Page 5 of Hell of a Mess

Four

Her

I didn’t almost pass out this time, I told myself. That’s progress.

I’d walked to the bathroom and used it without help. Jayda walked with me and waited outside. I felt a sense of independence at accomplishing it alone. That was all I had accomplished though.

Five days, and still, I had no idea who I was.

No memories from my past had tried to creep in, and every time the doctor asked me and I had to tell him no, I felt like a failure.

I also tensed up with dread, as if I were going to be punished.

Which was odd. He was a nice man, and not once had he made me feel as if he were angry or frustrated with me.

But I did it, nonetheless. I tried to focus on that when I was alone down here, in case it stirred any memories.

“No one is here except us today,” Jayda told me as she walked beside me, back to the room I’d been living in.

“How do you feel about going upstairs for a bit? Maybe sitting outside in the sunshine. I think it might do you some good. You’ve got to be tired of not even having windows to see out of.

It might bring back your appetite too. You’ve barely touched any of the food I’ve brought you. ”

I stopped. That sounded nice. Sunshine sent a warm rush through me. Apparently, I liked being outdoors. “I can do that? I mean, will it be okay?” With Luther or Linc? I wasn’t sure who made the decisions around here.

From the way they spoke, it seemed that Linc was the one in charge, but Luther acted as if he was in charge. The thought of Luther made me smile without thinking. He’d come down to read to me this morning. It was something he did daily. I looked forward to it the most.

“Of course,” Jayda said, nodding her head toward the elevator. “I’ll even get you a change of clothing. The hospital gowns you’ve been wearing aren’t really needed anymore.”

I looked down at the light-blue gown, much like the one I’d had on yesterday and the day before.

Jayda had been bringing me a new one and helping me sponge off the past few evenings before I went to sleep.

She’d said that she would wrap up my cast and I could get in the shower tonight.

The idea sounded heavenly especially now that it didn’t hurt to touch my head.

The first few times Jayda had brushed my hair had been awful even though she had been gentle.

Jayda pressed the elevator call button, and the doors slid open immediately.

She waved a hand for me to enter. Excitement at getting to go somewhere else and just move made the pain it caused worth it.

Besides, the doctor had told me when he came by earlier that it was time for me to start getting around more.

So, I knew I wasn’t hurting myself, even if it felt like it.

“Let’s break out of this joint,” she said with a grin.

She was impossible not to like. Although the first time I’d seen her with Luther, it had bothered me.

She was stunning. I didn’t remember what I looked like without the bruising and swelling on my face, but I was sure I didn’t compare to her in appearance.

She was comfortable with Luther, and he’d tease her, making her roll her eyes.

But the more I was around her, the more I found to like about her.

“I was going to ask if you like dogs, but I guess you don’t know that.” She looked at me curiously.

An eager rush welled up in my chest, and I smiled. “I…I think I do,” I told her.

“Let’s hope so. Because when I said we were the only ones here, that wasn’t necessarily true. Maui is a large smoky-colored ball of curly fluff who is overly friendly. Although he has been trained and doesn’t jump, he will do his best to love on you. He likes attention and is spoiled.”

Happy. I was happy. My lip was healing, but it hurt from the grin that spread across my face. “He sounds wonderful.”

Jayda nodded. “Oh, he is. But aggressively affectionate. The only person who can get him to calm down with one word is Luther. He will sit at Luther’s feet and put his head in Luther’s lap and go to sleep. For everyone else, he’s a wild man.”

“He’s Luther’s then?” I asked, liking him even more for having a dog.

I must have a dog or maybe several. Where were they? Was someone taking care of them?

“Oh, no. He’s not Luther’s, but you’d think he was. He belongs to Stevie, Linc’s daughter. She’s equally adorable and full of energy. They make a good pair. She has her own head full of curls, but they’re blonde. She isn’t here today though. It’s best you meet them one at a time anyway.”

The doors opened, and Jayda noticed my hesitancy. She stepped out, then looked back at me with a reassuring smile. I followed her, taking in my surroundings. We were in a long, wide hallway. There weren’t any pictures on the walls, and there was only one other door at the very end.

“Follow me,” she instructed before turning right and walking toward a closed door.

It seemed like there was a lot of wasted space here, but I didn’t say it.

When we reached the door, she lifted a flap to reveal a keypad and tapped in a code. A click followed, and she let the flap close, then turned the knob to swing open the barrier that seemed heavy, as I watched her have to push hard.

She had barely stepped through when she paused and called out, “Whoa!”

I watched as the large fluff she’d told me about barreled into her legs, shoving them apart, and wagged its tail wildly as he stared up at me curiously.

The sight they made with her now having to straddle the dog caused me to laugh out loud, and the sound was as familiar as it was strange.

I’d not laughed before—or at least not since waking up here.

I was sure I’d laughed at some point in my life.

“You’re going to knock me on my ass one day,” she said, but the dog, Maui, didn’t seem to mind.

“Hello there,” I said to him, giving in to the urge to sink my fingers in his curls.

I knelt down, and he scrambled over to me quickly while Jayda put her hand on the wall to brace herself and grinned with a shake of her head. He let me pet him as he studied me, his friendly eyes locked on mine.

I must have dogs. This sent a bolt of joy through me that was so foreign that it was as if I’d never experienced it.

“Careful. He will lick the shit out of your face,” Jayda warned.

I didn’t think I’d mind that.

“Aren’t you beautiful?” I told him, and his tail wagged harder, as if he understood me.

