As tentative and temporary as it was, I could feel my world falling back into place here. Being away from Maryland, Heron and Stevens, meant I could do a little soul-searching of my own. Like Brookmount, Newdale was small, manageable, and not too far from a larger city so I could get my fill of hustle and bustle if I needed to, before retreating to the peace and quiet. I hadn’t told Ash, but I’d scoured the internet for local office jobs. My search hadn’t yielded much I could apply for in the immediate vicinity, and if I decided to stay on a more permanent basis, I’d have to widen the scope. While I was happy helping Ash part-time with the garage renovation, the money I had left from his emergency stash was almost gone. Mike had yet to pay me, I had enough for this month’s rent but the one after would be due in no time... As I looked at Maya beaming at me with an expectant expression on her face, I decided a few shifts at the Cliff’s Head was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

“I’m in,” I said. “Thank you so much for doing this for me.”

She waved a hand. “Nothing to thank me for. It’ll be fun working together and getting to know each other some more. We need to be there at eight thirty tomorrow morning. Fair warning, Patrick hates tardiness. He’s got super strict rules about it, among other things. Trust is his number one issue, so make sure you never break it.”

“Got it,” I said, and Maya smiled. “Oh, before I forget, Ash mentioned you have some Benadryl? I think some of the dust or something in here is getting to me. Look.” I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal a cluster of itchy red dots.

“Sorry, I used it up weeks ago,” Maya said. “I forgot to get some more.”

“Are you sure?” Ash said. “I could’ve sworn there was a bottle in the bathroom the other day, and I saw a receipt from the pharmacy.”

Maya looked at him and frowned. “Must’ve been an old one. Or maybe you’re remembering something from Brookmount?”

“Maybe,” Ash said, his face a mixture of frustration and confusion. I hated seeing him this way, struggling to connect the pieces of his mind. It wasn’t fair, and I didn’t know how to help other than reassure him I used to buy Benadryl all the time, and Maya was right, it probably was a memory from something he’d seen months before.

“I’ll get some on the way to the restaurant tomorrow,” I said. “There’s a pharmacy close to the motel.”

“About that,” Maya said, looking at Ash. “Have you asked her yet?” When he gave a slight shake of his head she laughed. “Oh, for God’s sake.”