The Memory Keeper

Chapter 15

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Days passed, client after client, the nights lonely as Natalie shuffled the coals in the grate with the poker, sleeves folded to her elbows, trying not to look at the door every few minutes. Trying even harder not to think of Peter at all. She was not sure what she had done wrong, leading to Peter's mysterious abandonment. She could not help but think she had scared him off, not only by keeping his memories, but perhaps because he found these feelings toward each other unprofessional, and somehow wrong, because deep down, he still loved the girl he was forgetting. He was having seconds thoughts. But Natalie could not let him walk away. If not for her own sake, for his.

The next day, Natalie scribbled in her planner at a bistro in downtown Coldton. She sat inside, out of the cold, and sipped hot coffee. She had called on piper the night before, asking to meet, but it was already twenty minutes after the date time. Piper did not know Peter had not shown up for almost a week. But today, Natalie planned to tell her. She needed her help. The letter she had given him that last day in his neighborhood had clearly not helped.

Just when Natalie started gathering her journal and pencils, Piper walked through the door, looking tired. She found her in the clutter of tables and edged her way over, plopping in the seat opposite. She smelled of plant extracts and smoke, and her hair was piled hastily on the top of her head.

"Well, hi to you, too," Natalie said.

Piper picked up the coffee menu and scanned their specials. Wrinkling her nose, she said, "Eggnog coffee? That sounds... awful."

Natalie did not mention she had ordered that one. She took a deep breath, and explained everything to Piper. Her friend listened, brow narrowed at first, and then leaned back in her seat, looking uncomfortable. Even when the waitress came by, Natalie had to gesture to her before Piper even looked up.

She ordered her coffee half-heartedly, and when it was placed on the table in front of her, she cupped her hands around it and looked at the mind weaver, sitting straight in her seat as though Piper held all the answers to the universe. "Do I need to show up at his front door, then?"

"No, no." Natalie shook her head. "That is not what I need. My assistant showing up, forcing him to corporate. I want him to come back because he wants to. Because..." Then she explained, after Piper insisted, how she truly felt about Peter.

When she was done, she moved her empty cup out of the way and put her forehead to the table. Her friend cleared her throat. "Alright, you sad little cinnamon roll. Perhaps he has been busy. You may have upset him that day you went stalking his house."

The mind weaver cringed, looking miserable. "Was I stalking him?"

The witch laughed. "Yes. You were." She shook her head, looking amused. "It does not take much to get you going."

Natalie looked up. "My weakness is also my biggest strength." She stuck her tongue out, and then frowned. "Someone once told me that. But I cannot remember who..."

Piper downed her coffee. "Perhaps we could go on a walk?" She waited. "Stop looking like that. I won't let you sit here like this all day. There is always an explanation for everything, is there not?"

Suddenly, Natalie felt a pang of guilt, one so heavy, she felt like a clump of snow had fallen on her, and she was unable to move. She knew something, had knowledge she was sure Piper needed. She would not like it if Piper hid something this enormous from her. Yet she risked everything if the truth got out. A mind weaver's duty was not only to weave memories, but to ensure those memories would remain safe with herself and no one else. It was supposed to be confidential.

Still, she stood up, kicking her chair back. It squeaked across the wooden floor. "Yes, let's go on a walk."

She felt like someone had gripped her stomach while she and Piper headed out into the cold together, arms locked. This time, though she hesitated, she did not let herself stop altogether.