The steady stream of tears slowed. “Yes, dozens of times. I’m sure he gave me his new number, I just can’t remember it because of whatever happened.”
I handed her a tissue. “So don’t worry about him—he obviously knows how to take care of himself. Why don’t you try the school?”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s a great idea, Nick.”
I hoped if she got some answers, she’d feel more relaxed. “Do you remember the number?”
She waved a manicured hand in the air before punching me playfully on the arm. “Yes, of course. I’ve only forgotten recent things, not everything.”
Her touch sent a shockwave of electricity through my body. Lusty thoughts swam through my head. I felt myself aligning to her voltage, my thoughts flowing along with hers as if together we’d become a more powerful force.
What if she learns what she needs to know now and wants to leave?
The possibility struck me like a sucker punch to the gut. I couldn’t stand the thought of her walking out the door before I got to know her better. It was an unfamiliar feeling, wanting a woman’s company so desperately, my insides ached.
She turned her attention back to the phone and punched out the numbers on the keypad. “Hi, Andrea, this is Selena Gomez calling. May I speak with Principal Whitmore?”
During the long pause, she stared at the travertine floor, her expressive eyes hidden by her long dark lashes. “Hi, Jacob, this is Selena Gomez.” As she listened to him speak, she gasped, her wing-shaped brows tipped inward, and her tanned face paled. “What did you say?” She paused. “I don’t understand. Why did you think I was kidnapped?” She drew in a raspy breath, placing her hands over her chest and stepping away from me in an unsteady, drunk-like gait.
Reacting instantly, I reached for her arm and eased her down onto the leather couch. I sat beside her and took her free hand. “What is it?” I whispered.
She shook her head and focused on the voice on the other end. “I’m in Cabo San Lucas. A man found me drowning in the ocean and rescued me, but I don’t remember that or even leaving home or how I got down here.”
She bit her lip and her posture drooped with disappointment. “Oh, no, I’m serious. He thinks I have amnesia.”
“Of course I want to come back and teach. Something very strange has happened. I wasn’t planning to leave—at least I don’t think I was.”
There was a long pause.
“No, I’m sure this must all look very strange. I just wish—” She paused. “I know. No, I didn’t really have anything else to say.”
My blood pressure soared the instant I realized the man didn’t believe a word Selena said. It seemed so obvious she was telling the truth.
I have to make him understand.
“Hey, wait, don’t hang up. Do you want me to talk to him?”
She shook her head and waved her hand, raising her voice and creasing her brow as she spoke into the phone. “Wait, Jacob, you have to listen to me. I’ve taught long enough for you to know I wouldn’t flake out like this. There has to be some logical explanation for all this. Talk to the administrators and get them to hold my job. Once I see a doctor, I’ll have him send you a report. I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can. But I almost drowned this morning, so I’m in no shape to fly today.”
Over the course of the next long pause, her finger-whitening grip on the phone relaxed a bit.
“Thank you, Jacob. I really appreciate it. I’ll be back in touch soon.” There was another long pause. “Yes, I will, Jacob. Goodbye.”
She hung up and sagged onto the couch, setting the phone down onto the coffee table.
“You want to tell me what happened?”
“The police think I’ve been kidnapped or possibly murdered. The reporters have flocked to the school, asking the kids and the teachers all kinds of questions. He said it’s really disrupted things.”
“How did they come up with the kidnapping hypothesis?”
“Apparently my apartment was a mess. But I talked him into holding my job for now. It wasn’t easy, though. I should see a doctor, though, so I can send him a report. I’ve got to give the man something to show the administrators.”
“Don’t worry—Felicita already called him. He’ll be here shortly.”
“Thanks, Nick. You’ve been a huge help to me.”
“I’m glad I can be there for you.”
”I wonder what happened at my apartment? I don’t remember anyone attacking me.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, her irises radiating brilliant shades of brown and glowing gold. I felt my whole soul tumbling into the depth of her mesmerizing eyes.
I blinked to regain my focus. “I’m not sure, but one way or another we’ll get to the bottom of this. Let’s just take this one day at a time, okay? The doctor will be here soon.”
