License to Love (22 page)

The big smile that spread across Alicia’s face was
contagious.

“I’ve missed you, girl.”

Before she thought it through, Molly blurted, “I think I
missed you, too. I don’t remember you, but I kept wondering about who I used to
spend my time with. I knew something was missing.”

Seeing Alicia tear up made Molly question why she shared
something filled with so much longing. A minute later, Alicia just nodded,
wiping her tears.

Molly tried not to see the expression on Alicia’s face as sh
e and Trent l
eft a few minutes later. She didn’t
like the mix of hope, hurt, and disappointment. In Trent’s truck, Molly let out
her breath like she’d been holding it all evening.

“That rough?” he asked, easing the truck away from the curb.

“I’m so frustrated!” She folded her arms, chilled from the
walk from the house to the truck. “I just don’t understand why visiting the
place I grew up and my old friends hasn’t triggered anything.” She wanted to
remember him.

She suddenly felt Trent’s hand on hers. He didn’t offer
words, just that hand, and it was enough. They reached her hotel, and he walked
her to the door. She wished she could invite him in so she wouldn’t be alon
e, but
she hardly knew him.

“Tomorrow morning, before you take off with Alicia,” he
started, “why don’t we go over a few things so I can look into your parents’
case?”

She thought he was off the case, but didn’t comment. “Oh,
sure.”

They paused at the door. She looked up into his face and it
felt so natural she wondered if part of her remembered. They stared into each
other’s eyes a little too long. “You’ll be o
kay
?”

“I always am,” she said, not wanting him to worry about her
anymore. It sounded as if he’d worried for the last four years already. At her
words, though, his face changed. “What? What did I say?”

“It’s just that you used to say that.”

“I did?” So why didn’t she remember? Even without a clear
memory, she couldn’t help but smile that something was the same.

“Now that’s the Mol I know.” He brushed back a loose curl
from her face,
his fingers grazing her cheekbone.
The urge to ask about their history almost overwhelmed her, but she didn’t want
to ask in case there hadn’t been anything between them. What about now? Could
there be something there now, whether or not she remembered any past they had?

“Is ten o
kay
?” he asked.

“For tomorrow?” She cleared her head. “That’s fine.”

He didn’t leave until she’d shut and locked her door
. She
found herself leaning against it, wondering
about that handsome man. Well, if she had never had a thing for him before, she
sure was
developing
one now.

That thought was followed by another, more depressing one.
We
don’t have a chance
. She shouldn’t think about getting involved with anyone
in her condition. It wasn’t just that she didn’t remember most of her lif
e. Sh
e didn’t remember why she ran from Ridge City.

A loud knock
shook
Molly
right up in the hotel bed.
Morning? Already?

She grabbed her robe and stumbled to the door, mumbling as
she opened it, “I’m so sorry, I thought I set the alarm.”

Trent took one look at her and laughed before entering. She
flopped back on the bed, still groggy, and watched as he went to the tiny
coffee maker and started a pot. He wore Khakis and a green cotton shirt that
highlighted the red tint in his hair. Wow, imagine waking up to him every
morning. Not a bad way to start the day.

“You never were a morning person.” Trent sat on the bed next
to her, took her hand, and they looked at each other. Trent had filled her
dreams all night, but Molly wasn’t sure if they were dreams of the past or
fantasies.

She realized how bright her room was and asked, “Is that
sunshine coming through the curtains?”

He caught her amazed tone, laughed, and said, “That happens
in Oregon once in a while. It’ll be a good day to run around.”

Yes, Alicia would be here in a while, but she’d think about
that later.

“Tell me what kind of person I was. Tell me everything you
remember.” She felt fully awake now and excited. Yesterday had been the start
of the road back to herself, and now she was on her way.

With a smile, Trent responded, “That’d take a while.” He
looked away for a minute and came back with something akin to a twinkle in his
eyes. “The other girls fought over you, wanting to be your best friend. You
were the cheerleading captain, homecoming queen ....”

