by Kristy Tate
She laughed at the mortified expression on his face. “Thanks to you, I don’t,” she replied.
“Oh yes,” he said, “my magical app.”
“Don’t talk about it like that,” she said.
“Like what?”
“All disparaging and disapproving.” She sipped her cocoa and frowned at him over the rim of her mug.
When he laughed at her, it ramped up her indignation.
“It really is an amazing gift that you gave the world,” she said. “You might not remember it now, but you’ve built a wonderful device that’s saving and changing people’s lives. I have a friend who used to weigh three hundred pounds, and now, thanks to you, she’s gorgeous. And it’s not just about looks. It’s about how you feel. It’s about waking up in the morning with energy and excitement to face the day. It’s walking into a room and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing you’re in your right-size body. And when you’re looking your best you feel like you can live your very best life.” She set down her mug and took a chair across from him at the table. “And you did that. You gave that to not just me but to hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million other people.” A thought occurred to her. “I wonder if there’s some way for you to know.”
“What do you mean?” He studied her and she could tell she’d sparked his curiosity.
“Is there some way to look into your business?”
“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “It’s the strangest thing, but whenever I think about Clive and Eva, I have this sick feeling in my heart that I can’t explain. I don’t know what it means.” His expression softened. “But I don’t think they’re trying to kill me.”
“Well, let’s hope not,” she said. “I honestly I don’t know why you’d be friends with people like that. Although the hundreds of mystery novels I’ve read have told me that there’s a murderous heart in each of us and sometimes the least suspicious people can be the villain.”
Zach helped himself to another cinnamon roll as someone rapped on the door.
Charlie tripped across the room and pulled the door open. She waited for the fluttering feeling that Kirk’s presence always gave her and was surprised when she felt annoyance that he’d interrupted her conversation with Zach.
Kirk’s face registered surprise when he caught sight of Zach sitting at the kitchen table, looking completely at home with his mug of cocoa and half-eaten cinnamon roll.
“Good morning, Kirk. What can I do for you?” Charlie asked.
It took Kirk a couple of beats of surprised silence before he said, “My mom sent me over to borrow a cup of sugar.”
“Wait,” Zach said. “Why would your mom think we would have sugar? Why would she think we have any supplies here?”
Charlie sent him a quick glance.
“Ah,” Kirk said. “She hasn’t shown you the fruit room.”
“The what?”
Charlie swallowed. “The fruit room,” she said.
“I’ll show you,” Kirk said, and he strode into the kitchen and motioned for Zach to follow him to the basement.
#
Zach trailed after Kirk, mildly curious about the mysterious fruit room and why Kirk would feel the need to show it to him. They passed the room where Zach had slept and Kirk opened the last door on the left.
“The fruit room,” he announced.
Shelves stocked with canned foods lined the cavernous room. Bundles of dried herbs hung from the ceiling. Bottles of dark, syrupy-looking liquids lined the bottom shelves. Bins of onions and beets stood beside a large vat with the word honey scribbled on it. It smelled of onions and spices.
“What is this place?” Zach asked.
“Food storage, in case the world goes to hell in a handbasket. That big plastic container is full of water.” Kirk cleared his throat. “But I didn’t bring you down here to talk about Mr. Monson’s doomsday theories. I want to talk about Charlie.”
“Why?”
“She’s not your type.”
“How do you know my type?”
“Everyone knows your type! You’re engaged to Eva Littleton!”
“You know as well as I do that I don’t remember Eva.”
“Your memory hasn’t returned?” Kirk studied him as if he’d just become interesting.
“No.”
Kirk planted his feet shoulder-distance apart and folded his arms. “All the more reason to stay away from Charlie.”
“She invited me here and provided a hideaway from the press—and Eva—just until my memories return, or until I can think up a game plan.”
“You think you need a game plan?” Kirk asked.
Zach couldn’t imagine a life without one. He’d always had a plan in motion. He was a big believer in setting and achieving goals. But now? He was lost. “Don’t you?” The man couldn’t be a slacker if he’d gone through the rigors of medical school.
“Charlie’s like a sister to me. She’s naive.”
“She’s almost thirty!”
“Yeah, but—”
“She invited me, and whatever happens here is between her and me.”
A strange look passed over Kirk’s face. It was the sort of expression a quarterback would make right before he threw a Hail Mary that he knew would land true. Kirk grabbed a bag of sugar off a shelf, tucked it under his arm, and headed back up the stairs.
Zach closed the door to the fruit room and followed Kirk.
“Took you long enough,” Charlie said when they re-emerged in the kitchen. “Was Kirk filling you in on my dad’s post-apocalyptic contingency plans?”
“You could say that,” Kirk answered with a smirk.
Zach could tell that Kirk was planning something, but he couldn’t imagine what.
CHAPTER 5
They spent the morning sledding. Zach had worried that someone might spot and recognize him, but Charlie assured him they’d have the hill to themselves.
“How can you be sure?” Zach asked.
“No one comes up here,” Charlie told him as they climbed the hill. “There’s so many good sledding hills, no one needs to venture so far off the beaten path. Besides, they’d be trespassing if they did.”
