“Yes. Earlier I’d gone over the day’s tour log and saw your name. When you gave it to the paramedics, I remembered it.”
Ashley tried not to let disappointment settle around her heart. “I hope I can reschedule,” she said, pasting a smile to her face.
“No reason you shouldn’t. Just let Vashti know and she can arrange it. Either me or my assistant, Tyler Clinton, will be able to take you.”
Only someone as close to him as she was could realize what he was doing. According to what the nurse had told her, he hadn’t shown interest in any of the women in Catalina Cove, yet he was showing interest in her whether he wanted to or not.
If it was his intent to pass her over to his assistant, that wasn’t acceptable. He would find that out soon enough. “I will.”
“Goodbye, Ashley.”
He hadn’t said “I’ll be seeing you later” but he’d said “Goodbye,” which sounded so final. She fought back the wave of disappointment she felt. “Goodbye.” She couldn’t call him Devon and she refused to call him Ray. At least, not right now.
He turned and left without looking back. She didn’t want to cry but she did so anyway. She was overwhelmed and distraught at the same time. Her husband was back and that should be the only thing that mattered. But he didn’t know her and for her that realization hurt more than anything, more than almost dying.
CHAPTER SIX
“MORNING.”
Kaegan and Sawyer glanced up when Ray slid into the booth with them. “Morning,” they greeted him simultaneously.
“Did you get to see Ms. Ryan before visiting hours ended yesterday?” Sawyer asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Yes, I saw her,” Ray said, and appreciated when Bryce Witherspoon appeared with a cup of coffee just the way he liked it. “Thanks, Bryce.”
“You’re welcome, Ray.”
Out of habit he glanced at Kaegan and watched how his gaze was on Bryce when she refilled Kaegan’s and Sawyer’s cups. The two men thanked her but it was only Sawyer whom she acknowledged by name. Her usual slight didn’t appear to bother Kaegan. Ray figured chances were he was pretty used to it by now.
“You’re quiet, Ray.”
“Is that a crime, Sheriff?”
Sawyer chuckled. “No. In fact, I wish Jade would practice it sometime.”
Ray couldn’t help but grin. Jade was Sawyer and Vashti’s teenage daughter. She was in her last year of high school with plans to attend college somewhere in Nevada in the fall. At least, according to Sawyer that was the plan now, but it could change.
“You’ve taken my position as town hero,” Kaegan said, causing them to remember how Kaegan had raced into a burning house last winter to save an old man who’d fallen asleep while smoking. “Everyone is talking about how you jumped into the ocean to save that woman. According to old lady Kitty Barnwell, you stripped naked before you dived in.”
Ray rolled his eyes. The one thing that amazed him about Catalina Cove was how fast news traveled and usually how inaccurate. People liked to embellish details, and it was always the older residents doing it more so than the young. “I didn’t strip naked. Didn’t come close. I took off my T-shirt and shoes. Since you brought me a dry pair of jeans to the hospital yesterday to put on, then you know I kept my pants on, Kaegan.”
Kaegan shrugged. “Just telling you the story that’s out there, and since it’s Ms. Kitty who’s putting it out, it’s going to get around quickly.”
With little credibility, Ray hoped. “Whatever.” He glanced over at Sawyer. “Tell me what you know about Ashley Ryan.”
The lifting of Sawyer’s brow denoted his surprise and Ray knew why. In the three years he’d known Sawyer, Ray had never asked the man any specifics about a woman before. “What makes you think I know anything?”
Ray rolled his eyes. “You’re the sheriff, for starters, and then you’re married to Vashti, who has befriended the woman.”
Sawyer smiled. “Vashti befriends anyone who stays at Shelby by the Sea.” He paused a moment and asked, “What do you want to know, Ray?”
Ray took another sip of his coffee and waited until after Bryce delivered a plate of hot blueberry muffins and left before saying, “She’s wearing a wedding ring. However, according to Vashti, she’s a widow and her husband died a few years back in a car accident.”
Sawyer nodded before biting into a hot muffin. After chewing a minute, he said, “Obviously, she hasn’t fully gotten over her grief and still wears her rings. No crime in that.”
* * *
RAY DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. If that was true, why had he felt her interest in him? He could say the reaction was mutual because he’d felt it in the way she had looked at him, which was the basically the same way he’d looked at her. But the attraction wouldn’t last.
As far as he knew, he’d never saved anyone’s life before, and maybe the way he was feeling, a sense of attachment, was merely a normal reaction and vice versa.
“Where is she from?” Ray asked.
Both Kaegan and Sawyer stared at him and then Kaegan asked, “Are you interested in her?”
Ray shook his head. “No. I can’t be interested in any woman—you know that.”
“Only because you won’t allow yourself to be,” Kaegan countered.
“Only because I can’t” was his response.
“She’s from South Carolina. Not sure of the city,” Sawyer said, then paused and asked, “Any reason you didn’t ask her any of these questions when you saw her?”
Ray shrugged. “I didn’t want to tire her out. She’d been through enough.”
“So what did the two of you talk about?” Kaegan asked curiously.
Ray took a sip of his coffee. “She wanted details of exactly what happened. I guess she didn’t remember much of it.”
