Billionaire's Contract Engagement(41)

Or maybe her imagination was getting the best of her again.

She opened her calendar next, going back for several months, and found  nothing but her school schedule, a few theater and party dates with Ash,  and of course her research trip, which according to this should have  ended a few days after her accident. She also found a recent appointment  with a wedding planner that they had missed, and realized that not only  were they engaged, but apparently they had already set a date. One they  would probably be forced to postpone now.

She quit out of her calendar and opened her photo file, but either she  kept her pictures online or on a disk, or she wasn't a very sentimental  person, because there were very few. Shots of herself and Ash, mostly.  None of friends or fellow students. And none of family, which was no  surprise since she didn't have any.

She did have a vast music library, and while she liked the various songs  she sampled, she didn't relate them to any specific memories or events.

She went through file after file, but not a single thing, not even her  school papers, looked familiar to her. She tried to be logical about it.  She had barely been out of her coma for four days and the doctor had  said it would take time. Logically she knew this, and she was trying to  heed his advice. Emotionally though, she felt like putting her fist  through the nearest wall.         

     



 

"I hope you're not doing schoolwork already!" the nurse said as she  walked in to check Melody's IV. Which was kind of a ridiculous notion,  since not only would Melody not have a clue what work had been assigned,  but even if she did, she wouldn't have any idea how to do it. She  didn't remember anything about the law. But she had to cut the nurse  some slack. It probably wasn't often she dealt with amnesia patients.

"I'm just looking at photos and things," Melody told her. "I was hoping I would remember something."

"That's a great idea! How's it going?"

"Nothing so far."

She hung a fresh IV bag and tossed the empty one in the trash by the  sink. "Dr. Nelson would like to see you up and moving around today. But  only with assistance," she added sternly.

Melody wouldn't dare try it alone. When she'd taken her shower earlier  the nurse had to help her, and she had to shower sitting down. Her legs  felt like limp spaghetti noodles and she was so dizzy she was having  trouble staying upright.

"We could take a few practice steps right now," the nurse suggested, a  not-so-subtle nudge, but Melody wasn't quite ready to put her computer  aside.

"Could we maybe do it after lunch?" she asked.

"All right, but don't put it off too long. You need to rebuild your strength."

Melody knew that better than everyone else. And though walking might  still be a challenge, she could feel herself improving by leaps and  bounds. She gave most of the credit to Ash.

He'd given her something to fight for.





Five


After the nurse left, Melody went back to the photo file on her computer  and opened a few of herself and Ash. When she looked at herself, it was  still a bit like looking at a stranger. It was her, but not exactly  her.

Her clothes were obviously expensive and quite form-fitting. The healthy  eating must have paid off because she was very trim and fit-although  now, after being in the coma, she looked a little gaunt. She seemed to  like to show off her cleavage, which admittedly she had a fair amount  of. She peeked under her hospital gown at her breasts and decided that  she must own some pretty amazing push-up bras.

In the photos her hair was always fixed in a sleek and chic style that  she couldn't help thinking must have taken ages in front of the bathroom  mirror to perfect. So unlike the casual, wavy locks she was sporting  now. Also, she wore a considerable amount of makeup and it was always  flawlessly applied. She looked very well put together.

Just the thought of the time it must have taken to get ready each  morning left her feeling exhausted. Maybe, when she was up and around  again, she would feel differently. Although she couldn't help thinking  she looked a bit  …  vain. But she was sure these photos represented only a  small segment of her life. Who didn't like to look good for pictures?  And she couldn't deny that she and Ash made one heck of a good-looking  couple.

How would he feel if she didn't go back to being that perfectly put  together woman? Would he be disappointed? Or did he love her for the  woman inside?

The latter, she hoped. If not, would he be here by her side while she healed?

"Still at it?" the man in question said, and she looked up to find him  standing at the foot of the bed. Ash was holding a newspaper in one hand  and a brown paper sack in the other.

"You're back already?" she asked.

"Already? I've been gone almost two hours."

"Has it really been that long?" She would have guessed twenty-five or thirty minutes.

"I had to make a few calls to work, and I figured you wouldn't mind the  time alone. Which apparently you didn't." He nodded to her computer.  "Any luck?"

She closed the computer and shook her head, trying not to let it  discourage her, or to dwell on it. "I've looked at pretty much all of it  and I don't recognize a thing." She gestured to the bag he was holding.  "What's that?"

"I stopped at the nurses' station on my way out this morning, and they  called the doctor, who said there's no reason to have you on a  restricted diet, so." He pulled a white foam restaurant container from  the bag. "Your burger and fries, madam."

The scent of the food wafted her way and her mouth instantly started to  water. Now she knew why she was marrying Ash. He was clearly the  sweetest man in the world.

"You're wonderful!" she said as he set it on her tray. "I can see why I fell in love with you."

He gave her another one of those funny looks, as though the sentiment was totally unexpected or out of character.         

     



 

"What? Don't tell me I've never said I love you."

"It's not that. I just." He shook his head. "I just didn't expect to  hear anything like that so soon. I guess I figured you would have to  take the time to get to know me again."

"Well, I sure like what I've seen so far." She opened the container top,  her taste buds going berserk in anticipation. Her stomach growled and,  up until that instant, she didn't even realize she was hungry. She  automatically grabbed a packet of ketchup, tore it open with her teeth,  and drizzled it over her fries. Ash pulled out a similar container for  himself and set it beside hers on the tray, but his was a BLT with  coleslaw. He sat on the edge of the mattress near her to eat.

The fries were greasy and salty, and by far the best thing Melody had  eaten in days. Or maybe ever. And when she took a bite of her burger it  was pure nirvana.

"How did your calls to work go?" she asked. "Are they upset that you'll be gone for a while?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter how they feel. They don't have a say in the matter."

She frowned. "I would feel awful if I got you in trouble, or even worse, if you got fired because of me."

"Don't worry. They aren't going to fire me. I'm the best damned CFO  they've ever had. Besides, they know that if they did let me go, their  competitor, Golden Gate Promotions, would probably snap me up. The  owner, Athos Koteas, would do just about anything for an edge. And that  would be very bad for Maddox."

"Not if your contract has a noncompete clause," she said, stuffing a fry  in her mouth. "Working for a competitor would be a direct breach. They  could sue the pants off you. And I'm sure they would."

When she glanced up, Ash had gone still with his sandwich halfway to his  mouth, and he was giving her that "look" again. Why did he keep doing  that? "What? Do I have ketchup on my face or something?"

"Mel, do you realize what you just said?"

She hit rewind and ran it through her head again, stunned when the meaning of her words sank in. "I was talking like a lawyer."

Ash nodded.

"Oh, my gosh! I didn't even think about it. It just. popped out." A huge smile crept across her face. "I remembered something!"

Granted it was nothing important, or personal, but it was something. She  tried to dredge up some other legal jargon, but her mind went blank.  Maybe that was just the way it was going to be. Maybe it would come back  in little bits and pieces. At that rate she would have her full memory  back by the time she and Ash retired, she thought wryly.

"For the record," he said, "I did have a noncompete clause and they removed it when I refused to sign."

Maybe it was her imagination, but she had the feeling Ash didn't share  in her happiness. It was as if he thought her remembering something was a  bad thing.

It was just one more little thing that seemed  …  off.

She shook the thought away. She was being ridiculous. Of course he  wanted her to remember things. Didn't he? What reason would he have not  to?