“I showed up on Beau’s doorstep, a shivering, desperate mess, looking for a job at the tree farm. He turned me down flat.”
“He didn’t.”
“That’s okay.” Eden quirked a brow. “I broke into his outbuilding and made myself comfortable.”
Lucy laughed.
Eden shot her a wry grin. “Unfortunately, he found us. Although I guess it wasn’t unfortunate after all because it worked out. Miss Trudy had just broken her leg, so she needed a caretaker and Beau offered me the job.”
Lucy gave her a mock grimace. “And you took it?”
Eden’s laugh tinkled like wind chimes. “Somebody had to do it. And I was the only one desperate enough to agree.”
“Amazing the decisions we make under duress. And you and Beau just hit it off?”
“It wasn’t quite that simple. I mean, of course I was drawn to him right away—have you seen my fiancé? But I tried to ignore it. I had too much going on in my own life, and he was dating Paige. But after a while he broke up with her. We started confiding in each other and, well, you know how that Callahan charm works. Just sucks you right in. Before I knew it, I was head over heels.”
Lucy sighed. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
Eden shot Lucy a sympathetic look. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you down.”
As they entered town, they slowed their pace. Up ahead a jogger approached. Lucy recognized the long, lithe figure of Morgan LeBlanc and bristled at the sight. The woman had made no secret of her crush on Zac. She’d come into the Roadhouse, flirting subtly, even after they were engaged.
Her short honey-blonde ponytail swung behind her, and a few tendrils had escaped, framing her beautiful features. Her generous breasts bounced with each long stride. Lucy’s own sports bra was managing her B-cups just fine.
Morgan smiled only at Eden as she passed. “Hi, Eden.”
“Hi, Morgan.”
Lucy clamped her lips together at the snub.
“That was Morgan LeBlanc,” Eden said after she’d passed. “Her daddy owns the Harbor Tides.”
“I know who she is. She was always flirting with Zac.”
“Oh . . .”
Something in Eden’s tone made Lucy look her way. Her new friend was biting her lip and avoiding her eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Eden lifted a shoulder and gave her a weak smile. “Nothing, really.”
Lucy continued to drill her with a look. There was something Eden wasn’t saying, and she was going to press until she found out what it was.
Eden darted a glance off her. “Okay. She and Zac might have gone out a time or two recently.”
Something pinched hard inside. The thought of him with any woman was enough to drive a stake through her heart. The thought of him with Morgan made her want to jump off the nearest cliff. With ankle weights.
You have no right to be jealous, Lucy Lovett. Hadn’t she been engaged to another man only a week ago? Still, it wasn’t like she remembered any of that.
“How recently?” Lucy asked.
“A couple weeks ago, I think. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”
Morgan had doubtless been thrilled when Lucy left town. The woman reminded her of a stalking leopard, quiet and subtle, with long, sharp claws that knew how to get the job done. She could just imagine Morgan’s arms curling around Zac’s waist, her lips pressing against his neck. How handy that she wouldn’t even have to rise up on her tiptoes.
Lucy sighed hard. “Sometimes I wish the amnesia had wiped out Zac’s memory too.”
Eden chuckled, giving Lucy a quick squeeze around the shoulders. “Come on, let’s head over to Frumpy Joe’s. I think we could both use a big plate o’ carbs.”
Lucy couldn’t seem to shake off the dark mood as they walked toward the café. Inside she began burning with irritation over her whole situation. Bad enough she had a brain injury and had lost the only man she’d ever loved. Not to mention the whole town, including Zac’s family, seemed to be against her for something she couldn’t even remember. She had no money, no job, and, oh yes, the love of her life was dating Morgan LeBlanc.
The diner hushed as Lucy and Eden entered a few minutes later. Lucy felt every eye in the place settle on her as the hostess led them to their seats. An older woman peeked around her friend to gawk at Lucy as she passed. Heat climbed the back of her neck, and she could feel her blood pressure increasing by the second.
