Page 44 of The Echo of Forever

I pulled from the curb, and neither of us spoke another word until we reached our destination.

“You go in first, and I’ll follow a minute or two afterward. Oliver is expecting me.”

I regarded her for a moment and then got out, not sure why I trusted her, but suddenly feeling like I could.

Security was much tighter today. I was stopped twice before getting to the elevators, and once I made it to his floor, the receptionist who was usually absent from her chair was there.

“Good afternoon, Ms. James. How can I help you?”

For a second, I actually hesitated.

She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had seen her. Even the way she said my name resonated with me.

“Have we met before?” I asked, earning a smile.

“Plenty of times…” She stood and motioned me back. “Mr. Cannon has been expecting you.”

I walked to his office, feeling weird all over.

Where do I know her from?

My head was so unusually far in the clouds that I walked into Demetrius’s office without realizing it. And when I finally put it together, I had a set of eyes on me that didn’t belong to the man I came to see.

“Forev—”

His sister, who I’d created a small file on, jumped up excitedly, and then her entire face fell as she stared at me.

“Uh, Demetrius will be back,” Solei muttered, picking up a box from the desk and walking toward me.

She stopped, and our shoulders brushed a little as she added, “He really misses you. We all do. Try to remember soon, okay?”

I couldn’t fix my mouth fast enough to ask what she meant. By the time it registered that everyone knew something I didn’t, she was gone, and Demetrius was standing in front of me.

“I wished she would’ve let me explain first.”

He was so close.

My heart raced.

“You smell so good,” I whispered, unable to hold it in.

The tips of his fingers touched mine, and I couldn’t bring myself to pull them away.

“How’s your head?” he asked, taking a step back and then around me.

I shook it, too focused on the distance.

What is this feeling?

“They’re all lying to you,” I said, repeating his warning back to him. “What did you mean by that?”

He walked until he reached the digital panel across the room, tapping twice until the automatic shades started to drop.

Dim overhead lights came on, and then he turned.

“How’s your head?”

My fingers were shaking. He’d closed the blinds for me.