Our relationship strengthened daily, and when we were together, she made me believe I’d always been the person she saw when she looked at me. We hadn’t yet alerted the cops in Maryland about my being alive, and I’d told Lily I wasn’t ready. She’d agreed, but I hated lying by omission. I still hadn’t said anything about the flashback of the man attacking me on the beach. No more details about the incident had returned, and with my level of exhaustion and the way my brain-fog had made a comeback, I wasn’t sure if they ever would. That was my justification for staying silent, waiting to see if I remembered more, not wanting to put anyone in danger in case my assailant was still after me. Besides, even if I’d remembered what had happened correctly and told the cops, surely the likelihood of a conviction would be remote. Maybe the best solution for everyone was to let people believe “Jack Smith” had drowned. Perhaps that was the only way to move forward without having to look back.

To take my mind off everything as much as possible, I pushed myself as hard as I dared on the garage project, trying to fit in as much work as I could while Lily and Maya were at work, lying about being unable to get out of bed before lunchtime most days. I was exhausted, but the alternative of sitting in the house all afternoon would’ve pushed me to a breaking point far sooner.

In between their shifts, Lily and Maya had helped with the new room’s subflooring and plasterboard, and I’d doubled the insulation as per Maya’s request. I didn’t think it necessary, but she was adamant, and so I’d complied. The bathroom turned out to be an easier project than I’d initially thought because the plumbing my father and I had preinstalled years before was still in excellent shape. Another few days and I’d be done, and providing I could somehow clear the fuzziness in my mind, I wanted to get a proper job, try to figure out what my future would look like, and I hoped Lily would be in it.

That morning, she’d gone to the Cliff’s Head for her shift, and Maya had taken the day off to help me clear up, move around the shelving units and her supplies.

“I should’ve asked you for air-conditioning,” she said, fanning her face with her hands. “It’s boiling in here.”

It was the hottest day of the summer so far, although if the news was to be believed, relief was on its way in the form of multiple heavy storms traveling up the coast, and which threatened to join into one big humdinger. I pointed to the back wall. “There’s still time to add that window.”