When they reached the top, Zach put his hands on his hips and looked out over the valley spotted with pine trees. It looked like it belonged on a Christmas card. “How many acres do your grandparents own?”
“Twenty, I think.”
“Any idea where their property stops or starts?” Zach asked.
“Not a clue,” Charlie said happily.
“How much did they sell to the Palmers?”
“Less than one,” Charlie said.
“That’s good,” Zach said.
She elbowed him. “Why do you hate him?”
“I don’t hate him,” Zach said.
“You don’t like him.”
Zach, knowing he was being churlish, grunted.
Charlie laughed, sat down on her sled, and pushed off. “Race you to the bottom!”
Zach gave a Tarzan yell and ran and jumped on his sled. Holding on with both hands, he sailed past her while snow kicked up around his face.
“Zach!” she screamed after him.
She sounded so panicked, he stuck out his boots, stopping himself.
Laughing, she zoomed past. “I’m winning!” she called out.
He groaned, mounted his sled and tried to catch up.
Hours later, they headed for the cabin. Zach carried both sleds over his shoulder. The early afternoon sun warmed his face. He tried to remember the last time he’d ever felt so relaxed, carefree, and happy, but, of course, he couldn’t.
Beside him, Charlie stumbled and he caught her elbow. “Careful,” he said as she bumped into his side. “This must have been a magical place growing up,” Zach said.
“Oh, it was. Still is,” she said. “When all the family is here, it can get a bit crazy, but I love it. It’s fun in the winter snow, but there’s something to love about every season. In the fa
ll, there’s Octoberfest in the village—and, of course, the leaves are really beautiful. My grandmother has planted hundreds of tulips and daffodils that bloom in the spring. In the summer, we go boating and fishing on the lake.”
“If I’m as rich as you say I am, maybe I should buy a cabin up here.”
She elbowed him. “You totally should!” She squealed as if a thought had just occurred to her. “I know just the house! Come on, I’ll show you!”
“Is it far?”
“Why? Are you tired?” She slid him a glance.
“No, but I would think you would be.” Her stamina surprised him. He liked to consider himself in peak physical condition, but he was remembering his pro-athlete days. He really had no idea what sort of lifestyle and sedentary ways may have crept in over the past seven years. Not that his weight had changed, but he was afraid it may have…shifted.
“As a nurse, I’m on my feet all day. And, of course, since I downloaded the Wonder Weight Loss app, I try to keep fit.”
“You’re definitely in fighting form,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, looking pleased. “I told you about my family. Why don’t you tell me about yours?”
“It’s nothing like yours,” he said, feeling a pall fall over him.
“So, what was it like?”
“My parents adopted me and my brother. Money was always tight. Both of my parents worked. My dad drank a lot. He died when I was a kid. Then my mom worked two jobs.”
She tucked her hand around his arm and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. There’s a good chance that if things had been easier, I wouldn’t have pushed myself. I went to college on a football scholarship. I was lucky that it came so easily.”
“There was more than luck involved. I bet you worked really hard.”
“I did. I was tired of living in squalid apartments in crappy neighborhoods. I wanted my mom to live someplace where she didn’t need five locks on the doors.”
“I bet you bought your mom a new house.”
“I did. It was the first thing I ever spent any real money on. I drove a twenty-year-old Buick until I could get my mom a house.”
“And now she’s moved to Australia.”
He nodded. “With a guy named Moose.” He laughed, but then sobered. “Supposedly, I like him. We’re going to go fishing for big barra.”
“What?”
“It’s a really big fish.”
She laughed. “Okay, that sounds great.”
“Maybe it would be if I could remember him.”
“It’ll come back to you,” she promised him.
“It might not,” he said. “The doctors warned me I need to prepare myself for the possibility those years might be lost.”
“I can’t even imagine. It would be like losing your best friend, but worse.”
Disliking the serious turn of the conversation, Zach looked around for a distraction. Anything. And he spotted a hill—a steep, treeless hill that ran alongside the cabin. Why hadn’t they chosen that one? It looked perfect. “Hey, how about that hill?”
Charlie halted and he felt a small shiver run through her. “Not that one, okay?”
“Why not? It looks fast.”
She tugged on his arm, propelling him forward. “Oh, I’m sure it’s fast. I’ve never been on it.”
“Why not?”
Charlie licked her lips. “There was an accident on that hill. My oldest brother hit a tree and, well, he was in a coma for a couple of weeks. He’s fine now—better than fine, actually. But for a while they worried about brain damage.”
“I don’t see a tree now,” Zach said.
Charlie gazed at the hill. “That’s because my dad chopped it down. I know what you’re thinking,” she said after a few beats of silence. “You think I should practice what I preach and face my fears.”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I get it. And I don’t want to pressure you.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “It’s funny. I can remember it so well—it’s like a movie in my mind—but according to my mom, I wasn’t even there. I was only three and supposedly I was in the cabin watching cartoons with my grandmother, Dotty. I can’t recall anything about what was on TV, but I can see my brother flying down the hill and heading for the tree. I remember my mom screaming and my dad crying. A helicopter came and took my brother and parents to a hospital down the mountain.”
