10
Leo
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I mumble to myself as I toss the wrench I was using onto the shelf behind me.
I’ve got you, Ella Blue, and I’m never letting you go.
“Fuck!” I rest my hands on the hood of the old Buick and hang my head. How am I going to be able to do this? I’ve had eight years of living without her, of not knowing why she left or where she went, and she… I shake my head and blow out a breath. Today, she thinks nothing has changed, but she’ll eventually get her memory back and get the hell out of town, leaving me here to pick up the pieces of my life again.
“What’s going on with you?” Beau’s voice rings out from across the shop.
“Nothing. Not one fucking thing.” I push myself off the car and turn to face my brother.
“Look, Leo, you’re pissed about your car and I get it, but you need to try to keep your emotions under control while you’re here.” His eyes sweep the room, searching for the guys who are supposed to be working but have almost certainly been watching me have a meltdown.
I laugh. “My car…yeah, right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He shoves his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and widens his stance.
“Nothing. Just forget it,” I huff out and look away.
“I know you think Andy and the rest of the guys at the station aren’t doing their job, but they are, and they’ll find your Vette.” He takes a couple steps toward me. “I wish I knew what to say, but I don’t. I can’t fix this. All we can do is wait, but in the meantime, it’s probably best if you keep busy.”
I nod as Beau continues his Everything will be okay speech and then shove my hand in my right front pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “I need a smoke.” I shake one out and head for the side door.
“Hey, I’m not done talking!” Beau yells just as I get to the exit.
I stop, kick open the door, and turn to face him. “What is it now?”
My brother moves toward me with quickness. “I’ve got to head out for the rest of the afternoon. Emmie has a doctor’s appointment and we’re supposed to find out the sex of the baby.”
I light up the cigarette and take a long, slow drag. I lean against the doorframe and exhale the smoke outside before looking back at Beau. “So, leave. I’m here.” My voice is edgy, irritated, but not at him, just at the clusterfuck that is my life.
“You know this means a lot to her or I’d stay so you don’t have to handle this place by yourself today.” His eyebrows draw together as he rubs the back of his neck.
“Just go be with Emmie. I’ll be fine. My car will show up eventually.” I take one last pull from my smoke before tapping it out against the side of the building.
Emmie is Beau’s wife. They’ve been married for about five years, and this is baby number three. I sometimes wonder if he even knows how to use a condom. I wanna be a smartass and say something hateful to lash out, but truthfully, it wouldn’t make me feel any better, and my brother would probably kick my ass.
Beau turns to walk away but then stops. “Is there something else going on? I know you’re pissed about your car, but you seem…I don’t know, just fucking mad at the world right now.”
My phone vibrates on the shelf near the old Buick I was working on earlier. I grab it and punch in the security code, my eyes glued to the screen.
Unknown: Hey! It’s me, Ella Blue. Gracie gave me your number…I hope it’s okay for me to have it.
“Fuck!” I yell.
“See? That’s what I’m talking about. Mad at the world.”
Shit. I forgot Beau was still standing here.
“Just go to Emmie’s appointment and leave me alone,” I huff out before turning away from him.
My mind jumps back to Ella’s text. How in the hell am I supposed to respond? Yes, I wanted you to have it before I found out you lost your memory, but now I’m not so sure because I have no idea where I really stand with you.
“Leo, don’t fucking shut me out.” He’s still here? What is it going to take to get rid of him?
“Ella Blue is back in town.” I give him the truth, the reason I’m mad at the world, as he puts it. Maybe now he’ll leave.
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“Nope. Not kidding.”
“Look, I’ve got to meet Emmie in twenty minutes. We’ll talk about this later. Just don’t do anything stupid. Better yet, stay away from her.”
I shake my head and look back at my phone. I still haven’t answered her text. I want to, but—
“Leo! Did you hear me?” Now Beau is yelling at me. Great. Should have just kept everything bottled up inside.
I turn to face him, and he’s standing in front of the exit door. “Yeah, I heard you. Stay away from Ella—got it.”
He slams the door shut as he walks out. Fuck, I’m glad he’s gone. I’m not in the mood for his shit on top of everything else I’ve got to deal with right now, but I know he’s not done—not even close.
I glance back down at my screen and shoot Ella a quick text.
Me: Yeah, it’s okay.
Now what? Just stand around for the rest of the day and stare at my phone, waiting for her to text me back? Shit, this is a mess.
“Hey, Leo,” Tracy calls out from the open door leading into the lobby.
I glance up from my phone to find her standing in the shop, looking at me with a smile on her face. Tracy is one of the part-time girls who works at the front desk, answering the phone, scheduling appointments, and keeping the place organized. She’s also been trying to get her hands and probably her mouth on my dick since she started working here a little over a year ago, but it’s not happening because I don’t shit where I eat or fuck where I work.
“Yeah?” I yell back in her direction.
“Luke is out front.”
I nod and take one last look at my phone before shoving it into my pocket and heading toward the lobby.
