“Good. You might leave me alone.” It’s hard to care about anything, let alone insurance, right now. All I can think about is getting from one med dose to another.
Hudson grins, misinterpreting it as a joke. “Never.”
The path leaves the main building behind and comes to a courtyard. There’s a fountain in the middle that we circle before taking another path that leads to more buildings. The path is lined with bushy plants, and I catch the smells of lavender and rosemary. I breathe in deeply and am reminded of my mother.
The pang of grief is dulled by three years and my meds, and it’s a nice memory, thinking about the herb garden she carefully tended.
“The gardens are nice.”
Hudson turns to me with a proud grin. “My sister’s work. She designed and planted them.”
The path passes more buildings, and Hudson points out a communal kitchen, a rec room, a pool, and a yoga studio. They’ve really thought of everything here.
A man in orange overalls hammers in a fence post that separates the buildings from a field.
“They’re still finishing off the last bits.” Hudson stops, and I follow his gaze. There’s a group of men and women standing around a pile of wood.
He frowns. “Joel thought it would be a good idea to get the community involved.”
“Sounds like Joel.”
“Yeah, we’ve got minor offenders from all over the county working off their community service hours.”
From the tone of his voice, he clearly doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but I just shrug and keep rolling. How Joel builds his center is none of my concern.
We pass the last of the buildings and come to a series of outbuildings. They look like converted stables with a fresh coat of white paint over the brick walls.
“The repairs shed is in here.”
We’re about to roll through the door when a figure comes out of one of the other buildings. She’s holding a tablet in her hand and frowns at it as she walks.
“Paige,” Hudson calls, “I didn’t know you were working here today.”
Her blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and as she lifts her head, my heart jolts. She smiles at Hudson, and it’s the same smile that’s haunted my dreams for the past three years.
My heart races in my chest. For three years, I’ve thought about the woman I spent one incredible weekend with. I tried to track her down, but I had no leads. The hotel wouldn’t give out any information. I combed over every detail of our conversation looking for clues, but Rose didn’t leave me any crumbs.
“I’ve got three tons of sand arriving today for the Zen garden.”
Any moment now, her gaze will fall on me. My skin heats as I’m transported back to the best weekend of my life. Her body molded against mine, moving in sync, the way she cried out with wild animal noises, and the way I held her in my arms.
I was strong then, and now I’m broken, far from the man I was. I don’t want her to see me like this.
I grab my wheels and try to backpedal, but the path is too small to turn around with Hudson next to me. Instead, I ram into his leg, and he shoots me a look.
“Hey, bro, careful how you drive that thing.”
There’s an intake of breath, and I know without looking that she’s recognized me.
Hudson puts a hand on my shoulder. “Ryan, this is my sister Paige.”
Paige. The name I’ve searched for reverberates through my head and heart, followed by a second thought as my drug-addled brain catches up.
“Your sister.” I blurt out the words before I can stop myself, and my gaze jerks upwards.
Rose, or Paige, is staring at me, her mouth popped open in shock.
Hudson looks between us. “You two know each other?”
