What She Found in the Woods

‘I do,’ I say defensively.

Huge blush because I don’t remember his face, but the name is familiar. Whoever he used to be, he didn’t used to be this good-looking, or I definitely would have paid more attention to him. That and the meds I’ve been taking for a year have left gigantic gaps in my memory. I barely remember who I am most days, let alone some random guy I haven’t seen since puberty.

‘But it’s been years, and you’ve . . . filled out,’ I say, trying to turn my faux pas into a compliment. That seems to please him.

‘You never come here any more,’ he says, letting me off the hook. He already has a tan, and his teeth are white and straight as he grins at me. ‘I guess New York City is tough to leave.’

I’m nodding a lot. Too much. I must look like a bobble head.

‘You want to get coffee?’ he asks.

‘Yeah, but I think we’re about to have dinner,’ I say, turning to my grandma.

‘Oh, there’s plenty of time,’ Grandma says, pushing me towards Robert. ‘You go and enjoy yourself.’

She’s awfully eager. ‘Ah, OK,’ I say. I look down at what I’m wearing. Frayed shorts and a dirty T-shirt. ‘Let me wash up real quick? I was hiking.’

‘Hiking?’ Robert makes a face. ‘I still haven’t figured out why people do that.’

Something clicks in my head. ‘Rob! That’s right! You’re the kid who refused to go camping with all of us because you hate the woods. You always wanted to do something on the beach.’

He rolls his eyes. ‘Finally.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say sheepishly. ‘You’ve changed a lot.’

‘You haven’t.’ His eyes warm. He definitely means that as a compliment. Oh boy.

‘I’ll be right back,’ I say, bolting up the stairs before the silence can get any more fraught.

I strip down and rinse off, holding my long brown hair out of the shower spray as I turn a few times under it, and then I quickly towel off. It’s warm out, so I opt for one of my old sundresses. It’s a little tight around the bust and a little short along the hemline, but not egregiously so. I slip into flat sandals before I run out of my room. As I’m going downstairs, I feel a long-forgotten tube of lipstick in the pocket of my dress. On a whim, I swipe a bit of it over my lips. It’s the first time I’ve worn any kind of make-up in months.

Rob is sitting and talking with both my grandparents in a comfortable way. He looks up at me and grins. His eyes crinkle up when he does that.

‘I remember that dress,’ he says. ‘Fourth of July.’

I look down at the blue dress with the red whales embroidered on it. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I go along with it anyway.

‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ I tell my grandparents.

‘No rush,’ says Grandpa. ‘You two should catch up. Don’t worry about dinner.’

‘OK,’ I say uncertainly. ‘Bye.’

I’m frowning as we walk to Rob’s car. He opens my door for me, but I don’t get in just yet.

‘Did my grandparents call you and ask you to take me out?’ I ask.

‘Yes,’ Rob answers. I turn away from him and make for the house. He grabs my arm to stop me. ‘And I almost crashed my car twice, I was so excited to see you again.’

I breathe out a surprised laugh, and he laughs with me.

‘Yeah, so, that’s pretty much all my cards on the table,’ he mumbles. He realizes he’s still holding my bare arm and lets go.

‘What did they tell you when they called?’ I press.

His brow creases with concern. ‘They told me your parents are going through a brutal divorce, and you’re having a really hard time with it.’

I widen my eyes at him, urging him to continue.