Out of Mind

by Kendall Talbot

  “I’m great. I’d like you to meet Amber. She’s had a bit of an accident.”

  Amber held up her hand.

  “Oh wow, okay then.” Jordan pushed off the couch.

  “Owee.” Max’s eyes bulged at Amber’s finger and Oliver put the boy down. “Does it hurt?”

  “Not really.” She held it forward so Max could get a better look.

  “Come into the kitchen.” Jordan led the way. “Put your clothes on, honey, we’ve got visitors.” Oliver knew he was joking. Jordan had a wacky sense of humor.

  Helen was smiling when they entered the kitchen but it quickly changed to a look of horror when she saw Amber’s finger. “Oh my god, what happened?” Helen pulled out a chair and demanded Amber sit.

  “Hey, Helen.” Oliver kissed her cheek. “This’s Amber. It was a rock climbing incident.”

  “Wow, you sure know how to show the ladies a good time.” Helen grinned, picked up Max, and sat him in a chair opposite Amber.

  Jordan thumped Oliver in the shoulder. “Yeah. No wonder you’re still single.”

  “You guys are a laugh a minute.”

  Amber stayed silent, but a grin remained on her face as she followed the banter from one person to the next.

  Jordan looked to his wife. “Honey, can you get me some ice, please?”

  “Sure.” She turned to the freezer at the end of the kitchen.

  Jordan sat beside Amber and reached for her hand. “Is there any tingling?”

  “No.”

  “Can you feel this?” He pinched the end of the finger.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s good. It looks like it’s dislocated, not broken.”

  “Can you pop it back in?”

  “I can, but I’ll give you a local anesthetic first.” He turned to his wife. “Honey, can you grab my bag?”

  “Sure.” Helen plonked a bag of ice on the table and strode from the room.

  “It’s going to bruise and be sore for a few days.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Amber said matter-of-fact.

  Jordan’s lips formed into a thin smile. “I’m sure you will. But it’ll still be sore. No rock climbing for a week or so.”

  Her eyes shot to Oliver.

  Oliver winked. “We’ll just have to find something else to keep you busy.”

  “Watch out for this guy,” Jordan joked.

  Amber smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on him.”

  Helen placed a well-worn leather bag on the table and Jordan stood and pulled apart the two sides. He rummaged around for a moment, then removed a syringe and small vial of clear liquid.

  “Can I get you two a drink?” Helen was the eternal host, even in a time of crisis.

  “After this.” Oliver touched his hand to Amber’s shoulder. “We’ll need a good dose of whiskey, I think.”

  “I’m fine,” Amber said.

  Jordan filled the syringe, cupped Amber’s hand in his, and turned it over so he could access the underside of her finger. “Just a little sting.”

  “Okay.” Amber didn’t take her eyes off the needle piercing her skin, nor did she flinch as he injected her in three different locations on her pinky finger.

  After a minute or so of more lame jokes, Jordan pinched the end of her finger again. “Can you feel that?”

  “Not this time.”

  Helen gathered Max into her arms. “Come on, little man. Let’s go see how the hockey’s going.”

  “Aw, Mom.” Max glanced over Helen’s shoulder as she carried him from the room.

  “Okay.” Jordan gripped the tip of her finger. “Ready? One…two…” He snapped her finger, and the sickening crack made Oliver’s stomach flip. Amber, however, showed no sign that she’d felt or heard a thing.

  Jordan plucked a roll of tape from his bag and strapped her pinky finger to her adjoining finger. Then he handed her the tape. “Keep them piggybacked together for a few days for support.”

  “Okay.”

  “So, now that you’re here, you can save me.” Jordan looked up at Oliver with pleading eyes. “Helen was about to make me change the channel. We can pretend it was your idea.”

  “I heard that,” Helen said.

  “Shit,” Jordan whispered.

  Helen walked in, grinning. “You can have your stupid hockey. As long as Amber agrees to share a glass of wine with me.”

  Oliver would normally jump at the chance to watch hockey with his friend, but he felt terrible about Amber being put on the spot. He turned to her, curious about her reaction. So far, she’d gone out of her way to avoid being near people.

  To his surprise, she smiled and nodded. “Actually, I could use some wine.”

  “That settles it then.” Jordan smacked his hands together and stood. “Come on, before they change their minds.”

  Jordan pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to Oliver, then led him to the sofa and directed him to sit . The sound was turned up, but the whole time he tried to concentrate on hockey, Oliver was actually trying to hear how Amber was doing.

  When the two ladies burst out laughing he wanted to run to them and see what they were cackling at. As the game clock ticked down, he spent more time analyzing how he felt about her than watching the action. For the first time in years, he found himself mesmerized by a woman. He just hoped she felt the same way. If their kiss earlier was any way to judge, he believed she did.

  After the game, he couldn’t get off the sofa quick enough. He strode through the kitchen and found the ladies sitting in a couple of chairs in the back room. Amber had an empty wineglass in front of her.

  “Who won?” Helen asked at the men’s appearance.

  “Not the right team.”

