Now That You Mention It

by Kristan Higgins

respect—I caught a couple of them looking at me, recognition dawning, puzzlement coloring their faces. Nora? Really? That fat little nobody who stole Luke Fletcher’s scholarship? The one who put Sully in the hospital? Thanks to my psych rotation, I knew all about projection and self-fulfilling prophecies. Ever since the day I left Scupper at eighteen, I’d tried to be someone else. It was harder back here, where memories never died.

𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 😭😭

While I knew it wasn’t technically my fault, I still felt like something that should be scraped off a shoe.

𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 𝒊 𝒃 is this Jan𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆

Instead, I lay there, petting Boomer and wondering if Bobby and I would be married and expecting our firstborn if the Big Bad Event had never happened.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔

The imposter feeling faded. Nora the Troll, Nora whose father had left without even saying goodbye, the ugly sister, the boring sister, the girl who stole Luke Fletcher’s scholarship and put his twin in the hospital... She was a creature of the past. Now I woke up every day in my adorable apartment and couldn’t wait to get to work, figure out what was ailing my patients, do rounds in the hospital. I was a good doctor, if still new, and the partners in the practice liked me. I got great patient reviews. Some of my Tufts classmates were at Boston City as well, and we’d go out for dinner or drinks, to parties, to the Common or Back Bay.

𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 😘

Bobby was fantastic. Funny, smart, snarky. I almost didn’t want to start dating, our friendship was such a blast. We went running together along the Charles, saw a great blues singer in an appropriately seedy bar. We grabbed lunch at the hospital cafeteria. We walked the Freedom Trail and got Sam Adams beers afterward.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 😊

Hey, Nora, the note said. Hope you’re on the mend. I wanted to let you know that Jabrielle and I aren’t together. It was stupid and impulsive and a mistake, too. Besides, she isn’t you. I’ll see you next week. Let me know if you need anything. Bobby. Well. That was something to mull over. She isn’t you. It sure was nice to hear, especially after my sister, alone in prison a continent away from her family, had no room in her cell—or her heart—for me.

𝑩𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂

“Text me when you get back to the island, so I know you made it safe and sound.” Bobby stood up and hugged me again, kissed me on the cheek. Then kissed me on the mouth. A quick kiss, but warm and firm. A reminder of life before the Big Bad Event. “Take care,” I said and walked away as fast as I could manage. For the first time, it occurred to me that maybe taking a break was exactly what Bobby and I had needed.

Congested𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂

Nobody puts Nora in the corner.

𝑯𝒂𝒉𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

Had someone cut my power? Luke Fletcher. Or...or him. Voldemort, he who could not be caught, thanks for nothing, Boston Police Department. Could he have found me? It was possible. He could’ve followed me here.

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚

Audrey Hepburn—and

𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 😍

“Don’t sit next to me, Jake.

𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒃 🤨🤨

He frowned, twin lines appearing between his eyebrows. “Okay,” he grumbled. “I’ll be right outside, angel.” He kissed her forehead, sucker punching me in the heart. “I’ll take good care of her,” I said. He nodded and walked out, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands, and for that, I fell in love with him a little bit.

𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆

harridan.

𝑨 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Hush,” he said. “You’re beautiful. You’re the best thing in the world. And if you have this Cushing’s thing, we’ll get it taken care of. But don’t you ever say you hate yourself. That’s my best girl you’re talking about. My favorite person in the whole world. I love you, and Mom loves you, and we think you’re perfect.”

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒅 𝒊 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅

Sullivan glanced at me. He put his fingers to his chin and then moved them away and down, almost like he was blowing me a kiss, but not quite. I knew that gesture. It was sign language for thank you. Yeah. Not falling in love with Sullivan Fletcher was going to be quite a challenge.

𝑺𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 😍

I sighed with relief. Thank God for female friends.

𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 😭😭

I touched his arm again. “I’ll stay with you, if you want.” He looked at me with those dark, lovely eyes, which grew wet again. He gave the Yankee nod and looked back at the floor. What the heck. I slid my hand into his and gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back, his hand big and rough and calloused. He didn’t let go.

𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 😘

truculent

𝑬𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒆

ennui.

𝑨 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔

Since the off-season months were morgue quiet, I was pretty sure she might be exaggerating just a touch. “I’m sorry, Amelia. My leave of absence is only until August 30.”

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒅 𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 🤨🤨

I had a date with Sullivan Fletcher. I would definitely have to catch up on my shaving.

𝑳𝒐𝒍 😅😅

“You’re leaving in six weeks,” I reminded myself. “It’s better this way.” It just didn’t feel like it.

𝑺𝒊𝒙 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔! 🙌🙌

“Not now, buddy,” I said, pushing his big head away.

𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓

“Yes. Live with me. We can still see Gran all the time, but you belong with me, honey. Here on the island.” Because I didn’t want to be the girl who’d left Scupper anymore.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