Pass Protection (Fair Catch Series, Book Five) Page 6

  You’re in danger!

  Chapter Eleven

  Heart pounding, Olivia swiped her phone. Hardly noticing that using her phone was almost intuitive, her entire focus was on reading the complete message her mother had sent.

  You’re in danger! Be careful who you trust. I love you with all my heart.

  What was going on? Why did her mother think she was in danger? Was she delusional? If she and Greg hadn’t heard from her in months, how would she know Olivia was in danger?

  What if her mother wasn’t delusional? What if she were completely sane? What if Olivia couldn’t trust Greg? Did her mother know about the accident? Did she know Olivia had amnesia? She didn’t seem to.

  Olivia needed to learn more. She needed to talk to her mother.

  “Here you go,” Greg said as he walked into the room.

  Suddenly wary of him, Olivia shoved her phone under her thigh, then took half a second to compose herself before turning to Greg with a smile. “Thanks.”

  He handed her the water. Then his eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

  Wanting to buy time to come up with an answer, she slowly drank from the glass.

  “Olivia?” Greg’s voice was soft, concerned, as he sat near her on the couch.

  Was that an act? Or could he be trusted?

  Knowing she couldn’t ignore his question forever, she took a final swallow of the water before setting the glass on the coffee table. Then she turned to him. She wanted to tell him about the text from her mother. She really did. But she had to be sure she could trust him. Had to be sure he was really on her side. Forcing a look of innocence on her face, she said, “What?”

  He stared at her a moment, then with a slight frown, he shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Glad he hadn’t pushed her, she also found herself drawn to him, instinctively wanting to trust him. Maybe if she showed him the text from her mother he would know what was going on. Then again, he’d flat-out told her he hadn’t heard from her mother in over two months. Either he was lying, or he had no idea what was going on. And if he didn’t know what her mother was talking about, then that had to mean Olivia—the old Olivia—hadn’t confided in him.

  Why wouldn’t she have confided in her own husband?

  Conflicted, she lifted the glass from the coffee table as she surreptitiously watched him. He looked deep in thought. Maybe she could probe him, get an idea what he did or didn’t know.

  She set the glass back down. “What are you thinking about?”

  His head jerked so that he was facing her, and when their eyes met, his eyebrows tugged together. Then, after a moment, his brow smoothed out. “Just wondering if you’re remembering…anything.”

  Did he have something in mind? He certainly seemed to. And it appeared to be something that made him unhappy. What did that have to do with her mother’s warning?

  “No,” she said, which was the complete truth. “Nothing.”

  A quiet sigh slipped from his nose and Olivia wished she could tell him what he wanted to hear.

  Greg gestured with his chin toward her leg. “What about your phone?”

  He must have seen her shove it under her thigh. “What about it?”

  Keeping his gaze on her leg, he clenched his jaw, then he looked at her. “Why are you hiding it?”

  The bluntness of his question caught her off guard. “I’m not…” she started to say. Then she stopped.

  Did she really want to start this relationship off with lies? No. Greg was her husband. She needed to be honest with him. At least as honest as she could be in light of her mother’s warning—a warning that could be completely misplaced. But she had to be sure before she spilled anything.

  Slowly, she took the phone out from under her leg, although she kept it tightly gripped in her hand and out of Greg’s reach. “I heard from my mom.”

  Greg’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “Really?” Then his face settled into its normal hotness. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

  His questions seemed sincere. “She didn’t say where she is, but I guess she’s okay.” At least okay enough to send a text.

  “What did she say? Is she…going to come see you?”

  Hope and excitement surged through Olivia, making her heart pound. “Would that be all right?”

  Greg look baffled by the question. “Of course. In fact, why don’t you call her right now and invite her over?”

  Olivia wanted nothing more, but she didn’t want to do it in front of Greg. Not until she could get more information about the warning. Still, it would look suspicious if she said no. “Yeah. That’s a great idea.”

  Half-hoping her mother would answer and half-hoping she wouldn’t, Olivia opened the text—careful to make sure Greg couldn’t read it—and tapped the phone icon at the top of the screen. Then she pressed the phone to her ear. If she wasn’t dependent on her crutches she’d get up and walk in the other room in a casual way, but there was no way she would be able to hold the phone against her ear and crutch her way out of the room.

  The phone rang on the other end. And rang and rang. When the voicemail prompt came on, Olivia hesitated, but only for a moment. “Hi, Mom! I’d love to see you. Please call me back. Talk to you soon. Bye.” She ended the call, then looked at Greg to see his reaction.

  Still kind of astonished that Olivia’s mom had contacted her out of the blue, nevertheless, Greg was glad. Mostly. If Caroline had been on another one of her drug binges, if she came over and Olivia saw the shape she was in… It would only make things worse. He only hoped she was sober.

  Still unsure why Olivia had felt the need to hide her phone when he’d come into the room, Greg couldn’t stop himself from thinking that a certain man had contacted her. But she’d denied regaining any memories. If that was true then some man contacting her wouldn’t be a reason to hide her phone.

  Unhappy with the whole situation, he tried to put his feelings aside and focus on Olivia and helping her recover.