Okay, enough of this. She stopped as they reached the corner booth and whirled around, facing the patrons.
“All right, now. That’s it.” A few more eyes turned her way, but the frustration burning inside outweighed any embarrassment she might feel. “Yes, I ran out on Zac Callahan last year, barely a week before our wedding vows; yes, it was a terrible thing to do; yes, I do have amnesia, thank you very much; and no, I don’t remember leaving him. Oh, and yes, I’m still in love with him, but don’t you worry, he’s not about to trust me again after what I did even though I don’t even remember doing it. That about cover it?” Her eyes drifted around the room, boldly meeting the chagrined stares of the customers. She nodded once. “Good.”
She turned and lowered herself into the booth across from Eden, her heart racing and her cheeks flooding with heat. Her hands shook as she picked up her menu and opened it in front of her.
The sounds of chatter and the clatter of silverware slowly resumed. Who cared if they were talking about her? At least now they had their facts straight.
Eden lowered her menu, her wide eyes peeking out above it. “I can’t believe you did that,” she whispered. Her brown eyes sparkled with delight. “That was totally awesome!”
Chapter 14
Saturday mornings were quiet at the Roadhouse. The place had been hopping last night, a Red Sox game on maximum volume, pool games going in the back room, and the jukebox cranking in the background.
Lucy cracked an egg, and it slid into the buttered skillet with the others. Zac was up and about; she’d heard the shower running, heard his footsteps overhead. He was avoiding her. She had to do something, and soon. It was obvious he regretted bringing her back. She couldn’t cook enough breakfasts to make it worth his while.
She’d seen the town doctor the afternoon before. He’d given her a clean bill of health, but no assurance that she’d ever regain her memory. Just as well. She wasn’t so sure she wanted it back anymore.
She was sliding the eggs onto plates with the toast when the Roadhouse phone rang. Should she answer it or let voicemail pick it up? After three more rings, she picked up the kitchen extension, ready with a greeting. But Zac was already answering.
“Hi, Zac, it’s Marci.”
“Hey, Marci, how you feeling?”
“Not so good. I have bad news. I went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have mono.”
“Oh boy.”
“Yeah. I can’t come back until my symptoms are gone. I’m so sorry.”
Lucy’s conscience got the best of her, and she quietly hung up the extension. Poor Marci. Lucy’d had mono the summer she was nineteen. She’d been down for two months.
Two months.
Zac would be short a server. He couldn’t fill in for Marci that long. That meant he’d have to find a temporary replacement. A thread of excitement wound its way through her. This was just the thing to tide her over until she found a permanent job.
She carried the plates out front where Zac was finishing up on the phone. She set the plates on the bar and took a seat across from him.
“Take care, Marci. All right. Bye.” He hung up the phone and spared her a tight smile. “Morning.”
“Good morning. I made you some eggs.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll take it upstairs and catch up on the news.”
“Zac,” she said as he turned to go. “Can we talk a minute?”
He carried reluctance in the rigid line of his shoulders as he set the plate down, not bothering with a seat. “What’s up?”
“You know
I’ve been looking for a job. I haven’t had much luck. There doesn’t seem to be a thing open at the moment.”
“Maybe you should just—”
“I was thinking maybe you could use some help around here.”
His eyes showed retreat before his words confirmed the notion. “I don’t really have any openings, Lucy. I think it might be best if—”
“I know about Marci,” she blurted. “I heard her on the phone.”
Something in his eyes shifted, making the color turn steely gray. His mouth tightened, and his left eye twitched. “You listened to my phone conversation?”
“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, honest. I was just answering the phone, but you beat me to it.”
“And you couldn’t just hang up?”
Guilt pinched hard. She’d already invaded his home, his life. “Sorry.”
“This isn’t working.” He took the plate and turned toward the hallway.
Lucy followed him, her face heating. “I know. I know you don’t want me around, but I can’t get my own apartment till I get a job, and I can’t find anything, so maybe if I could just fill in for Marci until she comes back? By then I’ll have another job, but the sooner I get a paycheck, the sooner I can get out of your hair.”
