Chapter Fifteen

 

 

 

A week later, Maia motioned for the porter to take the rest of her things into the room.

As promised, the hotel was part of a luxurious resort that was simply stunning to look at. It filled her vision as it sprawled white on the white sand, contrasting starkly with the darkening sky and water.

It was perfect in the setting.

She just hoped that everything else would be as well.

Maia took mental notes as she followed the porter through the lobby and to her room. As the porter stepped in with her things, she caught a glimpse of the stunning interior. It was more like an apartment than a hotel suite. She loved the huge windows and the fresh flowers had to be her favorite feature, though the lush furnishings were a close second. And that was only what she could see from the door.

She couldn’t wait to explore it further.

It may have been perfection, but she felt less than enthused to be there. Alone, at least. She missed Alex. The texts they sent back and forth almost constantly didn’t cheer her up at all and the few video chats they’d had were plagued by lag, bad connections and time constraints. It just reinforced the idea that they were drifting apart.

But before she could start dwelling, a familiar voice forced her back to the present.

“Hello, neighbor.”

Sighing, Maia turned next door. Would it be petty to dock points from the hotel for the porter being too slow to get her stuff in and get out? She knew she was cranky and tired from the flight and chastised herself mentally before smiling tightly at her coworker. “What are you doing here, Chloe?”

“Jo thought we made a great team last time and sent me here to do my thing.” Her scornful gaze raked over Maia. “What the hell happened to you? You look terrible.”

She felt it. “Thanks so much.”

Chloe smirked. “Did you two fight the entire time you were on that island?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“There were bets going around, you know. You two were either going to kill or tear each other’s clothes off. I guess the former was what happened. I owe people some cash.”

If she only knew the truth. Maia just rolled her eyes. “Is this why you’re talking to me? To confirm a bet?”

Her coworker’s smirk grew. “Partly. Another is to point out that a mutual friend is here as well.” She pulled out her phone before she looked pointedly down the hall.

Even though she didn’t want to, Maia followed her line of sight to find Tomas unlocking a door. He chose that moment to look up and smiled warmly. “Maia, Chloe, what a surprise.” He waved the porter in and walked over to them to give Maia a hug and a peck on the cheek before doing the same to Chloe. “Are you two on another assignment?”

“Yeah. It’s quite a coincidence seeing you here,” Chloe purred, grinning in a way that reminded Maia of a piranha. Did the woman ever stop?

“Quite a coincidence.” He smiled at Maia, leaning in close to whisper. “I’m just checking out the competition.” He stepped back a little. “Is Alex around? I had something I wanted to talk to him about, but he hasn’t responded to my calls or emails.”

She shook her head. “He’s busy with another project at the moment. I’m sure he’ll get back to you as soon as he can.”

“You sound like his secretary.” Laughing, Chloe linked her arm through Tomas’. “How about we go see what this place has to offer?”

Tomas nodded, even as he slipped his arm out of her grip. “What do you say, Maia?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse. She wasn’t in the mood to hang out, but Maia knew she had to do something to get herself out of her funk. And irritating Chloe might just do that. “Sure. Just give me a second.”

Maia grabbed her purse, swapped her shoes and took a quick look at herself in the mirror. Hair in a ponytail, rumpled jeans, wrinkled white shirt and sandals that were almost worn through. Not exactly glamorous but it would do.

“Ready. So what did you want to do first?”

“I could do with a meal.” Tomas looked at the pouting Chloe before settling his gaze on Maia.

“Sounds good.” Not really, but it gave them something to do. At the very least, it might give her something to write about.

They settled for a beautiful onsite restaurant, one of several apparently, and chatted over drinks as they waited. Chloe sat across from Maia while Tomas took the seat next to Maia. She was dimly aware of Chloe snapping pictures on her phone, which wasn’t all that unusual. She should probably be doing the same thing. Maia couldn’t find the energy to pull her phone out.

Tomas’ voice drew her attention. “So what have you been up to, Maia?”

“She and Alex were stuck on an island together for a week,” Chloe interjected, so helpfully.

He nodded approvingly. “Sounds ideal.”

“It was lovely.” Maia’s tight tone didn’t even sound convincing to herself.

“So lovely he’s chosen to work instead of spending more time with you.” Chloe didn’t even try for subtlety.

“We both realize we have commitments.” Why was she even justifying herself to the other woman? She’d already spent enough time pondering and wallowing. Maia had come out with them to enjoy herself and this was far from what she wanted. “You know what? I’m a bit tired. I think I’m just going to try to get some sleep.”

She got up and left before either could say anything.

Maia didn’t get very far before she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

“What was that about?” Tomas closed his hand over her shoulder, slowing her down.

She didn’t have the strength to shrug him off. “Chloe’s just being her usual charming self.”

He didn’t look as though he cared too much about the reasons, just in her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I don’t usually let her get to me. I’m just too tired to deal with her bull today.”

“She does seem to enjoy antagonizing you.” Tomas fell into step next to her. “Don’t let her get to you. She’s only looking to get a reaction.”

“I know. Like I said, usually I can handle it.” Maia sighed. All she wanted right now was a long, hot bath, preferably with Alex, then to get in bed. Again, preferably with Alex.

Tomas smiled encouragingly. “Feel like a walk on the beach? It always relaxes me.”

“Yeah, I remember.” She started to shake her head, but reconsidered. What was she going to do in her room alone? Mope? She’d spend hours tossing and turning and she knew it. “You know what? I could use some exercise after such a long flight.”

