Page 2 of Back to Square One

Rowan sighed. “I know. You’re right. I guess I can’t blame her. But she’s just…” She dropped her head back against the headrest. “She’s getting to be too much. I can barely move without her asking what I’m doing, where am I going, what do I need. It’s exhausting.”

“So, what you’re saying is, your mother is smothering you. She’s become…your smother.”

There was a beat of silence before Rowan turned to look at her. “Oh, God, that was so bad it was good.” They both burst out laughing.

“Well, I’m happy we’re getting you a break from your smother.”

“Seriously, thank you for inviting me. I really didn’t go the last two years?”

Stevie shook her head as she used her signal to indicate her merge onto the highway. “You said it was work.”

The blank spots in her brain were something she couldn’t get used to. She thought amnesia was only something that happened in soap operas or cheesy dramas from decades ago. Turned out, all you had to do was fall off a ladder and crack your head on some concrete and you, too, could have your very own version of amnesia.

As if reading her mind, Stevie asked, “Anything coming back lately?”

She blew out a slow breath. “Not since the combination to my garage door keypad. But that could’ve been a lucky guess, too.”

“But the doctors still think you could regain your lost memories, right?”

A nod. “It’s possible. The loss seems limited to somewhere between three and four years, as far as I can tell. Like, I remember my job, getting it, how to do it, but I don’t remember the guy they hired eighteen months ago who sits right next to me in the office.” She shook her head as she recalled Jason’s crestfallen expression when she’d stared blankly at him last week during a visit to see her bosses.

“That’s gotta be so fucking weird,” Stevie said.

“It is. I haven’t forgotten how to do anything, I just don’t remember a lot of people, conversations, or things that happened. And I often don’t know I’ve forgotten something until I’m faced with it, if that makes sense.”

“So fucking weird,” Stevie said again.

“The Evie stuff is the weirdest, hardest part of all of it.” Her voice went soft as she spoke, and a sudden lump lodged in her throat.

It was Stevie’s turn to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I can imagine that one stung.”

“Stung? It was gutting.” She gazed out the window, an image of Evie Price filling her head. Tall, all long legs and arms, long, dark hair, wide smile, directed right at Rowan, deep, brown eyes filled with love… Rowan wiped a hand across the space in front of her as if erasing a whiteboard. “Never mind. Let’s not talk about that. This week is supposed to be about fun and relaxation.” She forced a smile and turned it on Stevie.

“Yes! I’m down with that.”

“So, who all’s coming?”

“Let’s see.” Stevie counted on her fingers as she drove and listed names. “Becca and her girlfriend, Jasmine.”

“Girlfriend of the month, you mean.”

Stevie looked at her. “No, she’s been with Jazzy for over a year now.”

Rowan gaped. “Becca the serial dater has been with the same woman for more than a year?”

“Yep. And Jazzy’s great. You’ll love her.”

“I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve seen some of these people. I can’t even blame my accident for being uninformed. I mean, I could, but it’d be a lie. Who else?”

“Lizzie and Justine.”

Rowan nodded. “It’ll be good to see them.”

“And Claire’s supposed to come, too.”

There was a beat of silence. “Ah. Okay.” Claire was Evie’s best friend. At least from what Rowan could remember…which didn’t count for much these days.

“She might not, though,” Stevie hurried to add. “Not sure. She never confirmed.”