Page 28 of No One But You
“Could that be one of them?”I prompted.
Nate discreetly took a photograph on his phone.“Could be, but Bailey is a stunner.People look.”
I narrowed my eyes.They might look, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.I didn’t trust that guy.
SIXTEEN
MAX
As we entered Mum and Dad’s house for brunch, Toby loped over and slung his arm carelessly around Bailey’s shoulders.She winced, and I instinctively went to push him off, only stopping when I realized that manhandling him could hurt her too.
“Be careful,” I snapped, touching his arm so he knew what I meant.“She’s still healing.”
He lifted his arm off immediately, his eyes going big like a kicked puppy.“Sorry, Bailey.I didn’t think.I’m just so glad to see you out and about again.”
I wanted to snap that he never thought before doing things, but I took a deep breath and kept the hurtful words to myself.He hadn’t meant any harm, and Bailey didn’t seem particularly bothered by it, so there was no need for me to cause a fuss.
Summer appeared from the kitchen and gave Toby a playful shove.“Use your brain.I know you have one.”She turned to Bailey, took the bowl from her, set it on a cabinet, then wrapped her in a gentle embrace.“You look much better.Do you think you’ll be able to go home soon?”
Bailey darted a glance at me and tucked her hair behind her ear.“Uh, maybe.Probably not for a few days yet, but maybe later this week.”Her voice drifted up at the end, as if she wasn’t sure whether that was right or not.
“That would be fine,” I said, hoping I sounded calm even though my heart rate had picked up and I’d begun silently composing a list of arguments as to why she should stay with me for longer.
As soon as she left, I’d worry about her.
And miss her.
“Is brunch far off?”I asked, eager to fill the silence that had temporarily descended.
“It’s pretty much ready to go now,” Summer replied, picking up Bailey’s bowl of salad.She looked at me.“What have you got there?”
“Baked eggs.”
Bailey and I had spent the morning in the kitchen together, and I’d loved it more than I cared to admit.The two of us sharing the same space, doing something so domestic, fed dreams I had no business having.
We took our contributions to the kitchen, where Dad was just removing the bacon from the frying pan.
“Morning, all,” he called cheerfully.“Help yourselves.”
We filled our plates and headed out to the deck.The warm wind was just a little too strong to be considered a breeze, and fluffy white clouds floated overhead.
Nate, Grace, and Tess were sitting at a table with Heather and Connor, and Finn was cuddled on Grace’s lap.We exchanged greetings and took our seats.
“Has the officer watching us seen anything interesting?”Bailey asked Nate, speaking loudly enough to be heard from a few spots down the table.
Nate shook his head.“Not a peep.”
She fiddled with her cutlery.“Does that mean it’s safe now?”
He sighed.“We don’t know.I had an idea this morning, though.”He turned to me.“I remember you saying that Bailey’s memories should slowly come back, right?”
I nodded, although I was worried about where he might be going with this.So far, Bailey hadn’t come to me about any new memories, and I hadn’t pushed.With concussions, it was best to take things as they came.Struggling to overcome symptoms generally only made them stick around for longer.
“I’m guessing that it’s a bit like PTSD, and experiencing certain sights, sounds, or smells might bring them back faster.”Nate’s gaze shifted to Bailey.“Would you be up for going back to the East Ridge hut to see if it jogs anything loose?”
I dropped my cutlery with a clang.“Absolutely not.”
Nate’s eyebrows flew up.
