Forget Me Not (Escape Contemporary Romance) (3 page)

Claire’s pale hair had been longer and was swept on top of her head, baring at lovely neck that was arched towards him in the photo. She was smiling, laughing perhaps, and the look in her eyes said that he was the only man in the world for her.

Today, without a scrap of make-up on her face, Claire looked every bit as youthful and attractive as then, yet the photo captured something missing from her now—a sparkle in her eye, a liveliness, a certain freedom.

Perhaps she’d hardened since then.

‘It’s a lovely photo,’ the doctor said. ‘But you didn’t need to show me this to prove who you were.’

Claire smiled wanly and reached across for the picture, her fingers brushing against Stefan’s. Warmed inside at the unexpected touch, he wondered what it must have been like when they’d been together. Surely he must have touched her, held her, kissed her every day. He must have made love to her. What had that been like? Slow, sensual kisses and languorous lovemaking or hot quick sex? He didn’t know which. What would she look like naked? Oh, he had no trouble picturing her soft pale flesh, the curve of her waist, the shape of her breasts and how they’d feel when he held them in his hands...

Claire slid the photo back into her bag, zipping it up.

‘I went through this with Stefan yesterday,’ Doctor Hardy said. ‘We’ve done every test imaginable from CT scans and MRIs to blood tests. He’s in excellent health in every way, except one: he has lost his memory. His condition is extremely uncommon, one of those rare medical anomalies which we simply can’t explain. Amnesia may persist for an extended
period of time, though most people get some or all of their memory back. Sometimes they just get bits and pieces at a time, other times it’s all at once.’

‘Twenty of them, I believe,’ Claire said.

‘Actually, there were twenty-four tests.’

‘Oh.’

‘He’s too healthy to be in hospital,’ the doctor continued. ‘The form of amnesia he has is retrograde, and it’s not something we can treat any more than we already have. We just have to wait for nature to take its course. His condition hasn’t affected his ability to form new memories, and he still seems to pick up on things very quickly.’

‘He’s always had a good memory; not photographic, but not far from it.’ Claire’s gaze shifted from the doctor to Stefan. ‘I guess you haven’t lost that.’

Stefan smiled. ‘Yes, there’s just the small matter of that other thing. Missing thirty-four years.’

‘You’re a medical mystery, but I’d like to remind you, you still are otherwise healthy,’ the doctor added.

‘I was making a joke,’ Stefan explained, but Doctor Hardy stared at him as if was a naughty schoolboy who’d just broken an important rule.

‘As I said yesterday, this will be a highly stressful time.’ The doctor turned to Claire. ‘And I believe Doctor Patroni went through this with you, too?’

‘Yes,’ she replied.

‘Are you prepared for this?’

Claire nodded slowly. ‘I don’t think it’s the kind of thing anyone can be ready for, but I’ll do my best.’

There was something almost child-like in her polite responses, the way she seemed so keen to please. Her features were captivating, her big brown eyes, her perfect little nose, those lips that transformed her face when she smiled. However, she was still missing that spark he’d seen in the photo.

‘We’ll send a caseworker, probably a psychologist, to visit you within a week to check how you’re settling in. The frequency of further visits will depend on his initial assessment.’ Doctor Hardy smiled. ‘I’m sure Stefan will be in safe hands with you.’

Stefan had known for some days that the hospital didn’t hold a place for him. Staying here had been fine while they’d conducted their tests and searching for hidden causes or treatable organ failures, but he was healthy. The hospital couldn’t keep a healthy person in their care indefinitely. He’d overheard the nurses, and knew they didn’t have the resources.

This suited Stefan fine. After a week of sleeping in a hospital room, he’d be happy to get out of there. Anywhere had to be better than this place.

Staying with Claire...what would that be like?

His hand inched towards hers, but she shifted her arms and clasped her hands in front of her.

‘I’ll take good care of him, Doctor,’ she said.

Stefan didn’t know what to say. Claire was still a stranger, his wife yet not.

Dr Hardy shook Claire’s hand. ‘It was lovely meeting you.’ He reached across for Stefan’s hand. ‘Good luck to you both. You can get going as soon as you like.’

The doctor left the door open behind him, probably expecting them to shortly follow.

