thumb, I lifted her face. “The only one who’s ever mattered.”
Am reached for my hand, and I gave it wholeheartedly.
“You’re mine the rest of the day, Am. You ready to see the town?”
“First stop, Loch General?” she asked, gazing past me down the street.
“How about hot chocolate, then Loch Gen?” I compromised.
“You know the way to a girl’s heart.” She grinned.
Oh, I hope so, Amnesia. I truly do.
I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted her heart.