She glanced at me, flashing her lashes and blushed. “I was wondering if I could look something up on your computer real quick.”
“Sure. Have a seat in my desk chair.” Once she sat down I leaned over her shoulder and used the mouse to minimize my email program. “Do you need any help? What are you going to look up?”
“This is going to sound kind of silly I guess.” An embarrassed flush bloomed on her neck and chest as well as her cheeks. “But I want to do a public records search to make sure I’m not married.”
“Okay.” This was information I wanted confirmed and fast. I held my breath, feeling ridiculously anxious to see the results pop up on the screen.
“That’s a relief.” She turned toward me and pointed at the computer monitor.
I looked over her shoulder to see her maiden name displayed on the screen with no aliases, no police records and only a single traffic citation. “I’m glad you feel better. But I can’t imagine that you would meet someone and marry him in such a short amount of time.”
She jerked her posture upright. “Yes, you’re right. But I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t in for any major surprises. The fact that I just abandoned my class is making me think all kinds of crazy things.”
Felicita walked into the room to announce that lunch was ready.
I brushed a strand of hair away from Selena’s cheek. It felt soft against my fingertips. “Don’t worry, I understand why you wanted to know. Now why don’t we talk about something less stressful during our meal.”
She sighed as she rose from the couch and walked with me into the dining room. “That’s probably a good idea. I feel way too wound up right now.”
Two teal stoneware plates sat on the square glass table, piled high with seafood salad. Enormous shrimp and fat juicy scallops glistened on a bed of romaine lettuce and spinach leaves. A plump loaf of fresh oat bread, partially sliced, sat on a cutting board beside a small bowl of whipped butter. The aroma of the fresh bread still lingered in the air.
“This looks delicious,” Selena said, gazing toward Felicita.
“Felicita always fixes what I like—delicious, healthy food.”
Lines radiated from the corners of her almond-shaped eyes as she smiled. “Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you two to enjoy your meal.” She offered a polite nod before leaving the room.
Selena sat down, dropped her napkin in her lap and crossed her legs before fastening her eyes on the salad. I could tell by the way she slid the tip of her tongue over her rosy upper lip, she was hungry, and the meal appealed to her. She picked up her fork. “You sure are lucky to have Felicita around to take care of you twenty-four hours a day.”
“Yes, I really am. At least when I’m here, I eat healthily. Since I can barely make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without making a mess and work such long hours, I mostly eat takeout meals in Tucson. I’ve even found restaurants willing to deliver to the office at three AM.”
Selena burst out laughing. “Jose never cooks either. If he’s not ordering pizza, he’s eating Raman noodles.”
“If I ate pizza too often, I wouldn’t be able to squeeze into my suit. I usually order up salads or sushi. And I spend most weekends eating gourmet food here in Cabo.”
“I can tell your arrangement here works well for both of you. You get to eat real food and she makes a living and is treated well. Many families in Mexico are downright rude to their workers and practically treat them like slaves.”
I dug my fork into a scallop, which shot juice in every direction. “I believe in treating every person with kindness and respect.”
“Yes, that’s obvious.” Selena gazed at me, her eyes twinkling with what looked like admiration. “You really are a surprise.” She paused. “All the wealthy people I met in Mexico looked down on our family because we were poor. This one woman always said rude things to us whenever she saw us at the grocery—she’d say our clothes looked like rags or that we smelled. It was as if our mere existence were an inconvenience to her. That’s one of the reasons I chose to teach in an impoverished neighborhood. I knew these kids needed a chance to have a better life, to escape a fast-paced world that would largely be harsh and non-empathetic. But you’re so different, and I’m wondering why.”
Her constant mention of my wealth inserted space between us I didn’t want there. I just wanted her to think of me as Nick. “I’m not sure—I suppose its because my parents always struggled and I had to work hard for everything I achieved. Some people who grow up with money seem to have a blind spot to how hard it can be for people who lack sufficient education or the proper connections or are too sick to work.” Unaccustomed to speaking so frankly about such a loaded topic, I felt vulnerable—as if I’d walked outside in broad daylight naked.
Her gaze locked with mine and held on tight. “Yes, that explains a lot—including why you were so quick to help me at the beach.”
