“This way,” said her father, leading them through the foyer. A grand sweeping staircase circled down to the high-ceilinged foyer and everything seemed to be marble. It felt like a museum. He led them to a front room that was part sitting room, part library. Dark wood, floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined an entire wall, each one filled with books. A rolling library ladder was parked to one side. Hannah wandered over to one of the bookshelves and began searching the titles for something familiar.
“You used to spend a lot of time in here, Hannah,” said her mother. “You always loved to read. The bookshelf on the far left contains all the children’s books and things you read as a teenager.”
“I do like to read,” she said. “Yes, that sounds right.” She turned and smiled, happy that she remembered something.
“Well, sit down, please,” said her mother, guiding them to the sitting area. Hannah and Jake plopped down on the couch opposite her parents, who had seated themselves in two high-backed chairs. Her mother’s back was ramrod straight and her legs crossed at the ankles. Hannah subconsciously sat a little straighter and wondered if high tea would be served soon.
“This is not how I imagined your homecoming, but I’m so glad you’re here. I’m sorry it took an accident to find you and finally get in touch,” said her mother.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything,” Hannah said. “Why haven’t we spoken in so long?” Might as well get that out of the way.
There was a pause while her parents looked at each other, communicating silently about who would respond.
“It was something ridiculous that got blown out of proportion,” her father finally said. “I guess you’ve already figured out we have money and we’ve always sort of spoiled you girls. You have two younger sisters. They’re in Europe right now on holiday. Holiday from what, I don’t know. They don’t really work.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you were coming of age to receive your trust fund money, and we wanted you to use it for college. That was something you’d always had your heart set on, to go to the University of Washington and be a Husky, but you didn’t want to touch it.”
Her mother jumped in then. “You were always very independent,” she said with a soft smile. “And more than a little stubborn. You were determined to do it all on your own with no help from us and without taking money from your trust fund. Let’s just say we disagreed with your decision, and we had a small blow-up of sorts.”
“You threatened to leave, and I said something stupid, like if you didn’t want our help, fine, but if you left, to not bother coming back.” Her father’s voice cracked, and he had tears in his eyes. After clearing his throat, he continued. “Of course, I didn’t mean it, but you left and apparently took me at my word. Your stubbornness comes from me. Your mother and I thought for sure you’d be back soon, and I could apologize, and we could work it all out.”
Her mother seamlessly picked up the story. “It was weeks before we acknowledged that you might have taken us up on the ultimatum and weren’t coming back. We tried to reach out, but you’d canceled your cell phone and mailed the old one home with no return address. We didn’t know where you lived or if you were even still in the state.”
Hannah thought she sensed a note of displeasure, but then again, it sounded like she’d cut and run and not even let her parents know where she was or if she was okay.
“I’m sorry. That doesn’t seem very respectful. To leave you in the lurch like that,” said Hannah. “I must have found a place to live and work. Either that or I’m blocking out some horrible memories of life on the street.” She laughed, but her parents didn’t.
“We were so worried for so long,” said her mother. “Your dad finally hired a private detective to find you. You’re not on any of the social media sites, so it took him awhile, but he did. We’ve kept loose tabs on you ever since, just to make sure you were okay. We waited and waited for you to call or come home, but you never did.” Now the tears were falling. “It’s so good to see you, but it makes me wonder if you had your memories, would you have wanted to visit?” She wiped her eyes and waved her hand. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter, I’ll take what I can get.”
“I guess we can’t even ask what you’ve been up to.” Her father chuckled. “We did hear you finally got into the UW.”
His enunciation of the word “finally” caught Hannah’s attention, and she noticed her parents share a glance that silently communicated something she couldn’t read. Thinking she was being oversensitive, or just imagining things, she ignored it.
“Yes. I’m about to graduate with a business degree. And I’ve been told I have plans to buy a coffee shop after that.” She smiled at the ridiculousness of not knowing her own life plans. “I live in a small apartment in downtown Bellevue and work at a place called The Grinder’s Café.”
“We’re very proud of you, honey,” said her father.
“Do you remember anything about the accident? The news story was very vague,” asked her mother. “Did you fall into the street?”
Hannah looked at Jake and gave a subtle nod.
“I might be better able to answer that one,” said Jake. “I was sitting in traffic not too far from where it happened and witnessed the whole thing. She didn’t just fall into traffic. She was pushed. Someone tried to kill her.”
Her mother gasped, and her father’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Why? Why would someone do that?” he sputtered, his face reddening.
“We’re not sure. The man that did it tapped Hannah on the shoulder before he pushed her, and she did look at him, so when she regains her memory, if it’s someone she knows, she’ll be able to identify him.”
“What if she never regains her memory?” her father asked.
“The doctors think she will. They just can’t predict when. Bellevue PD detectives are working the case. They’ll do the best they can to find the perpetrator. Now that we know who Hannah’s family is, I’m beginning to wonder if that might have something to do with it.”
“What do you mean?” asked her mother.
“Most violent crimes are committed over love or money. If someone found out Hannah had a trust fund and thought there might be some way to get to it…” He let the sentence hang.
“Oh, yes, I see. I could hire a bodyguard,” suggested her father. “Would that help?”
“Jake’s a state trooper, and I’m staying with him. I’m fine for now,” said Hannah. Perhaps he was just trying to help, but she didn’t think her old self would be jumping at her father’s attempt to throw money at the problem. It sounded exactly like what she’d run away from.
“All right. I get that you don’t want or need our money, but if you’re ever in a situation where you do, please don’t hesitate to ask. We could even do it as a loan if you wanted,” said her father.
