Loch Gen was busy, more so than usual. Part of it was because I was the only one working this morning because all our summer help went back to school. Also, because I’d been kind of neglecting the place, not putting in quite as much work as I used to. I was too wrapped up in Am and spending time with her.
And then there was Amnesia. People were curious about her so they were coming into the store, asking about her, looking for her… wanting to know if we knew for sure who she was.
When she actually started working here, business was going to be steady, at least until everyone got used to seeing her around and the memory of how she came to Lake Loch faded.
I worked out front most of the morning because I had to be accessible to customers. So mostly, I worked on stocking shelves and pulling up the schedule on a laptop at the front counter. It was actually good timing for Am to start here. I could use some daytime help.
The staff here was almost a skeleton crew in the winter because it was such a small town. During the summer, we usually hired high school students or college students home for the season. With Dad taking more time away from the business, I needed someone else to be here with me so I could work in the back or up in the loft when I needed to. There was a lot that went into running this place that required me to not be at the register all day.
Ms. Scarlet pushed through the door midmorning with the same canvas sack she always carried.
“Good to see you, Ms. Scarlet,” I said, giving her a big smile. “What can I help you with today?”
“You know damn well I don’t need any help, young man,” she said in her no-nonsense way. “I’m perfectly capable of doing my own shopping.”
“I just got in a fresh shipment of apples,” I told her. “I’ll be sure to put them out before you come in tonight for your snack.”
“I think I’ll take one now,” she said. “No point in coming back in a couple hours.”
“Of course,” I said, biting back a smile. She just wanted me to run to the back and get them all out now. “I’ll go get them and start stocking.”
“I’ll be in the back. I hope you got some more teas in. The last time I was in, you were low.”
“I sure did. Ordered just the kind you like.”
She made a sound and went off toward the back.
I snickered a little as she went. I loved her sassy attitude. After making sure none of the other shoppers were at the counter for checkout, I went into the back to get the box of apples that was delivered this morning. I’d yet to have time to stock the produce aisle. Thankfully, I’d just stocked the tea and coffee.
Hoisting the cardboard box in my arms, I headed out of the back, turning the corner for the produce section. Over the top of the rounded apples, I noticed someone standing right in my path. I jolted to a stop so fast an apple fell over the side and smacked on the floor, rolling away. I watched it, mesmerized by the way it wobbled as it went, only to stop at the toe of someone’s shoe. Gazing up, I tried to hide my surprise.
It was the widow from Rumor Island. It took me a moment to place her because of the way she was dressed. I barely saw her face. She wore a large hat with a floppy brim. It was the color of wine. Her long, gray hair hung down over her shoulders and back, and she was dressed in a long denim skirt that skimmed the floor. It was cold out, but she was dressed for winter in a turtleneck with a cardigan. She was even wearing a pair of gloves that matched the color of her hat.
“Mrs. West,” I said. “I’m sorry. I nearly ran you over.”
She bent down at picked up the apple. “I’m afraid this one is bruised now.” She didn’t make eye contact. She never did.
Shifting the weight into one arm, I took the offered apple. “No problem,” I said, still surprised to see her. She only came into town a few times a year, and it seemed a little early in the season for her to be stocking up for winter.
“What brings you by?” I asked.
“Supplies,” she answered, gesturing to the shelves.
I smiled. “Of course. Is there anything I can help you find?” She wasn’t holding a basket or even pushing a cart. I couldn’t imagine she’d come off the island if she only needed one or two items.
I felt her gaze from beneath the brim of her hat. “No, thank you.”
“If you need anything, just yell,” I said and moved off to unpack the apples. She was an odd woman. Her weirdness was part of the reason there were so many rumors circling her island.
I tried not to listen to them. I stopped after that night, after a dare took Sadie away.
Some people said they could hear screams echoing from her island in the dead of night. They said she was crazy and would go outside and yell for her husband, the one who died years before. Some people said it was Sadie’s ghost, that she roamed the lake, doomed to relive the night she drowned.
I’d lived on the lake for a little over a year now, and I never heard any screams… thank God. I didn’t think I could take that kind of torment. Always wondering…
The bell on the front door jangled, and I glanced up from the pile of apples I was arranging. Maggie walked in, followed closely by Amnesia. A smile broke out over my face, and all the dark thoughts about islands and screams in the middle of the night dissipated.
“There’s my girl,” I said, abandoning the fruit to sweep her into a hug. She giggled when I lifted her toes up off the floor and kissed her cheek loudly.
“You two,” Maggie said, smiling, “remind me a lot of me and Chris when we were young.”
I sat Am back on her feet, slinging an arm across her shoulder. “It’s not lunchtime already, is it?” I asked, craning my neck for the clock near the front.
“No,” Am said. “Maggie and I needed some groceries. We’re making pasta tonight.”
“She’s becoming quite the cook,” Maggie told me.
