Page 7 of Running to You

“Oh.” Camilla startled at the sight of him. “I didn’t realize you were waiting.” She stepped into the hallway and closed the door.

“Just want to make sure she doesn’t need anything.” After Daniel had finished examining her, Sam had offered her food—which she’d refused—and then found an old, soft T-shirt for her to sleep in. “Did she remember anything else?”

“Not that she said. She wants to talk to you.”

Why…why did his pulse race at those words? “Is she dressed?”

“She’s under the covers. I’m sure it’s weird for you, but she wouldn’t be put off. And since her jeans are covered in dirt… I could give her my yoga pants so she can come out here, if you’d prefer. It’ll just take me a sec to change.”

“I think I can handle it.” He knocked on the door. “It’s me.”

“Come in.”

He pushed inside and closed the door before he looked toward the bed. The only light came from the bathroom, illuminating her just enough for him to know she was sitting up, his gray UNH T-shirt hanging from her narrow shoulders.

Images flashed in his memory—Eliza in his bed. Eliza in a towel. Eliza making eggs, his favorite sweatshirt hanging nearly to her bare knees.

He squeezed his eyes closed. The woman in his guest bed wasn’t his and never should have been. He’d repented and chosen to make better choices, but his body didn’t seem to remember that.

I’m gonna need Your help here.

“Are you just going to stand there?” She patted the bed beside her with her good hand. The other wrist was wrapped in a bandage Sam had found among his first aid supplies. “I can hardly see you.”

He crossed the room but stopped a few feet away. Eliza had folded the comforter at her feet. The sheet and a thin blanket outlined her legs and hips.

He was grateful the light wasn’t on. He didn’t need a clearer view. “Feel better after your bath?”

“Much. Thank you.” She looked around the space. “I don’t remember this room. Or this house. Your brother said I’ve lost some of my memory. Did you just move in?”

Daniel had gotten right on his laptop after Eliza and Camilla had walked away, researching. Sam had sat on a barstool in the kitchen, waiting for him to explain what was going on. And tell him she’d be all right. But he hadn’t spoken until Sam stood to leave.

“Don’t tell her anything.” Daniel’s words halted Sam’s retreat. “At least not tonight. We want her to rest, not to worry. The most important thing for her is sleep.”

“So I’m supposed to pretend to be her boyfriend? What happens when she remembers? She’ll hate me.” More than she already did.

Daniel’s lips slipped into a smirk. “I feel like you can find a happy medium. Be kind. Be wise. Be holy.”

Three things he definitely hadn’t been when he and Eliza had dated.

Now, he tried to figure out how to take his brother’s advice as he answered Eliza. “You haven’t seen the whole place.” There. That was both true and vague.

“How come? Have I been out of town? It looks like you’re completely moved in.”

“It’s just a house, Eliza. It doesn’t matter. How do you feel?”

“My headache is fading, but whenever I try to remember where I was tonight, it starts to pound. It’s so strange. It’s like my brain hurts. Do you know where I was?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“How come? Are you and I… Are we okay? You’ve been acting weird all night.”

“You took me off guard, that’s all. Showing up, obviously hurt. Memory…off.”

She patted the bed again. “Why won’t you sit with me?”

“You need to rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Everything about her attracted him, but it was her eyes he loved the most. Big, expressive hazel eyes that now filled with hurt.