She had enough burdens without being weighed down with all of mine.
“I thought so, too, but then he asked me what kind of man he’d been in his past life to deserve such treatment.”
A snort escaped Sarah’s lips as she shook her head.
“So I told him exactly the type of man he was.”
“And?” she asked.
“It was like watching a mountain crumble. As his face fell, I saw the life drain from it as well. That wasn’t something that could be faked, Sarah. The old August isn’t there anymore, or at least not right now.”
She studied me for a moment or two, trying to gauge my expression before replying. “Could he come back? Will the memories return?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. It was something I’d been thinking about a lot lately, as I lay in bed, too restless to sleep, too tired to get up. What if that monster did return one day? What happened then?
“Wow, Ev, I don’t know what to say. How is Ryan handling it all?” she asked as her warm gaze met mine. She leaned forward to take my hand.
Looking down at our joined fingers, I smiled, grateful to have Sarah in my life. She always brought me out of my tortoiselike shell. “Like he always does—in stride. First he was shaken a bit by the news, and then he went into defense mode, figuring out the best way to keep us secure. You know how logical he gets in situations like this.”
“And what did he come up with?” she inquired.
“He said we should just keep the status quo. Go about our lives like usual—ignore August. And if the time comes that it becomes a problem, we’ll deal with it.”
Her eyes met mine and as usual, I know she saw more than most.
“And what do you think? Do you believe in the status quo?”
As much as it pained me to admit it, I shook my head.
“No,” I answered honestly. “Not with August back in our lives.”
* * *
I saw him again.
This time he was bending down to tie his shoe. His short brown hair fluttered in the salty sea breeze and my lungs began to burn and soon I was gasping for air. No, it wasn’t him, couldn’t be him. The build of his body was all wrong, the shape of his nose was different—and yet I faltered, all because of a stupid pair of shoes. Shiny, black—expensive. Exactly the type August would have preferred.
There once was a time when he hadn’t cared about the type of shoe that covered his feet. Shoes, clothes…none of it had mattered. Back when things had been simpler—easier.
Happier.
The man who wasn’t him turned slightly, his face catching the light from the sun high above us as he rose, the untied laces now fixed, and went on his way down the street while I still stood unmoving, cemented to the ground.
Lost in a memory.
* * *
“How is he today?” I asked the maid as she quietly shifted around the room, trying not to disturb me as she set the morning tray beside the bed.
Her troubled eyes met mine and I knew instantly that it was another bad day. There had been a string of bad days that bled into weeks now. There had once been a time when he would confide in me—ask me for advice when it came to his life, no matter what the cause. We had been a team—a strong partnership.
Now he just disappeared into that damned office of his and paced. Paced the floor like a man awaiting the gates of Hell. For all I knew, maybe he was. With Trent by his side, he very well could have done a deal with the devil himself. August swore Trent was a great guy and an even better partner, but I had my reservations. Trent seemed like a snake, waiting for his moment to strike.
“He’s in a mood, Miss—I won’t lie. I heard him on the phone earlier this morning shouting. It didn’t sound good.”
I nodded and thanked her before she stepped out. This had been our routine for the last several days. A phone call, a visit, an early morning meeting—there was always something.
Maybe hiding out in my room wasn’t the answer anymore. Perhaps I just needed to be there for him—like I once was.
Feeling invigorated for the first time in a while, I jumped out of bed and quickly dressed, leaving the tray of food completely untouched. I applied a small amount of makeup, pinned my hair back and spritzed on a little of the vanilla perfume I knew August liked. Feeling eager, I raced out in search of him, my mood lifting high and light in anticipation of our morning reunion .
As expected, I found him downstairs, tucked away in that dark office he loved so much. What I didn’t expect to find was August surrounded by a crowd of people. They were buzzing back and forth between racks of designer clothing, dodging between each other as they grabbed jackets and pants, one after another, each trying to best the other in their display of overpriced fabric.