And, just like that, it was time to go.

Stefan looked at Claire, saw a glint of nervousness in her eyes. She smiled, trying quickly to cover it up. He figured she had every right to be worried. Going from being happily married to separated, then being thrown back together under the strangest of circumstances must have been hard for her.

Claire had probably moved on with her life since they separated. Taking him back must’ve seemed like a huge step backwards. Yet, if their positions were reversed, he’d have done the same for her. At least, he hoped he would.

‘Claire, I’m sorry about what happened when you walked in,’ Stefan said. ‘I was disappointed with myself and the situation, but not with you. You’ve been lovely to me. and you’re a very attractive woman. I feel like we’ve just met for the first time, yet nothing about you that has been a disappointment.’

She looked down, her lips curling into an embarrassed smile.

‘It’s the truth,’ he said.

‘It’s okay. You don’t need to say that.’

‘I’m your husband. Surely I must have paid you compliments in the past.’

Claire looked up. ‘All the time. Just not recently.’

Stefan gazed into her eyes, then added, ‘I’ll try not to be a burden. I won’t make this any harder than it has to be.’

She held his gaze, expression softening. ‘I meant what I said before. I’m glad we found you.’

‘Thanks.’

‘You could only be released into someone’s care. So, I’ve taken the next two weeks off work to take care of you and get you back on your feet. I didn’t want to go to work and leave you alone when you’ve just come out of hospital. It wouldn’t be very pleasant waiting alone all day in the apartment. After that, though, I have to get back to my job, my friends, my life. You can’t stay with me forever, so this is only until you’ve gotten used to things.’

Stefan raised his eyebrows. ‘Maybe I wouldn’t have stayed in the apartment all day.’

Claire planted her hands on her hips, a smile creeping to her lips. ‘No, you wouldn’t. It’s a big city and you’ve got a lot to learn. I didn’t want you getting lost. I want to help.’

‘What about the rest of my family?’ he asked. ‘Why aren’t they here?’

‘Your parents are in New York.’ She held her hands in front of her, her stance suddenly prim and proper. ‘You grew up in California and your family moved to New York when you were in your teens. Then, you came here in your twenties.’

‘So I’ve been told.’

‘Well, your folks will be flying back in a week. You’ve got a sister who lives in Paris, but she’s on holiday in the Caribbean. She promised to phone soon.’ Claire pointed to the cupboard in the corner of the room. ‘Why don’t you grab your things and we’ll get going?’

Walking across, Stefan reached into the closet for the backpack. ‘There’s only this. I don’t have much.’

His sister was going to call. His parents, probably his closest living relatives, weren’t flying back to Sydney immediately but in a week. Surely they could’ve come back sooner if they were worried about their only son?

‘Do I have any other close friends?’ Stefan asked.

‘Loads of them. You’re a popular guy.’

‘But none of them are here?’

‘People have jobs, meetings, commitments. Your friends all have extremely busy lives.’

‘Did I have a best friend?’

‘Me, I guess.’ She didn’t sound very sure of her answer.

Was Claire the only person he could rely on? She was the only one who was here, that much was clear.

Stefan would have liked to have taken her hand in his and thank her for being so gracious, but she’d seemed so reluctant earlier that he didn’t dare try again. Taking a small step nearer, he caught a hint of jasmine in the air and realised he was close enough to smell her perfume. The scent was so subtle, he wondered if it was indeed a fragrance or if that was simply Claire.

She stepped back. ‘We should go now.’

‘This is an enormous imposition on you. Isn’t there someone else who can help out?’

Claire lowered her gaze. ‘There
is
no one else.’

His mouth fell open. Stefan had been mistaken thinking she was here because she wanted to help. Claire was beautiful and kind and intelligent.

And she was only here because she had to be.

Chapter Four

Stefan watched as Claire turned the key and pushed open the door of her apartment–or was that their apartment? He wasn’t sure which, not that it mattered. This would be home for the next couple of weeks.

She held the door open for him. ‘Go ahead.’

He smiled. ‘I believe it’s usually ladies first, but in this case, I’ll make an exception.’

Actually, Stefan was itching to see the place. At the very least, the apartment would have some clues about his past life and his personality.

