Chapter 18
A few days later, the sky was midnight blue and clear of any clouds, awash in a million twinkling stars and a full moon hung—white and bright—in the sky.
The Sorenson house was aglow with security lights, bringing every beautiful feature of the property to life. From the branches of the trees hung fairy lights and the windows of the house emanated a warm golden glow.
Mariah stared in awe through the tinted window of the SUV at the well-done landscaping—a perfect picture of lighting and nature. She had never been on the property at night before and wondered if James would want to add such a lovely setting to his orphanage.
If the Sorenson property was this lovely on spring nights, she only imagined how beautiful it would be with Christmas decorations during winter.
When the SUV slowed to a stop below the Corinthian pillars that stood guard at the front entrance of the house, she straightened invisible wrinkles off her dress and waited for Greg to come open the door.
When James had called to invite her over for dinner, she thought it was a joke and asked him if he wasn’t tired of eating apples and scones with her. When he had told her Greg would show up at her apartment by six thirty pm the next day, she laughed and laughed thinking it was a joke.
Then Greg had called earlier that day asking her what her favorite color was and what she would bring to the dinner at the Sorenson’s. Only then it dawned on her that James hadn’t been joking.
She wondered why this invitation had come out of the blue. She wondered if his parents had wanted to give their input into the orphanage design or if maybe James wanted to show her parts of his parents’ house that they thought would suit his orphanage. Many possibilities fluttered into her mind.
It had been three days since they returned from the Manor upstate and she had relished the days they had spent together. She had loved every joke, everything he had done for her to make her less nervous about the storm and the dark. She had savored every minute she had watched him sleep in the middle of the night.
Being stuck together had been unexpected, but James’s presence had made her heart flutter.
Fortunately for her, when she returned to the office, no one complained about her absence for the last three days—courtesy of James, she was sure. She jumped right back into the flow of the office, burying herself in work. James’s offer for dinner had been the first outing she had since then and it made her super nervous.
Greg pulled the door open for her and she stepped out of the car. Greg had pulled up at her apartment by exactly six pm and presented a bag from Ore stores. Inside the bag had been a dress and shoes for the dinner, bought by James himself.
It had been a chiffon and silk emerald halter dress that fell smoothly over her figure and ended at her knees. Her legs were adorned with gold stiletto heels and she kept her jewelry simple, gold stud earrings and a gold watch.
Her clutch was gold, her red curls were held in a chignon and her hands were full of a box of pastries from Heaven’s Treat—she took James”s advice and was amazed by the tasty treats there.
A slight breeze kissed her bare arms and legs, adding a cold blush to her cheeks. Greg shut the door beside her and James walked out the front door that very instant. He was dressed in tan pants and a simple black dress shirt with the sleeves cuffed at the elbows. His smile was warm as he walked up to the car. A small gasp left her lips as he gathered her in a hug.
“Glad you could make it,” he whispered into her hair and a shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the breeze.
“I thought the invite was a joke, but then Greg called and… well I had to honor it,” she smiled as he broke the hug.
“Thanks, man,” he nodded to Greg who was already entering the driver’s seat of the SUV.
“No problem,” Greg said and shut the door. “Have fun kids,” he turned on the engine and thrust his head through the window, “but don’t have too much fun, okay?” he winked and turned his head to the car.
James chuckled and took the box from Mariah’s hand. “Disregard him. He has an overactive imagination,” he brought a hand to the small of her back and turned her in the direction of the door. “Shall we? My parents are waiting to hear all about our time at the manor. They seem to think I spent three days in never-never-land instead of upstate.”
Mariah laughed as James led her through the doors. She had wanted to enter the house since the first day she had walked into the property. They stepped into an antechamber that was similar to the one in the manor, only that it led directly into a large living room with black and gold couches that surrounded a gleaming black coffee table.
At the end of the room, in front of the couches, hung a large flat-screen TV. At the other end, there was a fireplace and a pair of black armchairs.
Rising from the east wall of the living room was an ornate spiral staircase that led to a gallery with a golden banister. Below the gallery was a dining table and chairs. The table was set. Ceramic pots sat amid plates of roasted beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, jugs of juice, and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket.
Mariah wondered what foods were hidden in the ceramic pots. As she caught a whiff of an aroma, she smiled knowing whatever it was, it would be delicious.
Standing by the table was a man and a woman—James’s father and stepmother, she guessed. The woman was dressed in a grey woolen long-sleeved dress that hugged her figure. Her blond hair was cut in a sleek bob, with a side fringe.
She looked stern, with minimal makeup on but on her feet were fuzzy white slippers and Mariah felt at ease at the sight of them. There was something warm and fuzzy about the woman after all.
The man was dressed more casually in tan cargo shorts and a white tee shirt. His hair was brown like James’s but had lost the curls. He was muscular too and tall. Mariah could see where James got the body from.
The man and woman were having a hushed conversation as Mariah and James walked up to them. Mariah took deep breaths and practiced her smile, hoping she would make a good first impression on them.
When Mariah got to the dining room with James, his parents stopped and turned their attention to James, and instantly she felt heat rush to her cheeks.
“Father, mother,” James said, “Mariah’s here.” Mariah felt their eyes on her and she did her best to match their gaze, but they weren’t looking at her like she was someone they were meeting for the first time. Their eyes were wide with shock, holding something Mariah could not place. Then, like a curtain being lifted, they tried to hide their initial reaction and appear polite and formal. She wondered to herself if she had been mistaken when she thought she saw shock in their eyes.
“Mariah,” she heard his father whisper. He walked closer to her and Mariah saw the green in his eyes—it was mesmerizing, drawing you into them. “Allison…” he began to say and let out a breath, shaking his head as if chasing away a bad dream.
