Jay shoves at my shoulders to push me off, then leans his elbows down on the center island, clenching and relaxing his fists. “I don’t know what to do. I need someone to tell me what to do.”
My anger dissipates quickly as sadness filters in to take its place. “I don’t think there is anything we can do, Jay.”
“What if she never remembers? What if we lose her again? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with us?” Jay continues to ramble, lost in his what ifs.
Those are thoughts I know have played through all of our minds tonight. “I refuse to believe any of that,” I tell him.
Ryder has been leaning back against the stove, observing our exchange. He interrupts us when he says, “What we need to do is be there for her in whatever way she needs. Elizabeth isn’t lost to us. I refuse to take that defeatist viewpoint. Our Elizabeth is in there. She’s not gone.”
“Maybe for you,” Jay snaps out.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Ry snaps back.
Jay’s fists tighten until his knuckles blanch, then he exhales loudly. “Nothing, man. I didn’t mean anything.”
“Can we get the PI to look into her cousin, Daniel?” I think out loud. Jayson and Ryder both flash me looks of vexation.
“That fucker didn’t even know she was here right under our noses. Remind me again, whose idea it was to hire that idiot?”
“It was yours,” I remind him, and for the first time tonight, we’re grinning at each other.
“Shit. Well, next time, veto my ass.”
Ryder grabs a loaf of bread and starts making us sandwiches. I don’t realize how hungry I am until I see him pull out the turkey and ham from the deli drawer. “Like I was saying, Elizabeth knows we’re all connected. She can feel it. She hasn’t forgotten us. Think about it. She didn’t call the police tonight, though she had every reason to. She trusted us enough to be alone with four guys she doesn’t remember. She was very interested in all the pictures we showed her. She talked to us about Seattle. She even bought a Hellcat,” Ry muses. “I’m still not over that one.”
He’s right. Liz is still in there. We haven’t lost our girl. One question remains, however. How do we get our old Liz back?
Chapter 5
Elizabeth
WTF! My phone blows up with ding after ding and it’s driving me crazy. Is this what my previous life’s self put up with every day? This is insane. The first text is from Ryder.
Hellcat: Good morning.
He attached a picture that was taken of the two of us as kids. We’re sitting in a car, me in the driver’s seat, him in the passenger, the photographer at the open driver’s side window. For fun he added the hashtags #firstdaywemet, #instantbestfriends, #thisgirlistheboss, #adrenalinejunkie to the text message. I save the photo to my cloud storage, but not before I stare at it for a while. Even as a kid, Ryder was handsome. I swipe two fingers wide on the screen to enlarge the image and stare at the younger version of myself.
Hellcat: Looking forward to getting you out on the track this weekend. Have a great day, sweet Elizabeth.
I smile and read the next text from Julien.
Doppelganger: Let me know if you want to grab lunch today. Just you and me. E has to work.
There are ones from Jayson and Elijah, too.
ScaryGuy: Miss you, princess.
Elijah: So good to see you last night. Glad you’re here. I haven’t seen Jules so happy in a long time.
What kind of person was I to have so many drop-dead gorgeous men’s attention, I wonder? And yes. They’re all absolutely gorgeous, even the scary one. These guys are the kind of gorgeous that’s an in-your-face sexy kind of way. The kind of sexy that would make any girl breathless and drop her panties in an instant. And there are four of them.
And it’s not just their attention. It was clear from last night that I mean something to each of them. They all care deeply about me, even Elijah who’s with Julien. The way Jayson watched me. It was intense, just like him. And then there’s Ryder. Clearly, there’s something between us. It’s tangible. I feel it. I think he does too. That instant tug, that powerful pull, those strong emotions that made me run away from him at the student center, but also had me running to him after Jayson barged into my apartment.
Yep, Elizabeth, I warn myself. I think you’re in for a hell of a ride. Buckle up, girl.
I respond to Julien’s text first.
Me: Lunch sounds good.
