Unforgettable Love Page 7

  Where was it? Where did they go to church? Julie felt desperation creep up her throat, and suddenly she wanted to scream. If she found that church, she thought, it might just bring her memory back. All of it. Like a miracle.

  “We can’t expect miracles, now can we Margaret?”

  “No. We certainly cannot.”

  Her parents’ words echoed in Julie’s head like feedback from a microphone.

  “Girl, you’re just tired. Probably exhausted,” she said aloud to herself, sniffling back the tears. “Relax. Put on some pajamas and maybe watch some television. Get your mind off your ... mind.”

  A few deep breaths later, Julie had taken a seat at the little vanity that was next to the window in her room, just off the door of the adjoining bathroom. Looking at her reflection she saw the necklace she had found at the beach.

  It was a pretty little thing. Elegant and simple. A complete contrast to everything she had seen since leaving Catalina Island. She hated to think it, but she was starting to miss Aaron and the girls more than she thought she would. They had left a deep imprint in her heart, and it would be sooner, rather than later, that she would look them up and go visit.

  Maybe they would like to come to the wedding? The thought made Julie jump. How could James even want to marry her? He told her what she had done on the boat without so much as blinking. He had to be some kind of saint to put up with her behavior.

  Why would she insist on not putting on a life jacket? It made no sense, especially since Julie felt she was a careful person. But what did she know? Maybe getting amnesia rebooted her brain, wiping the slate clean. Maybe she had been so horrible that this was the only way she would change her ways.

  “Lord, I’m a mess. If you could send your angels to guide me in the right way, help me choose my words; maybe I can make amends with James and my parents.” She touched the pretty necklace. It still seemed so out of place in conjunction with everything else around her.

  “Someone gave this to me. I don’t know who. Maybe it was James or maybe my ... mother? Someone who thought I wasn’t so horrible gave this to me. I have to find out who.”

  Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Margaret peeked her head in. Julie stood up and walked to the door. Unable to control the tears she fell into her mother’s arms and began to cry.

  “Mom,” she sobbed. “I can’t remember anything. I’m looking at these pictures, and it’s like the answer is on the tip of my tongue, but just won’t move any further. My insides are all in knots, and I can’t figure out what to do.”

  “Honey, you need to stop trying so hard.” Margaret led her daughter to her bed, and they both sat down. “This has been a traumatic experience for all of us.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry. I put you and Dad through such pain I can’t believe you would even look for such a horrible person.”

  “Horrible? No. Your father’s sister Marie, she’s horrible. Not you. You’re just a young woman getting married to a man who is surrounded by attention and business, and it’s a huge responsibility. But you’ll do the right thing and make all of us so proud of you.”

  Julie’s chest tightened.

  “But Mom, what if I don’t remember by then? James said the wedding is in two weeks. Shouldn’t we postpone it? Just in case I don’t, I mean, what if my memory is no better than it is now?”

  “Julie, I’m your mother. I’m always looking out for you. James will make a wonderful husband. He is handsome, smart and very, very wealthy. That is a trifecta, my dear. The chances of getting a man with all three of those traits will be hard if not impossible to come by again. Memory or not, he wants to marry you. That tells you what kind of a man he is.”

  But is that good or bad? Julie wondered.

  Outside Julie’s parents’ house, parked just far enough to be out of view, James sat in his car and stared up the hill. Could his luck be that good that Julie didn’t remember a thing? With a little perseverance, would it be possible to convince her that it was her own selfish actions that made her end up in the water?

  He squinted his eyes and watched. There were still people on the street, even though the sun was setting. Most people would have been exhausted from a flight down to Long Beach, then a helicopter flight to Catalina Island, then back to the airport in Long Beach, making it home to San Francisco just to see the sun setting, but not James. He felt invigorated.

  “I dare her to try and leave again,” he mumbled. “I’ll catch her. I’ll stay here all night to make sure she stays put.” Folding his arms across his massive chest, he snuggled into the car seat.