He strode through the entry hall towards the frosted glass doors that led into the living area. Stepping inside, he held the door open for Claire, and looked around.

There were two, stylish chocolate brown leather sofas, a deep red rug, flowers on the dining table, framed photos on the buffet, and, magazines on the coffee table. There was a welcoming level of clutter, as well as an art deco ceiling and a simple fireplace with a red brick hearth. A decorator hadn’t carefully selected choice pieces for the room—this room looked lived in.

So, this was home. Stefan could be happy here. Felt immediately comfortable, in fact.

Nodding, he said, ‘Nice apartment.’

‘That’s funny. That’s what most people say when they visit for the first time.’

‘Yeah, well, this is a first for me too. It seems so...’

‘Familiar?’

‘Unfortunately not. In a strange way, this is what I was expecting, only better. This apartment has a bit of personality but it’s not overdone and pretentious.’ Looking at Claire, he added, ‘I knew you wouldn’t live somewhere glitzy and ostentatious.’

‘It’s not glamorous, but neither were we. Come on. Can’t stand in the doorway all day.’

Stefan felt pressure on his arm, as Claire cupped his elbow in her hand and gently pushed him forward. It was the first time she’d touched him like that, and he liked it, liked the feel of her hand on him.

Pointing at the sofas, he said, ‘They look very masculine. I bet
I
chose the sofas.’

‘Yes, and I chose the cushions.’

Claire nodded towards an eclectic array of cushions, all in fabrics ranging from silk to embossed velvet, in colours from rich burgundy and fuchsia to pale pink. They didn’t look like something a young lawyer would choose but he didn’t know her very well. Yet.

‘A wise choice,’ he said. ‘They stop the sofas looking too stark.’

Her mouth fell open, warm brown eyes as wide as a child’s, a small furrow creasing her otherwise smooth brow.

‘That’s exactly what you said when I bought them.’

‘I’m still the same person underneath,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I’m going to say the same things I used to say.’

‘I guess you are the same person.’

Clue didn’t look pleased at this, didn’t seem the slightest bit reassured.

Stefan held her gaze. ‘I hope that didn’t scare you.’

‘No. It’s just a bit weird, that’s all.’

‘Would you mind showing me the rest of the apartment?’ he asked.

‘Sure. The kitchen is over there, and the other rooms are all in this direction.’

She seemed pleased for the distraction, leading him through the office and two spare bedrooms.

Pushing open another door, Claire said, ‘This is the guest room where you’ll staying.’

A pair of men’s pyjamas lay neatly folded on the pillow on a single bed. There were a couple of books, a pile of CDs and a portable CD player on the bedside table. She’d obviously taken great care to set the room up for him.

‘I’ve put clean linen on the bed,’ Claire added. ‘You’ll find everything you need in the bathroom. I shifted your old clothes into this closet so you’ll have something to wear.’

‘My
old
clothes?’

‘You left a lot of stuff here when you moved out, clothes included. I guess you intended to come back for them at some stage. You took all your good suits with you, of course, but there will be something here to wear before we go to your new place.’

Stefan wasn’t sure he wanted his suits. Was he going to put them on and pretend to go to the office?

He nodded. ‘I’ll take a better look through these things later.’

‘Okay.’

‘There’s just the master bedroom left.’

Claire didn’t say anything. He knew the room must contain personal items and he didn’t want to pry, but at one stage it had been his bedroom,
their
bedroom. For all he knew, the sight of it might bring his memory back.

‘That’s not a problem, is it?’ Stefan asked.

He saw a glimmer of reluctance in Claire’s eyes but she quickly composed herself.

‘Not at all.’

Stefan followed as Claire walked into the master bedroom ushering him ahead. Stepping inside the doorway, he looked around, wondering what on earth he was searching for, what he thought he might find.

It was just a bedroom, though a stylish one. The bedding was coloured in mocha tones that complimented the feature wall behind, covered in embossed wallpaper the colour of bitter chocolate. The only other furniture in the room was an antique mirrored dresser, with delicate carved walnut wood grain on its many small drawers.

Stefan couldn’t believe how damn frustrating this was, had the feeling that if he kept looking he’d find answers, but he didn’t even know if he was looking in the right direction.