Sawyer nodded. “That makes sense. Most victims can’t remember details of trauma.”
Ray, of all people, knew that. “She’s pretty.”
Why he’d said that, he wasn’t sure. But it was the truth. Ashley Ryan was pretty. He had first noticed her while in Smithy’s Tackle Shop. When he saw Kaegan and Sawyer staring at him, he said, “I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just an observation.”
“Don’t offer any explanations, Ray. Memory or no memory, you’re still a man. And there are times when men want things they know just aren’t good for them.”
Ray noticed Kaegan was staring across the café at Bryce Witherspoon, who was serving another customer.
“Ms. Ryan is going to be in town for two weeks,” Sawyer said.
Ray took a sip of his coffee. “Is she?”
“Yes. Just in case you want to know.”
Ray shrugged. “I shouldn’t want to.”
“But you do,” Kaegan said, grinning. “Like Sawyer said, you’re a man. Glad to know you’re not really made of stone where women are concerned.”
Ray lifted a brow. “You thought I was?”
Kaegan chuckled. “Sometimes I wondered. I’ve seen some real nice-looking women flirt with you and I’ve watched your lack of interest.”
Ray lifted a brow. “Hmm, I’ve seen you act the same way, Kaegan.” There, he’d called his friend out. It was obvious whether Kaegan wanted to admit it or not, and regardless of what might have happened between Kaegan and Bryce years ago, Kaegan still had the hots for her.
“Anyone want a refill?”
Ray glanced up and Bryce was at their table. “No, I’m fine,” he said.
Sawyer wanted a refill. Kaegan didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t even look at her, but then watched her walk off.
“Time for me to go,” Ray said, placing enough money on the table for his coffee, muffins and a tip.
“I understand Ms. Ryan was on her way to take a tour on your boat when the accident happened,” Sawyer said.
Ray nodded.
<
br /> “Think she’ll reschedule?” Kaegan asked.
“Not sure,” Ray said.
“Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t. She might not want to go anywhere near a lot of water for a while,” Sawyer said.
That might be true but for some reason Ray wanted to believe Ashley Ryan was a fighter and would not let what happened yesterday defeat her. “If she does, fine, and if she doesn’t, that’s fine, too.” He stood. “I’ll see you guys later. And, Kaegan, my last tour is around two. I’ll stop by your place to see if you need an extra man on one of your boats.”
Kaegan smiled. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it if you do. I have a big order that’s going to New Orleans. One of the hotels in the French Quarter is hosting a huge convention of seafood lovers. They’ve asked for four times their usual order.”
“Then I’ll make it my business to drop by and help. See you guys later.”
* * *
“THANKS FOR EVERYTHING you’ve done, Vashti,” Ashley said when they drove up the long driveway to Shelby by the Sea. The doctor had discharged her that morning and Vashti had arrived with her clothes and everything she needed to leave the hospital.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re okay and hope you’ll get some rest today.”
Ashley knew there was no way she could do that. She had too much to do and she had to hit the ground running. First, she needed to replace her mobile phone and then call Emmie, Suzanne and Kim and tell them about Devon. They would think she was crazy, but no matter what it took, she had to convince them she wasn’t insane. Then she needed to make sure they didn’t converge on Catalina Cove. The situation with Devon was one she had to handle on her own. She would need their support but not their interference.
“I need to get a new phone,” she said as she followed Vashti through the door.
“Done,” Vashti said, smiling over at her and reaching into the pocket of her jeans to bring out a phone. “Here’s your new phone.”
Ashley’s brows shot up. “Thanks,” she said, accepting the phone. “But how could you get it without me?”
Vashti chuckled. “I couldn’t but Sawyer could. Being sheriff comes with certain privileges.”
“And I’m forever grateful,” Ashley said, slipping the phone into the back pocket of her jeans.
Vashti grinned. “However, Sawyer drew the line about replacing your purse. Decided to let you handle that yourself.”
Ashley let out a laugh. “I do understand.”
Moments later Ashley was up in her suite and pulling out her new phone. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw all her apps, contacts and photos had gotten transferred over. She placed a call to Emmie. “If you’re calling me you can’t be having much fun, Ash,” Emmie said.
“We need to have a four-way,” she quickly said. “You connect with Suzanne and I’ll grab Kim and merge calls.”
“Oh, okay. Is something wrong?”
“It depends on how you look at it. Now get Suzanne on the call.”
It wasn’t long before all four of them were on the phone. “Okay, I need to tell you guys something you might find hard to believe. As hard as it might be, I want you guys to listen and know I haven’t lost my mind. And please hold your questions or comments until after I’m finished. Okay?”
“Okay,” agreed all three.
Taking a deep breath, Ashley said, “I saw Devon.” Then she started at the beginning. Unlike what they had agreed to, they didn’t wait until she was finished to make comments or ask questions. Of course they thought she’d slipped into insanity. They told her they’d sent her to Catalina Cove to relax, enjoy herself and make decisions about her future—not sink deeper into the past.