  James remembered when he had a problem with another girl he dated. She wasn’t nearly as strong-willed as Julie. That girl cried a lot. Every time James told her she was doing something wrong, which was quite often, she would break down into tears. It drove him mad until he figured out how to make a game of it.

  It was simple really. When she did something he didn’t like, he would scold her and count the seconds in his head to see how long it would take him to make the tears start running. His personal best was nine seconds.

  He didn’t really lose much sleep when their relationship ended. He told her in the middle of a restaurant in between bites of steak and sips of iced tea that he could no longer tolerate her sudden, irrational outbursts. She cried again and begged him to tell her what she was doing wrong. It was then that he realized that there were women who would put up with anything if there were a fortune waiting at the end.

  Laughing at the memory of this girl, James tried to remember her name, but couldn’t. She was no different from any of the other girls he dated whose names he had completely forgotten. But Julie was different.

  It was her weird way of looking at things that had attracted James at first. She didn’t seem to notice she had money or that he did either. But, after a while, he became suspicious of her holier-than-thou attitude. Did she really believe all that junk? God has a plan, she liked to say. Clenching his teeth, James felt himself getting angrier and angrier. What kind of a God prompted a girl to run away, to practically kill herself instead of come with the man who will marry her? No. Julie was selfish and made him look and feel like a chump. It wasn’t going to happen again. He would make sure of that.

  “Thank you, Danielle. You have no idea how grateful I am,” Mark hung up the phone and looked at Mrs. Carter.

  “From the length of that conversation and the look on your face, I’d say you didn’t get good news.”

  Mark swallowed hard.

  “I think Julie is in real danger. Not just a breaking off of a wedding but real physical danger.”

  “So her prince charming is all the things she said?”

  “Worse,” Mark looked out the window of the car. “Danielle said when Julie went missing, James called her. He had made it so Julie couldn’t really see Danielle anymore. So when Julie went missing, his first instinct was to check with Danielle. He called her phone over and over. He never left a message, but when she did answer, he yelled and screamed and threatened her.”

  “Really,” Mrs. Carter said, looking down her nose as if she were studying something that was spoiled.

  “Danielle said that she had seen James be verbally abusive to Julie. He’d get her in his car and scream at her. If she were late or had gone to a different place for lunch than she had originally told him, Danielle said the guy would go ballistic, arms flying in all directions, his face beet red, all the while demanding Julie explain herself.”

  “That poor girl, how long has she been with this man?”

  “It’s funny you ask that because Danielle said everyone liked him at first. He was a little strange, she said, but people with his kind of money usually are. They don’t want to be taken advantage of. But Danielle said Julie was not like that. She was literally an angel, a kind, sweet girl who wanted people to be happy. How does she deal with a guy whose only way of being happy is to make people miserable? Those are
Danielle’s words, not mine.”

  “No wonder Julie ran away. Her mother? Did Danielle say anything about her mother?”

  “Well that, too, didn’t seem to be very helpful. Danielle said the Petersons were from a certain side of the tracks. They didn’t approve of her friendship with their daughter but were unable to stop it since Julie lived at the dorm.” Mark wiped his forehead. He had suddenly become hot. “But Danielle said that it was money that really meant the most. She said she believed they loved their daughter, but sort of felt if they could marry her off to a rich man with a reputable name they wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore. And putting up with a little shouting or fussing was just part of marriage.”

  “Hmm. I doubt a woman with that much influence over her daughter’s life would take the “shouting or fussing” she was describing for one second.”

  Mrs. Carter slapped her fan open and began to fan herself.

  “My sister Mimi was a delicate flower to get her way and often tried to instruct the likes of me to follow suit. When told to back off and butt out, you can bet all of those southern manners and delicate ways flew right out the window. Do as I say, not as I do.” Closing up her fan, Mrs. Carter folded her arms across her chest.

  “Like my sister Mimi, I’d say Mrs. Peterson probably also requires a good swift kick on the backside. But, her backside may not be as ample as my sister’s.”

