And she liked to tease him relentlessly.
And he liked to tease her right back.
He hadn’t found any excuses to hang out with her outside of those times, and he forced himself to be okay with that. Someday—soon, he hoped—his situation would be resolved, and he would be going home. And Sofia would still be in Emerald Hollow, breaking hearts and taking names.
The relaxed smile that had slipped onto his face as he thought of her slowly fell. He whistled to the dogs that it was time to turn around, and the trio followed his lead. All that time,he’d been looking forward to the moment he discovered who he was and where he was from.But what will happen when it’s time to go?
Chapter Twenty-Two
SOFIA
Sofia and Holly met for live music in the café at the Emerald House. The past few weeks had passed in a blur between working at the restaurant, developing her business in every spare hour, taking Isaiah to the library at lunch, and all the other little tasks of life. She couldn’t wait to debrief everything with Holly.
The weather had also completely elevated her mood. The fog of sadness that always descended on her mom’s birthday and clung throughout the early days of January had been cleared by the bright sun and first sight of something green on the ground.
Holly walked into the café wearing a beautiful snow-white sweater and jeans, and they took their usual spots at the counter, where they could face the window to the front of the building or the band, depending on which way they swiveled their chairs.
Sofia stood up and hugged her. “Hey, gorgeous! I’m so happy to see you. It feels like it’s been forever.”
Holly gave Sofia that sweet, poised smile that was so unique to her, and Sofia took that as her sign to rush right in.
“We have so much to catch up on. I told you about my new jewelry collection, WanderLost, right? It’s been doing well these past few weeks.”
“That’s wonderful, Sof. You’ve really been working hard on your business lately. Did anything inspire it, or has this always been your plan?”
Sofia thought for a moment. “Actually, something did inspire it. I had a dream on Christmas Eve. I don’t remember all the details, but I woke up with a really strong desire to scale my business this year. It was kind of strange. I’ve never sensed a goal quite that clearly before.”
Holly choked a little on her drink, and Sofia patted her back.
“Sorry,” Holly said when she stopped coughing. “That’s interesting. It must have been some dream.”
“Right? I was tempted to believe the dream had been sent straight to me from my mom, if I believed in that sort of thing.”
“Maybe it was,” Holly said casually.
Sofia nodded without arguing the point. She was ready to get to the next topic of conversation.
“Can you believe we haven’t discovered what’s up with Isaiah yet?”
Holly’s smooth forehead furrowed slightly. “It does seem strange. It’s been a month, so it’s unlikely he’s being seen as a missing person where he comes from. I wonder if we’ve been going about this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?” Sofia took a sip of the wine she’d ordered before Holly arrived. She’d gotten a Shirley Temple for her friend.
“We’d need to run it by Isaiah first, of course, but maybe we need to share his picture somehow. Is there a way to do that?”
Sofia nearly laughed. She tended to forget how un-tech savvy her friend was, which was surprising for someone who worked in corporate marketing. Sofia had never even seen her use a cell phone.
“I’m sure the police could do that or a local media outlet but…” Sofia leaned in closer to Holly. “I’ve seen TV shows likethis. There are weirdos out there. Someone might claim to know him. You know, say they’re his girlfriend or something, and how would he know if it was true?”
Holly’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think people would do that?”
Sofia raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? Isaiah’s a good-looking guy. Spreading it out there to a bunch of strangers that he’s lost his memory is just asking for trouble.”
Holly sat up straighter. “We wouldn’t have to include the information that he’s lost his memory. There could be another reason we’re searching for people who know him.”
Sofia shook her head. “The only reasons that would be plausible for the news would be that he’s a criminal on the loose or that he was injured in an accident and police need help identifying him. Like he’s in a coma or something. Either way, we invite bad actors.” Sofia bit her lip.
Holly sighed. “You’re right. It could be risky. It seems like he’s doing fine here for now. I’m sure you two will have to come across a lead at some point. Have you still been going with him to the library every day?”
