“And he gave you that answer,” Eve guessed.
Mia nodded.
Eve steered back to safer ground. “About your dream. You said it was just before your eighth birthday?”
“Yes,” Mia said. “And I’m sure it’s a memory and not a dream. Although...” She frowned. “I’m not sure about the man from the trees. I can remember the bike and Tyson...” She looked at Eve. “I’m not sure about the man who popped out of the trees, though. I think that might be some deep-rooted fear or insecurity I had because if it did happen, I’m sure I would’ve carried it with me.”
Eve nodded, but her mind was racing.
What Mia said made sense. The bad part could be a dream. An insecurity about someone trying to take her away from her father. That would make sense given that her father did leave, and to her younger self, she probably thought he was taken from her. A mechanism to cope with him leaving.
Or someone had convinced her it didn’t happen. Just like someone had taken away her memories of her life in St. Augustine.
There was one person who could answer these questions.
But he was proving dodgy ever since she’d mentioned seeing his house.
“Eve...” Mia said softly. “Thank you for today and for looking after Lila. I’m a terrible parent. I can’t believe I spent the whole day with a stranger learning photography.”
“Oh no, I can assure you Lila thinks you’re the best mom ever,” Eve said warmly. “And so do I. We’re both so glad you met Nolan, and you take as much time as you need to learn photography.”
“Thank you,” Mia said, leaning over to kiss Eve’s cheek and give her a hug. “We’re so lucky to have you in our lives.”
“That works both ways, honey,” Eve assured her.
Mia stifled a yawn. “Mmm, now I’m getting sleepy. Thank you for listening.”
“Anytime, sweetheart,” Eve said, watching as Mia climbed off the bed and padded toward the adjoining door.
“Goodnight,” Mia said softly.
“Goodnight.”
When Mia had gone, Eve set her laptop aside and went to her purse. She pulled out a small notepad and pen, the kind she kept for jotting down patient notes, grocery lists, or anything else that needed remembering.
She opened to a fresh page and started writing.
Questions about William. About the nephew with no name. About the phone call and who he’d been reassuring. About Circle Pond and what she might find there.
About Mary and why she’d erased her ex-husband so completely from their lives.
About Mia’s dream and whether the man in the trees was real or imagined.
When she’d filled two pages with notes and questions, she flipped back to the first page and wrote at the top:
TO DO:Go to Circle Pond
She underlined it twice.
It might be a long shot, but it was a start.
If William wouldn’t help her, and she now knew he wouldn’t for whatever reason, Eve would do this on her own.
Excitement swooshed through her, surprising in its intensity. She did love mysteries, and now she was living one. An amateur sleuth.
She smiled as she set the notepad on the nightstand and slipped back into bed.
She reached over to switch off the bedside lamp, her eyes scanning the top of the to-do list one more time.