  “Danielle gave me her address.”

  Mark looked nervous, maybe even a little scared.

  “Mark. You’ll let me come with you, right? Promise you will not go alone.”

  “I’m just going to stop by. I promise I won’t kick the door down or scream her name like a stalker outside her house. I’m just going to act like I was in the neighborhood and find out if she’s alright.”

  Mrs. Carter cleared her throat.

  “Mark, I just want to put this out there, but have you considered the possibility that perhaps Julie changed her mind and willingly went back to this man?”

  Mark shifted in his seat and looked directly at Mrs. Carter.

  “Why would she go back to a guy like this?”

  “Because, the sad truth is money can be a powerful persuader.”

  Mark tugged at the lace of his left shoe that was resting on his right knee. He couldn’t believe it, but yet the possibility did cross his mind. Perhaps he was being played. Like he had put it all out there for Kimberly and she just handed it right back, maybe Julie was going to do the same thing. Maybe it was all an act, and she was just lonely after a tiff with her big, rich fiancé. Mark said nothing but looked out the window.

  “Then she’ll have to tell me to my face,” he said without looking at Mrs. Carter. She didn’t see the tears in his eyes, but she knew they were there. They continued to drive in silence.

  Chapter 9

  “So what is this special place?” Julie asked her mother as they drove in a spotless tan Mercedes convertible. The palm trees along the road towered majestically. The sky was a sharp blue that hurt Julie’s blue eyes to look at. The sun was warm on her shoulders, but Julie found herself wondering what it would be like to be bundled up in a thick winter coat under a smooth gray sky with her breath puffing out in front of her as she spoke. For some reason, it sounded very inviting.

  “Do you really want me to ruin the surprise?”

  “If it is like our first stop of the morning yes, I’d like it if you prepared me.”

  Their first stop was the plush yet sterile office of Doctor Victor Channing.

  “He’s just going to check you out, honey. It won’t hurt.”

  Doctor Channing was a specialist and expert in the field of head trauma. He was an older man who had received the benefits of plastic surgery a couple of times, making his eyes look permanently surprised. His teeth were perfectly even and white, and he wore a gold pinky ring with a lovely diamond that winked at Julie every time the doctor moved his hand.

  After an hour and a half and a million questions, the doctor told Julie and her mother the news.

  “Hysterical amnesia. It is a form of memory loss that is often seen after a traumatic event, even without a knock on the noggin.”

  “But I did get a bruise on my head after I woke up on the beach,” Julie rested her hand on the back of her head.

  “If you also suffered a concussion, that could magnify the effects of the amnesia,” Dr. Channing palpated the back of Julie’s head, searching for signs of a swelling. “I don’t feel anything there now.”

  “So, my brains are still in the right place. But I can’t remember anything because of the concussion and because something is so bad I don’t want to remember it.” Julie looked at the doctor angrily, feeling even more helpless than she had when she got up this morning.

  “Sort of,” he said kindly, sensing her distress. “The mind is an amazing thing. If it feels you need to be protected from something, it can shut certain parts of itself down.”

  “A waking-coma,” Julie thought of Cindy’s joke and almost laughed. She wanted to call her immediately and tell her she wasn’t actually that far off in her diagnosis. “When will my mind start back up again? When will the pieces snap back into place?” Julie wanted to cry but bit down hard on her tongue without anyone noticing. The thick, dull sensation made her feel a little bit more like herself. She had used this method of controlling her emotions before. She wasn’t happy about that revelation at all. After the stories James had told her about how she had behaved, maybe she did this for attention or any time someone was about to tell her NO. She stopped biting. She didn’t want to be that mean girl, whether she could remember her or not.

  “I’m afraid I have no answer for that,” Dr. Channing said. “It could take months, even up to a year.”

  Back in the car traveling down the road, Julie waited for her mother’s answer.

  “Well, you need to have a final fitting with your maid-of-honor.”

