family?”
I nodded.
Sinclair chuckled and shrugged. “Haven’t found the right person.”
“You will.”
“You think?”
“Of course.”
And then he looked me straight in the eye. His face was serious. “Maybe I’ve already found her.”
I gulped at the intensity in his eyes. “Maybe.”
Heavy pause. Tension crept over us. A handful of unspoken words hung between us.
“I should be going,” Sinclair finally said. “I’m glad you like your house.”
“I love it.”
“I’ll see you later.”
There was no masking the innuendo. I heard it loud and clear. Here was my chance to clear everything up. With a simple shake of my head the looks and sexual tension would vanish. But instead I nodded. I heard him, heard his request, and agreed.
—
At the end of the day, my mother stopped by. We all had dinner together and then she and I got to unpacking.
She was a woman on a mission, quickly reverting to the mom I grew up with. When the kitchen was unpacked, she immediately moved to the living room.
A few times she made Wes come and help us. He looked completely drained, but he didn’t say a word.
“Mom, we’re beat.”
She placed her hands on her hips and exhaled loudly. “What time is it?”
I glanced at my watch and groaned. “Eleven forty-five.”
“Oh, I had no idea it was so late.” She looked around the living room. The sofa and overstuffed chair were angled toward the TV. The carpet was rolled out in front of the sofa. Lamps were plugged in and pictures were on the end tables. All that was left were the curtains and pictures.
My mother grabbed her purse and coat. Wes and I walked her to the door, afraid that if she glanced around at the bare space she’d make a run for it, find a drill, and start hanging up curtain rods.
I leaned heavily against Wes as I stepped out onto the porch. In the distance I could hear a dog bark. Across the street the neighbor’s lights were on. Their blinds were shut, but I saw the shadows of bodies moving around. Streetlamps ran the length of the road. This small community was just as I had pictured it.
“Well, I’ll let you two get some rest.” She gave me a big hug and pulled back. “I’ll be back bright and early for round two of unpacking.”
“Goodie,” I teased.
She was walking to her car when I quickly thought of something. “Mom!” She turned around. “Hold on one second. I forgot something.” I grabbed my phone from the kitchen and ran back to the front door.
“Before you go, can you take a picture of the two of us?”
She grabbed my phone but playfully rolled her eyes. “You and your pictures…”
She walked to the middle of the pathway. Wes draped his arm across my shoulder. My hand snaked around his waist.
“Smile in one…two…three.”
I smiled.
I’m pretty sure I did.
November 2015
Everything I remember, Dr. Calloway writes down. Her hand moves quickly across the paper. I talk rapidly and I know that doesn’t make it easy for her, but part of me is so afraid that if I don’t say it right at that second, then I never will. She keeps up with me, never telling me to start over.
When I’m done, she sets the pen down and looks over at me. “So things were difficult between you and Wes.”
Here it is. I knew we would have to have a patient-doctor chat. With anyone else, I would try to change the subject. But I feel the smallest amount of loyalty to Calloway and answer: “It seems like it.”
My hands shake as I brush back Evelyn’s hair from her forehead. She picks up on my nerves and tilts her head back to look at me.
“Two outbursts that came out of nowhere…I think that would make anyone nervous.”
I stare down at the floor, trying to handle the rush of memories slamming into me. “I was scared.”
Dr. Calloway remains silent.
My eyes close. “It just didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand what was going on. I felt like I was—”
Abruptly I stop speaking. Because if I admitted that I felt like I was going crazy, it would just be used against me.
I stand up. “Can I go now?”
Dr. Calloway doesn’t appear shocked by my request. She shrugs. “If you want to.”
“I want to.”
I can’t move fast enough to the door. I’m almost out when Dr. Calloway says my name. I turn even though I don’t want to.
Calloway smiles at me. “It’s okay to be scared.”
And it’s okay for her to say that because she’s