There was a faint buzzing sound, and I glanced up at Jayda to see her frowning as she stared across the room. Maui let out a bark and spun around to dart off in the direction that she had been looking.

“Someone is here,” she told me. “I wasn’t expecting that. I’ll go see who it is. Make yourself at home. This is referred to as the central great room. Both Luther and Linc share the area. I’ll go check on that, then give you a tour of the backyard.”

I made my way fully inside. It was a massive space with a U-shaped sofa, big enough to fit twenty people, and there was a screen on the wall that was more like that of a movie theater than a television. I watched a blue talking dog with an Australian accent playing on it.

“Oh, sorry. Stevie’s favorite show. I’ll change it once I go check on this. But warning: Bluey can be addictive.”

I glanced at her, and she smirked before hurrying off in the direction that Maui had taken.

Luther and Linc both lived here. I’d wanted to ask whose home I was in more than once, but I hadn’t.

Linc appeared to be in charge, but when I’d woken up in my room to find Luther sitting in the chair across from me, wearing gray sweatpants and a T-shirt, a cup of coffee in his hand, it had seemed as if he’d woken up here and not gotten dressed for the day yet.

If the rest of the house was as equally spacious as this room, then this had to be a mansion.

Had I ever been in a house this big? It felt…

I felt…nothing. With a sigh of frustration, my shoulders sagged.

Why couldn’t I remember anything yet? Doing my best to shake off the disappointment, I scanned the room slowly.

I wasn’t sure what “make yourself at home” meant, so I stood there for a moment before deciding to walk over to the wall of glass that overlooked what I assumed was the backyard.

A patio covered most of what I could see.

My eyes scanned the area, slowly taking it in.

There was a swinging bed, another large screen with the blue dog also playing on it, what looked like a full bar, and furniture that looked like it belonged in a luxurious living room other than outside.

I heard the sound of paws on the hardwood floor and turned to see Maui headed back toward me.

Smiling, I gave him my full attention. He made me happy.

I wondered if Stevie would mind letting him come downstairs with Luther to visit.

From the way Linc spoke about me, right in front of me, I already knew he didn’t trust me around his family.

My not knowing who I was seemed to be a very big issue for him.

“Hello,” I said, lowering myself to Maui’s level, which sent his entire backside to wagging.

“Someone should warn you about his sloppy-ass kisses,” a familiar male voice said.

I lifted my gaze to see Locke entering the room. While the sight of him didn’t make me react the way Luther did, I liked him. He was nice and didn’t treat me as if I were a hindrance or burden. He never asked me if I remembered anything, which seemed to be everyone’s first question every morning.

“I did,” Jayda said, following him into the room. “She’s a dog lover—or at least, it seems that way.”

He beamed brightly at that information. “Something we now know about you.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of Maui’s head, then stood back up as Locke reached me. “I like to read—fiction, I think. Although I haven’t tried anything else. Luther has only brought down fiction for me. And I love dogs.”

At the mention of Luther’s name, Locke’s eyes flickered with something that I didn’t understand.

“Has he actually been letting you read the books, or is he still reading them all to you?” Jayda asked.

“He reads to me but leaves me the book when he has to go,” I explained.

Locke appeared briefly unpleased, but it vanished. Was there a reason why Luther shouldn’t be reading to me?

“I wasn’t aware Luther could read,” he drawled with a trace of what I assumed was sarcasm in his tone.

“He has a library like one you wouldn’t believe in his room,” Jayda informed him.

“Hmm,” he said, then shrugged. “Surprising.”

“We were going to go enjoy some sunshine, although it’s a bit cool today. I need to take…her…” She paused, glancing at me briefly.

“Lace,” I supplied on instinct, and at my response, my eyes went wide, mimicking Jayda’s. “My name,” I said, sucking in a breath. “My name is Lace.”

“Lace?” Locke asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

I nodded with excitement. It was nice to find out something new about myself. I didn’t feel like such a complete loser.

“You remembered!” she squealed and clapped her hands together as she beamed. “This is fantastic. I need to call Linc. Wait, um, first, let’s get you some clothes. But do you remember anything else?”

The hopefulness in her eyes made me wish more than anything that I did. But I was still blank. The name Lace had just been there suddenly. Nothing more.

I shook my head. “I…don’t.”

“It’s okay. That’s great progress,” she assured me, linking her arm with mine. “We will get you out of this awful gown and into real clothes, then let Linc know that you have a name.”

I glanced from her to Locke. “What about Luther?”

Why Linc? He didn’t much care for me. I preferred that she tell Luther. Then maybe he’d come back from wherever he was.

“Uh, yeah, Luther isn’t the boss,” Locke replied.

“Boss?” I asked, wanting him to elaborate. I’d already picked up on Linc possibly being in charge, but I wanted more information about that.

“He makes the final call on things. Not really a boss, just the head of this branch of the company they work for,” Jayda explained, shooting Locke an annoyed glance that she covered up quickly.

“What company do they work for?” I asked, hoping Locke would answer. He had told me the most I’d learned since arriving here.

“A boring one. Money lending, number crunching, some horse stuff,” Jayda said before Locke could tell me anything. “Come on. Let’s go get you dressed…” She paused and grinned, then added, “Lace.”

The familiar name made me feel relief, as if I needed to hear that name. I liked the sound of it. There was a warmth in someone saying it aloud. Maybe that was normal when you had forgotten your own name and remembered it.