Forget Me Not

by Brenda Jackson

  She lay looking up at the ceiling as she thought about last night. Oh, what a night. Ray said he’d been making up for lost time and so had she. Their time together had reminded her of how much they loved being in each other’s arms, although Ray hadn’t a clue of their past life together. He was still the expert lover and a man intent on satisfying her before seeking his own gratification.

  Making love with him had been like coming home—at least, her body thought so. It had recognized Ray as the one person it had always wanted and needed. They had made love over and over last night, getting very little sleep. She wondered how he would manage at work. At least she had the luxury of sleeping late.

  She shifted in bed and fluffed out her pillow, loving the familiar scent of Ray in the bed coverings. Last night had been just the beginning and she intended to do whatever it took to make sure things continued between them on a solid note.

  Moments later she was about to doze back off to sleep when her phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone, she reached out and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. “Em, you’re calling rather early. What’s up?”

  “Your mother.”

  Ashley frowned. “What’s up with my mom?”

  “She called last night wanting your address. She’s determined to pay you a visit, saying she’s worried there’s a reason you’re isolating yourself from everyone, and what you’re doing isn’t healthy. She accused me of enabling you and not helping you to move on in life.”

  Ashley nibbled at her bottom lip. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her what we agreed to tell her. That you were fine and were in New Orleans working on a very important piece for the company. She wasn’t happy and wanted to know why it would take all summer. I came up with what I thought were good reasons, but your mother isn’t buying it. She thinks the one thing you need in your life right now is another man. Namely, Elliott.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. “I am not interested in Elliott.”

  “Of course, I know that. It seems that Elliott has a business trip to New Orleans next week and she wants him to surprise you.”

  Ashley released a frustrated sigh. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Just so you know, when she couldn’t get any information out of me, she called Suzanne and Kim. They didn’t tell her anything either. She told Kim she has a feeling something is going on with you and is going to talk to your dad about them going to New Orleans as well. She said she will turn that city inside out to find you and doesn’t understand why you’re being so secretive about where you’re staying.”

  Ashley pulled herself up in bed. She wished she could call her dad and level with him and tell him exactly where she was and why but knew she couldn’t. Under pressure from Imogene Hardwick, her father would cave in.

  “I think you need to come home for a few days and assure them you’re okay,” Emmie said, breaking into her thoughts. “They weren’t here when you came home to collect your things for the move to Catalina Cove for the summer. It’s understandable for them to worry.”

  Ashley frowned. “First of all, Em, you know my dad is fine and the only person worrying needlessly is Mom. The only reason she’s worried is because I’m not there for her to try to control my life. That’s the reason she never got along with Devon. He refused to let her into our business.”

  She knew what she’d said was true. Devon’s and her mother’s personalities had clashed because both were such strong-willed individuals. Her mother liked to control, and Devon refused to fall in line. And he refused to let Ashley do so any longer. He’d gotten along great with her father but had to teach Ashley how to stand up to her mother’s overpowering ways and not let Imogene make her feel as if she couldn’t make any decisions without her.

  When Ashley and Devon were married, her parents rarely visited, and when they did, it was for short periods. It was only after Devon’s death that her mother assumed she could return to her domineering ways.

  Ashley knew it was time to have a heart-to-heart talk with her parents. She wouldn’t tell them anything about Ray but they needed to understand her life was her life and she would live it any way she wanted. She also knew such a conversation needed to be face-to-face, but now was the worst time for her to leave Catalina Cove. The last thing she needed was for Ray to feel she was being secretive about anything.

  “You’re right. I should come home for a few days and talk to Mom and Dad, although the timing is lousy. Last night Ray and I decided to become involved.”

  “You did? Oh, Ashley, I’m so happy for you.”

  Ashley smiled. “I’m happy, too. Everything about last night was beautiful, Em. The lovemaking better than ever. You don’t know how great it felt being back in his arms after believing I’d lost him.”

  She felt herself getting emotional and couldn’t help it. “But still, it’s hard that he doesn’t recognize me. It’s hard knowing all last night was about lust for him and had nothing to do with love.”

  “But you can change that, Ash. I truly believe you can. Devon worshipped the ground you walked on and I refuse to believe that something about being with you won’t trigger his memory.”

  “I hope so. I have to be careful what I say and doubly careful not to call him Devon instead of Ray. But there were two things that happened last night that needed quick thinking on my part.”

  “What?”

  She told Emmie what had happened with the tattoo and pork chops. “Well, I know when he gets his memory back he will know why you did what you did.”

  “I’m hoping he’ll be accepting before then. I’m not waiting for Ray to get his memory back, Em. Like I told you, I’m trying to entice him to fall in love with me a second time. The moment he tells me that he has, I will tell him the truth. At that point the past won’t matter because he would have fallen in love with me a second time around, and all his anxieties of cheating on his first wife will be nonexistent.”

  “Well, Suzanne, Kim and I are rooting for you.”