When his eyes settled on her again, he smiled brightly and took her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Call me Adam.”
“And I’m Elaine,” the woman walked up to her but didn’t offer a handshake. She stood behind the man and gave Mariah a tightlipped smile.
Mariah recognized her instantly. “Senator Elaine! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Elaine’s smile broke into a grin and the woman nodded in Mariah’s direction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ana—Mariah. James talks about your designs often.”
Mariah met James’s gaze and he gave her a thumbs up, bringing some normalcy. He was at the table arranging her pastries on a large ceramic plate. She took a deep breath, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, sir- I mean, Adam,” she flashed him a smile.
Adam Sorenson chuckled and shrugged, “Very well. Most people never address me by my first name. Even people who have known me for long,” he said and his eyes bored into her. A chill ran down her spine and she looked away, feigning a reach for her phone. “James went to great lengths to make this dinner possible. Let’s not talk, else the food will get cold,” he said and motioned for them to sit.
There were six chairs around the table. Adam took the one at the head of the table. Elaine took the other head of the table and Mariah sat side by side with James. To her right was Adam. She felt trapped between the two men in the room.
Like a reflex, everyone reached for the hand of their neighbor and Mariah felt the strong hands of father and son holding hers. Adam led the prayers at the table and Mariah smiled through the whole thing, seeing where James got this habit from.
Almost immediately, dinner was on the way and food was being dished into plates. The food, of course, was incredible, and Mariah did her best to swallow every piece of food on her plate. With each plate dished, small talk was made around the table.
They asked about her previous work and asked James about his plans for his birthday in December. Elaine talked about her campaign for re-election while Adam just listened and gave comments.
He didn’t say much about his day or activities. rather he listened and watched everyone. Mariah felt his eyes were on her and he wasn’t the only one.
In between small talk, she felt Elaine watch her like a hawk. Elaine was the one who asked the questions about her childhood and upbringing the most too. Mariah had done her best to give honest simple answers, but she still felt like Elaine wasn’t satisfied with them.
James, on the other hand, kept the food and the conversation going. He seemed jittery to her—too happy—like he was trying to ensure everyone got along. When the dinner ended, Mariah thanked them and pulled James aside for a moment.
“Okay,” she started as soon as they were out of earshot of his parents. “Your parents are nice and all and the food is amazing,” James chuckled at her confession. “But what in the world is going on here? Why did you really invite me here?” she saw James go still as he looked away from her.
“Is this kinda like a business dinner? Or a meet and greet since I’m doing your orphanage?” she continued, “Wait! Am I about to be employed by Ore?” she raised her hands to cover her mouth. “Is that why I’m here? Did I impress them with my designs for your orphanage? Is that why your parents were looking at me funny?”
“Mariah,” James sighed, reaching to pull her hands down. He held her hands between his and she felt oddly calm. “It’s not that,” he drew circles on her hand with his finger. The action had a sort of soothing effect on her.
“Then what is it?” she asked him, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
If this wasn’t a work-related dinner, then what was it? She wondered to herself.
“I don’t how else to tell you this,” James started. Mariah felt her heart beating with anticipation.
“Tell me what?” she urged him, casting a glance at his parents in the living room. They were lost in conversation. Mariah shifted her attention back to James and gave him a reassuring smile. “c’mon, tell me,” She tugged his hands. He let go of her hands, tucking one of his hands into his pocket instead.
“And I don’t know how you’ll take it either, but…all the evidence points to you.”
“Oh-kay,” Mariah muttered, confused now. She couldn’t figure out what he wanted to say. “Evidence points to me that…”
James sighed deeply and removed his hand from his pocket. With it came a folded paper. “That you are… you just might be… Anastasia.”
Time paused in that moment and Mariah stared at James in shock. She had borne many names and titles, but never someone’s dead childhood friend. She shook her head as if she hadn’t heard him properly and then time resumed. With it, came a ringing in her head.
“I’m what?” she asked with wide eyes, scoffing in disbelief.
“I know what this sounds and looks like, but I thought the same thing too, that I was delusional, but then I saw your birthmark, behind your ear,” instinctively, Mariah ‘s hands lifted to touch her ear. She wished she had let her hair down.
He continued, “As I watched you. everything about you felt familiar like I had known you before. Even the things that triggered your memories, were also things that were special to Anastasia and I,” James spoke fast now.
He reached for her hands, but she shook him off.
He pressed on, “My parents thought I was delusional too, but tonight I proved them wrong. Anastasia Chandler didn’t die, she’s standing right in front of me now, only she lost her memory.”
“Don’t!” the word struggled to come out of Mariah’s mouth, “Don’t call me Anastasia. I’m not her.” Mariah’s breath was coming in haggard now and her blood was rushing too quickly to her brain.
“But you are,” she could see the frustration on James’s face but she couldn’t understand it. “Here,” he thrust the paper he was holding into her hand. “Here’s a picture of the Chandlers. Look at the little girl and tell me she didn’t look like you when you were little. Look at the woman, Anastasia’s mom. Tell me she doesn’t look like you now.”
Mariah looked at James and then back at the paper in her hands. It was a picture. She didn’t want to believe what he was saying.
He must have figured out her deepest desire was to know her real family and to be reunited with them. To remember her history. That’s why he had brought her to have dinner with his family. That was why he was giving her straws to grasp onto.
She looked at him again. The James she had come to know was sweet and thoughtful. He wouldn’t play a trick on her. He wouldn’t lie to her either. She tried to convince herself he wouldn’t play a prank on her.
With trembling fingers, she unfolded the paper and stared at the Chandlers, a family of three where the women had red hair. Her eyes flitted over the features of the women and her chest tightened. Then her vision tunneled.
Is that…
Then her vision went dark.