While Ash had initially felt the recovery of his memory was gaining traction since I’d arrived in Newdale, it led to him throwing himself into the garage project with vehemence. On the first evening, he’d fallen asleep on the sofa shortly after dinner, and according to Maya he’d stayed there until the next morning. The second night hadn’t been much better and every day he seemed increasingly tired. Both Maya and I joined forces in an effort to get him to slow down, congratulating one another on day three when he agreed to ease off.
I knew he loved the feeling that accomplishing something gave him, and the rush he felt from being physically active, but there seemed to be more to it than that. He wasn’t just worn-out from working, and when I pressed him, he let slip that sometimes his mind felt befuddled and cloudy, and he worried he’d stopped progressing, or worse, was going backward. I reminded him how Dr. Adler had phoned from vacation the day before to say he’d received Ash’s blood-work results, and everything was fine. The news had done little to appease Ash’s frustration. It was understandable, he wanted his memories, and to feel normal again, but with the way things were going, he worried it might never happen.
Things between Ash and me weren’t tense, not exactly, but in comparison to the day at the beach his mindset had definitely taken a more negative turn, and every evening when I drove back to the motel, I wondered if my being there was really such a good thing after all. We’d kissed a few times, but I hadn’t pushed for things to go any further, and neither had he, and I promised myself I’d take things slow despite wanting more.
At least Maya had been chirpy, pleasant even. We’d chatted about our mutual passion for art, how we’d both had dreams of studying it at college. When she’d told me how her ambitions had evaporated after Brad had been killed and she’d lost focus, I made up an excuse about the impossible cost of the tuition being my biggest barrier. At that point she’d said degrees were overrated in her opinion, led me to the garage and showed me her sculptures, detailing all the ideas she had for the wood she’d collected and stored. She asked me my opinion, listened intently as I described how I’d wanted to revamp the website for Beach Body, and told her I’d be happy to help with hers. I no longer felt anxious when she was due to finish work, and when she arrived at the house one evening, about a week after I’d arrived in Newdale, she walked around the garage with a massive smile on her face.
“This is amazing, guys,” she said, gesturing to the plasterboard we’d put up in her new room. “Really, it’s fabulous. I can’t believe how much you’ve done.”
“I’ve got a cracking coworker,” Ash said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “With her help we’ll be finished in no time.”
“Ah...” Maya pulled a face. “What if it took a little while longer...?”
“You’re not adding more items to the list, are you?” Ash said curtly, and not for the first time I wondered why he always seemed more tense when Maya was around. From what I could see she was bending over backward to help him in any way she could, but I supposed sibling rivalry could get the best of us, no matter our age.
“Uh-oh,” I joked, trying to get rid of the tension before it bloomed. “Sounds like you’ll have to put in a change request with the boss.”
“No, it’s not more work in here,” Maya said. “What you’ve done is fantastic, but the thing is, we both know Ash should take a break.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” Ash said.
“Yeah, you should,” Maya and I replied in unison.
She grinned. “Anyway, we could use your help at the restaurant.”
“Me?” I said. “Really?”
“Yeah. I talked to Patrick and he’s more than happy to give you a few shifts a week, maybe more. He knows our situation, we’re short-staffed and I said I’d vouch for you. You could start tomorrow. I’ll show you the ropes, but you’d be hosting, mainly, and the guests will love you. You’ve got that innocent, girl-next-door charm thing going on. You don’t mind me stealing her away for a bit, do you, Ash?”
As he shook his head I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Maya had paid me multiple compliments since I’d arrived, from my complexion to my freckles, my toned arms and my tenacity to find Ash and not having given up on him. I’d worried it was fake at first, but she’d gone out of her way to make sure I was comfortable when visiting them. The initial vibe of jealousy I’d picked up from her had waned and disappeared. Maybe with my being in Newdale she didn’t see me as a threat anymore, and in her mind, getting me to work at the Cliff’s Head would lessen the worry about me trying to whisk Ash off to Maryland. Not that he had any intention of leaving, he’d made it quite clear, and the more time I spent here, the less I wanted to go back myself. Yes, there was still the confusion about Ash giving me a fake name, not to mention the cash, possible gambling and the break-in at his apartment, and yes, it all bothered me, but I wanted to keep my promise and help him figure things out. Until I knew for sure why he’d felt the need to mislead me about his identity, I wasn’t willing to give up on him.
As tentative and