Zac turned at the base of the steps, looking down at her with those intense eyes of his.
She was closer than she realized, crowding him. She took a step back, remembering a day when he would’ve drawn her closer.
Zac stared down at Lucy’s face. She pleaded with her eyes even while she retreated a step. Lord knew at one time he’d been willing to give her anything she wanted. One look, one touch, and her wish was as good as granted.
But not now. He didn’t trust her anymore. And he sure didn’t want to get sucked back into the vortex of her love.
“This is pointless, Lucy. You could wake up with your memory tomorrow and be on your way back to Portland.”
“Or I could never get my memory back, and we could pick up right where we left off.” Her eyes widened suddenly. Her fingers touched her lips. A pink flush climbed her cheeks.
Her words sparked his desire. Tempted him like a perfect summer day during lunch rush. He could ignore her, he could avoid her, he could take a flipping bath in denial. But it didn’t change the truth. He wanted Lucy more than he wanted his next breath.
Get a grip, Callahan. She left you. She may not remember it, and she may wish it hadn’t happened, but nothing he did now was going to change the fact that she had.
Zac tempered his tone. “That’s not going to happen, Lucy.”
“I didn’t mean to say that.”
How ironic that he now had everything he’d wanted since she’d left: Lucy back in his life. Lucy still in love with him. Lucy wanting to spend forever with him. And it didn’t even matter because it would all be gone the moment her memory returned.
Lucy cleared her throat. “I’ve been a server before. I have experience. You wouldn’t even have to train me.”
She’d told him about her waitressing jobs in Boston and Nantucket. He had no doubt she’d been efficient with that amazing memory of hers. But she’d also held a record for dropped trays.
“I know what you’re thinking. But I got better.”
“You got fired.”
Her chin went up. “It was a cutback.”
He was shaking his head.
Her eyes pleaded with him. “I’ll be the best server you have.”
“No, Lucy.”
“Come on, Zac. I need a job, and you need me out of your hair. This is the quickest solution I can think of.”
“You should go back to Portland.”
“And be the center of a media circus? Be the freak with amnesia?”
He palmed the back of his neck. “Lucy, I need my space. You can’t just come back here, move in, and start hanging out at the restaurant all day.”
Hurt flickered in her eyes before she tipped her chin up. “Well, I can’t get out of here without a job, Zac.”
“You had a perfectly good job in Portland.”
“Well, I don’t anymore. It’s just until Marci comes back, and then I’ll have enough for a deposit on an apartment.”
He spun around and paced the length of the bar. He didn’t want to look into her pleading blue eyes anymore. Didn’t want to feel like he was letting her down. No matter what she’d done in the past, she was in a defenseless position right now. He didn’t want her to be manipulated by her ex-fiancé or by other people who didn’t have her best interests at heart.
And truth was, he didn’t have anyone else he could call to take Marci’s place. Tourist season was under way, and he had other responsibilities. Finding and training a server would take time he didn’t have.
What would his dad advise? Probably to get Lucy out of his spare room.
The sooner the better.
But she couldn’t do that without a job, and this was the only one available. If she was working, he wouldn’t see so much of her—not really. They’d both be busy, plenty of people around. That was good.
He couldn’t believe he was considering this. He shook his head.
“Please, Zac. I need a job and you need a server. You won’t regret it. I promise.”
She could stinking read his mind. That much hadn’t changed. Beau was going to have a cow. But when did Beau’s opinion ever keep Zac from doing what he wanted?
When he was directly across from Lucy he stopped, nailing her with a look. He searched her eyes for a hint of a reason to say no. Anything that smacked of manipulation. He wouldn’t be played. But she stared back through guileless eyes lit with hope.
He gave a hard sigh. Fine. Whatever. “Just until Marci’s back,” he said gruffly.