  A few moments later her phone rang.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nearly jumping when her phone rang, Olivia glanced at Greg. He was staring at the phone in her hand. Her gaze followed his and she saw the word Mom. Biting her lip, she knew she had no choice but to answer it. She swiped the screen. “Hello?”

  “Did you get my text?” her mother asked in reply.

  Sneaking a quick glance at Greg, she smiled, and in a cheerful voice, said, “Yes. How are you?”

  “You’re not alone, are you?”

  “Not right now.” She hoped the volume was low enough that Greg wouldn’t be able to hear her mother’s words.

  “Is it Greg?”

  Another glance his way. “Yes.”

  Greg’s eyebrows were bunched as he watched her.

  “I know you don’t want him to know about…well, about everything—”

  “Mom.” With no idea what was going on, and rather desperate to find out, she cut her mother off. “I need to see you.”

  “You know that’s not a good idea.”

  What? How could it not be a good idea to see her own mother. “I…I had an accident.”

  A gasp came across the line. “What? When? What happened? Are you hurt?”

  Should she tell her about the amnesia? If she wanted her to understand that she had no idea what was going on, she would have to.

  “I broke my ankle. And I…I hurt my head—”

  “Oh, baby! My baby girl. What happened?”

  “I guess I crashed my car.”

  “You guess? What do you mean you guess?”

  “I don’t remember what happened. I don’t remember…anything.”

  “Do you think it had anything to do with…well, with…you know.”

  Her mother wasn’t getting it. What is she talking about? What is going on? Holding back the frustration that was building in her chest, Olivia slowly filled her lungs before exhaling. “Mom. I can’t remember anything for the last…” She glanced at Greg again. “Five years o
r so.”

  Silence on the other end. Then, “Oh. Oh my goodness. How is that possible?”

  Not wanting to get into the science of it, science she didn’t understand, Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know, but that’s why I need to see you. Right away. Please.”

  “Oh, baby. I want to. I do. But you know I can’t.” Her mother sighed. “No, you don’t know. How could you?”

  Frantic to know what in the world was happening, but not about to ask while Greg was sitting right there, Olivia stayed silent, hopeful her mother would explain.

  “You know what?” her mother said. “You’ve done enough. I…I’m going to figure this out myself. Don’t you worry, sweetheart. Somehow I’ll make this right. I love you, my darling girl.”

  “Mom?”

  Silence. Only silence. Her mother had hung up.

  “I love you too,” Olivia said in a bright voice. “See you soon.” Then she pretended to disconnect the already finished call before setting the phone beside her on the couch, on the side furthest from Greg.

  “What’d she say?” he asked. “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah. Sounds like it.”

  “When is she coming over?”

  Not wanting to straight-up lie, Olivia hedged. “She said she’d let me know.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Huh.”

  “What?”

  “I just thought she’d, you know, race right over. After you told her you’d been in an accident.”

  Whatever her mother was involved in must be pretty serious to keep her from coming to Olivia’s side when she needed her most. Pretending everything was fine and normal, Olivia lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I’m sure she’ll come over as soon as she can.”

  Greg smiled, but it looked forced. “Right.” He stood. “Unless you need anything, I’m gonna…” he pointed to the hallway, “…get in a workout.”

  Eager for some time alone, Olivia smiled. “No. I’ll be fine. Go right ahead.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah. I might doze a bit.”

  “All right.” He glanced toward the hallway before turning back to her. “If you need anything, shoot me a text.”

  She laughed. “Okay. I will.”

  A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth, making him look hotter than ever. Olivia’s breath nearly caught in her throat. Something about that smile… It was familiar. Hope surged through her veins.

  His grey eyes were steady on her. “I’ll check on you when I’m done.”

  Though eager to have a chance to speak to her mother in private, she was equally eager for Greg to return. “All right.”

  With a final smile, he turned and sauntered out of the room. Olivia watched him go, her gaze sliding over his wide shoulders and muscular biceps before moving down to his narrow waist. A moment later he was out of view.

  It was hard to believe he was her husband. But the more time she spent with him, the more she liked the idea.

  When she was sure he was out of earshot, she picked up her phone and called her mother’s number. It went straight to voicemail. “Mom. I need to talk to you. I need you to tell me what’s happening. What is going on? Please! Please call me back.” Then she sent her a text. Mom. I need to know what’s going on. Please let me know asap.

  By lunchtime she still hadn’t heard back, and when Greg offered to fix something to eat, she accepted even though the churning worry in her stomach had stolen her appetite.

  They sat on the back patio and Olivia tried to forget about the mystery surrounding her mother and enjoy the beautiful June day. And enjoy the company of her husband.

  “How was your workout?” she asked as Greg set a plate with grilled chicken salad in front of her.

  “Good. You know I love to work up a good sweat.” Then his smile faded. “I mean, you used to know that.”

  An awkward silence followed as he placed a huge helping of salad on his plate before taking several rolls from a basket.

  Olivia took a bite of salad. Tender chicken nearly melted in her mouth as tangy dressing exploded on her tongue. She smiled at him. “Where did you learn to cook so well? This salad is delicious.”