11
Ella Blue
“Do you think it’s okay for me to ask Leo to pick me up from the hospital in the morning?” My voice comes out shaky as I ask Gracie her opinion. It seemed like a great plan in my head, but when I say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous.
“I think it’s an excellent idea.” She smiles and looks up at me from her iPad.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be too pushy or make him think I expect it. He’s not my boyfriend or…” I let out a sigh and look down at the screen of my phone. I haven’t had the courage to text Leo anything else since he said it was okay for me to have his number. I grip my phone a bit tighter and let my fingers move across the screen.
Me: The doctor is letting me go home tomorrow.
“So, what did he say?” Gracie asks as she shifts around on the small couch located next to my hospital bed.
“I haven’t asked him yet.” I suck in a calming breath as I wait for his response.
The bubbles appear on the screen, so I sit and wait. My palms are sweaty, and my knuckles are white from holding on to the phone so tightly.
Leo: That’s good news. Where’s home?
I glance over at Gracie again. “I told him I was going home tomorrow, and he asked me where home is.”
She turns off her tablet and slides it into her bag before pushing up from the couch and inching her way toward me.
“Scoot over a little.” Gracie climbs into bed next to me, and I angle myself closer to the edge so there is enough room for both of us. She lies down on her side and props herself up on her left elbow. “I don’t really think you need to wonder about home right now. We have a cute little house rented across town for the entire summer. You’ll see Dr. Bryant as an outpatient and then hopefully by the end of the summer your memory will be intact and if not, you can find a doctor closer to home.”
Dr. Bryant, my neurologist, is happy I’m staying in this area for the next few months, so he can follow me closely. He’s hoping I’ll regain most o
f my memory quickly, but if I’m not better by the time I have my follow-up visit with him in his office, he’s going to refer me to a psychiatrist for an evaluation. He says my brain is okay so there’s really nothing else medically for him to do.
“Even if you don’t remember me, I’m still your best friend, and I’d never let you to deal with this shit alone.”
“Thank you. I promise, when I get my memory back, we’ll do something fun.”
I glance down at my phone and decide to tell Leo my plans.
Me: I’m staying here in town for the next three months. Gracie has the address.
I send it and take another calming breath before I type again.
Me: Can you pick me up in the morning and take me there?
I look away from my phone, because I’m afraid of what his answer might be. It’s the middle of the week, and I’m sure he has to work. I don’t even know what he does during the day, where he works, if he’s married or has kids. I forgot to ask all those questions yesterday when he was holding me while I cried. He probably didn’t want to upset me anymore than I already was, so he kept his mouth shut about himself and his life.
I push up to a sitting position and prop my head on a pillow.
“Will you tell me about my life?” I set my phone on the bedside table and look over at my friend.
She smiles. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
I shrug. “Anything…everything…”
She laughs and then sits up, facing me with her legs tucked underneath her.
“Well, you have an amazing life, but I guess you already figured that much out. We were roommates our freshman year of college at Florida State. That’s how we met.” Gracie is all smiles and giggles as she talks about our college days and boys, but all I can think about is living in Florida. How did I end up there?
I narrow my eyes in confusion. “Did I ever say anything about why I chose Florida State?”
She moves her head back and forth. “No, but you were living in a small beach town in Florida before college.” She taps her chin with her finger a few times. “Umm…let me think.” She hesitates for a second. “It was called Paradise Cove, and the name of the high school you graduated from was East Shores. I think you said it was an all-girls school. I never really asked anymore questions because I just always assumed you were from Paradise Cove. Then one night during our sophomore year you got drunk and told me about how your parents forced you to leave your home in Idlewood, Texas, when you were in high school. That’s all you said, though. You didn’t give me a reason why, and I didn’t press you.”
“Oh,” is the only word I can force out of my mouth.
“Anything else?” she asks as she pushes herself off the bed and brings her arms overhead to stretch.
“Not right now, but I’m sure I’ll have more later.” My mind is locked up so damn tight it won’t let anything out. I squeeze my eyes closed for a moment or two and try to remember something, anything, but I can’t. Maybe I’m trying too hard.
“I’m about to head out for the night. Are you going to be okay?” Gracie asks as she gathers her things and shoves them into her bag.
“I’m good, but I do have one more question before you go.” I’ve been wanting to ask her this ever since Leo left yesterday but haven’t had the courage. “Do I have a boyfriend?” I suck in a deep breath and prepare for her answer.
She stops what she’s doing and turns to face me. “Not anymore.” She scrunches her nose before continuing. “You and Asa broke up a little over six months ago, and honestly, even though he’s my cousin, I was happy you broke up with him.”
Relief washes over me, but I’m still curious. “How long did we date?”
She slings her bag over her shoulder. “Almost a year.”
“What does he do? I mean his job?”
Gracie grimaces. “He travels with the band some and sings with my dad. He’s been trying to start up his own band, but he can’t stay sober long enough.”
I nod, taking in her every word. “So he has a drinking problem?”
“No, not so much drinking. More like cocaine and pain pills.”
