SILENTLY, Josy put a cup of tea in front of Arthur before she sat down with her own cup, her fingers tightly wrapped around it. The hot porcelain irritated her skin but Josy had apparently inherited her mother's talent for being able to touch hot things without batting an eyelidᅳ even if she couldn't remember since the accident.

"What were you doing in Charming, Josephine?" Arthur got straight to the point, his harsh blue eyes trained on his daughter who seemed surprisingly calm. "Or more importantly; what did those bikers tell you?"

Shaking her head, the redhead clicked her tongue, hating how much disdain there was in her father's tone when he mentioned the Sons, his expression matching his tone.

"Why do you and Debbie have such a problem with me meeting those bikers?" Her tone soft and calm, Josy leaned forward a little. "It's almost as if you have something to loseᅳ as if you're hiding something from me."

"That's nonsense", Arthur hissed, the veins on his forehead throbbing as he slammed his hand down on the table, but Josy remained unimpressed, and that angered him even more. "Do you have any idea how terrifying the accident was for us? Not knowing if you'll survive, if you'll ever get your memories back", Arthur continued his act, even a pained expression in his blue lenses that were coated with, presumably, fake tears. "And now mysterious bikers are showing up wanting to talk to you. How am I supposed to not worry, Josy?"

"Save your tears, Dad", Josy said coolly, falling back into her chair as she watched the hint of shock dance across Arthur's features. "Get a grip. I was in Charming, yes, but I couldn't bring myself to go into that clubhouse."

The lie fell more easily from her lips than she had thought, probably because she knew how important it was to find solid evidence first before confronting her family.

At first Arthur was furious. Josy had never allowed herself to speak to him like that before, as if the roles were reversed. But his anger vanished as quickly as it had come, a triumphant smile now tugging at his lips that seemed as cold as any other smile he gave.

"You weren't?", he asked, his tone almost angelic as he reached across the table. As if she were a dog that had learned something new, he patted her wrist. "My girl is clever after all. Who knows what they would've wanted from you. Or worse; what they would've done to you."

"Yeah, who knows", Josy nodded slowly, running her fingertips over the wooden surface. "Who knows what they could've talked me into."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Is there something you might want to get off your chest?"

"Me?" Shaking her head innocently, Josy shot her father a sweet smile. "No, I have nothing to say. But", and she hesitated briefly at that, also to take a deep breath before she continued. "Do you think I could still join you? I mean, I know I don't have the knowledge and I would definitely have to go to law school firstᅳ but would it be possible to just watch you at work for a few days?"

Before her father had even said yes, Josy hated it already. At the thought of having to wear tight pencil skirts, or high heels that would make her feet hurt after ten minutes, or having to keep her hair in a tight ponytail until her scalp was tight and a throbbing headache would form, she grimaced slightly.

But Arthur's lips immediately spread into a wide smile that, surprisingly, actually reached his eyes and gave them a shine that Josy had never seen before. Apparently she could only make him proud as long as she was interested in his world of law.

"Anytime, you know that. I was just waiting for you to finally develop an interest in our family business." His tea still untouched, Arthur rose from his seat and lazily strolled around the table, looking down at his daughter as he came to a stop in front of her. "What brought you to this sudden change of heart, Josephine?"

Josy folded her hands on the table, shrugging her shoulders as she lifted her head. "I like working in the burger restaurant, but the rent for my apartment has gone up and the salary is starting to get tight. I just don't want to have to worry about whether I can buy food anymore."

Another lie. Her salary wasn't comparable to a lawyer's, but it was still enough for her to live a comfortable life. But she needed some kind of excuse to gain access to her father's or Debbie's office without attracting attention.

"You've always been smart and ambitious, you finally seem to take your abilities seriously", Arthur replied, his chest swelling with pride as he put a hand on Josy's shoulder. "I'll talk to Deborah and make a plan for you on which day you can learn more from one of us. I'll also take care of the law school thing."

Great. Now, if she was unlucky and didn't find evidence quickly enough, she would probably have to go back to school and actually start studying. But it would be worth it if she could make her father and Debbie pay for their actions.

"That sounds good, Dad", she beamed, doing her best to keep up her facade. "I'll try too, I promise. It's best if you give me a little tour tomorrow so I can get to know everything and everyone. If you have the time."

