She sat along the riverbank in a bed of flowers, taking in the fragrant scent of an early summer afternoon. The sky was blue, the weather was beautiful and she was with the man she loved, the one she was meant to be with all along. Nothing could be more perfect.
All of the problems and trials they had gone through were things of the past. Everything was finally as it should be and she felt truly happy and completely at peace at last.
As she embraced her husband, she sensed someone watching her.
She turned to see a woman standing behind her, her arms outstretched. Even though she hadn't seen her in years, the woman seemed oddly unchanged. She recognized her immediately.
"Mom?"
"Don't forget . . ."
"I haven't forgotten you. I could never forget you."
Her mother's mouth was moving as if she was trying to say more, but her voice had faded away and slowly her body was fading away as well.
Eileen woke with a start. Her mind was groggily trying to capture the dream before it slipped away completely. The image of her mother left her uneasy. Was it a sign that she was at peace and happy for her too or was she trying to tell her she should do more to try to contact her again?
Those thoughts were chased out of her mind and she became more conscious of her surroundings. As she shifted her position, she realized she wasn't in her own bed and when she opened her eyes she realized she wasn't in her own room. Thoughts of dreams and subconscious messages were chased out of her mind as she recalled all of the events of the night before.
She smiled and leaned back as she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.
"Good morning, Mrs. Arrendale."
Vanessa walked down the nearly empty sidewalks in front of the village shops. She was out early, before the usual shopping crowds. She just had a few things she wanted to shop for before she got busy with the rest of her day.
When she walked into her favorite clothing store, she was stunned to see a police officer standing behind the counter talking to the young clerk. She was even more surprised that she recognized the officer.
"We'll look for anyone that matches your description, but I doubt they're still in the area."
"Thank you so much," the girl gushed nervously as Logan turned away.
He paused for a moment, seeing Vanessa so unexpectedly. He smiled slightly and approached her. "We've got to stop meeting like this."
"I didn't just walk into more trouble, did I?" Vanessa asked.
"No, I think you just missed it this time. There was a shoplifter here earlier, but they ran off before anyone could stop them," he explained. "How have you been?"
"Great. I'm just out today running some errands. Shopping for presents for my new baby nephew, who I get to see again tonight."
"That's great. I can't tell you how glad I am that you're doing so well now. I still feel guilty for brushing you off when you first came into the station. I wouldn't have forgiven myself if things had turned out differently."
"Don't think any more of it. I just want to forget it and move on and I hope you will do the same."
"Ok, I will . . .Listen, I have a break coming up, would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something? Not as an apology, but just because I'd like to."
Vanessa smiled, flattered at the invitation from the handsome cop. "You know? I'd like that too."
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