Free Forgetting August (Lost & Found) by J. L. Berg Page A

up with him, I nearly gasped. What had once been a warm, beautiful room was now full of dusty boxes, old papers, and god knew what else.
    “Your key?” he asked, turning around, his gaze searching the piles as if he were looking for something specific.
    What exactly, I wasn’t sure.
    “What is this?” I asked.
    “Oh, um—everything I could find in the attic. I brought it all down, hoping I could make sense of…well anything.”
    I stepped forward, picking up a sheaf of pages from the top of a stack. It was an old term paper from his days at Stanford. I held back the smile that wanted to break through, remembering what a brainiac he used to be.
    He wasn’t that August anymore. He wasn’t anything anymore.
    And I needed to get out of this situation.
    “Well, I wish you good luck with that,” I said politely, placing the key on the stack of papers.
    “This was my key to the house. I had it while you were—absent—just in case, but now that you’re back, well—there’s obviously no need. So I’m returning it to you. Also, if you could remove me as your power of attorney, now that you’re able—I would appreciate it.”
    His eyes met mine—those intense hazel eyes I’d fallen in love with at the tender age of eighteen, when life was easy and monsters were things of legend.
    “Good luck, August,” I said softly, before he had the chance to respond.
    It had turned out monsters came in all shapes and sizes—and right now, I needed to remember that.
    *  *  *
    Starting work in the wee hours of the morning had very few perks, aside from super fresh coffee, clear streets, and free afternoons.
    Today, I was thankful for one of those in particular as I clocked out at three and headed home.
    I had two hours to figure out what I was going to say to Ryan.
    Two hours to formulate my story about how my encounter with August wasn’t a big deal.
    My fingers tapped nervously on the steering wheel as I waited for the stoplight to turn green. As I turned into the Whole Foods around the corner from our apartment, I knew Ryan wouldn’t agree.
    To him, this would be a huge deal. Which was why I shouldn’t tell him.
    It would be so simple—easy. And after all, wasn’t easy what I wanted?
    Placing the car in park, I took a deep breath as my head slumped forward.
    It would be easy—so easy to just omit the entire event. He would never have to know.
    But how many relationships were built on tiny white lies? How many heroines had I read about, watched on TV—screamed at for making the same mistake?
    No matter how small, lying is still just that—lying. And secrets have a way of revealing themselves over time.
    Ryan was the man I’d chosen to spend the rest of my life with. He was good, decent and kind. The exact opposite of August and everything I’d left behind. I would not let the echoes of my past pollute the possibilities of my future.
    Taking a firm step forward, I got out of the car and began carefully planning out my night.
    *  *  *
    I was just putting the finishing touches on the table when Ryan walked in, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.
    Calm down, Everly , I silently chanted, turning to face him.
    The look on his face was priceless as he wordlessly stared down at the candlelight and then back up at me. It was that scared, fearful look guys get when they see the house is set a certain way, and suddenly their minds start flashing through dates and memories as they try to remember if something significant happened on this particular day.
    “Relax, you didn’t forget anything,” I assured him, an amused smile pulling at my lips as my pulse slowly returned to normal.
    His eyes wandered up and down my body shamelessly. “Are you sure? Because I can’t remember the last time I saw you pulling a casserole out of the oven, dressed like that.”
    I guess I had gone a little overboard. Guilt will do that to a girl. But I just wanted him to know how much I loved him and when I got stressed, I tended to