She was moving before he finished speaking, her mind searching for a place to land. A place that some part of her recognized.
At one time, the property had been beautifully landscaped. The long-neglected shrubs were not the sort to be found growing wild. Many boasted scattered blooms that spoke of their beauty. Others were just beginning to bud. Stacks of stones and boulders guided them into other little venues designed for outdoor use. Tables and benches dotted the landscape, most badly in need of maintenance.
In the center of it all was a massive swimming pool that sat half full of dark green water. The pool had an hourglass shape. Allie could imagine that at one time it had been gorgeous. A path that meandered from the pool toward the woods circled a large three-tiered fountain. Around the base of the fountain were rose bushes. Some struggled to bloom, but most were overgrown with weeds, the leaves speckled with holes from whatever insect had decided to feed on them. So sad.
She wandered back to the house. The windows on the first floor didn’t prompt any additional feelings of recognition. But she peered at length through each one nonetheless. It was almost dark by the time she felt she had seen anything potentially relevant to the fleeting memory that tugged at her.
“You need to see anything else?” Steve’s patience seemed endless.
Her own patience had run out, but she took one last lingering look around. “I think I’ve seen all I need to. Whatever I feel like I remember, I can’t quite capture it.”
“You want to grab dinner at a drive-through on the way back to your house?”
She paused at the front of his SUV. “Works for me.”
She hadn’t placed a delivery order for groceries in a while. The offerings in her fridge and pantry were likely sparse.
It was darkwhen they reached Woodstock. She insisted that Steve choose the fast food. Burgers and fries were his choice, and she was so thankful. She could use all those carbs right now. She wouldn’t have selected a burger joint for fear of insulting his culinary senses. He looked so fit. She suspected he ate only the healthiest items on a menu. It was good to know he was an occasional let’s-eat-the-greasy-stuff guy.
It was also nice to know he wasn’t totally perfect. No matter that he seemed completely perfect to her.
“What does your girlfriend think of you staying with an old friend for a few days?” She suspected he wasn’t married since there was no ring or mention of a wife, but surely there was someone.
If she hadn’t been completely exhausted and floating in anticipation from the scent of those fries wafting from the bag on the console between them, she might have done a better job of filtering herself.
Too late to regret the question now.
He glanced at her. “I do not have a girlfriend or a wife.” He exhaled an audible breath as if saying so saddened him somehow. “I’ve been so focused on the agency for the past few years there really hasn’t been a lot of time for a social life.”
“A totally overused excuse,” she told him straight up, feeling bolder now, maybe because she was almost home and he was…single. “Try again.”
He glanced at her, grinned. “I’ve dated. Just haven’t found the right one.”
“Is that because you’re too picky?” This was also a seriously overused excuse.
He laughed then. “Maybe. How about you? Are you too picky or just too busy?”
No one to blame but herself for creating the corner into which he’d just backed her. “I’m not sure I’ve even considered a social life. Not since college anyway.” She shrugged, thinking back to the last time she actually thought about dating. “I had lunch with someone a couple of times before I left the hospital. Not really anything since. I guess I’m just a loner.” She laughed. “Wow. That’s pretty sad. Almost ten years with no tangible social life.”
“We’re busy,” he repeated as he navigated into her driveway. “You had your grandmother to take care of. I was finishing law school.”
“That’s such a lie,” she suggested with a soft laugh. “Personally, I think it’s easier to believe I’m too busy than to put myself out there and risk… I don’t know. Rejection? Dissatisfaction? Total emotional gutting?”
He shot her a look. “You may have a point.” He parked and shut off the engine. “You’re what? Thirty-two? I’m thirty-three. Going forward, we should make ourselves a priority. I’m game if you are.”
“All right, Dr. Phil. I can do that.”
They both had a good laugh at that one. Laughter was good. She, for one, had needed a decent laugh.
Steve unlocked the door and went inside first to ensure there was nothing amiss. Allie kind of enjoyed the chivalry. It was a pleasant change from doing everything herself. He was a nice guy. Even nicer now, she decided.
Again, she considered how fortunate she was that they had reconnected, in spite of the reason.
While he unbagged their dinner, she went to the bookcase where her grandmother had kept all the family photo albums. That memory she couldn’t quite grab from the gray matter deep in her head had nudged her all the way home.
She sat down on the floor and picked up first one and then the next album, flipping through the pages looking for something she couldn’t name.
Then she paused, her fingers on the edge of a page she’d been ready to turn. “Found it!”