“The mind is an incredible thing.”
“And memories—they can be deceiving, right?” She nudged him with her shoulder.
Zach nodded and came to a decision. “I’m going to sled down that hill.”
Charlie swallowed audibly. “Then I am, too.”
He slid her a glance. “You don’t have to.”
“But I want to. Anything you can do, I can do better.”
“Great. I’ll meet you on the football field.” He grabbed her chin so he looked her in the eye. “Be sure to wear your smashed-into-the-grass clothes.”
She shook away from him with a giggle. “That’s it! Race you to the top!” Tearing the sled away from him, she tried to sprint up the hill, but the snow impeded her run. She looked like an ostrich performing a mating ritual.
Laughing, he tore after her and quickly passed her.
“You’re a cheater!” she called after him.
“How can I be a cheater?” He stopped.
Smiling, she jumped belly-down onto her sled, even though she was only halfway up the hill. “Eat my snow dust!” she called out as she took off.
“Hey! They should call you Cheater-Charlie!” He dropped his sled and landed on it with a flying jump.
Because Charlie’s sled kicked up snow as she raced down the hill, Zach could hardly see, but as the snow grew thicker, he could tell he was gaining on her.
And then he hit her sled.
Together, they flew into the air and rolled to the bottom in a tangle of arms, legs, scarves and mittens. They came to a stop—he on top of her.
“I won,” Zach said, his face inches from hers. Her breath fanned his face. He ached to press his lips to hers. Her eyes told him that she knew what he wanted and maybe she wanted it too. He cupped her face with his hand, and her soft cheek filled him with overwhelming desire, not just for her, but for everything she stood for—a family, a cabin, the simple pleasure of laughing with someone you love.
“What the hell is going on?” a male voice boomed.
#
Charlie squirmed out from under Zach and bounced to her feet. “Dan! What are you doing here?”
Dan stood in front of them with his balled fists planted on his hips. “I could ask you the same thing!” He assessed Zach with a frown and the vein in his neck pulsed an angry purple. “Who are you?”
“Oh, come on, you know who he is,” Charlie said, trying to remember the last time her brother had been annoyed with her. She’d seen her brothers fight with each other countless times, but she honestly couldn’t remember any of them ever yelling at her. “Everyone knows who is,” she added in a small voice.
“But I just don’t know what he’s doing here with you,” Dan growled.
Zach climbed to his feet, brushed the snow off his hands, and extended the right one to Dan. “Hi, I’m Zach.”
“Stay away from my sister.” Dan stepped closer so that the toes of his boots perfectly aligned with Zach’s, but he pointedly ignored the outstretched hand.
Charlie had the sudden and painful sixth-grade memory of Eric Barnard making a comment about her new bra. He’d called it her “over-the-shoulder bolder holder” and Dan had overheard. Eric went home from school with a bloody nose and Dan was suspended from eighth grade for a week. Her dad had applauded Dan. But her dad wasn’t here now, so Charlie—not wanting a repeat of the Eric incident—wedged herself between the two men. She placed her palms on her brother’s chest and pushed him away.
“Nothing was happening,” she told him. “It was just a sledding accident.” But was it? What would
have happened if her brother hadn’t shown up? She sent Zach a quick glance over her shoulder, trying to read him. “Look at us! We’re fully clothed.”
“Now,” Dan said, scorn dripping from his voice.
“Kirk called you? That’s why you’re here?”
Dan didn’t reply but sucked in his lower lip.
Charlie shook her head and stomped off toward the cabin. “You have to be nice to Zach. Not only is he a guest, he’s had a head injury.”
Zach fell into line behind her. The hairs on her neck prickled from his proximity. He was like a charged battery that made her nerves spark and tingle. But why? She was in love with Kirk. She always had been. Her love for Kirk was as certain as the color of her eyes—it was an irrefutable part of herself. And Zach was…well, he was a guest with a head injury and needed to be treated as such. If Dan thought otherwise, he was deluded.
But what about Zach? What was he thinking?
Charlie paused when she rounded the corner and spotted not only Dan’s truck, but also her brother Jacob’s BMW. Seconds later, the cabin door burst open and her four-year-old nephew Ian barreled into her arms.
“Auntie Chuckie! You’re here! And I’m here.” He pulled away from her and lifted his arms so she’d pick him up.
She obliged. As always, he felt small and wiry and his hair smelled of sour-apple shampoo. She kissed his warm cheek and he snuggled against her for a brief moment. Then he wiggled so she had to put him down.
“Mommy said we had to come to keep you from making a billionaire booboo. How can you do a billionaire booboo? All of my booboos are in the toilet.”
Despite her embarrassment, Charlie chuckled. “I think you mean poopoo.”
“Same difference,” Dan muttered.
“You’re the worst,” Charlie told him.
“What?” Dan exploded. “I didn’t make you drop your weekend plans.”
Charlie assumed what she liked to call her Wonder Woman stance—hands on hips, feet shoulder-width apart, chin lifted. No one ever argued with her when she took the Wonder Woman pose. “I didn’t ask you to come!”
“Maybe not with words,” Dan said.
