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“I don’t think you should go to school today. It’s too much, too soon.” He took a bite of his eggs, then added, “In fact, you might want to consider emailing your teachers and taking the whole week off. I’m sure they’ll be able to give you your daily assignments and you’ll be able to make up today’s test next week.”
She didn’t think that would be a problem, either, but she was certain she’d go nuts without doing anything productive for a week, and she wanted, needed, some normalcy back in her life. “I’ll email my teachers and take today and tomorrow off, and I’ll think about the rest of the week,” she said, giving in that much. She took a sip of her coffee and nibbled on a piece of crispy bacon. “Aren’t you going to go to work today?”
“Yes, I’ll be working, but not at the office,” he said with a shake of his dark head. “I’ve already talked to Cole, and I’ll be working out of the house this week.”
Finished with her eggs, she set her fork on her plate and sighed. “Because you feel the need to look after me?”
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sp; “I’ve worked from the office here at the house many times, Natalie, for various reasons, so it’s not a big deal.” Lifting his coffee mug to his lips for a drink, he met her gaze over the rim, his sensual blue eyes completely unreadable. “That’s one of the perks of working for Cole. As long as the job gets done and cases are solved, he doesn’t care where his employees work from.”
Hearing the respect in Noah’s voice, she smiled. “You’re lucky to have such a great boss, and brother.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” he agreed indulgently. “I wouldn’t be working for him otherwise.”
“Have you been working for him long?” she asked curiously.
He looked her way again, the forkful of eggs heading toward his mouth hesitating a fraction, just brief enough to make her wonder why she’d caught him off guard. Until she realized that before her amnesia she probably knew the answer to her own question.
“I don’t remember much about your work, other than you being a private investigator,” she explained. “Maybe it’ll help me remember something if you fill me in on the details from the beginning?”
“Sure.” He nodded in understanding and swiped a napkin across his mouth. “After I graduated high school, I joined the Marines and spent four years in the service. After that I goofed around with oddball jobs for about a year just to make ends meet because I couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted to do.” He grinned sheepishly.
She laughed. The bit of humor felt good and lightened the moment between them. “A rebel with a cause, huh?”
“I guess you could say that. I know I was a handful for Cole before I joined the service, but all that discipline straightened me out real fast.” Standing, he picked up his empty plate, then hers, and carried them to the sink. “When Cole asked me if I wanted to go to work at the agency to help him out, I thought, what the hell. Why not? So, I guess I’ve been with Cole for about, oh—” He glanced up at the ceiling as he mentally counted in his mind. “—seven years now.”
“And you enjoy the work?” she asked, then drained the last of her coffee.
“Yep, I’m hooked.” After grabbing the carafe on the counter, he strolled to the table and refilled first her mug, then his own with the steaming brew. “Every day is a new adventure. All the cases come with a different set of circumstances, and nothing is ever predictable. And the best part is, my hours are flexible, and so is where I do my work and research—like here at home.” He winked at her, then replaced the coffeepot back on the burner.
“Noah, the last thing I want to do is put a crimp in your daily schedule,” she said adamantly. “I don’t need you to babysit me or feel as though you have to be at my beck and call because of my memory loss. I’ll be fine. Really.”
“Sweetheart, humor me.” Coffee mug in hand, he leaned a hip against the granite counter, his lean body drawing her gaze and making her crave him all over again. “You scared the hell out of me when you got hit by that car, and you can’t blame me for being a little bit worried about you.”
She didn’t want to seem ungrateful when his concern was so genuine, so she didn’t argue. Instead, she brought up another subject. “When do I go back to work at Murphy’s?”
He rolled his eyes at her persistence. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“I’m already feeling restless, Noah.” She knew her anxiety had to do with not remembering certain things, but at least work and school would help to give her a better idea of what she could recall. “I need something to keep me busy. Something that’s familiar and routine.”
He eyed her for a long moment, as if silently debating her request. “Do you even remember what you did at Murphy’s?”
“I was a waitress.” That much was clear in her mind.
“Can’t you just take it easy for a while?” He set his coffee mug in the sink, then crossed his arms over his wide chest, which accentuated his muscular biceps.
Standing, she dumped the rest of her coffee down the drain and stood next to Noah to argue her case further. “I really appreciate you being so concerned and protective of me, but I’d like to get back into the swing of things as soon as possible. I need to surround myself with ordinary, everyday things that are tangible to me, especially since so much is still so unfamiliar, like this house, living with you, our engagement…”
Noah averted his gaze, and Natalie wondered if she’d imagined the flash of guilt she’d seen in his eyes. She must have, because he had nothing to feel guilty about.
“I don’t want to wait weeks or months to return to a normal life, or what was my life before the accident,” she continued stubbornly. “And even though my memory loss unnerves me at times, I refuse to hide out here in your house, waiting for my mind to cooperate and finally rebound.”
Returning his attention back to her, he gently caressed his knuckles down her cheek and along her jaw, taking care to avoid the small bandage still covering one of her cuts from the accident. “You’re impatient and obstinate,” he murmured, though unmistakable affection laced his deep, sexy voice.
She smiled, but wasn’t ready to give up her fight. “Tell me you understand, Noah,” she urged softly, imploringly. “Your unconditional support is one of the things I need from you right now.”
Shoving his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans, he exhaled a deep breath. “You’ve got my support, but I’m cautious by nature and it’s a hard habit to break. How about we take things one day at a time and evaluate from there?”
