A Whirlwind of Color (The Light to My Darkness Book 2)

by Ivy Smoak

  I ignored his outstretched hand and scrambled to my feet by myself. “That doesn’t answer my question. Why were you sleeping next to me instead of James?”

  “Because I was tired.” He pushed his hair away from his eyes. “Geez, lighten up, will you? It’s not like we banged. Even though I’m sure you wanted it.” He winked at me.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Penny. You’re acting like we’ve never joked around like this before.”

  “Because we haven’t joked around like this before. Wait, do we usually?”

  “Always.”

  “Oh my God, am I cheating on James with you?”

  “What?” He laughed and stared at me like I was a lunatic. “Of course not. We’re both happily married. To other people. But don’t look so shocked. I would have thought we’d have ended up together too.” He winked again.

  “Stop winking at me.”

  He proceeded to wink a third time.

  “You’re juvenile.”

  “Me? I’m not the one strutting around here pretending to be 19 years old.”

  “I haven’t been strutting. And I am 19 years old. Everyone around me has lost their freaking minds.”

  “Cut it out.” He started walking away from me like he was frustrated.

  It was my job to be frustrated, not his. “Cut what out?”

  “This whole woe-is-me thing you’ve got going on. It’s like you’re not even trying to remember. And stop attempting to distract me from how annoyed I am by not putting pants on.”

  I knew my cheeks were turning bright red. I tugged on the hem of James’ shirt. “I’m not even convinced that there is anything to remember. As far as I know this is all just a really awful dream.”

  “Exactly. You’re not trying. Meanwhile, James needs you. You’re the only one that can fix this.”

  “I don’t know how to fix anything. He’s an adult. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “Earth to Penny. You’re an adult too.”

  I’m a teenager. My fingers abandoned the hem of the shirt. “Why are you so angry with me?” All of this was hard on me too. At least he had all his memories intact.

  “I’m…” his voice trailed off. “I’m not mad at you.” He lowered both his eyebrows just like James frequently did. “You just freaked me out, Penny. I thought I lost you.” He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “I thought I lost you,” he mumbled into my hair.

  This seemed…intimate. I could tell that we were close. Maybe he’d fill me in on the details I was missing. He thought he lost me. So whatever had happened to me was really bad. “Did I almost die or something?”

  He squeezed me one last time before releasing me from his embrace. “I’m under strict instructions to only talk about positive memories. Things from early on in your relationship with James to help jog your memories.” He tapped the side of my head. “You hungry?”

  I shied away from his outstretched hand. “I could eat.”

  “That’s the spirit.” His eyes traveled down my body, reminding me I was just in a t-shirt. “Pants. Now. You’re killing me, woman.”

  I laughed and stepped back from him. “Aren’t you married?”

  “Aren’t you? Stop flirting with me, it’s inappropriate.”

  “I’m not flirting with you. If anything, you’re flirting with me.”

  “Sure.” He winked at me. “I’ll be downstairs. Put on a bra too.”

  Before I could respond, he was out the door.

  What a weirdo. But I liked him. He was fun and carefree. The complete opposite of James.

  ***

  “What’s your name again?” I asked as I scooted into the seat across from him at the table.

  He laughed. But when he realized I wasn’t kidding, his smile vanished. “You’re shitting me.”

  “I know we met the other day. I just…I met so many people and I…”

  “Rob.” He cleared his throat. “Robert if you’re being an ass.”

  “Okay, Robert.”

  He laughed. “What have I done to earn that?”

  “Nothing, I just wanted to see your reaction. Did you make this?” I lifted up the fork that was sitting next to my plate. Delicious looking pancakes, fresh fruit, hash browns…I practically started drooling before I got a bite into my mouth. So freaking good. It was like Rob knew all my favorite things.

  “No, Ellen did.”

  “Who’s Ellen?”

  “James’ other wife.”

  My fork clattered down onto my plate. “What? Are you serious? I’m in some sort of polygamy nightmare? I knew it. I knew all of this was too good to be true.” I waved my arm around the fancy room and then lowered my voice. “How many women is he married to?”

  Rob had started laughing halfway through my rant and by the time I was finished he was doubled over laughing.

  “Rob!”

  “You’re still as gullible as ever,” he said through fits of laughter. “Geez, you should have seen your face.”

  “It’s not funny.” I reached across the table and slapped his arm. “Does that mean it isn’t true?”

  “James is head over heels in love with you and only you. I swear.”

  “Good.” Good? I didn’t even know the man. Why was that a good thing?

  Rob smiled. “Good.”

  I took another bite of my pancakes. They really were delicious. “Wait, so who is Ellen?”

  “Your housekeeper slash chef slash personal shopper slash whatever.”

  “You mean I don’t have to cook or clean or…”

  “Yup. You’ve got it made.”

  “Huh.”

  He finished chewing as he stared at me. “What?”

  “Nothing. I just…” I let my voice trail off. “I kind of like cleaning. And cooking. I’ve never pictured myself having a housekeeper.”

