Page 37 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
“That’s good news,” Dr. Mayer said.
“Yes, it’s a relief. Since Rose is in school, my parents left her with me while they’re away.”
Dr. Mayer’s eyebrows rose with interest. He was a dramatic-looking man. All his features were dark against pale, surprisingly smooth-looking skin. “How’s that going?”
“Good,” Liz said. “I mean, she’s immature and hard to handle.”
“How old is she now?” Dr. Mayer asked.
“Sixteen. She’s driving, and she somehow got her eyebrow pierced without adult permission. My parents won’t be happy. Especially my mom.”
Dr. Mayer smiled again. “That’s a teen’s primary goal in life. To make their parents uncomfortable.”
“And their older sisters.” Liz rubbed the pads of her fingers across the car charm, feeling the rough texture of the glittery finish. “My friend Melody has also come home for a couple weeks. I haven’t seen her in nine years.”
Recognition crossed Dr. Mayer’s face. He had been working with Liz on and off most of her life. Even before the wreck, she’d struggled with anxiety. It had worsened afterward, of course. Dr. Mayer knew everything Liz had been through.
Liz held out her arm. “This is the charm bracelet that was lost in the accident. I’ve told you about it before.”
Dr. Mayer looked at her wrist from behind his glasses. “Yes, I recall. Your friend had it all this time?”
“No. Her great-aunt did. It’s a long story, but . . .” Liz lowered her arm back to her lap. “I don’t know. The fact that it’s been found feels like a sign of some sort.”
A little divot formed between the psychologist’s eyes. “What kind of sign?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s a sign that Bri, Melody, and I aren’t as alone as we thought. That we’re still connected.”
“Is that what you want?” Dr. Mayer was always asking questions. At one time, Liz had kind of thought it was his job to give her answers, but he never did. She usually found her own answers as she talked to him. He was just very skilled at asking all the right questions that led her to the answers she had difficulty finding on her own.
Liz’s fingers moved to the next charm. It was a tiny house. She pressed the point of its roof into the pad of her index. “I think so. Maybe it’s a silly fantasy, but I want my friends back. I want us to be the way we once were.”
“You know that can’t happen though, Liz,” Dr. Mayer said.
She nodded, even though she didn’t know that at all. Why couldn’t it happen? Yes, things had changed, but the one thing that remained was that she, Bri, and Melody were all bonded. Maybe the one thing that tore them apart was also the thing that kept them connected. Maybe the tragedy didn’t have to break them. Perhaps it made them stronger when they came together.
Liz talked for another fifteen minutes. Then she stood. “Thank you, Dr. Mayer. This session has been helpful.”
“Good. I’m glad,” he said. “We’ll continue this conversation next week?”
“I’m already on your schedule. See you then,” Liz said with a smile.
After leaving Dr. Mayer’s office, Liz strolled down the small downtown area where she worked. She wasn’t quite ready to go home. She had so much on her mind, a result of all Dr. Mayer’s probing questions. They led her to answers she was already well-aware of about herself. She was stagnant in her emotions, her relationships, and her life. Fear was holding her underwater even if she had convinced herself otherwise. The fact that she made it through most days without a panic attack didn’t exactly equal progress. It just meant she’d shut herself off enough to deal with what came her way.
Progress was stepping outside the safe confines of her little box—because if she waited for all the fear to go away, she’d never get better.
Liz stopped at the storefront window of The Book Whore and looked at the display. A huge sign was front and center announcing a sale and a complimentary smile. That, in and of itself, made Liz perk up. She decided to go inside.
“Lizzie, is that you?” Danette called from somewhere in the back.
“Hi, Danette. Yes, it’s me. I was just out for a walk and thought I’d see if you had any good books for me. I’m going to see Bri tomorrow. I might want to take her one.”
Danette seemed to shake from the inside out as she approached. Her head, her arms, her legs all appeared to have a mind of their own, but somehow the parts of her body worked together to get the bookstore owner where she was going. Liz didn’t think Danette had any serious neurological disorder. Danette had explained her condition once, saying her nerves were frayed from a life lived haphazardly. At least Danette had lived her life.
Liz swallowed past the dryness of her throat, a result of too much talking in Dr. Mayer’s office. She needed a glass of water. Or wine.
When Danette was standing a couple feet away, she straightened her eyeglasses and looked at Liz. “You okay, Lizzie?”
Liz took a deep breath, begging her emotions to get in line. “I think so. I’m just . . .” She paused for a minute. “Have you ever felt like you were sleepwalking through life, Danette? Then something happens that stirs you awake? Some part of you just wants to go back to sleep, but you can’t.” Liz’s eyes welled with tears that she was determined to keep at bay.
