Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“The landing was just as bad as the takeoff,” she commented, as Josh smoothly taxied to the area where we would offload, making me grin.
It was a quick trip to the rental car counter before heading down to Arcola. But first, I stopped and bought a phone for Mallory. I hadn’t had a chance to head back into town to buy her one in Montana. I didn’t plan on us separating, but just in case, I wanted her to be able to call me, and vice versa.
“How do I remember how to use an iPhone?” Mallory asked, glancing in my direction while at a stoplight.
I shrugged. “Does any of this look familiar to you?”
Looking around, Mallory sighed. “Nothing.”
“It’s what…about three hours to Arcola?”
“Yes,” she said as she set the phone on the console so I could see the map. I’d have to introduce her to CarPlay later.
“Are you hungry? We can stop somewhere and get something to eat.”
“Now that you said something, I am hungry.”
“There’s a good pizza place I’ve been to before. We could go there. Have some good ol’ deep-dish Chicago pizza.”
“You’ve been to Chicago before?” she asked.
“Once, a friend of mine from college lives here.”
Turning toward me, she asked, “Are you going to let him know you’re in town?”
“Nah, we haven’t spoken in years, and last I heard, she was married with kids.”
“Oh,” she said, facing forward in her seat again. “It was a friend friend.”
I chuckled. “I won’t lie and say I wasn’t attracted to her, until I found out she preferred women over men. We were tight all through college. I went to her wedding and met her wife. From what I could tell, they were very much in love. We slowly drifted apart after she married.”
“That’s sad. I say you give her a call. Maybe we can all go out to dinner.”
“We’ll see. For now, we need to concentrate on finding out more about Mallory Wilson.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Mallory
“This is a cute little town,” Liam said as we drove down the main street of Arcola.
My heart raced in my chest as I looked at all the unfamiliar buildings. Nothing was coming back to me. Nothing at all.
Liam pulled into a Best Western and parked the rental. “MaryAnne booked us a room for a few nights; I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is,” I replied, getting out of the rental and reaching into the backseat for my small suitcase. I didn’t even have a purse. But why would I? I had nothing to put in it. I knew I could drive, but did I have a driver’s license?
We walked into the lobby, and I glanced around as Liam went to the front desk. Turning, I followed him. The older woman behind the counter greeted us both.
“What brings you to Arcola?” she asked, typing something into the computer.
I exchanged a look with Liam, who shrugged. He was leaving it up to me with how much I wanted to tell people. So…I went for it. “We’re here to figure out who I am.”
The woman’s head snapped up, and she stared at me. “I’m sorry. Did you say you’re here to figure out who you are?”
Nodding, I said, “I had an accident, and I have amnesia. The only thing I’ve found out so far is that I grew up here with my grandmother.”
Her eyes turned sympathetic. “Oh, that’s terrible. I hope you’re able to find some answers.”
“So are we,” Liam agreed.
After we checked in and put away some items, we decided to go to one of the two storage facilities in town. According to Liam, the first place we went to didn’t look very much like a storage facility.
“If you left anything at this place, I’d hazard a guess it’s gone.”
I shrugged. “What if I was broke and it was all I could afford?”
“That’s possible.”
Turned out, there wasn’t anything rented under the name Mallory Wilson.
“If we hurry, we can get to the other place before they close,” Liam stated as we both slipped into the rental car.
We pulled up fifteen minutes before they closed.
“I expect we’re not going to get much information out of them here, either. You don’t have any ID.”
I sighed as Liam opened the door and waited for me to walk in. He was right, it was a long shot.
Behind the counter, an older woman stood. Her gray hair was pulled up in a neat bun, and she appeared to be in her early- to mid-sixties. I steeled myself for a round of questions and held my breath when she looked up.
“Mallory! You’re back from Chicago already?”
I froze and stared at her as Liam reached my side.
“You know me?” I asked, shocked.
The woman frowned. “Of course I do! What are you doing back in Arcola? It’s only been, what…close to two months since you moved?”
She moved her gaze to Liam and grinned. “And who’s this handsome man you’ve brought with you?”