The feeling of being watched crawled up my back like a long-legged spider. Each of its eight legs left a trail of discomfort and a stark need to slap at my skin to brush it away.
There was no spider, though, and as I gazed around, I saw no eyes.
The memory I had this morning had been terrible (to put it mildly), but it hadn’t necessarily been the kind to leave behind this creep-tastic feeling I couldn’t rid myself of. I did my best to ignore it because I had a life to live.
Maggie already had dog food, dog treats, and ice cream in the cart when I found her by the milk. Glancing down, I laughed. “Priorities.”
“That’s right,” she mused. “Treats for Elmo and treats for us.”
Reaching into the case, I grabbed some milk and then moved down to grab some cream cheese and other items we’d put on a list. I’d been cooking a lot with Maggie; she was really good in the kitchen and she showed me how to make a lot of things. I was still definitely learning, but it was fun and I enjoyed the time with her.
“Maggie?” I asked, turning from the case and glancing at her.
“Yeah?” She gazed down at the list.
“You were best friends with her,” I said. “With Ann.”
She paused, glancing up. Her eyes held a note of surprise but also wistfulness. “She was my very best friend, so close we were more like sisters.”
“How did you meet?” I asked.
She smiled. “Actually, it was in this store. She and Clarke had just moved to town, and she was trying to find some ingredient in the aisles. I heard her muttering to herself about being lost. I gave her a tour of the place, and we were friends ever since.”
“You miss her.”
“Oh, honey. Every single day. Her, Clarke, and my Chris.”
That was a lot of loss for one person, and I felt bad for her.
“Do I remind you of her?” I whispered.
Maggie’s eyes turned sad. She reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You definitely have the same kind heart.”
“She was a good person? And so was Sadie?”
“She was the best woman I knew. And Sadie was her pride and joy.”
I nodded, digesting the information and wondering what my life might have been like if I never disappeared. Did it really matter, though? Because I had.
A slight noise behind me caused me to turn and scan around, but no one was there. “Can I see the list?” I asked, brushing it off.
“Sure,” she said and handed it over.
We wandered up and down a few aisles, selecting some things, and I stood in the pasta aisle for a long time, marveling at the many different kinds and shapes. “How the heck am I supposed to pick something?”
Maggie laughed. “Get a few.”
“Really?” My hair swung around my neck when I turned.
“Of course!”
“Maggie!” a woman called from the other end of the aisle. “I was just going to call you this evening.”
“Oh Lord,” Maggie muttered under her breath. “Run! Save yourself,” she whispered dramatically, then turned back, plastering on a giant smile. “Grace!” she called. “So wonderful to see you!”
She walked away, and I couldn’t help but feel she was saving me from an inquisition. I went back to picking pasta and gazing at the jars of sauce. Once I had my choices in the cart, I glanced around to see Maggie still talking to her friend. I headed in the other direction to collect the rest of the items on the list.
I noticed a corner of the store dedicated to T-shirts and Lake Loch merchandise, so I wandered over because there was a stuffed Loch Ness monster on the shelf, and it made me smile. Eddie probably had those made for the store. He said it was the legends of the Loch Ness being spotted here that brought in tourists, but I knew better. He liked it.
The toy was small, just a little bigger than my hand, and soft to the touch. The color was a cross between a green and a blue, a shade that somehow seemed mysterious. There was a long neck, of course, a small head, and four feet/flippers on its oval-shaped body. The tag advertised Lake Loch with the same logo that was on the hoodie Eddie gave me.
I smiled and hugged it into my chest. I thought Eddie needed one of these.
“You don’t belong here,” a voice said from behind.
I gasped and spun around, clutching the toy to my chest. “Excuse me?”
There was a woman a few feet away with a large hat shadowing most of her face. Her clothes were baggy and didn’t have much shape, and she was wearing sneakers with her long skirt.
“I know who you are,” she said.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t,” I said. My heart still pounding, I glanced around behind her, looking for Maggie. Or Eddie. Or anyone really. “I don’t even know.”
“You’re remembering things,” she said knowingly. “You don’t belong here.”
I blinked, not sure how to respond. “Who are you?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her around before, yet there was something familiar… Something about her made me very uncomfortable.
“Amnesia,” Eddie said, appearing around a shelf.
I practically folded to the floor with relief. “Eddie.”
“Mrs. West,” he said. “Everything okay here?”
“Of course. I was just introducing myself to the most famous girl in town,” she replied.
I recoiled. Eddie’s eyes narrowed, but then he smiled. “She’s also the most beautiful.” Brushing past the woman, he came to my side, angling himself just slightly in front of me. I was grateful for it, and I reached out, clutching the side of his shirt.
“I should be going. I need to get back to my boat.” She turned away.
“I’ll be right there to check you out,” he called, and we both watched her walk away.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“The widow of Rumor Island,” he replied.
“She’s odd.” I shuddered.
He rubbed a palm up and down my arm. “Yeah, she definitely is.” He looked down. “Did she say something to you?”
“She said I didn’t belong here.”
His face screwed up. “What?”
I shrugged. “I’m glad you came over when you did.”
He kissed the top of my head. “She doesn’t come around often. You won’t have to see her.”
I nodded, and he reached up to finger the toy still clutched into my chest. “This on your grocery list?”
I laughed. “No. But I saw it and couldn’t help but come over…”
“You have a thing for the Loch Ness, don’t you?” He chuckled.
“It reminds me of you.”
His eyes softened, a small smile playing on his lips. “In that case, you should keep it.”
“It’s not on the list,” I teased, moving to set it back on the shelf.
He made a sound and grabbed my wrist. “Keep it. On the house.”
Oh, how his eyes beguiled me. I was pretty sure he could convince a nun to sin and the devil to show leniency. “Thank you,” I whispered, rose, and kissed his mouth.
“The cost of that is two kisses,” he said when I pulled back.
I laughed. “I thought it was on the house.”
“Then kiss me ‘cause I’m asking.”
I kissed him again. This time I slipped him some tongue. He moaned deep in his throat. When I pulled away, he tried to clutch me back.
I shook my head. “We’re at work!” I hissed.
“I’m pretty sure the owner won’t care.” He winked.
Somewhere in the store, a little bell rang. Eddie groaned. “I gotta go check out Mrs. West.”
I wrinkled my nose at the mention of her.
“I’ll see you up front,” he said, then went off to do his job.
Quickly, I gathered up the rest of the items we needed and met Maggie somewhere in the middle. On our way to the register, I saw the widow walking out, pulling a small wagon filled with bags behind her.
Maggie saw me gazing after her and said, “That’s the widow who lives out on the island in the lake.”
I nodded. “I met her just now.”
“Oh?” Maggie said.
“She’s very strange.”
Maggie laughed. “Oh, yes. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected considering she lives alone with no human contact except for a few times a year.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I confirmed, watching her figure disappear. But there was something about her I couldn’t shake. And oddly enough, the second she was out of sight, that spidery, tingly feeling of being watched went away.
Maybe Widow West was just an awkward, sad old woman like Maggie said.
Or maybe there was something more to her. Something a lot less harmless than people thought.