Maggie glanced up, then lifted her coffee to take a drink. “Well, I think there’s been a few girls in the past.”
“But?” I pushed. Eddie seemed too special to be single. Surely all the other girls in town saw it, too.
“Eddie has been pretty focused on the general store. He’s going to be taking it over soon. I think he’s just had other things on his mind besides dating.”
There was more to it than the general store. I knew.
“He seems pretty smitten with you, though,” Maggie said, a twinkle in her eyes.
Warmth spread in me and my lips tingled when I thought of the kiss we shared in the truck. My first kiss. My best kiss. I felt so alive when I was with him. So… whole. It was an odd way to feel, I supposed. But for a girl who had so many pieces missing, feeling whole was important. It dawned on me how much Eddie gave me. How much I’d come to rely on him. It was selfish, especially when I couldn’t offer anything in return.
“What’s the matter?” Maggie asked, sensing the dark turn in my thoughts.
“I don’t understand why he spends so much time with me.” I admitted.
Maggie swallowed, her eyes widened. “He likes you.”
Such a generic answer. “But why?” I pressed.
“He sees something in you, something that maybe no one else does.”
“Do you think I’m pretty, Maggie?” I whispered, pushing aside my pancakes.
“Oh my, yes.” She nodded, her dark eyes widening. “You actually remind me of someone I used to know… She was beautiful, too, on the outside and the inside.”
“Really? Who?”
Maggie glanced away, her eyes almost shuttered. “Her name was Ann. She was my best friend. She died many years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I murmured, feeling guilty for asking. Eddie did say Maggie had known a lot of loss in life. I couldn’t imagine losing a friend and a husband.
“Don’t be sorry.” She reached across the table and patted my hand. “Having you here makes me feel close to her again.”
I squeezed her hand and smiled. “I’m glad.”
“Now,” she said, perking up. “Tell me why you would ask such a question. Are you still wondering about Eddie?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “It’s still a little strange to look in the mirror and not recognize myself.”
Maggie nodded. “That would be strange.”
“And my hair,” I said, reaching up to the damp strands. “Something about it really bothers me.”
“Well, I have to say,” Maggie agreed, “the cut is rather odd.”
My eyes flew to hers, and we both laughed out loud.
After our laughter died down, Maggie asked, “You’re going into town today with Eddie?”
I nodded.
“Why don’t you call him? Tell him you’ll meet him there instead. I have just thing for you,” she said, getting up and going out into the kitchen.
“What is it?” I called after her.
“You’ll see!” she called back.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I agreed.
At just after noon, I stepped out of Loch General and onto the sidewalk. My father was inside with one of the employees. He came into work this afternoon because I was taking the rest of the day off.
I was anxious to find Amnesia. It was already later than I’d planned to pick her up. But a mysterious phone call from her changed my plans. Apparently, she was going somewhere with Maggie this morning, but she didn’t say where. My eyes strayed to the windows of the store more than once this morning as I watched for her on the street. I didn’t see her, though, which made me even more curious. There wasn’t much to do in this town that wasn’t on this main street.
When my phone finally beeped a few moments before, it was a text message from Maggie, asking me to meet her up the street in front of Barb’s. I nearly ran out of the place without saying good-bye to anyone.
Barb’s was more than halfway up the street, on the right-hand side of Loch Gen. Attached to the front of the shop was a barber pole, but instead of being blue and red, it twirled around with pink and white. Above the door was a sign with the name of the place and a big pair of scissors. All the ladies in town (and some of the men) got their hair done here. And their nails… and all the other stuff women were always doing. I stayed away from the place. Too much gossip and giggling for me. I preferred the actual barber around the corner. Jack’s place was tiny, literally a barber’s chair in the center of the room. Sports played on the TV, and the only gossiping men did was about each other’s boats.
Fall was definitely in full swing here in Maine. The wind was close to being cold; leaves blew across the brick sidewalks and gathered at the doorsteps of all the businesses. Everyone was putting out pumpkins and mums, and the store already had a big load of Halloween candy in the back room, ready to be put on display.
When I got close to Barb’s, Maggie stepped out of the shop, the bell on the door jangling behind her. She waved the second she saw me, and I smiled.
“Where’s Am?” I asked.
“Inside. She’s just finishing up. She’ll be right out.”
I hitched my thumb at the door. “Barb’s?”
Maggie nodded and leaned closer. Her voice was secretive. “I think she’s feeling a little insecure about the way she looks. Especially her hair.”
I nodded. I’d picked up on that.
“I think she’s just trying to feel comfortable in her own skin,” Maggie added.
“She got her hair cut?”
Maggie bobbed her head. “She got a new outfit, too. Picked it out herself. I thought it might be good for her to make some decisions regarding herself, even if they are as small as her appearance.”
“That’s a really good idea,” I murmured. I wished I’d thought of it. The lack of control in Am’s life had to be disconcerting. She had no power over nearly everything. She was sort of just swept along by life, and it seemed all she could do was hold on and try not to be swept away completely.
“It might really brighten her day if you complimented her when she came out.” Maggie elbowed me in the middle.
“Like that’s going to be hard to do.” My mouth twisted with a smile.
“I thought you might say that.” She chuckled.
The bell on the door jingled again, and a young woman stepped out. I glanced at her, then immediately away, turning my attention back to Maggie while I waited.
“There she is.” Maggie beamed. “It’s just perfect for you.” She went on.
My neck snapped back around. It took a moment for my brain to catch up with my eyes.
Holy shit.
“Do you like it?” Amnesia asked, her voice slightly unsure.
All I could do was stare at her. My mouth was dry, and my heart hammered erratically.
“Just beautiful,” Maggie said and threw out her arms to hug her.
Amnesia looked to me once Maggie stepped back, offering a tentative smile. I shuffled on my feet, suddenly feeling as if all the charm in my body somehow dried up in seconds and left behind an awkward boy with no vocabulary. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I made a sound kind of like a grunt.
“I’ve never seen this one speechless before!” Maggie exclaimed and then laughed.
Amnesia’s smile faded, her brown eyes drifting downward.