His smile was brilliant. “Wonderful.”

Silently, they headed for the sound of the ocean. The moment they hit the sand, Maia slowed to take off her sandals. The sensation of warm sand on her feet relaxed her.

“Good idea.” Tomas did the same, rolling up his trouser legs at the same time.

Their leisurely stroll buoyed her mood. It felt nice to just wander aimlessly and work out the kinks.

“You’re quiet. A lot on your mind?” Tomas asked softly.

“Yes and no.”

He chuckled. “If you want to talk about Alex, that’s fine, you know. I wasn’t lying when I said I was happy for you two.”

Did she really want to talk to Tomas about another man? “What makes you think what’s going on in my head has anything to do with Alex?”

“Just a look you have.” Tomas hesitated, keeping his piercing blues eyes on hers. “Are you sure everything is all right between you two? You seem sad.”

Still so sweet. She forced a smile, even if it was the last thing she felt like doing. Maia crossed her heart. “Jet lag. I swear.”

“Good.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

Awkwardness started to settle in. She cleared her throat. “How have you been?”

He scoffed. “Good. Work keeps me busy.”

“I’m glad you’ve been good.” Much better than this conversation was going, she hoped. Maia sighed. “The truth is, I don’t really know how it’s going between me and Alex. It’s complicated.”

“Oh?”

The slight press of his hand on her arm stopped her. Maia looked at him for a split second before turning to stare at the water.

“Remember the man I told you about. The one who had hurt me?”

Even in the darkness, she could see his expression turned grim. “Yes.”

“It turns out he didn’t know what he had done. He’d had an accident and that’s why he never came back. He lost his memories.”

Tomas took in the information with a nod. “So it was Alex.”

Maia was mildly surprised he had guessed who she was talking about but not really. “I guess you know about his accident, huh?”

“Alex and I have been friends for a while.” He frowned. “I had wondered why you two were so awkward with each other at the party. I thought it might be because of my presence.” He sighed. “So I had misunderstood how close you were then, but now…?”

Maia was thankful that the night hid the blush heating her cheeks. “Things have gotten a bit more complicated since then.”

“I gathered that.” He let out a slow breath. “I can tell you that Alex isn’t one to play around. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“So Angelique… He’s been with her a while?”

An understanding smile spread over his lips. “Not as long as you think, I’m sure. And as far as I know, from gossip in our circles, he’s moved on to a beautiful writer.”

“Really?” Her heart felt like it was going to burst.

Tomas smiled. “Yes. And from the smile on your face, I’m guessing I resolved your dilemma.”

A part of it. On a whim, she hugged him. “Thanks, Tomas.”

“No problem.” He hugged her back before taking a step away. “Shall we continue our walk?”

“I would love that.”

Hearing what she had from Tomas made her steps lighter. Her heart too. They wandered down the long beach. Maia ambled with her head back for part of the walk to stare at the sea of stars above.

“If you keep that up, you’re going to end up in the ocean.”

“I’m sure you’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” Maia stopped to look at Tomas. “You are a wonderful man. I wish I could have been the one to make you happy.”

He sighed and dragged her around to look at him. “It just wasn’t meant to be. And you did for a time. I’ll never forget that.”

“I’m still sorry about what I did.”

His smile was small, but she believed him when he said, “I forgive you.”

“Thank you.”

They wandered a little while longer before heading into the hotel. They stopped in front of her door.

“Thanks again, Tomas. You’ve been a big help.”

A smile curved his lips. “Of course.” He pecked her on the cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Tomas.” She patted him on the shoulder.

As she entered her room, Maia dialed Alex, but for some reason he wasn’t answering. So she sent him a text bidding him a good night. It wasn’t until she got out of the shower that she received a curt Goodnight in return. He usually wanted to catch up for a bit.

Maia chalked it up to fatigue on both their parts. She’d text him again in the morning when all her brain cells were working once more.

 

* * * *

 

Alex put the phone down, irritated that the text had derailed his train of thought. He’d been doing mountains of research on memory loss, neurological trauma and all things associated with both. It seemed there was a wealth of information on the topics but not enough to satisfy him.

His calls to experts hadn’t yielded much more. They all seemed to agree that if the memories hadn’t come back by now, they weren’t likely to.

Alex scrolled through the text on the webpage. It was all beginning to blur together in a morass of hopelessness. Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. He wanted his memories. All of them. Everything about their time together.

Up until he found the truth about his past, it didn’t really matter to him that he’d forgotten a large chunk of his life. How much could he have experienced in that time? It was a rationalization that he’d made many times. What could he have forgotten but boring classes and monotonous university life?

What indeed. Could he have been more wrong?

Alex glared at a photo of their younger selves smiling blissfully into the camera and was torn between tearing it up and tracing her up-curved lips with his finger. He settled on the latter.

He’d lost his first meeting with Maia, getting to know her, the first time they’d made love. It was frustrating to know that he couldn’t remember her favorite drink, or food. That he’d lost their entire relationship devastated and infuriated him at the same time. And he’d just let it go without a fight? That rankled worst of all.

He’d barely recovered from the accident before he’d simply moved on with his life. Finished with his schooling in Paris, he’d dived straight into work for the Girard Group. It never even occurred to him that he’d left anyone behind. And he’d let her down in the worst way possible.

He wasn’t going to just lie down and take it. He would rectify his sins against her.

Alex picked up the phone again to call the number on the webpage. He would see if this one was worthy of calling himself the best neurologist in the world.