Am blushed, all her little freckles turned pink. “I never said it was going to taste good.”
“I’ll eat anything you make,” I told her, patting my stomach.
Maggie laughed. “You should come for dinner.”
I made a face. “Wish I could, but I’m going to be working late tonight. I have a ton of inventory that has to wait until my afternoon help gets here.”
Amnesia’s face fell, and I knew instantly something was wrong. When I caught her eye she smiled at me, but she couldn’t hide it.
“I’m going to go get some dog food and a few things back here,” Maggie called, heading to the back with a small cart. “Come meet me,” she told Am, who nodded.
The second she was out of hearing distance, I zeroed in on Am’s face. “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly.
“I had another memory,” she murmured. I knew by looking in her eyes it wasn’t a happy one.
I hugged her close, resting my chin on the top of her head. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She exhaled, then pulled back.
“Wanna go talk about it now?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t anything major, just a… memory.”
“It upset you.” My fingers grasped her elbow, and she flinched back automatically.
“I’m sorry.” She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Her brown eyes were wide and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to pull away… I—”
“It’s okay. I’m not upset.”
Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid she didn’t want to be touched. I didn’t know what she remembered, but my stomach turned anyway.
Whatever happened to her, I hated it.
“You know what? Inventory can wait. I’ll do it tomorrow,” I said, making a decision. I needed to be with her tonight.
“No!” she said instantly.
“Why not?”
“You’ve already put this place second to me enough. You need to get your work done. I know how much this place means to you.”
I shifted closer, dropping my voice. “You mean more.”
“I know.” She smiled. “How about I come back tonight, bring you some of the dinner I’m making, and keep you company while you work?”
“You’d do that?”
“I want to be with you,” she whispered.
“Okay,” I said, trying hard not to cave at the vulnerability she displayed. I knew she didn’t mean to, and if I reacted, she’d probably only grow more upset. It was hard, though. So fucking hard not to scoop her up and take her out of here. Not to try and kiss away the worst of whatever haunted her mind.
“Can I stay at your place tonight?” she asked, stepping so close she had to tilt her head back to look up at me.
“You don’t even have to ask,” I murmured, dropping a kiss onto her mouth.
That seemed to relax her, so I took a chance and hugged her close. She clutched at my back, and my chin rested on her shoulder. “I’m going to hold you all night,” I whispered.
Her head bobbed against me.
“I’m ready for my apple, young man,” Ms. Scarlet said, appearing out of nowhere. That woman was like a ninja. And old, sassy granny ninja.
Amnesia jolted in my arms, but I pulled back casually, more used to Ms. Scarlet’s ways. “I’m just about done stocking up. You can take your pick,” I told her with a smile.
Her eyes slid to Am. I cleared my throat. “Amnesia, this is Ms. Scarlet. She has lived here—” I started, but Ms. Scarlet cut me off.
“Since the beginning of time.”
Amnesia smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“Let me take a look at you, girl,” she said, shuffling closer. Ms. Scarlet handed me her bag, and I took it so she could grasp Am by the chin and study her face.
“Hmm,” she said, finally releasing her. “I can see why Eddie is so taken with ya.”
“Thank you…?” Amnesia replied.
“He’s an ornery one, this boy. When he was young, he used to carry frogs in his pockets. Nothing but trouble,” she muttered.
Amnesia laughed. “Frogs!”
Looking at Am, I said, “Ribbit.”
She laughed even harder.
Scarlet looked at Am again, then at me. “Could be, Eddie. But I don’t think it really matters.”
I knew exactly what she meant. “You’re right,” I said softly. “It doesn’t.”
Ms. Scarlet poked around in the apples a few minutes and selected only one. Afterward, she took her bag from me and put the fruit inside. “Come along,” she beckoned, heading toward the register. “It’s time for me to be heading home.”
I winked at Am. She giggled. “I’ll just go help Maggie.”
At the counter, I rang up Ms. Scarlet carefully packing her things back into her bag. “Do you need some help outside?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not an invalid.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“And you need to fix that display of rice back there. One of the boxes is loose and dented. I was damn near crushed when I walked by!”
“I’ll do that right away.” I promised.
I bet when she woke up in the morning, down in hell, the devil sighed.
Even though she told me she didn’t need help, I walked her to the front entrance anyway and held open the door. “It was nice seeing you. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Just before stepping outside, she stopped beside me and glanced up. Her white hair was short, her face bore wrinkles, but her blue eyes were clear and sharp. “It’s good to see you happy again,” she said, reaching out and taking my hand. “It’s been too many years since I’ve seen that glint in your eyes.”
“Thank you,” I said. My heart held a special place for Ms. Scarlet.
“I know I only just met her, but my old eyes don’t miss a thing. She’s a keeper. Don’t you let her go.”
I shook my head. “I won’t.”
She nodded once, satisfied. “Good.”
With that, she walked onto the porch, down the steps, and into the sunshine.