Read Online August Unknown by Pamela Fryer - Free Book Online Page A

most of the drive back to town.
    August glanced over her shoulder. “You have to be this tall to
ride up front.” She held her hand four inches over her head.
    “No fair!” Jocelyn complained, but she giggled, too.
    August tried to appear casual as she looked at Geoffrey. His
expression was like granite. She didn’t know him well enough to anticipate his
thoughts.
    He maneuvered the car around a bend. The Lexus SUV hugged the
pavement with hardly a vibration inside.
    Like the impressive house, August knew she wasn’t used to such
a luxurious vehicle. The engine hummed with a throaty power almost
awe-inspiring, and she felt well-protected behind its heavy doors.
    “Penny for your thoughts,” she said.
    He sighed. “Derek’s timing couldn’t have been better.”
    “I’m glad he’s here,” Jocelyn said from the back seat. “I
missed him.”
    As they emerged from a rise in the coastline to see the town
of Newport spreading before them, August’s gaze landed on the crowded harbor
nestled into the corner of the bay. Before she fully understood what she was
thinking, the profiles of some of the boats fit into her mind like puzzle
pieces falling into place. Sloop. Catamaran. Bayliner .
    But instead of feeling happy that she recognized them, the
sight of the marina brought crushing fear that squeezed off her breath.
    If she walked onto its docks, would someone recognize her? She
was sure she’d never seen this marina before, but was that because of their
angle, driving in like this from above? Or had she been there and simply
forgotten it with everything else she couldn’t remember?
    “We’re here.”
    Geoffrey slowed the Lexus and pulled off the highway at the
first row of buildings at the edge of town, opposite the harbor.
    He angled the SUV into a parking spot in front of a large
wooden building weathered by the unrelenting breath of the sea. Its large front
windows looked over the harbor across the road. August recognized the symbol
from the bag of soup he’d brought to the hospital.
    The Mirthful Mermaid. “Your grandmother’s place?”
    “Yay!” Jocelyn squealed from the back seat. She released her
seatbelt and bounded out of the car before Geoffrey could stop her.
    He turned off the engine and swiveled in his seat. “I’m sorry
if you’re not up for this, but I know she’ll want to meet you right away. She’s
protective over our family.”
    August’s mouth soured at the thought. After meeting Derek, she wasn’t up for it.
    “Don’t worry, her bark is worse than her bite.”
    “Oh, great .”
    He grinned as he released his seatbelt. “Let me get the door
for you.”
    Some of her anxiety faded. She let out a long breath as she
watched him walk around the hood, knowing Geoffrey would never let his
grandmother get too fierce with her.
    The Mirthful Mermaid was as quaint as could be, its rough-hewn
walls covered with seafaring treasures hanging in old-fashioned fishing nets.
The dark interior created a sheltered feel, cozy and safe. The bare floor
squeaked underfoot, and heavy wooden furniture filled the open eating area. A
long bar ran the length of the left side. Soft country music flowed out of the
jukebox in the opposite corner. The place smelled of a delicious mixture of
hearty food and the salty sea.
    A silver-haired woman held Jocelyn in a bear hug. She set the
little girl down and faced them as Geoffrey and August walked over.
    “So, this is your mysterious guest.”
    August swallowed, trying not to cringe as the old woman looked
her up and down.
    “She looks tired.” She scowled. “What are you thinking,
bringing her out the day she’s released from the hospital?”
    Geoffrey cleared his throat. August suspected he was trying to
gently put into words that they had left because Derek showed up.
    “I had a craving for some more of the New England clam chowder
he tempted me with in the hospital,” August said first. “Even though I don’t
have my memory, I’m certain I’ve never