Chapter Fifty-Three
SOFIA
The tulip festival was still in full swing, but Sofia and the other craft vendors had already shut down their stalls for the day. As the evening’s music began to play and people wandered toward the enchanting notes, the main hustle and bustle was concentrated around the food vendors.
After she finished cleaning up, Sofia slunk into the little folding chair she always kept in her booth but rarely got a chance to use and glanced at her phone. It had been nearly three hours since Isaiah had gone off with Ash.Are they still meeting with the memory specialist? What is he doing? Hypnotizing Isaiah?
Sofia wandered to the Emerald House booth to buy something called a “wild tulip bowl,” which appeared to consist of chicken, wild rice, and a few vegetables of vibrant colors that matched the field of tulips.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, she picked up her phone and dialed Ash’s number. After three rings, he answered.
“Hey, Sof.” There was something odd in his voice—the slightest bit of reluctance—and she caught onto it immediately.
“Ash. What’s going on? You guys have been gone for hours. Is Isaiah still with you?”
A pause followed, and Sofia repeated herself. “Ash? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine. We took Isaiah to Dr. Margo to get checked out just in case.” Ash hesitated.
Sofia gripped the phone tighter. “Just in case what?”
“He passed out,” Ash’s voice was calm, but Sofia was suddenly dizzy.
“What?” she asked, her voice high-pitched, as she jumped to her feet.
“He’s okay, Sof. He’s already been released, and we’re heading back to the festival. I was just about to call you.”
Sofia calmed slightly, but her mind was racing with questions, concern, and a sense of dread she didn’t want to face. “Ash, why did he pass out?”
After a pause in which Sofia wanted to reach through the phone and grab Ash by the shoulders, the response came. “Sofia, his memories are back.”
When Isaiah emergedat the entrance to the tulip festival, Sofia’s heart jumped into her throat. As soon as he caught sight of her, he started in her direction, a slightly bewildered smile on his face.
“Isaiah, Ash told me what happened. Are you okay?”
“What? Oh, passing out.” He looked mildly embarrassed. “That was weird. Dr. Margo thinks it’s from the influx of so many memories returning at once like that. She’s never heard of anything like it.”
“So it’s true? All your memories are back?” Sofia asked softly. She had a million questions for him, but she wanted to let him process everything first.
“Yeah, at least, I think so. Dr. Margo thinks some will continue to come trickling back as needed. Where do I even start? My name is Isaiah Perez, and I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. But currently living in San Francisco, California.” He paused, as if deciding what to tell her next. “I did geospatial imaging in the army. I started as enlisted then commissioned. That explains why I was so comfortable with digital maps.”
Geospatial imaging. The army. A military member. An officer—a profile she’d sworn off ever dating again. Her mind flashed to the moment in the frozen yogurt shop when Ash had broken up the near fight. The teenage boy had responded with a straightened posture and a “Yes, sir.”
Sofia had had a strange sensation then, and suddenly, it all made sense. Her subconscious had been trying to show her something, and she’d ignored it.
Her warring emotions must have shown on her face, because Isaiah put an arm on her waist. “Sofia, are you okay?”
She shook her head then nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. This is all just… a lot to process. For you more than me, I’m sure.” He hadn’t said he was married or in a relationship or had children, but she was still incredibly nervous. She’d avoided dating military men after the disaster with Noah, and she’d inadvertently fallen in love with one.
The thought caused her to stiffen.Love.She put a hand to her mouth, but Isaiah spoke again.
“It’s weird. It’s just kind of like everything feels normal again but also… not. Everything I was doing here in Emerald Hollow now feels like it was done in a vacuum or something. Like two different versions of me. It’s strange.”
Sofia’s stomach clenched again.Two different versions of me.
“So does this mean you’ll want to go home now? To California?”
“I mean, California’s not exactly home, but it’s where I was living when all this happened. Now I remember that I was in the early stages of wanting to start a veteran-owned coffee business. I was planning to design the bags with interesting maps of the local areas I wanted to sell in. Nothing was off the ground yet, though. I can’t believe I forgot about all that. I think some details are still coming back to me. I can pick up where I left off with it now.”