“You were in no shape to be left alone.” I tugged my gaze away from her amber eyes, feeling I needed to take emotional cover. Everything about having her in my home felt right.
Too right.
But Selena has a life to return to, one that doesn’t include me.
She wiped a sliver of scallop from her lip and raised a brow. “I can tell this conversation is making you uncomforta—”
“No, really, I’m fine.”
She paused to finish chewing before gazing directly at me. “I think it’s time to have you throw the awkward ball over into my court.” She raised her head a little higher. “I want you to ask me something that might trigger a memory.”
I shifted uneasily in my chair and cleared my throat.
I can’t hide a thing from her.
“Are you sure it won’t upset you? It would be a shame to spoil such a great meal.”
A crooked smile escaped from Selena’s lips. A small shrimp dangled from her fork. “Don’t worry, I can take it.”
“Where did you spend your vacations the past few years?”
She finished chewing a bite and then bounced her fork in the air as she spoke. “I went to see Jose in El Paso three or four times and spent some weekends in the mountains or on the California coast.” She turned her head to the side and frowned, as if pondering something important. “Now that you mention it, I do remember browsing some websites and considering a trip to Mexico, but I don’t remember if I ever actually booked a trip.”
The question slipped out before I had a chance to stop it. “Were you planning to go alone or with someone else?” I ripped a piece of bread in half and smeared some butter over it.
She dropped her fork on her plate, her facial features and posture drooping with frustration. “I don’t remember.”
I finished chewing a hunk of bread. “It’s all right. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re already remembering bits and pieces. Maybe we should give this a rest for a while—wait until you feel more up to it.”
“None of this makes sense. If I planned to come to Cabo San Lucas, I would have put in for vacation time. I usually filled out paperwork two or three months ahead of time. And if I were taking a trip for fun, why would there be signs of a struggle in my apartment?”
“Perhaps a jealous boyfriend found out you were planning to go to Mexico without him and got upset about it?”
“I just don’t—”
“Excuse me for interrupting, sir. But the doctor is here,” said Felicita.
Selena sat on the edge of the couch, her hands fidgeting in her lap, one crossed leg bobbing up and down.
Dr. Mendez kneeled in front of her. “How are you feeling, my dear? Nicholas tells me you may have a case of amnesia.”
“I think he’s probably right—I don’t remember traveling to Cabo San Lucas or how I ended up out in the ocean.”
“You nearly drowned. An accident as traumatic as that can trigger temporary memory loss. Have you been resting?”
Her amber eyes brightened and she gestured with her hands as she spoke. “Yes. Once Nicholas brought me inside, I drank some juice and took a long nap. And I ate a good lunch, too. You should have seen the size of those scallops we ate.”
“Very good. It sounds like you’ve been doing all the right things.”
“By the way, my principal said he would email a copy of my insurance card later, so if you’ll leave me your email address, I’ll get all the information you need to submit a claim.”
Dr. Mendez smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you with everything you’ll need. Now give me a minute to look you over.” He pulled some instruments out of his bag.
When Selena gazed over at me, I forced a smile. I didn’t want her to sense the worry that gnawed at my insides.
“First, I’d like to listen to your heart and lungs for a minute. Is that all right?”
Selena nodded and uncrossed her legs, folding her hands into her lap.
“This might feel a little cold.” Dr. Mendez placed the stethoscope on various places on her chest and back before taking her blood pressure. She sat still as a statue the entire time.
“Your vitals are just fine. I’m just going to feel around on your head and check for signs of head trauma.”
She nodded, and the doctor shifted her long locks of hair aside to examine her scalp. He met her gaze again before turning his head in my direction. “I see no sign of head injuries.”
Selena raised her hands and let them fall in her lap, her eyes welling with tears. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “But something must be wrong with me. Otherwise, everything that happened recently wouldn’t be a complete blank. Before lunch, we called the school where I used to work, and they said ten days ago, I stopped showing up to teach. They all believed I’d been kidnapped! Ever since then, I’ve been straining to remember how I ended up down here, but nothing’s coming back. And now I have a terrible headache.”