  “Wondered why we didn’t hear you cheering.”

  Oliver pulled out the chair next to Amber and touched her arm. “How’s your finger?”

  She shrugged. “It’s fine. I don’t think the drugs have worn off yet. Ask me tomorrow.”

  “What’ve you ladies been talking about? We heard you laughing.”

  Helen touched her nose. “Secret women’s business.”

  “Yeah right. You’ve probably been telling Amber lies about me.”

  Helen clutched her chest in mock hurt. “Never.”

  Again Amber followed the banter with her intense blue eyes. At a pause in the conversation, he squeezed her forearm. “You ready for me to take you home?”

  “Yeah.” Amber nodded at Helen. “It was lovely meeting you.”

  “Likewise.”

  She turned to Jordan. “Thank you for fixing my finger.”

  “My pleasure,” he said. “Just don’t make a habit of it.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Oliver said.

  “Yeah right.” Jordan rolled his eyes.

  Oliver kissed Helen goodbye, and after shaking Jordan’s hand with a clap on the back, he and Amber headed out the front door.

  The drive to her house was short. Way too short for Oliver’s liking, and he racked his brain for a way to prolong the journey. But it wasn’t to be. At her address, he climbed out and again helped Amber from the car.

  “Can I walk you to your door?”

  Her eyes softened and she chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s just up there.”

  “It’s no trouble.”

  Her cheeks blushed. “Okay, that’d be nice.”

  Positive a ripple of delight had flickered across her eyes, he bent his left elbow. She pushed her good hand in and as they walked side by side up the path, Oliver couldn’t decide if it was the heat of her body or the flush of desire blazing through him that filled him with warmth.

  “Well, this is it.” She stopped outside a door with the number four centered on it.

  He turned to face her. “May I take you out t
o dinner on Saturday night?”

  She seemed to deflate and shook her head. “I’m skiing again this weekend. At Altitude Mountain.”

  Her decline had him heading into uncharted territory. Never before had he felt so disappointed about being let down. “When do you leave?”

  “First thing Saturday morning.”

  “Damn.” He felt like a wrecking ball had slammed into his chest.

  Something flickered across her eyes. It was like she was on the verge of taking a giant leap but didn’t know how to make it. Silently praying that it was a leap his way, he reached for her hand. Their fingers entwined like they’d done it thousands of times before.

  But she didn’t leap. She didn’t do anything but chew on the inside of her lip. He decided to take the jump himself.

  “I haven’t been skiing in a while. Maybe I could come with you?” His heart thumped in his ears as he waited for her response. “If you want, of course.”

  “Really?” She tugged on her lip as if trying not to smile. “You can get out of work?”

  “Of course.” Oliver felt like he could fly. “I’ll check for accommodation in the morning. See if they have a spare cabin.”

  A twinkle danced across her beautiful blue eyes. “My cabin has a comfy sofa. You could sleep on that.”

  Oliver couldn’t stop the grin blazing across his lips. “Sounds perfect.”

  Chapter 18

  For more than a day, Amber had been checking her phone with the expectation that Oliver would call to say that he couldn’t make the trip up the mountain. But there’d been no such call, and as she attempted to keep her mind on packing she’d begun to wonder if his offer had been a dream.

  Her brain was like the giant pirate ship at the fair, smashing through one emotion after the other: fear that spending two whole days with Oliver would make her accidentally reveal who she really was, excitement about getting to know him better, and worry that he’d see more of her scars and be as disgusted by her body as she was. But the overriding emotion was curiosity about how a man like Oliver could be even remotely interested in a girl like her.

  She was introverted, insecure, and…average.

  Oliver was the exact opposite. Confident, charismatic, and stunning.

  He could have any woman he wanted.

  Of that she was certain. He was funny and successful too. Everyone loved him, men and women alike. They were drawn to him like metal to a magnet. She’d seen it many times while hiding in the shadows waiting for everyone to leave the gym. His customers idolized him; his staff respected him.

  Yet for some reason he seemed to be interested in her. She hoped like hell she was reading the signals right or she’d have some serious mental backtracking to do.

  She packed her bag into the trunk, and without any other reason to delay she jumped into her mother’s car and headed toward the address that Oliver had scrawled down two nights ago.

  Her heart skipped a beat when she spied him waiting at the curb. He waved at her, then bent over to gather the handle of the bag at his feet. His jeans were faded and worn thin at the knees, but the way he wore them, with a white t-shirt and a tanned leather jacket, had the words “rock star” blazing across her brain. This was the first time she’d seen him out of his gym uniform, and his appearance wasn’t just seductive, it was charismatic and stylish, and if she wasn’t careful she’d probably drive right off the road.

  Avoiding catastrophe, she managed to pull the vehicle over to the side and pop the trunk. Before she’d had a chance to unbuckle and step out to greet him, he’d tossed his bag in, slammed the trunk shut, and raced to the passenger door. He slipped into the seat, leaned over, and kissed her cheek like it was something he’d done a thousand times before. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” The flush of heat coursing through her body was delicious, and she savored every pulse of it. She hadn’t felt this confused about her emotions in years. On one hand, she was as giddy as a schoolgirl. On the other, she was petrified that she was reading the signals all wrong.

