Connie was silent a moment. When she did speak, her voice was filled with emotion. "I think the best thing to do is try to remember all the good times you had. When you start seeing Nick . . . that way, try to replace it with a warm family moment. I can't believe that it's healthy to push them from your mind altogether. Maybe if you took some pictures from the house and put them in your room."
She was probably right. It did work this morning. Certainly placing the family picture face down on the coffee table had done nothing to ease her pain. Maybe it would help her remember who she was. The Giddon's had filled the role of family only to an extent. It was the mystery surrounding the family that kept her mind occupied - and Yancey.
"I think I love him."
Connie stared at her. "Who?"
She brushed the hair back over her shoulders. "Yancey."
"Are you crazy? You barely know him. He's handsome, mysterious and fills an empty spot . . . but love?" She was silent a minute. Probably getting over the initial shock. It was a foolish thing to say. Finally Connie spoke again. "Well, whatever it is, it probably won't go down too well with Howard or Len. You better not tell either of them just yet." She hesitated, glancing at Lisa. "Are you sure?"
Lisa shrugged. "I don't know. He's so . . . complicated."
Connie smiled. "Well, don't rush things. As you said, you're just waking up from a nightmare. Don't cling to the first thing you see."
Good advice. But he wasn't the first thing she had seen. Len was. Why couldn't she feel the same excitement about him? She smiled at Connie. "It's good to have someone to talk to."
Connie nodded. "It's good to be able to listen."
They spent the rest of the day talking about college, clothes and all the other things that she had left behind. They were a long way from talked out when she got in her new car, but she felt much more alive and aware of her surroundings - much more in control of her life than she had since the accident.
She stopped at a light and glanced at a shop to her right where some people were standing around talking. What? No, her eyes weren't deceiving her. It was Yancey standing outside that shop, and with him were the man from the building and Allen. A honk from behind drew their attention. The light was green and she accelerated across the intersection. Her heart was beating wildly. Why would Yancey be meeting with Allen? Only one thing came to mind - a drug deal. Had they recognized her? None of them would have recognized the car, but Yancey would recognize it after he got home. Maybe she shouldn't go back to the Giddon home. Yet what had she seen? Three men talking to each other on a sidewalk certainly wasn't enough to tell the police - except Len. She pulled over beside the road and dialed his number. It rang several times and then switched over for her to leave a message. She paused a few second and then disconnected without leaving a message. Then she dialed Howard's number. Again she left no message. Connie would be on the road right now. She pulled the car back on the road and continued toward the Giddon place. If Yancey didn't suspect anything now, he would if she didn't show up tonight. Maybe she could act like she didn't notice it was him. Who hasn't sat at a stop light and been so distracted by something else that they didn't notice the light was green? But then, the question would be; what distracted her?