I gasp. “Do I have a drug problem?” I ask her, panic ripping through me at just the thought of my life being that far out of control.
She shakes her head and says, “No, Ella, you don’t have a drug problem.”
I sigh with relief.
“One more question and then I promise to shut up.” She giggles. “Did I love him?”
“I think you tried, but Asa is hard to like, much less love.” She laughs. “He’s battling so many demons, Ella. I just hope one day he gets the help he needs and gets control of his life.”
I hate that I dated this guy for so long but have no memory of him. I decide not to ask any more questions tonight, but I do want to know more about him and what happened between us.
Before she reaches the door, Gracie stops and looks over her shoulder at me. “If you had a boyfriend, I would have told you before you climbed all over Leo yesterday.” She winks. “Good night, friend,” she says.
I smile. “Good night…and thank you.”
Gracie nods before walking out the door.
I quickly grab my phone from the bedside table and tap on the screen to open my text messages. My last text to Leo is staring back at me—unanswered. It’s okay. I’m okay. I can get through this without him. Gracie will help me. My mom will be here in a couple days, and she will help me.
I place my phone back on the table and switch off the light. I squeeze my eyes closed, hoping that when I awake in the morning, I’ll remember who I am without Leo.
12
Leo
“So, you’re telling me Ella has amnesia?” Luke takes a pull from his beer and then shakes his head. “And the last thing she remembers is that night you got arrested eight years ago?” His eyes grow wide as he turns on the barstool to face me.
I nod then throw back a shot of whiskey. I welcome the warm liquid as it slides down my throat, leaving a deep burn along its path. I just want to fucking forget, even if it’s only for a few hours.
Luke stopped by the shop earlier today to tell me Wade is missing—again.
Our good friend has been known to hook up with some random chick and go off the grid for a couple days. He’s lucky enough to have one of those jobs with his dad’s company that allows him to take off all the time he wants and still get paid.
I haven’t talked to Luke since the night at the bar when my Vette was stolen, so we decided to meet up tonight at Vic’s Place, a local bar here in town. I figured I could use a few drinks while trying to figure out my fucked-up life.
“What are you going to do?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow.
“Fuck if I know.” I glance down at my phone lying on the counter beside my empty glass. It’s been five hours since I received the last text from Blue asking me to pick her up from the hospital tomorrow. I’m an asshole for not texting her back yet. None of this is her fault, yet it seems like I’m punishing her for remembering me instead of the last eight years of her life.
“Do you remember how long it took you to come to grips with her leaving last time?” Luke tips his bottle up and takes another swallow of beer. “Not to sound like a dick, but I didn’t think you were ever gonna get over her taking off without a word.”
“Thanks for reminding me.” I grab my second shot of whiskey from the bartender and toss it back. I give her a nod so she knows to keep them coming.
“And her dad—fuck. That man has a bad hate for you. I think if you’re smart, you’ll run now while you still can.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” My eyes fall on him with a ‘don’t you dare fucking go there’ glare.
“I guess you’ve forgotten about spending the night in jail. What was it that her dad said?” Luke snaps his fingers a couple of times. “Oh, yeah, I think it was something to the effect of having your jail time extended indefinitely—or was it if she comes back to Idlewood, you can ki
ss your freedom goodbye? Do any of those words ring a bell?” Luke barks out a laugh.
He went there. Motherfucker.
“Not fucking funny, asshole. Plus, I didn’t go looking for her. She came back here on her own.” I push my third empty glass to the side before resting my arm on the bar.
“But, if you convince her to stay, he’s gonna have your dumb ass thrown back in jail. You know it as well as I do. It’s your life. Do whatever the hell you want, but don’t be pissed when I come visit you in the slammer to tell you I told you so.”
I jerk my head up from staring into my empty shot glass and look at Luke. “Mr. fucking Kincaid can’t have me thrown in jail again. He’s not the mayor of this town anymore—actually I’m not even sure where he is or what he does. I heard he got out of politics years ago.”
“Look, man, I am your friend, and that’s why I’m telling you to stay as far away from that chick as you can. Mr. fucking Kincaid—your words not mine—could still have connections and we both know he has plenty of money. My words of advice—fuck around with his daughter at your own risk, but don’t call me to bail your ass out of jail.” Luke throws his head back and laughs.
How in the hell am I supposed to stay away from the one girl who owns my heart?
Damn. When did I turn into such a pussy?
Luke slides his empty bottle toward the bartender before leaning against the bar, resting his elbow on top of the counter. “Seriously, Leo, stay away from Ella. She’s trouble, and her dad—well, I’m not even gonna say anything else about him, other than you know what he’s capable of.”
“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you since the night of the concert but keep forgetting.”
“What is it?” Luke cuts his eyes in my direction.
“Did you know Ella was the lead singer of the Velvet Dolls? If your answer is yes, did you know her band was opening for Reckless Fury? Because if you did, you’re a real fucking shitty friend for letting me walk into that situation blind.” I blow out a breath and wait for his answer.
My Blue Page 8