Do You Remember(21)

I laughed, and he rewarded me with a smile that made his entire face light up. “Listen, Tess, I’m happy to help you pick out a computer if you’d like. But what I’d really like to do is take you to dinner tonight.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and I still remember how he was shaking a bit. “So… what do you say?”

I will never forget how happy he looked when I said yes. His expression will stay with me forever. Or the way he looked into my eyes when he asked me to marry him. It’s all so vivid.

Yet I can’t seem to remember my freaking wedding day. How is that possible?

“Tess?” Camila squeezes my shoulder, bringing me back to the present. “Are you okay?”

“No.” I swallow down a lump in my throat. “Please take me to the dog park. Now.”





Chapter 12


I don’t say one word to Camila as we’re driving to the dog park.

She left all the groceries behind at the supermarket. I was too upset to wait for her to finish shopping and go through check out. I needed to get to the dog park immediately. I needed to know the truth.

While I’m sitting in the car, I shoot off more text messages to the number scribbled on my arm:



I’m on my way to the dog park.



Don’t leave.



I’m almost there. Please don’t leave.



The entire day, every time I sent a text, a reply came almost instantly. But there’s no reply to any of these text messages. It’s like there’s nobody on the other line at all.

I don’t understand it.

I google the name Harrison Finch. I brace myself for a Facebook page featuring a picture of Harry with his arm around some beautiful woman. But nothing comes up. There’s no mention of Harrison Finch anywhere. It gives me hope. Some.

Camila pulls into a spot next to the dog park. I’ve got my phone gripped in my right hand and I’m afraid to look up. Because in my heart, I know what I’m going to see.

“Tess?” Camila says.

I raise my eyes. The dog park is a stone’s throw away from the car. All the people I saw at the park earlier have left. It’s empty.

But Harry was there earlier. I know it.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and leap out of the car. I sprint over to the gate enclosing the dog park. My fingers wrap around the cool metal wires, which dig into my skin. I stare into the empty space. Harry isn’t there.

Was he ever there?

I don’t know anymore.

Is Camila right? Is Harry really gone from my life? Has he already left the state? Is he married to another woman, his time with me a distant memory?

“Tess…”

I turn around. It wasn’t Camila who said my name this time. It was Graham. My husband, apparently. He’s standing in front of me, still wearing the expensive gray suit that fits him like a glove, holding Ziggy’s leash, the locks of his sand-colored hair tousled by the wind. He offers me a hopeful smile.

“Camila texted me to come here with Ziggy,” he explains.

Ziggy is straining at his leash. He licks my hand excitedly. I run my hand over his fur, and instantly, I feel better. Dogs are magical. I don’t know what I would’ve done today without him.

“I thought we could let Ziggy play in the dog park a bit,” he says. “I’ll let Camila go home early and we could spend some time here.”

I look over at Camila, who is watching us from the car. I wonder how many times in the last year Graham has driven home early to make sure I was okay. I wonder how many times I’ve freaked out at the supermarket.

I wonder how many text messages I’ve imagined from Harry.

“Tess?” Graham furrows his brow. “What do you say?”

I run my hand over Ziggy’s head. “Yes. That sounds nice.”





Chapter 13


Graham and I end up having a great afternoon at the dog park.

He brought a rubber ball for Ziggy. The two of us take turns throwing it, and Ziggy brings it back for us. Although it’s hard not to notice that my dog is not a fan of Graham. No matter which one of us throws the ball, he always brings it back to me.

“He doesn’t like men,” Graham explains.

I laugh. “Really? Why not?”

“Well,” he says thoughtfully, “I think he wants to be the only man in your life. I can’t blame him.”

Ziggy trots back to me with the now sopping wet ball. I toss it underhanded across the enclosed area. “Tell me something interesting about yourself,” I say to Graham.

“Hmm. Let’s see.” He taps his chin, and I’m pleased he has to think about it. Maybe this isn’t something I ask him every single day. “I’m ambidextrous. Is that interesting?”

“A little. What else?”

“Um… I can do a superb French accent.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “Really?”

“Oui, mademoiselle. This iz the true.”

I allow myself to laugh at Graham’s truly terrible French accent. “Do you speak French?”

“No. Just English. I’m not cultured.”

“Me too. Just English.”

“I know.”

My smile slips. “Oh. Yeah, I guess you know most things about me.” Ziggy runs up to me and deposits the moist ball in my hand. I give it to Graham so he can have a turn throwing it. My fingers briefly brush against his, and I can’t tell if he notices. “What was our wedding like?”