61
It was the start of a family reunified. From the turn of events with Meredith, Audra’s mind was still reeling when she arrived at the coffee shop.
At a far table by the window, Sean raised his hand.
The mere sight of him placed all other thoughts on hold. In a flurry of images, their encounter in the barn came rushing back. She fended off the memory. There was no room for complications with just three weeks until the move. She was only here to say good-bye.
She walked steadily past the line of customers that stretched from the entrance. Patrons filled most of the tables in the room, chatting with friends, shuffling through newspapers, typing on laptops. The scents of espresso and warm muffins led a path to Sean’s table.
“Morning,” he said.
“Hi.” She glanced at his mouth, remembered how it had felt on hers, and wondered if he was thinking the same thing.
“Oh, here. This for you.” He slid a paper cup across the table. The string from a tea bag dangled from the lid. “I got here a little early and the line was getting long. If you want something else, I’d be happy to grab it for you.”
She recognized the flavor printed on the tag, a decaf favorite named “Calm.” After the morning she’d had—make that the entire month—nothing sounded better.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a seat. “It’s perfect.”
He nodded. As she settled in, he drank from the slot of his lidded cup. He looked freshly showered and shaven in a collared, short-sleeved shirt. The bronze fabric complemented his eyes, which had notably relaxed since she’d last seen him.
“You look better,” she observed. “Not that you looked bad before. You just—never mind.”
A slanted smile crossed his lips. “It’s okay. I am doing better.”
“Good. Good, I’m glad.” She saved herself from tripping over her next words by focusing on her tea. It needed to be stirred and the temperature was just above comfort level, but she drank it regardless. She felt his gaze on her all the while.
“Audra,” he said finally, “about last week.”
She set down the cup, preparing herself for how he might phrase it.
“I shouldn’t have dumped all of that on you. You’ve got enough to worry about, and ... I hope you didn’t . . . that is, I’m sorry if . . .”
“Sean, please. Don’t.” Clearly he saw her participation as a merciful act. And he couldn’t have been more wrong. “I think it’s safe to say, we were both there for each other at a time when we needed it. Simple as that.”
He accepted her reasoning with a close-lipped smile. When their eyes connected, she had to prod herself to look away.
“So,” he said after a moment. “How’s Jack doing?”
It was the question she asked herself daily.
She pictured him building cyber igloos with Grace, zooming around on his scooter, welcoming his grandparents’ affection.
“We’ll have to see, but I think he’ll be all right,” Audra said.
True, Jack wasn’t the same child from two years ago—the boy with an easy laugh who drummed on Cool Whip tubs and played with potato bugs—but perhaps he wasn’t supposed to be. He was growing up and changing. They all were. Maybe it was time to acknowledge this, to stop forcing each other into a mold that didn’t fit.
“That reminds me,” Sean said, “I got a message from that sergeant’s wife I told you about. I haven’t called her back yet, but if she has any info—”
“Actually, she got ahold of me.”
“Oh, she did? Great,” he said. But when Audra didn’t expound, he asked, “Did she find anything that might help?”
“Nothing worth repeating.”
It was a truthful response. The woman’s report only raised more questions, none of which would ever really be answered.
“Turns out,” Audra said, “there’s a strong chance Jack was getting his ideas from other things. All logical ones. Looking back, it was pretty silly on my part.” She underscored the claim with a smile. “From now on, I’ve decided to focus on the present world—which I already have a hard enough time figuring out.”
“You and me both,” Sean said lightly.
She laughed, grateful for the elevated mood. They both sipped their drinks as a female barista called out customers’ names for drink pickups at the counter.
“So, how about your summer?” Sean asked. “You two have any special plans?” Obviously he intended to perpetuate their casualness, not knowing it was a subject Audra suddenly dreaded.
She shifted in her chair. “We’ll be ... moving to Boston. In the middle of July.”
“Boston?” he said. “You never mentioned anything.”
“Sorry, I probably should have. It’s just that the custody battle left us in limbo for a while. But they’ve dropped the case, so we’re able to stick with our plans now.”
Despite the disappointment in his eyes, it was ridiculous of her to feel even a twinge of guilt, or regret. They hadn’t known each other for even a month.
“Sounds like it’s all great news, then,” he said.
“It is. Really great.”
They were like two singles who had met at rehab, a transitional place meant for healing, not romantic hookups. Still, she hated the idea of walking away after all he had shared with her.
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Me? Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine.”
When he sat back in his chair, she searched his eyes for a genuine answer. “Are you sure?”
He contemplated the question and shrugged. “Each day’s getting a little better. I will admit, though, most nights have been pretty restless since the memories came back.”
If anyone understood that struggle, it was Audra. “Feel free to call me next time. I’m probably awake.”
He grinned and nodded as if he just might. Boston, after all, was only a phone call away.
“Are there other memories you’re getting? Good ones, I mean.”
“Yeah, more and more so. It’s like my mind was blocked by what happened over there. Now that it’s open, the rest of it’s starting to come through. I’m actually starting to feel like myself again.”
“Sean, that’s wonderful.”
He angled his body forward, hand resting on the table while holding his drink. “You know, I even ran into an old friend from the TV station I used to work at. Looks like a position’s opening up. So I was thinking of applying.”
“Oh, you definitely should. That’s amazing.” In her enthusiasm, she barely caught herself from reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. She pulled back and sipped more tea.
After a pause, she made a show of glancing at her watch. “You know, I ought to get going. Lots to do, with packing and all that.”
“Yeah, I should go too. I told Aunt Lu I’d run some errands for her after seeing you. So ...”
“You told her? And she didn’t warn you against seeing the crazy woman?”
He smiled. “She doesn’t think you’re crazy.” He almost sounded convincing enough to believe.
“Either way,” Audra said, “I’ve sort of accepted that crazy is the new normal.”
“That’s a huge relief—for me, that is.” The corners of his eyes crinkled before he rose from his chair. “Come on, I’ll walk you back on the way to my car.”
They tossed their cups into the trash and walked toward the apartment.
With the distance of one block, they rounded her building all too soon. Audra was searching for a non-cliché parting of If you’re ever in Boston when Sean came to an abrupt stop, his eyes straight ahead.
Perhaps another memory had come crashing back.
“Sean, what is it?”
“Aunt Lu,” he said, bewildered.
“What about her? Did you remember something?”
He shook his head, and motioned forward. “She’s here.”
Audra followed his indication and found Luanne in the parking lot. She had just stepped out of her car when she looked in their direction.
The expression on her face said the day’s discussions were far from over.