The Memory Keeper: A Heartwarming, Feel-Good Romance(9)
“Just let me know when you all want to stop. And then let’s see how far we can get through the trip today before everyone gets too tired,” Liam said, as he surveyed the traffic in front of them. “If we have to break it into two days, we’ll need to get far enough out of town to even find a hotel with vacancies. They’ll be full for miles. And we’ll need to get a hotel that’s pet friendly.”
“Aw, that’s nice of you to think of Jerry,” Georgia said, “but you don’t have to worry about a pet-friendly hotel. I just hide him in my bag, and he sleeps until I get him to the room. No one will even know he’s there.”
Liam nodded, clearly unsure. “Hopefully we’ll get moving soon.”
Hannah pulled out her phone and opened her emails from Amanda, her assistant director on the design staff, who was filling in for her this week to keep things moving. Amanda had always been a great friend at the office, and Hannah knew she’d be fair and kind, so she’d given her a large number of duties on the spread Hannah was working on. The magazine was in very capable hands while Hannah was on vacation.
The first message was just telling Hannah they needed the signed permissions form from one of the photographers they’d freelanced in LA. She attached the file to her reply, the attachment struggling to upload with a patchy signal. Then she sifted through her other messages: budget approval needed for cropping and adjustment work on two of the images, deadline change request for the October shoot, suggested layout amendment on the lifestyles page… She fired off emails, one after another.
“How long since you’ve been back home?” Liam asked.
She clicked her phone off and set it in her lap.
“A few years,” she replied, “but it’s been much longer than that since I’ve actually seen anyone we knew. Most of my visits were quick—I flew home and saw Gran or my parents, and then left right away. I always had work demands…” Her excuse sounded flimsy now, coming off her lips. All the stress and rushing around seemed insignificant compared to not spending time with the people she cared about. “How about you?”
“I visit quite a bit,” he said. “I live in Charleston now…”
“Charleston? I expected you to be cutting records in Nashville.”
He offered a nostalgic chuckle. “No, I ended up going in a totally different direction. I went into business instead. And started a family… I have a son—his name is Noah.”
Hannah regarded him with interest.
“My mother gets antsy if we stay away too long.” The lines creasing at the corners of Liam’s eyes revealed his fondness for his mother.
“You have a son,” Hannah said, the word feeling strange in her mouth. A tiny piece of her remained grounded in their youth when she spoke to him, and it felt odd that they’d both gone through so much life between then and now.
“Yep. Noah’s four.” He looked over at her pleasantly, but there was another emotion lurking in his eyes that she couldn’t pinpoint. Hesitation of some sort. “Do you have any kids?” he asked.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head. She huffed out a soft laugh to keep from crying again.
“I don’t know why, but I imagined you’d have lots of kids,” he said.
“Really?”
“Yeah. You always had a very nurturing way about you.”
“Thanks,” she said, breathing in the happiness his comment had given her.
They fell into silence again when the traffic got heavy, and Hannah texted her mother to ask whether Gran could receive calls or texts. Her mother responded, telling her that Gran did, in fact, have her phone, and she’d probably love to hear from Hannah. So, with nothing but gridlocked traffic to keep her busy, Hannah texted Gran.
I’m on my way to see you, she typed. I’d call, but I’m in a car full of people from the airport. It was the only way I could get home in this storm.
Right away, Gran responded: I can’t wait to see you. Are you safe with those people in that car?
I think they’re fine, she typed. One is someone I grew up with in Franklin, and there’s a Chihuahua named Jerry in the backseat that’s wearing a light-blue sweater with “Angel” written on the back.
Gran came back with, I needed your humor. I miss you terribly. How are you? How’s Miles?
Hannah didn’t want to bring Gran’s spirits down in her state. She had to think about how to answer her honestly. I’m not sure, she typed back. I’ll fill you in when I get there.
Tell me now, Gran returned.
The very last thing Hannah wanted was to break down in the car with nowhere to go, but at the same time, it felt comforting to know Gran was there to listen. She’d been there through all of Hannah’s breakups growing up, and Gran had always had the best advice. I thought he was The One, she typed, but it turns out he isn’t. He’s a jerk. We broke up.
What happened? Gran asked.
She replied: I found him kissing another woman today. Just texting the words sent a flash of heat through her skin.
Today? My gracious. I’m so terribly sorry to hear that, dear, Gran texted. Remember this whenever it hurts, because it will for a while: It may not feel like it right now, but it’s just a step in the path to make you who you’re meant to be.
Gran was always saying things like that, but Hannah wasn’t sure she believed any of it anymore. Was there some sort of golden path they were all meant to take, or was her life just a collection of chance encounters, millions of variations, and possibilities? As a girl, she’d believed Gran when she’d said those kinds of things, but now it had become more difficult. Hannah considered her choices. Would she have been happier spending her mornings like she used to: reading in one of Gran’s porch rocking chairs, with a blanket over her bare legs to keep the morning chill off her skin before the sun filled the sky? Would she have been a different person if she’d stayed? Would she have been happier?