It took Ashley a full thirty minutes of answering their questions and repeating certain aspects of what she’d told them, especially the part about her almost drowning and Devon saving her, before they began crying. In fact, the four of them cried together. They were happy for her and afraid for her as well. If Devon did have amnesia, what if he didn’t regain his memory?
For Ashley, that was a no-brainer. She intended to be a part of his life regardless.
But of course Kim had to play devil’s advocate and ask her the one question she couldn’t answer: What if he didn’t want her as part of his life? The life he had now?
After swearing her best friends to secrecy and promising to keep them updated with every single detail—big or small—she was finally able to end the call. A part of her felt better sharing every element of the past twenty-four hours with them. After clicking off the phone she went into the bathroom to wash her tearstained face.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Talking to her friends, she’d relived the moments of the day before herself. Especially waking up to find Devon sitting in her hospital room waiting for her. She doubted that she would ever forget how he’d been looking at her. There had been concern in his eyes but she was convinced there had been something else as well. Had his mind been trying to recall other times he’d watched her sleep? If that had been the case, he hadn’t let on. She distinctly hadn’t seen any kind of recognition in his gaze. Only male interest. Considering what the nurse had said about his reluctance to show interest in any woman in town, should that give her hope?
Ashley moved away from the mirror to leave her suite, deciding not to get her hopes up about anything. What she decided to do and what her best friends had agreed she should do was to find out every bit of detail she could about how Devon was alive when she and everyone else had thought him dead.
The combined aroma of coffee and blueberry muffins greeted Ashley the moment she stepped off the stairs and headed toward Vashti’s office. The serving of breakfast had ended a half hour ago, but she hoped there were leftovers somewhere since she hadn’t eaten anything.
She knocked on Vashti’s office door. “Come in.”
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Vashti.”
Vashti smiled as she stood. “You aren’t. And you look like you could use a cup of coffee,” she said, heading for the coffeepot. “And what about a blueberry muffin?”
“I was hoping you would ask. I’ve fallen in love with them,” Ashley said, grinning.
“Well, we are the blueberry capital of the nation,” Vashti said proudly, pouring coffee into cups and then filling small plates with muffins.
Ashley took the plate and cup Vashti handed her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I think I’ll join you with coffee and a muffin myself. And let’s sit over here.” Vashti led Ashley over to a sitting area with a love seat and chair.
Ashley recalled Vashti telling her that for years she’d worked for a five-star hotel in New York before moving back here to reopen the inn she’d inherited upon the death of her aunt. Even after two days Ashley could tell Vashti was good at what she did and was a person she could talk to. It stood to reason since Vashti’s husband was close friends with Devon that Ashley should start here with her. Hopefully, Vashti could shed some light on a few things, and if she couldn’t, certainly Vashti’s husband could.
Ashley took a sip of her coffee and then said, “I hate taking you away from your work, but I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”
Vashti’s brows rose. “Oh? About what?”
“Not what, but who. Ray Sullivan,” Ashley said, then watched Vashti over the rim of her cup.
“What about Ray?”
“I’d like for you to tell me everything you know about him.”
Vashti didn’t say anything for a minute and then she placed her coffee cup aside. “Why? Do you like him?”
Ashley shook her head. “No, I love him.”
“Love him?”
“Yes.”
Vashti didn’t say anything for a moment and then she said, “I can understand you might believe that since he saved your life yesterday, but—”
�
�It’s more than that,” Ashley interrupted to say.
Vashti’s brows arched. “How so?”
Ashley sighed deeply while ignoring the way her stomach tightened. In her heart she believed Vashti was someone she could trust. Someone who could help her put the pieces of the puzzle together so she could understand how Devon was still alive when she’d thought him dead for three years.
She met Vashti’s inquisitive gaze and said, “For me it should be pretty simple but in truth it’s rather complicated.”
When Vashti didn’t say anything but sat there waiting for Ashley to continue, she said, “The man you know as Ray Sullivan... Well, I am his wife.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“HIS WIFE?” VASHTI EXCLAIMED, jumping to her feet.
“Yes,” Ashley said, clearly trying to remain calm. “Yesterday he saved my life and didn’t even recognize me. I recognized him, right before I tumbled over in the water. Since he didn’t know who I was, I can only assume he’s somehow lost his memory after the car accident.”
Car accident? Vashti began pacing when she recalled what Sawyer had told her about how Ray had lost his memory and had come to live in Catalina Cove. It hadn’t been a car accident.
When she heard sobbing, she turned to Ashley and saw tears in the woman’s eyes. Vashti immediately went to her, dropping down on the sofa beside her and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She knew how important and comforting hugs were and she gave her a fierce one. When Ashley’s sobs eased up somewhat, Vashti asked, “What happened?”
In a teary voice Ashley told Vashti everything, ending with how hard it had been for her over the past three years.
“Oh, my God!” Vashti said, imagining that memories of that day were coming back full blast. “You got word that your husband was dead on your fifth wedding anniversary?”
Ashley just nodded as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. “And he doesn’t know me, Vashti. I talked to him last night when he came to the hospital to see me, to make sure I was doing okay. He looked at me but didn’t recognize me. Do you know how that hurts?”
Forget Me Not Page 6
