Finally My Forever by Brooke St. James Read Free Book Online Page B

of talking can remove the memory, though."
    I took another sip of my coffee and stared blankly at the chair in front of me. It was the first brisk day of fall, and I had on a tank top and a loose, grey sweatshirt with a huge open neck that hung off of my shoulder. I knew I looked like a mess, and I was thankful that Trish didn't care. She and I met a year ago when we were doing our student teaching at the same high school and had hit it off instantly. We were both in our first year of teaching now, but at different schools. I was teaching physical science at Roosevelt High, and she taught English at Reagan.
    "It might be a bad day to tell you this," she said, "but one of my roommates just told us she's moving out in a few weeks. She's going to live with her boyfriend."
    I was still living with my mom and stepdad. I was 22 now and well aware of the fact that I should probably look for a place of my own—especially now that I had a real job. Moving in with Trish wouldn't be a bad option, actually. She lived in a 4-bedroom house with three roommates. I definitely wasn't ready to live in a house by myself. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be.
    "What about Roscoe?" I asked.
    "None of us have dogs, but I don't think the landlord would care. He's potty trained, right?"
    I nodded.
    "I'm sure you'd have to pay a pet deposit or something. I'd have to look at the lease."
    "Would your other roommates mind?"
    She shook her head. "I don't think so."
    "How much is rent?"
    "Six fifty, but the bedroom you'd have has its own bathroom."
    I loved her house. It was in a great neighborhood. I loved her roommates for that matter. I knew it was Brittany who was moving out to live with her boyfriend, because her other two roommates were guys. I'd met them both several times and liked them a lot.
    I was relieved to have something else to think about besides the dream. "Do you mind if I think about it for a day?"
    "Not at all," she said. "We're not going to put an ad out or anything. If you don't want it, Ryan and Isaac both said they know someone to ask."
    "Don't let them ask just yet," I said. "I think I might want it. I just need a day to think about it."
    I relaxed onto the couch with my cup of coffee and took a few sips.
    "Just think about paramedics, and cops, and doctors," she said, obviously still concerned about my dream. "Think about all the messed up stuff they have to see every day." She paused and shook her head absentmindedly. "They must get immune to it."
    "That's why I'm a teacher," I said. "I can't imagine getting confronted with tragedy every day. I wouldn’t be able to leave the house. I don't know how they do it."
    In the four years since it happened, the trauma had decreased significantly. I went to college, got a job, and lived a somewhat normal life. It was mornings like this that were hard.
    The dream was even more disturbing than the reality had been, and it always made the memory so fresh in my mind. "I'll be fine," I said. "Who knows, maybe last night was the last time I have that dream."
    "Maybe so," she said with a smile. "Maybe your new bedroom will only allow sweet dreams."
    I started to ask what she meant by new bedroom but then realized she was talking about the one at her house. I smiled.
    "Excuse me, did you volunteer at the Happy House?" I heard a woman's voice say from my right side. Her voice was soft and tentative, and I assumed she wasn't talking to me, but somewhere in the back of my mind I registered Happy House . I knew I'd heard that somewhere before. I glanced in her direction and noticed a lady sitting at a table, swiveling in her chair to face me. She had a familiar smile. Wait. She was Claire Bennett.
    A flood of memories washed over me as I looked at her. I must have been staring blankly because she said, "Are you Mike Murphy's daughter?"
    I managed a smile and a nod. "Step daughter, yes."
    "I'm—"
    I cut her off. "Mrs. Bennett. I remember you."
    "It's so good to see you," she said. "How have you