Her eyes sparked, her mouth lifting at the corners. “I’ll turn in my apron the second she returns.”
“Your shift starts at five tonight and goes till closing.”
“I’ll be here.”
“You need to familiarize yourself with the menu and pricing. There’ve been some changes.”
“I’ll have it memorized.” She threw herself across the bar and squeezed him around the neck with her delicate arms. “Thank you, Zac!”
He braced himself against the warmth of her embrace, against the sweet apple smell of her, forbidding himself from wrapping his arms around her and drawing her closer.
“You won’t regret it,” she said as she drew away, her eyes shining with relief.
But that was the thing. He already did.
Chapter 15
The Roadhouse was busy that night. Lucy ran her legs off between the tables and the kitchen. Conversations buzzed in the air, mingling with the noise of the Red Sox game. The pool tables were full all night, hosting rowdy competitions, and the tangy smell of buffalo wings hung heavily in the air.
By eight o’clock Lucy’s legs ached, and one of her eyes was blurry. She’d forgotten how physical waitressing was. But she was determined to prove to Zac she was up to the job.
None of the townspeople had been particularly friendly, but she was too busy for small talk anyway. She bustled around refilling glasses and taking orders, keeping a smile plastered to her face until her cheeks hurt.
Seeing that table twenty-three had been seated, she tucked the empty tray under her arm and approached the booth. Her smile dimmed when she recognized its occupants. Beau sat on the aisle, Eden beside him. Across the table his aunt peered at the menu through her readers.
Lucy conjured up a smile as she came to a stop beside the table. “Hey, y’all.”
Beau glanced up from his conversation with Eden. His smile drooped, and his onyx eyes went flat as they fell to her apron. “You gotta be kidding me.”
Eden shoved an elbow in his gut. “Hey, Lucy. You found a job. That’s great. Isn’t it, Beau?”
“Fan-freaking-tastic,” he muttered, scanning a menu he surely didn’t need.
“It’s only temporary,” she said, focusing on the one friendly face at
the table. “I’m filling in for Marci.”
Miss Trudy scowled at Lucy over her readers, her lips pursed as if she’d just sucked a particularly sour lemon. The woman was somewhere near sixty, with short silver hair framing a narrow face. At the moment frown lines crouched between her blue eyes.
“Howdy, Miss Trudy,” Lucy said. “It’s good to see you. What can I get y’all to drink?” she asked before the woman could spear her with that sharp tongue of hers.
Lucy took their drink orders and left to fill them, stopping on the way to fetch Sheriff Colton’s empty plate. She rang up his bill, giving him a discount since he was in uniform and since he’d deigned to talk to her. Next she grabbed the Callahans’ drinks, dropping off the sheriff’s bill before arriving back at their table.
She began taking their orders, grateful her strong memory required no pad or pen.
The sheriff ambled over before she was finished. At six foot seven he towered over Lucy—and everyone else. The overhead lights gleamed off his shaved head and caught the red in his fiery mustache. He was in decent shape for a man in his late fifties. He was locally famous for his short-lived career with the Celtics years ago before a knee injury forced him to retire.
“Howdy, Beau, Eden.” Sheriff Colton placed his hat over his heart and nodded at Beau’s aunt. “Miss Trudy.”
The older woman gave him a curt nod, suddenly fascinated with the baseball game on the screen across from their table.
“Hey there, Colton,” Beau said. “Have a seat. Finish the game with us.”
“Well . . .” He eyed the empty spot beside Miss Trudy. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
Miss Trudy frowned as she scooted toward the wall, and the sheriff lowered his weight onto the bench.
“Can I bring you another Dr Pepper?” Lucy asked him.
“That’d be great. Thank you.”
The kitchen was buzzing when she put the order in, and there was a line of people waiting for an inside table. Zac was mopping up a spill on the deck where a few souls were braving the evening chill.
Moments later she turned to a newly seated table, smile ready, only to find Morgan LeBlanc perusing a menu. One of her friends sat across from her.
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