Read Online Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory - Free Book Online

which meant I could relax. Take it easy. Smile. I’d wanted to kiss Jenna Friday night, but I was being careful instead. Doing everything right. Maybe doing things right with Jenna would balance out everything else that was wrong.
    Jenna lived in an older subdivision outside of town, and she was waiting on her front porch when I pulled up. She had on a ratty pair of cutoffs and an old T-shirt, but damn she looked amazing. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and even though she wasn’t wearing any makeup at all, she looked more beautiful than most girls do when they spend hours in front of the mirror. I doubted Jenna knew her effect on people—I wondered if she even cared.
    She didn’t look happy to see me. “I’m surprised you showed up.”
    “I’m sorry?” I couldn’t have done something wrong already.
    Jenna folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t get your mood swings. One minute you’re practically begging me for a date, and the next, you don’t even speak when you see me.”
    I hated this feeling. The frustration of someone remembering something I didn’t, something I couldn’t. It was my life, and I was sick of having my memories repeated to me instead of being able to recall them myself. I had to work harder with Dr. Benson. Maybe if I could keep my memories from falling away, I could keep my family from slipping away. Maybe I could even quit screwing up with the one person I was interested in getting to know.
    Jenna must have realized I had no idea what she was talking about. “At the shop. You bought a couple of books and asked about an old lathe, then you couldn’t get away fast enough. It’s like you’re two completely different people.”
    Moody and interested in a lathe? Only Luke would be asking about woodworking equipment. Damn it. This had nothing to do with my memory and everything to do with my brother. We were going to have a talk when I got home. “House arrest” meant he was not supposed to be running around town. He knew the rules as well as I did, but I was the only one who seemed to give a damn about them.
    I debated telling Jenna about Luke right then, but I didn’t want her to know about him at all. I couldn’t tell her that my twin brother was—what? Even I wasn’t sure. He was hiding something, even from me, or especially from me, but I got the feeling it was the reason for everything—the fight with Dad, Mom’s disintegration, our slinking out of the state in the night. Luke couldn’t be trusted. So where did that leave me? We were two pieces of a whole—at least, we had been. Once.
    “I’m sorry,” I said. “Migraines.”
    “That keep you from speaking?”
    “That keep me from remembering.” I skimmed the truth, leaving the heavier parts to settle to the bottom. “I’m sorry if I was rude.”
    “You know, that excuse is getting pretty thin.”
    She had no idea. “One more chance. If I screw up again today, you can drown me.”
    “Jenna?” A woman’s voice called out from inside the house, and Jenna turned.
    “I’m going to the lake, Mom,” she hollered. “I’ll be home later.” Jenna grabbed her bag from behind the door, then shut it before her mom could answer.
    I didn’t know if Jenna had agreed to go with me because she was giving me another chance or because she wanted away from her house. Whatever the reason, I’d take it.
JENNA
    I wanted to stay mad at Ian, but my need to get away from my mother was stronger. She’d had several glasses of wine last night. Every time she’d thought my back was turned, she’d tipped her head back and drained her glass. I wasn’t very worldly, but I knew normal people didn’t drink like that. And then she’d forced me to look at old yearbooks while she told me overinflated stories of her glory. Spending time with her when she was like that always made my skin feel too small. Last night I couldn’t go anywhere. Today, escape won out.
    Ian headed to his truck, while I walked to the Bronco.