Personal, huh? Five bucks said the word gay came out of his mouth next, but since I’d been prepared for that, I said, “You can ask me anything.”
He dropped his eyes down to where he was rolling the glass between his hands. “Why did you come visit me in the hospital?”
Okaay, so not the word gay. Instead, he’d asked the one question I didn’t want to answer.
“Is that something you do with all the people you help?” he said.
I thought about lying, telling him I always snuck into patients’ rooms to check up on them, but when I saw the sincerity in his eyes, I couldn’t fudge the truth.
“Honest answer?” I said, and he nodded. “No. No, I never visit patients after we transition them over to the hospital.” Before he could ask the question I knew was on the tip of his tongue, I added, “Sometimes I check on them in other ways. Call up to the ER, and if a friend picks up the phone, they’ll give me a brief rundown. But I shouldn’t even be doing that, because it’s a patient privacy violation.”
Reid’s brows lifted. “It is?”
“Yes.”
“And the day of the accident was the first time we ever spoke?”
“Yes.”
He rubbed his forehead, as if he was deep in thought as he took in what I’d said. “Then I don’t understand. Don’t take this the wrong way, but…why were you in my room when I woke up?”
“Because…” I was at a loss for words. “You have to understand, I saw you every day. You always came into the same place I did, Joe’s, and you got your daily latte—yes, you drink coffee. And I don’t know, Reid. No, we didn’t know each other, but it felt like I knew you. You were familiar to me. And when I took the call and saw it was you in that accident? I had to know that you were okay once I left, whether it was wrong or not.”
Reid didn’t move, didn’t blink. Just stared at me as he seemed to process what I said. Or maybe he was seeing through what I said to the other why, which didn’t need to be mentioned. But then he nodded and looked down at the drink in his hands.
“I appreciate that, Ollie. I hope I would’ve done the same for you, had our positions been reversed.” He went to lift his glass to his lips and stopped. “Wait. Did you say I drink coffee?”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that left me as I lifted my mug. “Only a latte every day. Have you even tried coffee lately?”
“No. I just assumed I hated it.”
“Care to try some?”
“Uh…I’ll take a raincheck,” he said, then finished off his water. “So… Did you have any plans today besides answering all my questions? I’m guessing you probably have to work, huh?”
“No, I’m off today. Several things I could be doing, I guess, but I don’t usually get to relax and do a whole lot of nothing.”
“And here I am, bugging the hell out of you.” Reid got to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
“I think I’ve probably taken up enough of your time.”
“What? No, stay.” Then before I knew it was going to come out, I said, “How do you feel about pizza? And maybe a movie? I promise I have something better than Ant-Man in my stash.”
The line between Reid’s brows creased. “You want me to stay?”
Hell yes, I do. But now wasn’t the time for that much enthusiasm. “Sure. No pressure, but you look like you could use a chill day yourself.”
Reid chewed on his lip as he seemed to debate with himself, and I wondered what it was that made him want to leave. Did he feel like he was stepping on my toes? Or, worse, did he think I’d hit on him or something? “If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure. But there is something important we need to discuss if you stay.”
Reid sat back down on the couch. “And what’s that?”
“Pepperoni or sausage?”
Chapter Six
OH NO,” MIKE said, coming up to where I was seated in the back of the rig checking inventory the next day.
“What’s wrong?”
He scrunched up his nose. “You’ve got that butt-ugly grin on your face again.”
“Screw off.” I rolled my eyes and went back to my checklist.
“This have something to do with why you stood me and Deb up last night? You get a better offer?” he teased.
“Look, no offense, because you know I love you guys, but I can think of about a million different things I’d rather be doing instead of getting set up.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
“I’m not.”
“Dude. You are. Who’s the cause of you lookin’ way too happy this morning?”
“Why does it have to be a who? Maybe I finally got some damn sleep. It was my day off.”
Mike snorted. “I guaran-fucking-tee sleep is one thing you did not get.”
“You’re a perv.”
“And you’re holding out on me.”
I knew Mike well enough to know he wouldn’t stop poking until the truth came out. Served me right, because when the shoe was on the other foot, I’d do the same.
Lowering the clipboard, I said, “If I tell you, you have to promise not to go all big deal about it.”
“Sooo, it’s a big deal but you don’t want me to act like it is? Got it.”
“That’s not—” Sighing, I shook my head and then proceeded to give him the condensed version of how Reid and I had run into each other and become friendly over the last couple of days. I hadn’t even gotten through the part about dinner tonight when he interrupted me.
“Whoa, whoa, hold on a sec. You’re seeing him again? Tonight?”
Oh, here we go. “We’re just gonna go down to Fisherman’s Grill—”
“Shut the hell up,” Mike said, then whooped loud enough that one of our coworkers stuck her head inside to see what the commotion was about. Mike was oblivious as he pointed at me. “Yo, that’s a date.”
“It’s not a date.”
“It is a date.”
“It’s dinner.”
“Yeah, a dinner date.”
I threw the clipboard at him, and he caught it, laughing. “You got the rest of this?” I asked.
“Why? Do you need to get ready for your date?”