"I always have time for you, sweetheart." Arthur placed a kiss on the top of her head that felt almost like a threat alongside the pressure he gently applied to her shoulder. "Never go to Charming alone again, you hear me? It's not a safe place for a young and beautiful woman like you."

Lying bastard. A pang shot through Josy's chest when she realized how easy it was for her father to lie to her, to smile dirtyly in her face without feeling guilty about it.

Her smile threatened to fall, but she didn't let it show. "I'm not going back, really. But dadᅳ" her eyes narrowed, suspiciousness evident in her soft, almost haunting tone. "You'd tell me if there was anything important I couldn't remember, right?"

"Why would you even question that?" Arthur sat down on the chair right next to her, the most loving smile Josy had ever seen on his lips, and took her hands in his. "Debbie and I told you everythingᅳ at least everything we knew."

Josy's smile finally fell, replaced by a thoughtful expression that didn't go unnoticed by Arthur, but he remained silent. Of course he remained silentᅳ what a fuckin' coward.

Josy found it hard to hide her disappointment, so she pulled her hands back and flashed him a tight-lipped smile. "Thanks for visiting, but it's been a long day and I'd like to get some sleep."

"Of course." Arthur caught the hint and stood up. With nimble movements of his fingers, he adjusted the buttons of his suit jacket. "I'll call you tomorrow and tell you when you can start the internship."

Josy nodded once she was also back on her feet, a shadow of her slim figure cast against the wall behind her thanks to the soft light in the room. "I'm sure you can find the door yourself, right?"

"There aren't many options to get outside", he winked, sure that he had made a great Dad joke, while secretly it was another one of his allusions to the fact that she could have so much more. "But who knows, maybe that will change soonᅳ your whole attitude."

No, it wouldn't. Nevertheless, the redhead nodded eagerly. "Yeah, maybe. A house by the beach sounds nice."

"It does, darling." With a final kiss that he pressed fleetingly against her temple, Arthur said his goodbye and left the apartment a moment later.

Only when Josy heard him start the engine of his overly expensive car did she allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She had had much simpler conversations in her life, conversations in which she didn't want to wring the other person's neck.

ᅳ

WITH A TIGHT HUG, Josy bid Summer a goodbye after she had finally found some time for her friend after a stressful week. Over a coffee in a quiet corner of their favorite café, Josy told her friend everything about the little trip to Charming, whereupon Summer promised her that her lips were sealed and that she would help her find evidence.

Summer was a lively person. Brutally honest but had her heart in the right place and it was not for nothing that she was Josy's best friend. Apparently the two had already been friends when they were kids, but had lost contact when Josy moved to Charming with her mom and when Summer heard about the accident and that Josy was back in Roseville, the brunette had wasted no time and immediately asked about her former best friend.

Knowing that Josy was never the type to follow in her father's footsteps, her spirit far too free and adventurous for that, Summer had got her the job in the burger restaurant until Josy found something she liked. Or until she found a job in a kindergarten again.

In any case, since the accident, Summer had been the only person with whom Josy felt she could be honest and herself.

The journey home took no longer than fifteen minutes and with a pained face, Josy slipped out of her SUV, her bag in one hand and her high heels in the other.

Her feet were killing her, but it was worth it if she could prove what had been done to her and especially to Happy and Esmee. So far, unfortunately, she had been unsuccessful. There was too much hustle and bustle in her father's office to get a moment alone, but at least Josy had already memorized all the places where documents were.

A loud sigh slipped over her lips as she was finally able to drop onto the sofa, her bag and shoes scattered on the floor somewhere in the hallway.

But she couldn't relax for long as there was a knock on the door. The redhead frowned questioningly, as she wasn't expecting anyone. It couldn't be Debbie or her father, as both were invited to an event tonight.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Josy pushed herself up and hummed softly on her way to the door. A wide smile spread across her lips as she saw through the peephole that it was Happy.

Without wasting any time, she ripped open the door and shooed him inside, her smile only growing wider as she spotted the little girl next to him, who looked up at her with a toothy smile. Esmee clutched to her father's jeans-clad leg and looked around shyly but curiously as the two entered the apartment.

"What are you doing here?", Josy asked, clearly surprised, as she immediately felt the urge to hug himᅳ but she didn't. Instead, she ran her hand over Esmee's soft, red curls, and crouched down in front of the girl. "Hi sweetie, I missed you."

"Pway!" Esmee smiled sheepishly before pointing the finger that had just been in her mouth at Josy and then at herself. "Wanna pway!"

