Charming Memory

by E L Bossert

  “I’ll pick her up at eight-thirty.” Sarah left for breakfast with her family.

  There were still a couple of hours to enjoy the morning. During breakfast, Jamie and Boo talked quietly. Neither acknowledged that Jamie had joined Boo on the patio the night before.

  “I’m sorry, I never asked—what kind of work do you do?” Boo’s face furrowed as she sorted through her memory of the previous day’s conversations. “Bryan said at dinner last night that he’s an accountant in town. We drove past your office yesterday. You said you have a family business.”

  Jamie needed to make a decision about what to tell Boo and when. The house was devoid of clues about her work. She kept her home separate for herself and for Max. At his age, Max did not understand her job. He occasionally traveled to location with her, but was too young to understand or even remember much. To him it was simply a long play date with other kids of the people working on the set. Jamie carefully tucked away the awards and honors in her office. There was also a pile of scripts waiting to be read for a decision about her next project.

  “I’m taking a bit of break from work right now. An extended vacation if you will. Shon will be in the office if you need them. Just give them a call and they will come up to the house. I have someone who helps me take care of Max when I travel, but I like time alone with Max when I have a break.” Jamie expertly evaded the real topic Boo had asked about.

  “Oh, sorry, am I interrupting your family time? I can find someplace else to stay.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean I like to give Max my attention and re-charge my own batteries. When I’m here I don’t like to think about or talk about work much. Max will only be a child for a short time. It will fly by and I don’t want to miss it.”

  “Sarah and Bryan and their kids are great. Your parents live in town but are away? Will they be back soon?”

  “Yes, they’ll be back next week. My mother is a semi-retired lawyer, meaning she is as busy as ever, mostly doing pro-bono work for the women’s shelter and a few community groups. My father is a retired minister. He created a community garden with the women and children at the shelter. The kids there love him. He’s like a grandfather figure. They are in Florida right now with my aunt, Dad’s sister, who isn’t doing very well.”

  Max walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his un-splinted hand. He went directly to his mother for a morning snuggle, then to Boo, who lifted him onto her lap. Max had adjusted to his temporary one-handed state and started to eat the bagel and omelet in front of him with his uninjured hand, not realizing it was Boo’s breakfast plate.

  A warm rush filled Jamie’s body as she looked at the scene across the table. Max was the love of her life. Boo was starting to affect her in ways she did not expect.

  SARAH ARRIVED PROMPTLY at eight-thirty to pick up Boo. They barely made it to the highway before Sarah spoke in a serious tone.

  “Look, you saved Max and we all appreciate that. A lot. But Jamie can be...impulsive.” Sarah wanted to say my sister can be stupid but censored herself, adding instead, “I will not let anyone hurt my sister. Not on my watch.”

  Although Sarah did not make an outright accusation aimed at Boo, given the ferocity of her tone, she did not have to.

  Boo thought about Sarah’s point of view. A stranger in her sister and nephew’s house would definitely seem like a possible threat. Or, maybe, Sarah saw Jamie sleeping outside on the patio next to her and was suspicious of Boo.

  “I really don’t want to cause any problems for Jamie or you. If you think it’s best, I’ll ask the nurse again if I can stay with her for a while, until I can make better arrangements.”

  “That might be easier on all of us. I don’t want to see Max get attached to you and hurt when you leave. Eventually you’ll remember your name and go home. You have another life somewhere.” Sarah was clearly intent on saving her sister.

  The remainder of the drive to the hospital was filled by tense silence.

  “YOU FUCKIN’ WHAT? YOU told her to find someplace else?” Jamie could not remember ever being this angry with her sister. “You take your sorry ass over to the hospital right now and apologize. No! You fucking stay away from her. And me, too, for now. This is unbelievable. I will fix it myself. Don’t you fucking...” Jamie hung up on her sister, immediately dialing Boo’s cell phone, hoping it was turned on.

  “Hello?”

