Page 40 of Remember Me
The snark-meister twirls her pen, then points it at me like a poison dart. “You owe me an apology.”
Still battling tears, I narrow my eyes at her. “Excuse me?”
She sneers. “Seriously? When you heard I was marrying Phineas, a congratulations was in order.”
My breath hitches; my blood heats. I need to get away from this witch!
I feel myself about to hyperventilate. My chest tightens; my pulse quickens; my breaths grow rapid. Just in time, Finn returns with a bottled water. He twists off the cap and hands it to me. I thank him. Lifting it to my lips, I gulp it down, not realizing how parched I was. The cool beverage quenches my thirst and calms me.
“How do you feel?” Finn asks as I set the almost depleted bottle down on the coffee table.
“Better, thanks.”
“Good. I’ll show you to the guesthouse.”
Kayla looks up from what she’s reading. “Seriously, darling, she’s a teacher. She’s supposed to be smart. Don’t you think she can find the guesthouse all by her itty bitty self?”
Ignoring her, Finn helps me to my feet. His touch zaps me like a bolt of lightning. The electricity palpable. It obliterates the toxicity.
“Thanks,” I murmur, every hair standing on end, my skin prickling.
His hand moves to my lower back. “C’mon.”
Kayla shoots Finn a dirty look. “You need to stop procrastinating. We have a lot of ground to cover.” Then, she looks at me dismissively. “I suppose I’ll go fix myself a Bellini in the meantime.”
“Fine.” Finn stabs the word at her as she stands.
She, in turn, stabs a kiss on his cheek, one watchful eye on me, waiting for me to react.
Mine.She doesn’t have to say it for me to hear the heart-piercing word.
I want to spit the word back at her. But in my weakened, nauseated, still-in-shock state, I don’t have the wherewithal. I force myself not to show any emotion, focusing on holding back tears. And not throwing up.
Finn leads the way out. I drag my feet as if I’m wading through mud.
Kayla’s tart voice trails us. “Darling, please make it snappy. We’ve also got wedding plans to go over.”
Suddenly, the floor turns to quicksand and I’m sinking fast.
CHAPTER 24
Skye
The guesthouse is located in the rear of the vast property and has a view of the ocean. It’s a lot older than the main house. A charming Craftsman bungalow. With its gray-blue siding, white trim, and gabled roof, it resembles the house we lived in years ago. A garden of lavender and succulents surrounds it. The scent of the wild purple flowers mixes with the salty sea air, creating an intoxicating perfume. Finn escorts me up the four steps to the porch, then turns the knob of the front door; it’s unlocked. Pushing it open, he ushers me inside, his fingers still splayed on the small of my back.
I step straight into a narrow entrance that separates a cozy living room with a fireplace from a dining area. A staircase in the middle leads to a second level. The dark hardwood floors glisten and the white paint on the walls smells fresh.
“I hope you like it,” he says. “It’s the original house that sat on this property. One of the oldest in Malibu. It’s what drew me here. It dates back to the early twenties. It reminds me a lot of the house I shared with my late wife.”
It more than reminds me of the house we shared. It’s furnished with all the furniture we bought from Crate & Barrel along with our flea market finds and some of Finn’s early paintings. Memories of our old life swarm my mind. I mentally try to swat at them, but they buzz like a circle of flies in summer. I can’t make them go away.
“It’s small but functional,” Finn continues as the buzz in my head overwhelms me. “Your bedroom and a small study areupstairs.” I briefly glance up. “Rosita stocked the refrigerator with food. I hope you’re not a vegan. And I bought a Keurig for you to make coffee.”
“Thank you,” I mutter. “That’ll be fine.”
“Of course, you’re always welcome to share meals with us in the main house.”
I thank him again.