  “Trust me, you love Ellen.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She cooked and ran. James is trying to make sure you’re not too overly stimulated.”

  “So waking up to you in my bed wasn’t supposed to be jarring?”

  “You tell me.”

  I laughed. “It was.”

  “In a good way?” He flashed me his charming smile.

  “Oh yeah, in a great way.” Honestly, it hadn’t been so bad. He was much more fun to hang out with than James. “So I was thinking maybe I’d go for a run this morning.”

  “Nah, you don’t want to do that. How about you do some yoga or something?”

  I glared at him. “No, I want to go for a run. I’m craving the wind through my hair.”

  “I think you’re supposed to be taking it easy for a few more weeks.”

  “I need to get rid of all this fat.” I gestured toward my stomach and laughed awkwardly. Seriously, where did this belly come from? “I’m going to go try to find a pair of sneakers.” I stood up and started walking toward the stairs. I couldn’t wait to get some fresh air.

  “Penny?”

  “I’ll be right back.” I grabbed the railing.

  “Wait.”

  “It’ll just take a second…”

  “You’re not allowed to leave the apartment.”

  I froze on the first step. I’m not allowed? I thought about last night when it seemed like James was keeping me prisoner. Part of me wanted to believe it was the wine giving me an overactive imagination. But apparently my memory was perfectly intact from at least one day ago. I walked back over to the table. “What do you mean I’m not allowed?”

  “You know what I mean…psh.” He was trying to backtrack. But he wasn’t getting off that easily.

  “Honestly, I have no idea what you mean. Are you saying that I’m actually not allowed to go outside?”

  He looked so sheepish. “Technically you are. I guess. I mean, of course. But James would prefer if you didn’t leave. And if you do…it should be with him.”

  “Seriously? Why?”

  He just stared at me.
r />   “Why, Robert?” I emphasized his name as I glared at him.

  “Please don’t call me that.” He scrunched his mouth to the side like the name Robert disgusted him.

  “Look, I’m pretty sure I can ignore a few harmless paparazzi.” I hope. Yesterday had been stressful. The blinding camera flashes. The questions I didn’t know how to answer. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be back in half an hour. I’m clearly out of shape.”

  I turned to start walking back up the steps.

  “It’s not the paparazzi we’re worried about.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I should probably call James.”

  “Rob, just tell me. What possible reason does James have for locking me up in here?” I felt like I was Rapunzel, locked in a tower. Except I was in a sky rise in the middle of the worst city ever. And my hair wasn’t blonde. Minor details.

  “I’m going to call him real quick.”

  “You do that. I’ll be looking for sneakers.” I jogged up the stairs. Ow. I touched the side of my stomach. When was the last time I exercised? I couldn’t possibly already have a cramp.

  I ignored the pain as I rummaged through the closet. It had taken me awhile to find the spandex shorts, sports bra, and tank top I was currently wearing. But sneakers were easier. They were on the bottom row of the shoe rack. I lifted up one of the pairs. They were as light as a feather. Why wasn’t I in better shape when I had such amazing workout gear? I quickly laced them up and headed back downstairs.

  “James is on his way home,” Rob said.

  “Cool. I’ll catch him when I get back.”

  “Please don’t leave. You’re going to get me in so much trouble.”

  “Then tell me why I’m supposed to stay,” I said.

  “God I hate you sometimes.”

  “Ditto.”

  He laughed. The sound reminded me of James’ laughter. Albeit, much more frequent. “Fine. You win. You can’t leave because you’re in mortal danger.”

  “What is this, an episode of Power Rangers?”

  “Well now you’re acting like you’re 10 instead of 19.”

  I wanted to tell him off. But every rebuttal I thought of did make me sound like a child. Damn it. “You’re the 10 year old.” Really? That was the response I chose?

  He laughed. “Penny, just trust me, okay?”

  “Not unless you tell me why I’m in mortal danger.” I put ‘mortal danger’ in air quotes.

  “That’s something James wants to discuss with you.”

  “Great. And I’ll see him when he gets back.” I walked toward the front door.

  “Penny, you can’t go.”

  I ignored him and threw the door open.

  Two men were standing in the hall facing me. Their arms were folded in front of their chests and their large frames blocked my path.

  “Excuse me,” I said and tried to sidestep them.

  But neither of them moved.

  “Mrs. Hunter, we have strict instructions to not let you leave the premises.”

  “Please don’t call me that. My name is Penny.” I tried to sidestep them again.

  “Ma’am, if you’ll please make your way back inside.”

  “This is ridiculous.”

  “Please step back inside. Penny,” one of them added. The kind gesture of using my name was a little small considering they were keeping me locked up.

  But I didn’t exactly have a choice. It wasn’t like I could bulldoze my way past these two huge men. It was possible that I could slide underneath their legs. But then I’d have to outrun them. And I had gotten a cramp by jogging up the stairs. I went back into the apartment and slammed the door. Back to my 10 year old ways.

  Rob was standing there with a pained look on his face. “It’s just for a little while.”

  “Until my memory is back?” What if I never remember?