  “Boo,”—Jamie calmed herself, lowering her voice—“I just spoke to Sarah. She told me what she said to you. She was way out of line. It is not true. I want you here,” Jamie told the truth more clearly than she intended. “Max wants you here.”

  “Thank you, Jamie. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to come between you and Sarah. She’s right. Maybe it’s unfair to Max if he becomes attached to me and then I remember everything and leave.”

  “I will pick you up as planned.” Jamie took a deep breath and exhaled. “Please? Let’s talk before you make other plans. My sister is over-protective and there are reasons. I’ll explain if you give me a chance. Please?” Jamie was on the verge of outright pleading.

  “Okay. I don’t want to be a source of problems for anyone.”

  “Great. Just text or call me when you are done with your appointments.” Jamie ended the call before Boo could change her mind.

  SEEING BOO WALK OUT of the physical therapy clinic, it was all Jamie could do not clinch the woman into a relieved embrace. She let Max deliver his customary leap into Boo’s arms instead. Max had insisted on coming with her. Although Jamie hoped she would not need the emotional advantage in order to convince Boo to come home with them, she knew that resisting Max’s enthusiasm would be futile.

  Fortunately, it seemed as if Boo had forgotten the earlier conversation with Sarah. Boo climbed in the SUV without discussion. They stopped for take-out and pre-lunch ice cream on the way out of town.

  “What did the doctor and PT have to say?” Jamie inquired while licking the ice cream cone in one hand and driving with the other.

  “No real change. They are pleased with my progress.” Boo licked a drip from the side of her cone. “I said something to the doctor about Marco reminding me of my nephew. When the doctor asked me his name, I said Michael. Didn’t think about it. Just said it. Doctor said that would happen. I would just say things without thinking—an automatic response. I guess that’s a big clue, I have a nephew, so I must have a sibling, so someone must be looking for me. I hope.” Boo was notably cheerier talking about the prospect of finding her family.

  Jamie barely suppressed a grin watching Boo intently licking the ice cream cone, then reminded herself silently to get a grip on her growing feelings of attraction.

  AFTER LUNCH, BOO READ Max a story and tucked him in for a nap. When she returned to the kitchen, she was pleased to find Jamie still at the table. The intense warmth of Boo’s eyes caused Jamie to look away.

  “Is everything okay?” Boo asked, concerned she had offended her host.

  “How about naptime, then we’ll talk?” Jamie had been caught reflecting on when and how to tell Boo the truth, or at least more of it. She was not ready, yet.

  Boo nodded her head and retreated to the guest room. Jamie made her way outside to lay down on the chaise on the patio where she slept the night before. Drifting off to sleep, she tried to gauge her feelings and what to tell Boo about her life.

  Chapter Seven

  MAX WOKE UP FROM HIS nap and went to the kitchen to find his mother.

  “Can I go in the pool?”

  “Yes, put on your swim shorts and a sun shirt, please. We’ll re-tape your fingers and put a dry splint on after you get out.” Jamie sometimes allowed Max to skinny-dip, but the sun was intense today and his young skin would sunburn quickly. Plus, there was someone else in the house now.

  Max hurried to his room to change clothes. He ran back through the kitchen in a flash, heading out the door with Jamie a few steps behind.

  All Boo heard through the open door t
o the patio was a loud splash followed by a child’s screams. Five long strides later she dove into the pool before she was even fully awake. Seeing Max flailing in the middle of the pool, she swam underneath him, lifting him out of the water. A couple of quick kicks propelled their bodies to the side of the pool, where she placed Max safely on the ledge.

  “Are you okay?” Boo gasped for breath.

  “Again!” Max giggled as he jumped over her head into the pool.

  Jamie caught Boo’s arm before she could leave the side of the pool to save him again.

  “It’s okay, he can swim. He’s had lessons, and he has his floats on.”

  Only then did Boo see Max’s inflatable armbands. The flailing and screaming was playful, not an indication of distress. Boo relaxed her muscles, dropping her head against the side of the pool, embarrassed by her actions. She struggled slightly to lift her fully clothed body out of the water. Sitting on the edge of the pool, dripping, Boo’s shoulders sagged.