Molly wanted to ask who her date was, but didn’t interrupt.

“You went through all your different business stages from
catering, a deli and then a bridal shop.” Trent was laughing now, and Molly
felt that she and Trent had been very close. Trent and Alicia had her life
banked in their heads. At the very least, she could hear about her life here if
she never got to remember it herself. “You took business classes at college.
That year was tough for you. You liked the dreaming part, but all the details
overwhelmed you.”

She liked watching him talk about her, liked the way his
face lit up and his eyes shone, and she was glad he never let go of her hand.
Sunshine warmed the hues in the room, and she wondered if that made his face
appear so bright and eager. His expression mirrored her hope. It also helped
her feel that he cherished this special time too as she sat holding his hand.
His skin on hers felt warm and comforting, yet exciting and new.

He seemed to notice how she lay there watching him, almost
adoringly, while he spoke. He stopped, everything stopped, and they looked into
each other’s eyes.

She’d done this a thousand times.

Molly blinked, startle
d. She felt
like she was falling. A memory had almost surfaced, but she’d realized that she
was remembering and that ruined it.
Did he notice?

Leaning back, he said, “Coffee’s
done.”

Yes, he looked a little jarred as he stood and went to pour
her a cup. That memory teased her like wet rope just out of reach while she
clung to a cliff. She could have grabbed it! But something had stopped her.
She’d stopped herself, it seemed. With a tremor, she realized something scary
stood between her and her memory.

“That felt so familiar,” she whispered to his back. He
glanced back at her and stopped, maybe waiting for more but there wasn’t
anything more to give him. When she sighed and looked down, he finished
stirring in her sugar.

Trent sat on the bed again and held a cup out for her.

“Mmm.” She sat up. “Thanks for making it.”

As they sipped their coffee, she noticed he was ready to
take notes.

Within a few minutes, he’d written her address in Redding,
California, a phone number for a nurse named Karen Jenkins, and the location of
her parents’ accident: highway 299, heading west from the city. He acted all
business as he took her info down, stepping into a detective role comfortably.
His quiet, low voice with that faint sway of an accent drew the information
right out of her, and Molly imagined it helped him quite a bit on the job.

“Where did the drawl come from?”

“I have my dad to thank for tha
t.
He g
rew up a good old country boy in Alabama. ’Cause of him, I grew up
listening to country and folk music, going to rodeos, watching Nascar, learning
how to live off the land and respect it.”

Molly could hear the respect in his voice for his father,
and she felt a respect for Trent knowing that he honored his dad like that. He
spoke about his life with gusto, and she loved watching his charisma. The light
in his eyes. The warmth on his face. And that smile. Glancing over, he caught
her watching him. Instead of looking down, she smiled.

Trent smiled back, feeling that the carefree Molly was
coming through this morning. “You’re really going to be late if you sit there
all morning.”

He’d spoken with a grin but his nervousness came through
anyway. 

She finished her coffee and he sent her to the bathroom to
get ready. Alicia knocked while Molly was in the shower. “Hey, sis.”

“She’s not ready?” Alicia breezed in. “Still the same, even
if she can’t remember. I even came late.”

Laughing, Trent said, “That’s our Molly.”

It felt so good to say that again. Alicia repeated it after
him before sitting down.

“Have you told her?” she asked.

Trent had to sit on the bed for this question. “I can’t. I
don’t think telling her would make her remember.”

“A good old fashion kiss might.” Alicia just wanted her best
friend back with her memory intact. She caught Trent’s look and realized he’d
already been tempted to kiss his old fiancée.

The blow dryer came on and Molly’s voice called, “I’m about
ready.” Within minutes, all three were walking out the door. Alicia jumped
right in her car, but Molly stopped and turned to Trent, wanting to hug him
goodbye. She didn’t, though. It felt strange, but she just smiled and waved,
all the while looking into those soulful brown eyes.

