While it Lasted
(2014)
Waiting was hard work. Nora took another sip of her smoothie and grinned despite herself at the unusual flavor. “Strawberry,” she repeated. Even as she scanned the street again, she made a mental note to take a strawberry plant back with her when she went home. She could even try tending it herself for a while; then, if it looked hopeless, she could always turn it over to Minerva, the royal gardener.
Suddenly a taxi pulled up at the curb of the building across the street. It was rush hour traffic, and an entire symphony of horns blared with the displeasure of their drivers as the street-side door opened. The first person out was a slender woman, a brunette who dropped a flirtatious wink in the general direction of oncoming traffic. The curbside door opened as the brunette leaned back into the car.
Nora exhaled slowly and tuned her hearing to the voice of the man who got out of the other door.
“You really are nuts,” Greg said, slamming the door he’d just opened. “Hurry up and get out of the street, will you?”
Nora put down the dollar bill she’d been fiddling with since she sat down. She swallowed hard as she stood up, not even noticing the delicious aftertaste this time. Settling her purse automatically on her shoulder, she stepped out from under the awning of the little café she’d been waiting in and began studying traffic, as if looking for an empty taxi to hail.
She didn’t blame her mother for giving her this assignment. She had spent more time with Greg than anybody else on Paradise Island, so it was only natural that if he could forget her, he could forget the entire week he’d spent there. And he had to forget, for the safety of everyone on the island. She just wished she could forget him.
Knowing her mother would ask too many questions if she suggested giving the assignment to someone else, Nora had said nothing. But she’d regretted her silence all during the flight over, while shopping for clothes, while she’d tried to sleep last night on the hard hotel mattress… She never should have let him kiss her.
Just then, Greg looked up. Nora deliberately made eye contact with him. The twitch she was expecting came. And that was that. He’d recognized her, but come up empty when he tried to remember who she was or where he knew her from. For him, it was gone. It had never happened. Nora made a move to turn away, then froze where she stood. Something was wrong.
As she watched, Greg’s expression changed from a politely frustrated frown to a full-blown scowl. And the brunette had said nothing. She was, in fact, taking her time going through her purse, still standing in the street, blocking traffic. Greg was still staring at Nora.
Nora forced herself to breathe. It made no sense. Why wasn’t he moving on? It only took one look to trigger the memory blocking drug he’d imbibed in the farewell meal her mother had given him. Even as she began rummaging through the files in her mind, searching for an answer to what was going on, she saw him start to fall.
Heedless of the start-stop traffic going both ways, she dashed across the street. By the time she reached his side, she had an entire concerto of her own played for her on angry horns. Arriving just in time to catch him, she fell with him, carefully controlling their descent to the hard sidewalk. If only they were on the island! She could have picked him up and run to the hospital! Here she could only cradle his head in her arms and frantically try to figure out what had gone wrong. Even if they got him to a local hospital, here they could do nothing for him.
“Nora?” he asked, blinking up at her. “What’s happening?”
“Hey! What are you doing to him?”
Nora ignored the brunette’s indignant question. “Easy Greg,” she murmured. It was all she could force through the rapidly tightening muscles of her throat. Even if they hadn’t begun attracting a crowd, she was not sure she could have explained what she had suddenly remembered.
One in, what, a million? Yes, that seemed right. One in a million had the ability to withstand the memory drug. It was unheard of in anyone not of royal blood, but, now that she thought to look for it, she could see the resemblance. Her aunt, Dianna, had left Paradise Island almost a hundred years ago. Greg had inherited her beautiful blue eyes.
“Why do you want me to forget you, Nora?” he asked. When she did not respond he asked, “Can you hear me?” His voice was weakening.
“Yes, I hear you. You must forget me. Please, I…you’ll die if you don’t.” She abandoned trying to explain the source of her fears and got straight to the point.
“I suppose I should’ve known there was a catch. To leaving the island.”
Nora repressed the smile that sprang to her lips at his attempted chuckle.
“But I don’t want to forget.”
Nora looked down at the hand slowly curling around hers. “You have to forget for now.” She threw up a wall between her heart and her mind. “Just for a while. Until I can find a way to bring your memory back.”
“Or I’ll die. Not much of a choice, is it?” He was silent for a moment, just trying to breathe. “Promise you’ll try?” His voice was so weak that she had to lean closer to hear him over the remarks the spectators were making.
“I…” She hesitated. She’d never lied before. Would she be convincing enough?
“Promise me!” he demanded. “I was a fool to leave you, but I won’t be a double-dyed fool, willing to just forget you and let it go at that.”
“I promise.” She felt a growing despair as he went limp in her arms. Had he acquiesced too late?
“I said, what are you…” The brunette stepped angrily forward, not accustomed to being ignored.
“Knock it off, Beat,” Greg’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “What’s it take for a guy to get a little sleep around here?”
Beat, or Beatrice as her mother had named her, frowned down at him. Was he kidding?
“Are you all right, sir?” Nora asked. She had left her hand in his and could feel the strength returning to his lifeless muscles.
“Yeah, sure,” he struggled to his feet. “Just a slight case of a nervous breakdown,” he grinned at her as he brushed himself off. “Thanks for making the catch,” he added, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.
“I’m just glad you’re all right,” she returned politely. She did not allow her hand to linger in his this time. A clean break was best. For them both. After she returned to Paradise Island, she’d never see Greg again. “Goodbye.”