  “Thanks. I owe you three because you guys are the reason I came to Catalina Cove in the first place. Had I not been here, my and Ray’s paths would not have crossed.”

  “You think of him as Ray now?”

  Ashley dwelled on Emmie’s question for a moment and then said, “Yes. He has no memory of being Devon Ryan. That means I have to accept him as the person he is now.”

  “What about love, Ashley?”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You loved yourself some Devon Ryan. His looks, his style, his personality, his debonair manner. From what you’ve been telling me, all that’s changed. You might still find him handsome but what about the rest? Now you’re describing him as some sort of rough and tough ship captain who doesn’t have an elegant bone in his body. Can you accept that?”

  “Yes, I can,” Ashley said without thinking about it. “In fact, I have. Just like I want him to fall in love again with me, I’m finding myself falling in love again with him. Not as Devon but as Ray. There is so much I appreciate about the man he is now. In many ways they’re the same person, but in others they’re two different people, and I love them both.”

  Moments later after ending her phone conversation with Emmie, Ashley knew she needed to give her parents a call. The sooner the better.

  * * *

  “MORNING, KAEGAN,” RAY SAID, sliding into the booth.

  “Morning,” Kaegan said, not bothering to glance over at Ray. His gaze was glued to Bryce, who was holding a conversation with two guys seated at a table on the other side of the café. Strangers in town.

  “Where’s Sawyer?” Ray asked.

  It was only when Bryce left the men’s table to seat new customers that Kaegan looked at Ray and answered his question. “I got a text that he and Vashti are taking Jade to that university in Nevada to check it out. It’s hard to believe that she leaves for college in the f
all. It seemed just yesterday when I came back to town and she was in junior high school. Time sure flies.” He took a sip of his coffee and eyed Ray curiously. “You didn’t stay home last night.”

  Ray lifted a brow. “And you know this how?”

  Kaegan shrugged as he gave Ray a smile. “I couldn’t sleep and thought I’d come bug you. Get you up to drink a beer with me.”

  “I told you I was taking Ashley to dinner.”

  “Yes, but this was later. Around eleven. Figured you’d be back home by then. I waited and you never showed up.”

  Ray leaned back. “What makes you think I didn’t show up at all?”

  Kaegan chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. “Because at some point I must have fallen asleep in my truck. When I woke up, it was close to five this morning.”

  Ray frowned, thinking of the humongous house that Kaegan owned on the bayou. “You slept in your truck in front of my house?”

  “Yep.”

  Ray shook his head. “You could have gone inside, Kaegan. You have a key.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t think you’d be gone all night.”

  At that moment Bryce appeared with Ray’s coffee and a basket of blueberry muffins. “Good morning, Ray.”

  He smiled up at Bryce. “Good morning. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” She cut her eyes over to Kaegan, which surprised Ray since she usually just ignored him. “Did you enjoy the movie last night, Kaegan?”

  Ray switched his gaze to Kaegan and saw him glaring at Bryce. Nothing new there, but if looks could kill... “It was okay,” Kaegan said. “You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

  She smiled at him. “Of course. Any reason I wouldn’t?”

  “None that I know of.”

  Bryce walked off. Ray didn’t say anything for a minute. Now he knew why Kaegan couldn’t sleep. He’d gone somewhere and had seen Bryce. “You went to the movies last night?”

  Kaegan was still glaring at Bryce as she waited on another table. “Yes. I didn’t have anything better to do.”

  Ray nodded and took a sip of his coffee, expecting Kaegan to add more. When he didn’t, he said, “I take it Bryce was there.”

  “Yes, with a damn date. Can you believe that?”

  Yes, Ray could believe it. After all, Bryce was an attractive woman and she was single. However, Ray figured now was not a good time to remind Kaegan of that. If he wanted to be territorial toward a woman he swore most of the time he couldn’t stand, then so be it.

  “How was your date with Ashley?”

  Since his friend knew he’d stayed out all night, that meant he had a good idea of how his date went with Ashley. But if conversing would get Kaegan’s mind off Bryce, who’d wandered back over to the table where those two men were sitting, then Ray would accommodate him. “Good. Food was delicious, and I enjoyed her company.”

  “I’m glad. I like her.”

  Ray lifted a brow. “Why? You’ve only met her once or twice. You don’t even know her.”

  “True, but she must not be all bad. She got you taking her out and not being antisocial anymore.”

  Ray smiled, thinking of the woman whose bed he had slept in last night. They hadn’t done much sleeping, though. He hadn’t lied when he’d told Kaegan that he had really enjoyed her company. What he hadn’t elaborated on was that he’d enjoyed it both in and out of bed. It was as if once he’d gotten inside her body, he hadn’t wanted to leave. And the kicker was she hadn’t wanted him to either. She’d enjoyed their lovemaking as much as he had.

  “No, she’s not all bad. In fact, I think she’s a special person.” He paused a minute before adding, “So special that I told her about my memory loss.”

  Kaegan sat up straight. “You did? How did she react?”

  “Not as shocked as I expected her to, but then she told me about this friend in college who’d lost her memory. Ashley did, however, say something that really got to me. Really made me think.”