  Julie wanted to scream but thought that was how she would normally act. That spoiled brat was not going to come back. Julie was going to be a whole new woman if she had to reinvent herself from the ground up. She sniffed a little as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. She nodded her head as if accepting the fate and managed a weak little smile.

  They pulled up to a valet in front of a fancy looking building with a gold plated speaker box in front of it. The name said Savannahs.

  As the car stopped and Julie climbed out, she heard a voice calling from down the street.

  “Julie! Julie! Hey girl!” a full figured black haired beauty climbed out of an adorable black Fiat waving and smiling. Her smile was contagious, and Julie felt she had seen it before.

  The young girl was quickly hustling in her pumps up the curb. She handed another valet her keys and took her ticket, then came rushing toward Julie. It was right on the tip of Julie’s tongue, but she couldn’t spit it out until the young lady began to laugh. It was a whooping, wild-sounding noise, like an exotic bird that might be about five feet tall. It was like a warm hug. Julie remembered it.

  “Hi, Margaret!” she waved as Margaret remained seated in the car. “Hi, Julie! You look wonderful! I’m so glad to see you!”

  Julie flashed the woman a polite smile, even though she had no recollection of who she was. “That’s so sweet of you to say that.”

  “Hi, Brenda. Julie this is Brenda, your maid-of-honor.”

  Brenda rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “I’m so stupid. Here I am, charging at you like you were a two hundred dollar pair of shoes on clearance for ninety percent off, not even thinking you might not remember me,” she said putting her plump hand against her chest. “Brenda Sax. Our moms have been friends for years.”

  “We’ve known each other a long time have we?”

  Brenda’s eyes softened, and she smiled a wide contagious smile. Julie smiled back a little and then nearly started laughing. She did know this young lady. The beginning of recognition tickled inside her chest.

  �
��When we were kids we said we’d always be in each other’s wedding. And you’ll be happy to know I’ve dropped seven pounds. Yes, my goal was fifteen, but every time I shed two pounds, I celebrated with some ice cream, so I still think I gave it a good old college try.”

  “You don’t need to lose an ounce. You look beautiful,” Julie said, hoping she had nothing to do with Brenda’s motivation to diet. Julie would punish herself if she were guilty of suggesting Brenda lose weight before the wedding. Apparently her selfishness knew no bounds.

  “That’s exactly what you said when I told you I was going to drop some weight. Those exact same words.”

  Slipping her sunglasses back on, Margaret put the car in gear.

  “You girls have a good time. I’ll meet up with you in about an hour.”

  “Where are you going?” Julie asked nervously. How could her mom ditch her like this?

  “I’m sorry, dear, but I’ve just got to make an appearance at Kitty Holdsdale’s tea party. I won’t be long. I called ahead, and the girls inside will know exactly what to do. Brenda will take good care of you, won’t you Brenda?”

  “Of course, Margaret,” she slipped her arm through Julie’s and gave her a gentle squeeze. “We’ve got so much to talk about. Don’t you worry, Julie. I’ll help you get some of that memory back.”

  Julie watched as her mother quickly pulled away from the curb and into traffic without even glancing back. What was going on? She looked at Brenda and forced a smile.

  “Don’t worry,” Brenda said in a much quieter tone. “You and I have been friends for a long time. Memory or not, that will never change. Just take your time. I’ll wait.” Brenda’s smile was kind and genuine, making Julie want to cry. But instead, she took a deep breath, squeezed Brenda’s hand back and rolled her eyes.

  “So tell me, Brenda. Did I pick out ugly bridesmaid dresses?”

  Brenda let out a laugh that echoed through the lobby of Savannahs. They told the receptionist they were the Peterson party and were quickly whisked away to the VIP area on the third floor of the three-story building. Once the elevator opened up, the sweet smell of lavender filled the air. A tall, thin woman with eyes set a little too close together and a smile that was picture perfect at every angle greeted them enthusiastically.