  One side of his mouth pulled up. “Glad you like it.” He glanced at the food on his plate before meeting her gaze. “I really like to eat, so I decided I should learn how to cook. Turns out I like to cook almost as much as I like to eat.”

  Could he be any more perfect? “Do I like to cook?”

  His lips quirked into a half-smile. “Not really. Although you enjoy baking. Cookies mostly.”

  Her gaze fell to her trim hips and stomach. She looked at him with a smirk. “Are you making that up in the hopes that I’ll start baking cookies?”

  A loud laugh erupted from his mouth. “No. You really do like to bake cookies. You just don’t eat very many of them.”

  “What do I do with them then?”

  “Give them away. Sometimes you take them to the Humane Society and sometimes you give them to your friends.”

  “My friends?” She had zero memory of any friends. Loneliness swept over her.

  “Yeah.” His eyebrows rose. “Maybe I can ask a couple of them to come over.”

  The idea of being with people she had known well but had no memory of made her tense. Still, if it was just one or two people, that might be all right. And maybe seeing them, talking to them, would help unlock her memory. Maybe she’d even confided in them about what was going on with her mother.

  “Okay. Yeah.”

  Greg paused with his fork in his hand. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Who am I closest to?” Even to her the question sounded absurd. Still, she had to ask because she had no idea.

  He smiled. “That would be Shay.”

  “Shay?” She turned the name over in her mind, anxious to feel something familiar in the word. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

  Give yourself time.

  “She’s Josh’s girlfriend. They’ve been together nearly a year now.” He nodded. “You two hit it off from the moment you met.” He grinned. “Like long-lost sisters or something.”

  That sounded promising. If she’d confided in anyone, she would have confided in someone who was like a sister. Right?

  “I’m surprised she hasn’t contacted me since the accident.”

  Greg’s lips pursed. “I talked to her right after you were admitted to the hospital and actually updated her yesterday. She knows about your…well, your memory issue.” He smiled. “She’ll be thrilled that you want to see her.” He paused. “When do you want her to come over?”

  Not even able to picture this person, Olivia had second thoughts, but she knew she needed to get over her discomfort and do this. “How about tomorrow?”

  Greg’s smile grew. “Perfect. I’ll set it up.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  After struggling through her bath the next morning—not being able to use her right foot and ankle was a challenge she was already tired of—Olivia managed to get dressed and ready for the day. Greg had set up a chair in the bathroom for her to rest her right shin on so that she didn’t have to balance on one leg while getting ready. She was so over this broken ankle, but she tried to keep her focus on what she could do.

  The morning was sunny and warm, and as she made her way to the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised to see Greg already there fixing breakfast.

  “I just finished making smoothies,” he said with a warm smile. “Strawberries, bananas, milk, protein powder. I even snuck in some spinach leaves.”

  That smile was worth getting up for. That and his fabulous cooking. “Sounds yummy.” She grinned. “And healthy.”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “I aim to please.” He lifted two glasses of a green-tinted liquid, then looked toward the backyard. “Patio okay?”

  Nodding, Olivia crutched over to the sliding glass door, and while balancing on her left foot and her crutches, she slid the door open.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Greg sa
id.

  Smirking, she said, “I’m not completely helpless.”

  He chuckled, then walked through the doorway and out to the patio, set the drinks on a low patio table in front of a couch, then came back to the slider, stopping right beside Olivia.

  Only a few inches separated them, and with his height, Olivia had to look up to see his face. He was gazing down at her, his grey eyes intense as they captured her full attention. Her breath caught and she found she couldn’t move, didn’t want to move.

  Without breaking their gaze, his lips slowly lifted in a smile as he reached toward the slider. “Let me get that.” His voice was low and sexy and Olivia couldn’t take her eyes from his. This man who so completely captivated her was her husband. Heart skipping a beat at the thought, she also realized she wasn’t ready to let herself be carried away by emotion just yet. In her reality, she’d only known him for a few days. Much too soon to have any kind of real feelings for him. Right?

  Using all of her energy, she tore her gaze away, then made her way to the couch in front of the table where he’d set their smoothies. Moments later he sat beside her.

  “That’s not all you’re going to eat, is it?” she asked as she reached for the glass on the table.

  He laughed. “Oh. You think this is the first thing I’ve eaten today.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “It’s not?”

  “No. Before my run I had a couple of protein bars. And afterwards I had a few eggs.”

  Shaking her head with a smile, Olivia lifted the glass to her lips, then took a small sip. Cold and creamy strawberries slid onto her tongue. “I don’t taste the spinach at all.” She looked at the glass. “But the smoothie’s green, so I know it’s in there.”

  One of his eyebrows arched. “That’s right. Good for you, yet unobtrusive.”

  “A fabulous cook, a world-class athlete.” Not to mention sinfully hot. Olivia’s lips pursed. “What other talents do you possess?”

  Flattered, Greg grinned. Wooing her had been much harder the first time around. Of course now he had the advantage of being with her all day long. She was kind of a captive audience. That, and the fact that she knew they were already married. Perhaps that was making her more willing to try.