Shaking my head, I jumped down out of the rig and ignored Mike’s simulated sex noises behind me. Jesus. Couldn’t take that guy anywhere.
Before I could get out of the garage, Mike decided it would be a good idea to wake up the whole building, because his voice boomed off the walls as he shouted, “Hey, Ollie! Make sure you put out on a first date.” When I turned to look at him in horror, he winked at me. “Guys like that.”
I really needed someone to remind me why I was friends with that guy.
With my middle fingers aimed his way, I left the room with the sound of his laughter following me down the hall.
“OKAY, I DON’T know if I’ve ever been there to say this before, but that was hands down the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life.” Reid rubbed his stomach appreciatively as I held the door that led out of Fisherman’s Grill open.
As the door shut behind us, I chuckled and wrapped my scarf around my neck to ward off the chill in the air. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone eat that many crab legs before. I’m glad you liked it.”
“Like is not a strong enough word,” he said, stopping halfway down the pier to look down at something in the dark lake. “You think they get their fish out of here?”
“Probably some of it.”
“Ugh, I can’t think about more food,” he said, pushing off the rail. “You don’t mind rolling me down the street, do you? I may not make it to the car.”
“I’d carry you, but the fifty pounds of crab meat in your stomach may slow us down.”
Reid glanced back at me, his eyes gleaming under the streetlamp. “That’s a pretty nice offer.”
“It would be if I meant it.” I pushed my hands into my jacket pockets so I wouldn’t be tempted to do something stupid, like grab his hand, and then nudged him as I
passed. “Come on, slowpoke.”
“I’m not slow. I’m full.”
I chuckled as he pretended to shuffle along behind me, and I slowed down enough for him to catch up.
“Have you been down here lately?” I asked, nodding toward Broad Street. Translation: Do you remember downtown Floyd Hills at all? When he shook his head, I looked out at all the tiny white lights strung around the trees lining the streets, giving downtown a festive glow for what was sometimes a dreary February. “Care to take a look around?”
Reid smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
We walked along the sidewalk, and I pointed out each of the stops, restaurants, and bars we passed, many of which would be closing soon. Reid listened avidly, asking questions or cracking jokes while we peered inside the storefront windows.
When we came up to Newton’s Music, Reid stopped and squinted up at the signage before looking at the store window and back again.
“I know this place,” he murmured, stepping up to the window to peer inside.
“You’ve been here before?”
“I-I think so.” He scanned over the various instruments, guitars, and a drum set, but when his eyes landed on the baby grand piano, his hand came up to the glass.
“What is it?” When he continued to stare, I checked the shop hours. Still open. “Do you want to go inside?”
“I think I do.” Pushing off the doorframe, he entered the small shop like he was in a trance, and I could only imagine what was going through his mind right now. Was something coming back to him? Would this be the beginning, the incident that triggered his memories flooding the dark spaces in his mind?
The door shut behind us, and a woman who looked to be in her mid- to late sixties came out from the back of the shop and greeted us warmly before getting a good look at Reid.
“Oh heavens, I didn’t know you’d be stopping by! It’s so good to see you. You better come here.” She took a hold of Reid’s shoulders and pulled him in for a big hug while he looked over at me as if to ask who the hell the woman was.
When she pulled back, Reid gave her a hesitant smile and said, “Do you know who I am?”
“Why, how could I ever forget such a gifted performer as you, Reid Valentine,” the woman said. “Besides, you know very well you’ve always been my favorite. It’s been so long since you’ve come by, though. What can I do for you?”
Reid stared at the woman as if trying to place exactly how he knew her, and when he didn’t respond after a few beats, I gave him a subtle nudge. He blinked, shaking his head. “Oh, uh… I don’t suppose you’d mind if I…” Reid looked toward the baby grand piano, and the woman gasped.
“Reid, I’d be delighted. Yes, please,” she said, gesturing for him to go ahead.
I followed behind him as he ran a hand reverently over the top of the piano.
“You play?” I asked.
“Yes,” he whispered, and then he sat down on the bench, his back straight and his fingers hovering over the keys. He certainly looked the part of a pianist, but it wasn’t until his hands moved smoothly across the keys, as if getting familiar with them, that I realized he didn’t just look the part—he was the part.
A soft, mournful melody filled the shop, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the woman leaning against the back counter, her hands clasped over her chest, beaming.
I rounded the piano and sat next to Reid on the bench as he continued to play, his movements no longer tentative, but masterful. “That’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he said, without missing a note. The way his hands glided so gracefully over the keys was mesmerizing, and I knew without a doubt that I could watch him play for hours. I wanted to ask him where he’d learned to play. I wanted to ask him so many things, but for now, I was content to listen.
“Someone came to visit me today,” he said quietly.
“Oh?”
“She said we dated for several years.”
I ignored the sting in my chest. “You don’t remember her?”
“Not really. Natasha was her name. She was nice, though. Beautiful. I can see why I’d be attracted to her.”