  “It’s okay,” Jamie reassured Boo, “you thought he was in trouble. You just wanted to help.” Jamie sat down next to Boo, dangling her legs in the cool pool water. “On the bright side, you can swim.”

  “I was dreaming. I was running through the woods trying to catch someone. But they were always just out of reach.” Boo’s eyes filled with tears.

  Jamie moved closer, putting an arm around Boo’s shoulders. Jamie felt the water dripping from Boo’s head.

  “Oh no, we weren’t supposed to let your bandage get wet. Your cut is still healing. We better take you to the doctor. We keep the pool clean, but any number of nasty things could be living in there.”

  “Damn...sorry. I guess I haven’t forgotten how to cuss. It does stings a bit. Sorry. I’m sure it will be fine until tomorrow. I don’t want you to have to drive back to town. Maybe Shon can take me when they go home and I’ll find a place to stay tonight.”

  “Alright...no.” Jamie pretended to be in control of the situation. “This is how it’s going down. I will ask Shon to come up from the office and watch Max. Then I’m taking you to the hospital for a dry bandage and make sure everything’s okay. Then we will come home, together, and all watch a nice quiet movie after dinner. Deal?”

  “Maybe I should put on some dry clothes first.” Boo lifted herself from the poolside and retreated to her room.

  As soon as Shon arrived and Boo emerged from a quick rinse in the shower and dressed, Jamie drove Boo to the hospital. Jamie parked by the service entrance and found one of the nurses from Boo’s previous stay. Even though she tried not to take advantage of her privilege too often, Jamie appreciated the special efforts staff made for her.

  “Good to see you again, Boo Charming,” the nurse winked. “When a nurse says that to you, it’s probably not a good thing. Let’s see what we have here.”

  The nurse slowly peeled off the wet bandage, revealing an irritated, bright red wound. She gently cleaned the cut, treated it with antibiotic, and put on a fresh bandage. Boo was released with strict instructions not to dive head first into the pool, or anything else for that matter, for at least another week.

  On the drive home, Jamie reached for Boo’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “I talked to Chief while you were in with the nurse. She said nothing turned up on the search of your fingerprints. There are some departments are not reliable about submitting everything or lose records, but she’s pretty confident you have been a very good person and never been incarcerated or arrested. She also said you are most likely not a police officer or other first responder. She’s looking into a couple of other databases.”

  “So I’m not a serial killer after all and just conveniently forgot that little detail. That’s good news.”

  Jamie grinned at the unwitting inside joke. She was chickening out of the talk she needed to have with Boo.

  “The doctor said personality does not change with this kind of memory loss. I am betting we’re all safe. Would you do me a favor and watch Max for a couple of hours while I go down to the office to work with Shon?”

  “Absolutely,” Boo responded without hesitation.

  JAMIE SPENT THE REMAINDER of the afternoon in the office with Shon. First, the two sorted through recent invitations for personal appearances, some of which Jamie would politely decline personally and some of which Shon would respond to on her behalf. Then, there were a couple of endorsement offers to consider. Jamie disliked giving endorsements, but the contracts were lucrative and kept her name in the public eye even when she was not actively making films.

  “What do you think about the car offer?” Jamie was on the phone with her agent for their weekly meeting. While her agent was savvy, in Jamie’s opinion he was sometimes too aggressive in pushing her brand image.

  “I think it’s a good one. Not risky. You would have to drive the car for at least a year, to make it look legit. I’ll ask for the specifics and timetable. What about the software startup?”

  Start-up and tech deals were difficult to judge. It was impossible to foresee which startup would tank and leave the endorser looking like a fool, and which would take off and make the endorser look like a genius. Either way, the companies had tons of money to throw around.

  “Let me think about it. I’ll have Shon do some research. They’re my tech genius. I’m too old to keep up with all this new stuff.” Jamie winked at Shon, who was across the desk taking notes.

