Remember Me? (Book 1) COMPLETED

Starlight Crows

KATHERINE

By the time Matthew and I stepped into his house, I was absolutely certain. I had poured over the pages during my lunch break, in the lobby after punching out, and in the car as Matthew drove us back to his house. This was my book.

At first, white-hot rage coiled around my throat so that I could hardly greet Matthew when he picked me up. Once the front door closed behind me, though, it seemed it was all I could do not to scream.

"Are you hungry?" Matthew called from the kitchen.

"Starving," answered Erland, stepping up from the basement.

Matthew glanced up at me as I stopped at the threshold of the kitchen. Concern streaked across his face, disappearing as quickly as it had shown. He tossed Erland his phone. "Today's my treat. Order some pizza, whatever you want."

Erland snatched the phone out of the air. "Anything?"

Matthew made a face. "Within reason, kid."

Undeterred, Erland cracked a grin. "Absolutely," he said, and went back down to the basement—most likely to hide the order for Matthew's frugal ear.

As soon as Erland had gone, Matthew's nonchalant facade melted. He crossed the kitchen to my side. "Is everything okay, Katherine?" He asked. "How did work go today?"

I swallowed, throat tight. "It went fine," I croaked.

I let Matthew lead me to the couch, where I sank down, and he returned with a cup of cinnamon tea. The scent wafted up with the steam, reminding me of our summers by the lake, where we had laughed until I had to go back north for classes again. He sat beside me, elbows on his knees, and studied me.

"I won't make you talk if you don't want to, Kat," he said, "but I have to say you've got me worried. I know you've had a rough few weeks, and if there's anything I can do to help you, please let me know."

He stood to leave and his clean peppermint scent washed over me. I let out a breath. "Nobody knew who I was," I said. "At Wayward. I learned from Grey about how Nick turned the bookstore into a publishing house with his brother's help."

Matthew paused and sat once more, this time across from me. "A bookstore? I didn't think Nicolas was the reading type."

A wry chuckle escaped my lips. "He's not. I am. We invested in the bookstore while we were engaged. After . . . After everything fell apart, I let him take it. I didn't want anything to do with the past."

I put the manuscript beside me and picked up the tea. Warmth seeped into my fingers. He was silent while I sipped from the cup, a thoughtful expression on his face. Golden sunlight streamed in from the windows, turning Matthew's brown eyes into a brilliant amber. He met my gaze, and all at once, words spewed from my lips like lava from a volcano.

"I still don't understand how it all happened," I said. "We were happy, planning the wedding, our future. I knew I was working a lot, but if he was mad because I wasn't around, he didn't say anything." Tear pricked my eyes, spilling over in a hot wave. "He should've said something. . . . . And Victoria was my maid of honor—of course she was supposed to help. Should I have expected her to stay away?"

I turned my gaze to the floor. This was Nick's fault. And Victoria's.

But if that was so, then why did I feel like a salamander under a blowtorch? If only I hadn't gone away for a week to finish that project.... Or stayed up so many nights to finish writing my novel.... Or even—

"It's not your fault, Kat."

Matthew's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I hastily wiped my cheeks. "I know it's not," I snapped, immediately regretting it. I opened my mouth to apologize, but stopped at the annoyed expression on his face.