The way he spoke so nonchalantly about his past love—a woman—only served as a reminder that Reid wouldn’t ever be an option for me. It slapped me dead in the face, as if to say, Wake up, stupid, and I couldn’t help but flinch. It wasn’t as though I’d forgotten Reid was straight. No, it was more like the thought hadn’t occurred to me to even matter. We were just getting to know each other, but faced with the knowledge of a woman in his past… Well, shit. That was painful, even though it shouldn’t be.
“She helped me piece together a few things,” Reid said, as his long, elegant fingers danced across the keys. “I had wondered why I’d gone into teaching when all I ever wanted to do when I was younger was tour the world playing music. Turns out”—his hand drifted down to the end of the keys, and a twinkling flutter of notes rang out—“I did.”
My brows lifted. “You toured? Playing the piano?”
“Mhmm. Natasha had a scrapbook of photos she’d kept of me at different venues all over the country. Small venues, of course, nothing major, but still. I was doing it.”
“Did she”—I swallowed—“mention your relationship at all? Why you broke up?”
“This is gonna sound strange, but…I didn’t know what to say to her. I’ve asked you, someone I barely knew in my other life, a hundred questions, yet this person I supposedly spent two years of my life with, nothing.” The melody changed then, swirling to a heated rumble of low notes. “She showed me the photos of us together, traveling, spending holidays with my family. It felt like I was looking at someone else’s life. I don’t understand it. I just get so…angry. There’s all these blank spaces, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, or who I am, or how to get my life back.” He battered the keys as his emotions poured out. “Or even if I want that life back. From what I’ve seen, I can’t say that I do. Like… I want to start over. Fresh slate, new start, but I don’t even know how to do that—” He choked on his words and jerked his hands back.
In the silence that filled the room without the music, the only sound that could be heard was his breath coming out in ragged pants. Without thinking it through, I put my hand on his back, wanting somehow to relieve him of the panic and frustration that warred inside him. He didn’t move away, letting me rub slow circles along his spine as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m trying so hard.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to be brave all the time.”
Reid let out a strangled laugh. “Says Superman.”
“I’ll tell you a secret,” I said, and waited until his eyes were on mine. Sadness swirled in their brown depths, and I wished to God I could wipe it away. Give him the fresh start he needed. There was something so trusting about the man sitting beside me, and it was why I didn’t hesitate in what I said next. “I’ve never been as scared as I was the day I saw you facedown in your car. I think I prayed more that day than I ever have in my life.”
“Really?” he said. “Why?”
“Because you were somebody to me, whether we knew each other or not. I knew your life could depend on how fast I could get you out of that car. How quickly we could get you stabilized and to the hospital. I guarantee you I wasn’t feeling very brave then.”
Reid’s eyes welled as I held his gaze, so he could feel the truth of my words. I didn’t care if he saw through me then; I only wanted him to feel the human-to-human connection he so desperately needed.
He swallowed hard before dropping his eyes, his lids falling shut. “Thank you, Ollie.”
“You’re welcome, Reid.”
Straightening again, he took a deep breath, and I dropped my hand from his back. My arm brushed alongside his, sending goosebumps down my spine and a visible tremor through Reid. Then he began to play, his fingers gliding across the keys once more.
The melancholy from earlier
shifted into something more peaceful, almost like a lullaby I could fall asleep to.
“I like this one. Do you know what it is?”
“I’m not playing this from memory,” he said softly, and as he continued to make up the song as he went along, I let my eyes drift shut. All too soon, though, it was over, and Reid chuckled as he pushed into me.
“I made you fall asleep. That’s not good,” he mused, though his lips curved up.
“I don’t think I’ve been so relaxed in weeks. I could listen to that song every night.”
“I’ll take that compliment.”
“You should. It was beautiful.” I glanced over to see if the woman was still around, but after Reid’s emotional display, she must’ve slipped off to the back to give us some privacy. “You know, I think the woman who works here was your teacher.”
Reid’s mouth tilted up on one side. “She’s not the one I grew up with, but…maybe later? I don’t know. I’d feel strange asking, though.”
“Nah, just say, ‘Hey, I’ve had a massive brain injury and I have no idea who the hell you are, so can you enlighten me, please?’”
He laughed. “Just like that, huh?”
“Yep. Easy.” I looked down at where his fingers were still on the keys. “And speaking of easy… Care to play me another?”
“Yeah?” he asked, his grin growing wider. “Okay, let’s see.” After a moment, he began to play an upbeat, happy tune that I recognized but couldn’t place, and he danced along a little in his seat, causing us both to chuckle.
“Reid, this is obviously something you’re amazing at, and if you were making a living doing what you loved, then why would you give it up? Did…Natasha…know?”
“Apparently, my parents weren’t very keen on my career choice. Which is funny when you consider that they forced me to take piano lessons three times a week growing up. To be cultured,” he said with a smile. “I think they meant the lessons to be more of a ‘keeping me out of trouble’ thing than a career.”
I raised an eyebrow. “They have something against the arts?”
“It’s just not a ‘real’ job. My parents… The thing is, they didn’t come from money. My dad worked his way up through the bank, and it was practically drilled into my head growing up that I needed college and a steady job.”
Forget Me Not (The Unforgettable Duet Book 1) Page 5