  “Until it’s safe.”

  I thought about the scars on my stomach. “Did someone try to hurt me?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “And where is James, huh? You said he loves me, but he left in the middle of the night? If someone’s trying to hurt me, where is he? And where the hell is my phone? I want to talk to my parents. I…”

  “Penny.”

  “You can’t just stand there and tell me nothing. Am I in trouble?” My voice cracked. “Did I do something wrong?”

  He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  I melted into him. I felt more comfortable in his arms than James'. Maybe it was because I was lonely in this new world. Or maybe it was because he was closer to my age. Or maybe it was because he was the one that was actually here with me, trying to calm me down.

  I shifted my head so that it was pressed against his chest. “When we were upstairs, you mentioned that you would have thought we’d have ended up together. Why didn’t we?”

  “Bro-code. My brother met you first.”

  “That’s the only reason?”

  “You’re his person.”

  He didn’t say I wasn’t his. “You seem like so much more fun than James. I always thought I’d end up with someone more like you. James is so serious.”

  Rob laughed and squeezed me tighter for a moment before releasing me from his embrace. “He is serious. You should have seen him before he started dating you. It was like he always had a huge stick…”

  “…up his ass,” I finished for him. “He still does.”

  Rob smiled. “He has a lot going on. He’s just worried about you.”

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Anything.”

  “You said he loves me. But do I love him? I mean, do you think that I did? Before all of this?”

  “He hasn’t given you the book?” he asked.

  “What book?”

  He shook his head like it was nothing. “Never mind, it’s not important. But yeah, Penny, I think you loved him back. You transferred out of the University of New Castle for him. You moved your whole life here.”

  “Why did I give up so much?

  “It was a two-way street. He had to resign from teaching. You two had a rough start but you’re both happy now. I don’t just think it, I know it.”

  We were really close. Geez, was this man my best friend? How was that possible? It wasn’t like I could share intimate details about his brother to him. I stared at him. “I thought James was joking when he said he was my professor. This apartment doesn’t exactly scream a professor’s salary.”

  “When he gets home, ask him about the book I mentioned earlier. I think you should read it.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “You’ll just have to read it. Come on,” he said and grabbed my arm to pull me into the kitchen. “We’re going to spend the rest of the morning eating ice cream and watching TV.”

  In just that one sentence I realized how right I was before. He was a much better match for me than James was.

  Chapter 11

  Friday

  It took me awhile to completely relax around Rob. But his inappropriate sexual comments and the fact that I barely knew him went out the window when we found a show we both loved. Now my feet were propped up on his lap and we were laughing at a re-run of Shark Tank that didn’t feel like a re-run to me.

  “I bet Kevin’s going to offer him a terrible royalty deal,” Rob said.

  “Are you saying that because Kevin always offers royalty deals or because you’ve seen this episode before?”

  Rob laughed. “Both. I’ve missed this,” he said and looked over at me.

  “Missed what?” I asked through a mouthful of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream.

  “Hanging out just the two of us. We used to do this all the time.”

  I set my ice cream down on the coffee table. “What changed?”

  He shrugged. “Marriage. Kids. Work.”

  “You have children?” I smiled at the thought. He was probably such a good father. He
was so fun. Any kid would be lucky to call him Dad.

  “Two. Well, one with another on the way. My daughter Sophie is three and a half. And my son will be born next month as long as everything goes smoothly.”

  “I’m sure everything will go smoothly,” I said. “If there weren’t any complications with the first delivery, there probably won’t be with the second, right?”

  “Yeah. I guess.” But he didn’t sound all that convinced. It was charming that he was worried about his wife and child.

  “If I ever have kids, I don't want to know the sex. The surprise is half the fun.”

  He pressed his lips together, like he was holding something back.

  “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  I looked back at the screen, but I was having trouble focusing on the show anymore. Rob had been so carefree moments ago, and now it seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I didn’t want to press him, but I still had so many questions. Mostly about James and my life here. What we were like as a couple. What a normal day for us looked like.

  “Where's James?” I asked as nonchalantly as possible.

  Rob kept his eyes on the TV. “Um…he had a class.”

  That pause was a little suspicious. “He teaches during summer session?” I pulled my feet off of Rob’s lap.

  “Yup. He’s teaching two classes until fall when he’ll have a normal schedule again.” It was like his eyes were glued to the TV.

  “And one of those classes takes place in the middle of the night?”

  He took another bite of ice cream, clearly buying time for whatever lie he was about to tell. “He has more on his plate than just teaching.”

  Like what, a mistress? I ignored the comment that wanted to spill out of my mouth. “Do you have work?” I asked instead. “It’s Friday morning. Surely you have something better to do than babysit me?”

  He finally pulled his gaze away from the screen and smiled at me. “There’s nowhere I need to be right now.”

  “The two bulldogs keeping watch outside aren’t exactly going to let me out. An inside man isn’t really necessary. Two watchdogs is plenty.”

  “I’m sure Briggs and Porter will appreciate their new nicknames. And actually, you have four members in your security detail.”