“Are you okay?” he whispered, kissing my neck, wrapping his arms around me.
I couldn’t speak, couldn’t utter a single word, and when I found the courage to peep over at the doorway again, Maya was gone.
She didn’t say anything when we joined her in the house for dinner, and I didn’t bring it up with her, or Ash, either. The atmosphere between her and I remained amicable and unchanged, especially when I told her I’d agreed to stay at the house, and by the time we were doing the dishes I began to wonder if I’d imagined her standing in the garage doorway somehow.
“Will you spend the night with me?” Ash asked after we’d gone to the motel to collect my things. Fiona had been so delighted when I told her I’d be staying with Ash she’d rushed around from behind the counter and given us both a hug.
“What about Maya?” I said, discomfort sneaking back into my gut.
“What about her?” Ash shrugged, a chill in his words. “We’re adults. She’s the one who suggested you move in.”
It wasn’t enough to convince me, and I didn’t want to jeopardize my new job at the Cliff’s Head, either. “I’ll sleep in the other room for a while, then we can decide.”
Ash grinned and kissed my fingertips. “All right. I don’t mind sneaking about in the middle of the night. It’s kind of...sexy.”
Despite my reservations I crept to his bedroom later that night, hoping to make love to him slowly and gently this time, but he was fast asleep, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake him. I curled up beside him instead, wishing I could rest as peacefully.
As I tossed and turned, I thought about how I should give Sam more of an update than “things are going well.” Then there were Heron and Stevens, from whom I’d heard nothing since I’d left. Good, because I was still furious at them digging up my past, not to mention their unfounded accusations of me having anything to do with Ash’s disappearance. I’d checked online, and so far, no arrests had been made in connection to the case, so I didn’t feel compelled to contact them, not until Ash was okay with it.
When he’d first asked if I thought we should speak to the cops in Maryland, I’d balked. I’d secretly worried they’d either still think I had something to do with his accident, or bring up the whole Dominic Martel debacle, something I wasn’t ready for. I’d tell him at some point, but all in good time. Instead, I’d gently fished for any recollection about him gambling for money, and casually mentioned the name Jason Whitmarsh, relieved when he didn’t react at all.
I’d also insisted I agreed with Maya, and that we should wait until we’d figured out more about why he’d left Newdale, and why he’d lied about his name. The only tangible reason we’d come up with was Keenan. We’d speculated he’d threatened Ash, or scared him into leaving, but if that was what had happened, why hadn’t he told Maya where he was going, or contacted her once he’d settled in Maryland? Maybe Keenan had threatened to hurt her. Perhaps we’d never know and it would remain one of life’s unexplained mysteries.
As I lay there, listening to Ash’s rhythmic breathing, I asked myself once more if I was prepared to invest in a relationship with all these unknowns and complications, and the answer was an emphatic yes. He and I both had histories we wanted to leave behind. The only difference was I knew the full extent of my past. What mattered to me now was what we did with the future, and I wanted him to be in mine more than anything.
When I heard Maya downstairs shortly before eight, I stumbled out of bed. Ash was still asleep, lying on his side and snoring gently, so I quickly went to my room to get ready for work, and headed downstairs.
“I made you coffee,” Maya said when I walked into the kitchen. “Cream and sugar.”
Her generosity and attention to detail gave me the sudden urge to clear my conscience. “Thank you...and...uh, about yesterday, in the garage—”
“It’s none of my business.”
“I love him, Maya.”
“I understand.”
“I won’t hurt him.”
“I know.” Her eyes narrowed. “Because it’ll be the last thing you’ll ever do.”
I expected a smile, for her to make a joke about pretending to be a Newdale mafioso, but she remained serious and unflinching, the weight of her words hanging between us.
As I turned around to escape her gaze, a bleary-eyed Ash walked in, pulling a T-shirt over his head while stifling a yawn. “Man, I could sleep for another week,” he said.
“We keep telling you you’re working too hard,” Maya said. “Stay in bed.”
“I’ll go back up in a bit,” he snapped, before closing his eyes for a moment and adding, softly this time, “Didn’t mean to jump down your throat there. Sorry, Bee.” He frowned as Maya let out a cross between a gasp and a squeak. “Maya the Bee,” he whispered. “That’s what we used to call you when you were a kid. That’s your nickname.”
Maya rushed over and flung her arms around him. “Yes, yes, that’s right.”
“This is huge,” I said, unable to contain my excitement. “Isn’t that one of the oldest things that’s come back so far? That’s got to be significant.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Ash said.
“But it could mean more of your memory’s returning,” I said. “Dr. Adler mentioned—”
“Dr. Adler?” Ash said. “When did you speak to him?”
“Oh, I, uh...I phoned him when I first arrived. We talked about amnesia in general.”
“You never mentioned it...did you?” Ash said.
“No,” I replied quickly. “With everything that’s been happening, it slipped my mind.”
He grinned. “I can relate.”
“We’d better get going,” Maya said, cutting him off with