  “How’s your finger? Do you want me to drive?”

  “It’s not too bad. Throbs a little. But I’m fine to drive.” With all the emotion running through her brain, she hadn’t given her finger any thought at all.

  “Okay, but I’ll drive home.” He buckled up and she put the car into gear.

  She had no intention of letting him drive—that would mean he’d have full view of her scar the whole way—but she didn’t see any need to argue about it now. She changed the subject instead. “Did you have any trouble getting out of work?”

  “Nope, I’m the boss. I just told them what to do.”

  “That’s good.”

  They cruised through town and were amongst rolling green pastures within minutes. As the miles coasted along, they covered superficial topics like favorite foods and types of music. Their conversation flowed so freely she was fooled into believing they’d been friends forever.

  But of course, if they had, he’d know her real name.

  Her deception ate away at her soul. As much as she desperately wanted to tell him everything, she didn’t want to scare him away. The longer she left it, the harder it was.

  As much as she felt complete in his presence, she felt incomplete too.

  Fulfilled, yet hollow.

  It was a weird sensation. Other than her therapist back in Seattle and the lawyer who’d changed her name, not one person knew who she was. And that’s the way it was meant to stay. But it didn’t stop her from feeling guilty about it whenever Oliver was around.

  The mountains came into view and, like every other time she’d spied them, the sense of foreboding was almost crippling. Today was no different. Because of a mountain, the life she’d known as Holly Parmenter had changed forever.

  Oliver shifted in his seat, angling himself so he could see her better. “How long have you been skiing for?”

  “Oh, um…same amount of time I’ve been rock climbing.”

  “Same? As in exactly the same?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow, you’re on a mission, huh?”

  If he only knew. She shrugged, trying to downplay it. “What about you? How long have you been skiing?”

  “Ever since I was a kid. Our parents took us skiing all the time.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “Yeah, I haven’t been for a few years, though. We’re pretty lucky having the mountains so close. Where’d you grow up?”

  Realizing she had to be careful, she paused. But then, conceding how foolish the pause was, she decided to answer truthfully. “Seattle.”

  “I went to Seattle once, a few years ago, for a mate’s wedding. It’s nice. So what made you move to Brambleton?”

  “I don’t know. Wanted a change, I guess.” She needed to move the conversation away from her before she said something she couldn’t undo. “Have you always lived in Brambleton?”

  “Yep. I’m fifth-generation Brambleton. We’re born there and usually die there. Not too many of my family have ventured out. Those that did usually came back.”

  “You’re happy with that?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t mind doing some traveling, but I think I’ll always come back home. Besides, my mother would drag me back by the ears if I left.”

  She chuckled. “Tell me about her.”

  “Oh, you’d love her. She’s a strong woman who rules with an iron fist, but she’s also the biggest softie.”

  Thankfully she’d chosen a subject that kept Oliver talking most of the way up the mountain. His love for his mother, and the rest of his family, was incredible. They were close, something she’d never had a chance to experience.

  She pulled into the covered car space outside her cabin. The resort had come to expect her every Saturday morning, and in addition to lighting the fire and leaving the lights on, they also left the
door unlocked and the keys on the kitchen table so she didn’t need to check into reception first.

  Oliver helped with the bags and she showed him into the cabin.

  “Is this your place?”

  “No.” She explained how they looked after her.

  “Wow. Talk about luxury.” His eyes scanned the downstairs area and then looked upward toward the loft that jutted out over the lounge. “Shall I take your bag up?”

  “Yes, please.”

  As he carried her case up the stairs, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the bulge and flex of his muscles beneath the fabric of his jeans. The flush coloring her cheeks was hotter than the blazing fire and she quickly told herself to calm down.

  “Holy smokes. Look at this place.” He leaned over the railing. “I’ve never stayed in anything so fancy.”

  She smiled up at him. His boyish exuberance was impossible to resist. “I get the same cabin each weekend.”

  “Must cost a fortune. Sorry, you don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”

  He must’ve seen the smile fall from her face. The last thing she wanted to do was explain her financial situation. She couldn’t believe it herself.

  He bounded down the stairs. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

  Grateful that he’d changed subject, she nodded. “Me too. After we unpack, we’ll get your skis sorted and then get a bite to eat at The Summit. They make a good omelet.”

  “Excellent.” He rubbed his stomach. “With bacon, right?”

  She chuckled. “For you maybe.”

  “I don’t know how you get through life without bacon.”

  “It’s not that hard.”

  “Hard? It’d be impossible.”

  “Exaggerator.”

  He feigned shock. “Have you even tasted bacon?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t become a vegetarian until my early twenties.”

  He whistled and shook his head. “Crazy woman.”

  She laughed and then showed him around the rest of the cabin, including the hot tub that she’d never used and never would, especially not while he was there. After showing him where he could put his things, she went upstairs and unpacked her suitcase.