The toy was small, just a little bigger than my hand, and soft to the touch. The color was a cross between a green and a blue, a shade that somehow seemed mysterious. There was a long neck, of course, a small head, and four feet/flippers on its oval-shaped body. The tag advertised Lake Loch with the same logo that was on the hoodie Eddie gave me.
I smiled and hugged it into my chest. I thought Eddie needed one of these.
“You don’t belong here,” a voice said from behind.
I gasped and spun around, clutching the toy to my chest. “Excuse me?”
There was a woman a few feet away with a large hat shadowing most of her face. Her clothes were baggy and didn’t have much shape, and she was wearing sneakers with her long skirt.
“I know who you are,” she said.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t,” I said. My heart still pounding, I glanced around behind her, looking for Maggie. Or Eddie. Or anyone really. “I don’t even know.”
“You’re remembering things,” she said knowingly. “You don’t belong here.”
I blinked, not sure how to respond. “Who are you?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her around before, yet there was something familiar… Something about her made me very uncomfortable.
“Amnesia,” Eddie said, appearing around a shelf.
I practically folded to the floor with relief. “Eddie.”
“Mrs. West,” he said. “Everything okay here?”
“Of course. I was just introducing myself to the most famous girl in town,” she replied.
I recoiled. Eddie’s eyes narrowed, but then he smiled. “She’s also the most beautiful.” Brushing past the woman, he came to my side, angling himself just slightly in front of me. I was grateful for it, and I reached out, clutching the side of his shirt.
“I should be going. I need to get back to my boat.” She turned away.
“I’ll be right there to check you out,” he called, and we both watched her walk away.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“The widow of Rumor Island,” he replied.
“She’s odd.” I shuddered.
He rubbed a palm up and down my arm. “Yeah, she definitely is.” He looked down. “Did she say something to you?”
“She said I didn’t belong here.”
His face screwed up. “What?”
I shrugged. “I’m glad you came over when you did.”
He kissed the top of my head. “She doesn’t come around often. You won’t have to see her.”
I nodded, and he reached up to finger the toy still clutched into my chest. “This on your grocery list?”
I laughed. “No. But I saw it and couldn’t help but come over…”
“You have a thing for the Loch Ness, don’t you?” He chuckled.
“It reminds me of you.”
His eyes softened, a small smile playing on his lips. “In that case, you should keep it.”
“It’s not on the list,” I teased, moving to set it back on the shelf.
He made a sound and grabbed my wrist. “Keep it. On the house.”
Oh, how his eyes beguiled me. I was pretty sure he could convince a nun to sin and the devil to show leniency. “Thank you,” I whispered, rose, and kissed his mouth.
“The cost of that is two kisses,” he said when I pulled back.
I laughed. “I thought it was on the house.”
“Then kiss me ‘cause I’m asking.”
I kissed him again. This time I slipped him some tongue. He moaned deep in his throat. When I pulled away, he tried to clutch me back.
I shook my head. “We’re at work!” I hissed.
“I’m pretty sure the owner won’t care.” He winked.
Somewhere in the store, a little bell rang. Eddie groaned. “I gotta go check out Mrs. West.”
I wrinkled my nose at the mention of her.
“I’ll see you up front,” he said, then went off to do his job.
Quickly, I gathered up the rest of the items we needed and met Maggie somewhere in the middle. On our way to the register, I saw the widow walking out, pulling a small wagon filled with bags behind her.
Maggie saw me gazing after her and said, “That’s the widow who lives out on the island in the lake.”
I nodded. “I met her just now.”
“Oh?” Maggie said.
“She’s very strange.”
Maggie laughed. “Oh, yes. Well, I suppose that’s to be expected considering she lives alone with no human contact except for a few times a year.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I confirmed, watching her figure disappear. But there was something about her I couldn’t shake. And oddly enough, the second she was out of sight, that spidery, tingly feeling of being watched went away.
Maybe Widow West was just an awkward, sad old woman like Maggie said.
Or maybe there was something more to her. Something a lot less harmless than people thought.
I was working in the loft when Amnesia arrived back at Loch Gen. The second the bell on the door chimed, I knew it was her, before I even swiveled around to look.
Brian was manning the front counter, and I watched from above as Am looked around for me. “Is Eddie here?” she asked.
Brian’s eyes swept over her, and a fuse of jealousy lit inside me. She was beautiful, and of course people (men, more specifically) were going to look, but I didn’t like it. I watched Brian smile at her, then point upward to where I was staring down.
Am swung around. When she found me, a smile lit up her features. “There you are.”
I leaned on the railing and smiled. “Here I am.”
“Brought you some dinner,” she said, holding up a plastic container.
“Get up here, woman,” I said, motioning with my head. I heard her rushing up the wooden steps, her feet echoing as she ran. When she made it to the top, I practically lifted her off the last one and swept her into my arms. Burying my face in her neck, I growled, “It’s been a long day. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” she said.
After a quick kiss, I snatched the container out of her hand and popped open the lid. “What did ya bring me?”
“Homemade alfredo,” she said proudly. Then she frowned. “Do you like alfredo?”
“If you made it, I like it,” I said, towing her along with me to the chair at my desk. The second I sat down, I pulled her into my lap. “I’m starving.”
She handed me a fork wrapped in a napkin, and I dug in. The sauce was creamy and rich and the wide noodles were cooked perfectly. Making a sound of appreciation, I shoved another bite into my mouth. “This is bomb,” I told her.
“Bomb,” she echoed.
“Really good. Best ever,” I explained.
Pride shone in her eyes. “Maggie helped, but I’m glad you like it.”
“Did you already eat?” I asked, scooping more into my mouth.
She nodded. “With Maggie.”
I propped my feet on the desk, leaning back in the chair. Amnesia’s legs hung over the side, but the rest of her cuddled into my chest. “Tell me about your day,” she said.
“It was boring,” I muttered.
“I just want to hear your voice.” She sighed, pressing a little closer.
Far be it from me to deny this woman anything. I told her about my day, about the stock and the boring spreadsheets, how someone spilled milk in the dairy aisle, and how Ms. Scarlet was allegedly almost crushed by rice.
She giggled when I talked, and the sound filled me up in a way no food ever could.
After I was finished eating, she stayed in my lap while I finished up some computer work. Then I showed her next week’s schedule with her name on it.
“Two hours ‘til close,” I said. “You sure you want to hang out that long?”
“Definitely.”
“Everything okay?” I murmured, stroking her hair.