Josy's beaming smile rivaled the sun that was shining through the half-open blinds. "We can play right away if you want."

"I hope it's okay that we came." Happy's raspy voice filled the room, making Josy look up, her cheeks rosy as she gave him a smile that made his heart beat faster. "And we brought these. Esmee picked most of them."

Tears welled up in Josy's eyes as she only now spotted the bouquet of wildflowers in Happy's hand. Silently, she stood up and leaned forward a little, her hands tentatively wrapped around the flowers to inhale the scent.

"I love them", she murmured sincerely, visibly touched by the small gesture. Her green eyes met Happy's as she lifted her head again, a delicate smile on her lips. "Wildflowers are my favorite."

"I know, you always preferred them over a store-bought bouquet", Happy replied with the slightest of grins. "You picked a fresh one every week so we always had flowers."

"Did I?" Josy grabbed the bouquet and waved Happy and Esmee into the kitchen. Under the sink, she pulled a vase out of the cupboard and filled it with water before she carefully placed the flowers in it. The purple glass matched most of the flowers perfectly. "I don't know, wildflowers just have something..delicate about them. Very different from a bouquet that's just way too big most of the time."

"Yeah, you did. And you always asked me what I thought of them", he told her with a smile, his arms folded over his chest as he stood in the doorway while Esmee explored the apartment with curious eyes. "You loved flowers in general, actually everything that had to do with nature."

The fact that Happy remembered this just showed that he was an attentive personᅳ even to the small, inconspicuous things. And if they were honest, Esmee had probably only picked a few flowers sporadically. Which meant that Happy, an intimidating, scary-looking biker, must've stood in a field full of flowers just to see her smile.

"Thanks, Happy", she mumbled, sheepishly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her arms twitching nervously.

Oh, fuck it.

With quick steps she closed the distance between the two and wrapped her arms around his waist, her cheek pressed firmly against the soft fabric of his black hoodie. He wasn't wearing his kutte, probably to avoid attracting the attention of the neighbors.

Her breath trembled as his scent triggered something in her. For the first time, it seemed as if something was actually triggering her memories. She knew the smell, without a doubtᅳ and not just from the last time they saw each other last week. No, that smell was familiar to her.

The first tear rolled down her cheek as Happy's arms wrapped around her. It felt like a hug from him could put aside all the worries that bothered her every day.

And again, just like last time, the empty feeling in her chest disappeared immediately, replaced by warmth that now traveled through her whole body.

With a soft sniff, she buried her face in his chest, practically clinging to him as she heard him swallow hard. Why couldn't a flood of old memories just wash over her? She wanted to know what her marriage to Happy had been like, pretty sure that they had experienced countless beautiful moments.

"We'll get through this", he croaked against the top of her head, planting a kiss on it. "Have you found anything?"

"No, nothing." Josy quickly wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, slowly lifting her head. Her eyes closed as Happy's forehead fell against hers. "But next week Debbie will be out of town for two days, which means I can start searching in her office."

"I need you to be careful, Josy, you hear me?" Happy cupped her face in his hands, his grip firm as a glimmer of worry and the hunger for revenge flashed in his dark, narrowed eyes. "If they really are behind your accident, they are unpredictable", he said stubbornly, swallowing quietly before saying his next words. "And I can't lose you again."

"You won't", she whispered soothingly as she brought her hand to his cheek, running her fingers over his stubble. "You won't lose me again, I promise."

"You better keep your word, woman", the SAA grunted, instinctively pulling her closer to his chest. "You mind if we stay the weekend?"

"Not at all." With a smile, she gently rubbed the tip of her nose against his, as if she had never been apart from him. "I want the two of you to stay. But we have to keep our eyes open."

"We will, little girl", he rasped, clearly satisfied with her answer. "Put on something comfortable, I have something planned."

"Another surprise, huh?" Josy lifted an eyebrow, grinning slightly as she gently pushed herself away from him. "Then I'll go change."

With a raspy laugh that vibrated in his chest, he rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone. "If I'm going to show up here unannounced, I'll make sure I don't waste your time."

"Even if we were to stay in here all weekend, it wouldn't be a waste of time at all", she assured him with a small smile before she pulled away from him and disappeared into her room to change, her whole body tingling with anticipation.

What could be better than spending a whole weekend with her daughter and the man who was her first love, finding out more about herself and especially about her old life with her husband?

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