Molly and Alicia started their day by stopping by a family
café for breakfast. While they waited for their food, Molly prompted Alicia by
saying, “Tell me more about your teaching job. You didn’t mention what grade
you taught.”

“Oh.” Alicia broke into a warm smile before she described
her class of second graders, about twenty-five kids that were a really good
bunch this year. “I had a couple of boys last year that wanted to cause all
kinds of problems. They wanted attention, but really disrupted the classroom.
That made my first year a little hard. If it weren’t for David,
I’m not sure I would have
made it. I
met him two and a half years ago. I wasn’t the most together
person back then, trying to get through college and wondering about you—” She
cut herself off
, then
skipped over the subject
and said, “We were married a year ago, and he’s already talking about starting
a family. We both want to.” Everything Alicia shared seemed so right, familiar
in a strange way.

“So.” Molly had held off any questions about Trent, but knew
she needed to ask now in case the rest of the day became too busy. “Why does
Trent know so much about me?”

They paused as their server set their plates down. Alicia
said, “He wants you to remember on your own.”

“So there was something there at some point?”

“I can’t lie to you, but I think he’s right.” Alicia picked
up her fork, and Molly thought she’d finished speaking, but she continu
ed talking betw
een bites. “I guess you could ask
him, but then what? You can’t pick up where you left off without remembering,
and you might feel like you have to.”

Molly started on her own food, thinking for a minute. “So it
wasn’t over between us when I left?”

A sound gurgled out of Alicia’s throat as if she’d almost
choked. “Over? You and Trent? You were the happiest couple I’ve ever seen.”

So she knew without a doubt she’d had a relationship with
Trent. And, without warning, she abandoned him one day. It must have broken his
heart. Why wasn’t he mad at her now that she was here? Or why didn’t he grab
her in a big hug when he found her waiting in the police station? Alicia must
have felt her change of mood and let her be … about Tren
t at least.

“So what are your plans? Everyone thinks you’re back—”
Alicia broke off, fork paused, not wanting to add the “but.”

Without knowing why she left Ridge City, Molly couldn’t make
a concrete decision on whether to stay or not, but she didn’t want to tell
anyone that. “I didn’t know what to expect, so I was just planning a trip. I
still have the house in California to deal with.” Her voice faded as her eyes
went to look out the window. “Now I don’t know what I’ll do.” In her mind, she
thought about how she didn’t have a history tying her to any one place. Her
parents were gone. California had her house, and one friend. And a pesky
neighbor that thought they were a match made in heaven.

As if reading her mind, Alicia asked, “What’s in Redding to
keep you there? From what you’ve said, you didn’t really put down roots. Why
not stay here?”

Molly met her friend’s eyes, and answered honestly, “I’ve
been thinking about it.” This brought on a new thought and she suddenly asked,
“Where did I live before?”

“With your parents, on Elk Street. I can take you there.”

Maybe that would bring back something. She pushed the last
of her food around her plate before nervously asking Alicia, “I get the feeling
David isn’t actually glad that I’m back.”

Alicia stopped chewing, thought for a minute, and swallowed
to say, “He was jealous of you. Of how much I talked about you, I should say.
He felt like he couldn’t compete. Well, at first he
completely
understood,
but after we married he wanted me to move on. I guess he
thought getting married would fix it, heal me somehow. I told him he’s the love
of my life. That’s different than a best friend, and you were gone anyway.”

“So what about now that I’m here?”

“I don’t know why he’s worried.” She pushed her plate away
and glanced at the bill, buying time. “He’ll come around.”

“We can be honest, right? I need that.” Molly knew coming to
Ridge City was the start of finding the truth, and she didn’t want any kind of
dishonesty.

Exhaling, Alicia took a drink of water before saying, “He
doesn’t think you should be able to jump right back in. But he doesn’t
understand, we were all friends, all the way through schoo
l, beyond.”

Molly gathered her things and thought David didn’t want her
pushing into his life, taking his wife’s tim
e, and in
a way, replacing him. The idea was silly, and she hoped he wouldn’t hold onto
it.