  “What did she say?” Kaegan asked over the rim of his coffee cup.

  Ray met his gaze. “I asked her if it bothered her that I might be a married man, and she said no, it didn’t bother her, because the man I used to be might have had a wife—however, the man I am now doesn’t.”

  Kaegan nodded. “That’s a pretty damn logical and positive way of looking at it.”

  Ray thought so, too. “It is. Made me remember that when I’d been given a new identity I was told my life had started completely over. I was a new and different person starting then. I’d accepted that in some parts of my life but not in all.”

  He took a sip of his coffee and added, “Last night I discovered that Ashley and I have a lot in common. Hell, she even likes sunflowers.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “She has a sunflower tattoo. Hers is the actual design of a flower, though.”

  “Oh, and where is hers?”

  Kaegan’s question made him recall not only where it was but how he’d discovered it. “Where it’s located isn’t important.”

  Kaegan took a last swallow of his coffee. “If you say so. Sounds like you’ve gotten involved with a special woman you could have a nice future with.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  Kaegan chuckled. “You didn’t come home last night and you want me to think it’s not like that.”

  Ray shrugged. “We enjoy each other’s company and nothing more.” No need to tell Kaegan he and Ashley had agreed on a summer fling. He would catch on to that fact soon enough.

  “She’s doing that deliberately,” Kaegan suddenly burst out in irritation.

  Ray’s brows bunched. “Who is doing what deliberately?”

  “Bryce. She knows I need a refill and she’s deliberately making me wait.”

  Ray fought back a grin. “I’m sure she’s just gotten a little busy, Kaegan. Here,” he said, offering the basket of blueberry muffins to him. “Enjoy one of these while you wait.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  ASHLEY’S CELL PHONE went off and she knew from the ringtone it was her mother. She had called earlier and Imogene claimed she was too busy to talk. Ashley hadn’t even raised a brow at that. Her mother liked playing these “my time is not your time” games.

  She clicked on the phone. “Yes, Mom?”

  “I’m returning your call.”

  Ashley leaned back in her chair. “Thanks for doing that. I understand you’re trying to find out my whereabouts. I told you.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t give me a street address and New Orleans is a big place.”

  “Are you and Dad planning to visit?”

  “No. However, Elliott will be in New Orleans next week and wants to see you.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. “I have no desire to see him. Why can’t you accept that?”

  “Because I know what you’re doing to yourself and I won’t let you. Devon’s dead and you need to get over it and start living again.”

  Her words lit Ashley’s ire. “You have no right to tell me what I need to do. What you need to do is stay out of my business, Mom. I’ve repeatedly asked you to stop shoving Elliott down my throat. I have no interest in him.”

  “You would if you’d just go out with him. Do you know how many women want him?”

  “Then they can have him. Honestly, I don’t think a lot of him for allowing you to manipulate him this way. If I was looking for a man, he wouldn’t be the kind I want.”

  “No, you’d prefer a man like Devon, who would disrespect your mother and come between us.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes again. “Devon did not come between us. He just refused to put up with your controlling attitude and I applaud him for standing up to you.”

  “How can you say something like that?”

  “Easily. I love you, but I refuse to let you treat me like a ch
ild. I am a thirty-year-old adult.”

  Her mother didn’t say anything for a minute and then she said, “You’re allowing Devon to come between us even from the grave. I hadn’t counted on that.”

  Ashley rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a gigantic headache coming on. “Look, Mom, I call you every week to see how you and Dad are doing and to let you know I’m fine. Most of the time you won’t even take my calls. Yet you’re calling around to my friends to find out where I am so you can send a man to see me. I prefer you not do that.” Ashley knew what she was telling her mother was going in one ear and out the other.

  “When will you come home?”

  “In a few weeks but only for a short visit. When I get there, me, you and Dad are going to sit down and have a talk.”

  “Don’t bother.” Her mother hung up the phone.

  * * *

  BEFORE KNOCKING ON Ashley’s door, Ray surveyed himself from head to toe. After getting off work, he had gone straight home to shower and change clothes, and now he was here. He had called her before leaving home to see if she needed him to make a stop anywhere. She’d thanked him for being thoughtful but assured him that she had everything she needed.

  Thoughtful? He better not let that compliment go to his head. Too late. It was already there, although he was certain a thoughtful man would not have kept her up last night making love to her as many times as he had. He’d been horny, yes. Thoughtful? No.

  He knocked on the door and glanced around the yard while he waited. This was the first time he’d really taken a good look at this place and he liked what he saw. A big yard. Lots of trees. Dead-end road that eliminated drive-through traffic. The bonus was having the ocean in the backyard.

  Ashley would be here for only the summer and had mentioned Mrs. Landers’s son was thinking about selling the place. Maybe this might be a good time to consider moving into a bigger place than what he had. His present property could become rental property and provide him with an income. Bryce was one of the top-notch Realtors in town. He would mention his interest to her the next time he saw her.