14. Isabella
14
ISABELLA
T he town of Blackwater bustled in the warm, summer day. Kids chased each other on the sidewalk, and adults greeted people they passed with wide smiles. It was a community straight out of a postcard.
None of it was familiar. Isabella had sat on Anna’s couch for hours over the last few days pouring over maps, town names, online articles, and legal records, searching for pieces of her life.
They’d learned very little. Anna found photos and a news article from Bella’s high school graduation, but that was an event she remembered. It was the after part that was missing. No record of a job or an address where she’d received mail. She wasn’t registered to vote, and she hadn’t even had a traffic ticket or registered a vehicle. She had a photo ID from Nebraska, not a driver’s license, that was renewed the year before, but that was all. Even that was a dead end because it listed her parents’ address.
Thankfully, they’d also found no trace of a marriage license. That part was a relief.
Outside of Omaha and Blackwater, Anna’s best resources hadn’t been able to match her to an Isabella Young anywhere else. It was as if she hadn’t existed.
“Are you sure we can’t shop somewhere else?” Anna asked.
“The thrift store will be fine. I have zero money. None,” Bella reminded her.
Anna took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you didn’t like more of the clothes I have. You can have any of them. Any of them!”
“I know, and you’re so sweet, but they were all a little fancy.”
A little fancy was an understatement. The clothing Anna received from boutiques ranged from sophisticated to smart casual and upwards on the formal scale. Isabella didn’t have a job or a way to get to a job yet. Where would she possibly wear things like that?
“Maybe you can get a job where you need a wardrobe like that. Then you’d be all set.”
“You can dress up a pig, but–”
“Stop it,” Anna said. “I refuse to listen to you talk about yourself like that. You’re beautiful, and the amount of money in your pocket doesn’t determine your rank on the wealth scale.”
Isabella clamped her jaw shut. This wasn’t the first time Anna had implied wealth wasn’t a monetary value, but it was difficult to see it any other way.
Anna’s phone rang, showing Travis’s name on the screen, and she pressed a button on her steering wheel to answer it. “Hello, mother hen,” she said in her cheery voice.
Bella clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle. Travis called to check on her often, and while Anna always indulged him, she did make small jokes that Bella loved.
“How’s Bella?” he asked. No nonsense or beating around the bush.
She couldn’t ignore Travis’s constant attention, and it took every bit of her focus to remember that he was just checking on her. Having feelings for a stranger was absurd, right?
He was the nicest man she’d ever met. Well, at least as far as her memory served. But she had absolutely nothing to offer him. She wasn’t self-sufficient in any manner, and taking care of herself and standing on her own two feet had to be her first priority.
“I’m great. Thank you for asking,” Anna said. “I kept Bella alive through another night. You’ll be happy to know we’re getting her a phone today, so you can stop pestering me.”
“Sorry,” Travis said. “I just want to know she’s okay.”
Anna turned to Bella and winked. “She can hear you.”
Travis cleared his throat. “Morning, Bella.”
His words were deep and sweet, rolling over her heart like a protective shield. “Morning, Travis.”
Anna pressed a hand to her chest. She’d made plenty of comments on how doting Travis had been for Bella, but the safest thing to do was ignore the talk. It would hurt too much to be wrong about his feelings.
“What are you ladies up to today?” he asked.
Bella waited for Anna to answer, but she stayed quiet–completely against her nature.
Bella took a deep breath. “We’re going shopping, then getting a phone.”
“Could I have your phone number? I think Anna is getting tired of me,” Travis said.
Anna stifled a chuckle.
“I’ll send it to you as soon as I have it,” Bella promised.
“Good. How are you feeling?” Travis asked.
It took everything Bella had to quiet the butterflies swarming in her stomach. Did the man have to be so adorably sweet? “I’m fine.” She covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her.
“Tired?” Travis asked.
“She’s been a little nauseated too,” Anna said. “And dizzy. But the paperwork says that’s normal after a concussion. She just needs to take it easy.”
“What I need to do is find a job,” Bella said.
Anna huffed. “Travis, tell her not to rush it.”
“Don’t rush it,” he repeated. “You have plenty of help.”
“If I had a job, I wouldn’t need help. I could start paying you and Anna back for all the things you’ve bought for me already.”
Anna reached over and rested a hand on Bella’s arm. “We get it, but that should be the least of your worries. Travis and I are more than happy to help out.”
Anna and Travis were so infuriatingly sweet that it was difficult to argue with them. Still, mooching went against all of Bella’s instincts.
“Well, can you help me out by helping me find a job? Do either of you know of anyone who would hire someone with no skills?”
“You might hear from some of the ones you applied to,” Anna said.
“I’ll ask the Bensons,” Travis said. “They’re always working on something and can use extra hands.”
“Oh yeah! You can work with Travis!” Anna exclaimed.
“I’m not qualified to be a paramedic for sure.”
Travis’s job was to literally save lives, and that swoony fact did nothing for Bella’s growing crush. He’d not only saved her life, but he was making sure she was okay weeks after. He had the everyday hero attractiveness turned up to eleven.
“The Bensons own a ranch in Silver Falls, and they’re trying to get it up and running. I help out whenever I can.”
“Oh, you mentioned that.”
“I’ll talk to Mr. Benson and hopefully have you an answer by the time you get your phone.”
Travis to the rescue. Again. Bella hated it and loved it at the same time.
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Bella said.
Anna parked in front of a building with Blackwater Restoration printed in bold letters on the door. “We have to go. I promise to feed and water her three times a day.”
Bella chuckled. “Thank you, Travis. I’ll call you later.”
Travis said a quick goodbye, and Anna and Bella stepped out of the car.
“He is so smitten with you,” Anna said as she reached for the door to the building.
“He is not. He’s…”
What was he doing besides worrying about her and making sure she was taken care of? Despite her better judgment, she was absolutely falling for his charms.
“He’s twitterpated, and I am loving it. Will you please give in and let him take care of you?” Anna asked.
“I don’t even know who I am! I have some things to figure out first.”
Anna let out a deep breath. “You’re right. Sorry. I just love love.”
Love wasn’t even in the equation. Love was so far away she couldn’t even see it on the edge of the horizon.
The bell above the door chimed as they walked into the store. A few other customers browsed around, and everything was tidy and clean.
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting it to be so–”
“Nice? Yeah, Camille is serious about her store.”
“Camille. Is she the owner?” Bella asked.
Anna pointed across the store. “Oh, there she is.”
A thin young woman with long dark hair strode toward them with her arms open wide. “Anna!”
Anna met her and fell into the embrace. “I brought a friend. This is Isabella Young. Bella, this is Camille Harding.”
Staring at the woman’s face, Bella extended a hand on autopilot. She’d seen the woman before. She knew it as well as she knew her own name.
“Have we met before?”