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 thebest 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?
That, she realized, was what she needed to find out.
That had been a close call, Ash thought as he and Mel ate lunch. In hindsight, bringing her computer might not have been the brightest idea he’d ever had, but doing it today, instead of waiting until they got back to San Francisco, had sort of been an accident. He’d grabbed it on his way out the door when he left for the hospital. He didn’t like the idea of leaving it in the room, for fear that it might be stolen. But as he climbed into his rental, the interior, at nine in the morning, was already about a million degrees. Assuming he would be in the hospital most of the day, it didn’t seem wise to leave the laptop in the car, in the blistering heat.
What choice did he have but to bring it into the hospital with him, and as a result, give it to Melody? What if it did spark a
“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 thebest 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?
That, she realized, was what she needed to find out.
That had been a close call, Ash thought as he and Mel ate lunch. In hindsight, bringing her computer might not have been the brightest idea he’d ever had, but doing it today, instead of waiting until they got back to San Francisco, had sort of been an accident. He’d grabbed it on his way out the door when he left for the hospital. He didn’t like the idea of leaving it in the room, for fear that it might be stolen. But as he climbed into his rental, the interior, at nine in the morning, was already about a million degrees. Assuming he would be in the hospital most of the day, it didn’t seem wise to leave the laptop in the car, in the blistering heat.
What choice did he have but to bring it into the hospital with him, and as a result, give it to Melody? What if it did spark a
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