Free Forget Me Not (Escape Contemporary Romance) by Nina Blake

never too old for a cuddle.
    ‘You seem to be in hug-mode today.’ Claire leaned back against the kitchen cupboards, smiling.
    ‘I guess I am,’ her mother said. ‘It seems to be that sort of occasion.’
    ‘You don’t have to give your commiserations. It’s not as if someone died.’
    ‘No, but I can see that it’s difficult all round. I can’t imagine what it’s like for Stefan, waking up, not knowing where he is, not even remembering his own name. He’s not my problem, though. As I said to him earlier, you’re the one I care about. This is equally hard for you, maybe harder. No one else can truly understand what you’re going through.’
    ‘You’re right but it’s not that bad. We’re doing okay. I’m doing okay. That’s why you came, isn’t it? To check up on me.’
    June placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder. ‘Speaking on the telephone just isn’t the same. I had to see you.’
    ‘I can understand that, but you don’t need to worry.’
    Crossing her arms, her mother leaned back against the kitchen bench. ‘Yes, I do. I’m your mother—that’s my job.’
    Claire smiled. ‘And you’ve always been good at it.’
    ’No, I haven’t.’
    ‘That’s not true,’ Claire shot back.
    Her mother had made mistakes, but she was human and they’d got through the tough times. The three of them—her mother, Sophie and her—were stronger for it.
    June held her gaze. ‘I stayed with your father longer than I should and I think that might be what you’re doing now—hanging on.’
    ‘No, Mum, that’s not it.’
    ‘I’m the last person to tell you what to do and I don’t want to interfere–’
    ‘But?’
    ‘There’s no ‘but’. It’s your life, your decision, and only you can know the right thing to do. I just wanted to say that I’m here if you need me, if you want to talk, or if you ever need to get away from the apartment.’
    Claire sighed. ‘It’s not like that.’
    ‘People do strange things for love.’
    ‘This isn’t about love, it’s about duty and compassion. This is about looking after someone I once cared for. I can’t abandon Stefan they way he is now. It’d be like kicking a friend when they’re down.’
    Her mother tilted her head. ‘I can see he needs you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.’
    Claire gave her mother’s hand a quick squeeze. ‘I know.’
    Her mother grew quiet, and Claire suspected she was thinking about the past and the mistakes she’d made. June was well aware of her own errors and wasn’t one to believe she was the font of all knowledge. She also wasn’t quick to judge. ‘This isn’t for forever, or until he gets better, or even for a year,’ she said. ‘It’s for two weeks.’
    Her mother frowned, then nodded. ‘Okay.’
    ‘After that, I’ve done my bit, and Stefan knows he’ll have to cope on his own.’
    Stefan would find a way to cope with his condition, and two weeks would pass all too quickly. Eventually, all Claire would have were memories.
    She just had to remember to treasure every minute they had together until then, to enjoy the present and lock those moments into her mind.
    It would have to be enough.
    There wasn’t anything more she could do.

Chapter Eight
    ‘This is Stefan,’ he said into the phone. ‘And if you’re James, you must be my father.’
    ‘My God, Stefan, it really is you.’ After a pause, he added, ‘Damn right I’m your father.’ A short silence followed and Stefan figured the man must be still be in shock, must still be collecting his thoughts.
    ‘You’ve been hard to get hold of,’ Stefan said. ‘I’ve tried a few times.’
    ‘I’m so glad you managed to get through. It’s been a busy time for us, and we just got back from Long Island. I was going to call you as soon as you’d settled back in at your apartment.’
    Claire had shown Stefan an atlas, pointed out where his parents lived in New York and explained the distances between to him. He’d had the feeling she was making