  “Let me know which script you want a read for. We don’t want to pass up too many good ones or they’ll think you’ve retired and start looking elsewhere.”

  Jamie’s agent was pushing for her to commit to a new production soon. Although Jamie would have to admit that her agent was right and she needed to choose from the scripts on her desk, she was enjoying her time off. She liked setting her own schedule, and spending time with Max. Plus, right now, she did not want to leave until Boo had recovered and found her family.

  As if reading her mind, Jamie’s agent inquired, “Is there anything I need to be aware of? The story about Max faded within 24 hours. Thankfully Ray-Ray got himself arrested after a bar fight—all on video. Amaya broke up with her boyfriend and released a song about it two days later. The press moved on. But, there has been some gossip.”

  “Yes, the person who saved Max is staying with me. We don’t know her name or where she’s from. The police are working on it. The paparazzi seem to have lost interest for now. We haven’t seen anyone around.” Jamie let her tone convey her annoyance at the intrusion into what she considered her personal life.

  “Are you sure this is safe? This could be a stalker or a gold digger or someone...publicity is good, but we don’t want any additional bad publicity.”

  “Look, it’s all fine. She’s none of that. Do people even still say gold digger? I will let you know if I need something.” The implication that Max almost being killed was bad publicity irked Jamie. She finished the call quickly and turned to Shon. “I swear, I’ve had enough of people wanting to save me from Boo.”

  Shon said nothing but the look on their face let Jamie know that they agreed wholeheartedly in the sentiment.

  When Jamie returned home, she was greeted by the smell of marinara sauce simmering on the stove and bread warming in the oven. Boo and Max looked up from their dinner preparations with self-satisfied smiles.

  “Max said your favorite meal is spaghetti?” Boo looked hopeful.

  “I think what Max means is his favorite meal is spaghetti!” Jamie nuzzled her son’s ear and kissed him on the cheek, causing him to giggle. Then, before thinking, she kissed Boo’s cheek too. “I’m famished. Is it dinnertime?”

  Max carefully carried a large bowl of salad across the kitchen to the table. Boo delivered the pan of spaghetti while Jamie grabbed the bread out of the oven.

  “Looks like a feast. Are you sure you’re not a chef?” Jamie helped Max fill his plate.

  “We cheated. I found a cookbook on the shelf. I tried to use the computer but it has a password lock.
I guess I could have used my phone. I didn’t think about it.”

  Jamie felt guilty for keeping Boo isolated from the digital world. “I’ll write down my password in case you want to use the computer. And we’ll hook your phone into the wi-fi.”

  “Great, I’ll check my email later,” Boo stopped. “Oh, yea—do you think I have email?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not possible to avoid email these days. We can create a new account for you, if you want? Maybe your email name could be Boo dot Charming or something like that.”

  Dinner conversation was light, followed by watching an animated film about a lost fish, one of Max’s favorites. Max sat between his mother and Boo on the large sectional sofa in the TV room, alternately snuggling up to one and then the other. At one point tears fells from Boo’s eyes as she empathized with the sad, lost fish.

  “Which fish are you, Mom?” Max asked innocently at the end of the film.

  After a moment of panic, Jamie regained her composure.

  “I guess I would be the Momma fish. Now, it’s time for you to get ready for bed.”

  Jamie followed Max to his room. After reading a bedtime story and tucking him in, she returned to find Boo surfing channels on the TV. Fortunately Boo was watching a softball game on one of the sports channels. The odds of seeing something Jamie appeared in on this channel were extremely low.

  “Max requested that you to come say goodnight, if you feel like it. I told him that you’ve had a long day.”

  “Of course. I’d love to. I’ll be right back.”

  Jamie turned off the TV and grabbed the book sitting the end table, flipping the pages mindlessly until Boo returned.

  “I think I’ll head to bed too. Thanks for everything today. I’m sorry I caused you to make two trips to town. I’ll do my best to stay out of trouble tomorrow.”

  Boo’s shy look, her dimple accentuating her lips, caused Jamie’s heart to melt a little more.