AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her mom started to open her mouth, but Eden held up a hand again. “I’m sure Adam can check on me.”
As long as nothing major had changed in his life in the past year that she couldn’t remember, Adam worked a desk job at a security agency. His boss was the dad of one of his closest high school friends and a great guy, so Adam wouldn’t get into trouble if he checked on her when he was technically on the clock.
“Then it’s settled.” She turned back to Dr. Srirani. “Thank you for all your help.”
“My pleasure,” the doctor said. “And my office will be in touch to set up those follow-up appointments with you. If you need anything before then, Ms. Dawson, my contact information will be on your discharge paperwork—along with your care instructions.”
By the time she sent her parents home, Eden had about twenty minutes to get dressed and ready for Adam to pick her up. Nurses came in and out to get her unhooked from the medical equipment and to help her clean up and change. A few days in bed had left her weaker than she would have thought possible. Plus, the aches and pains from the accident made it tougher to do even normal things, like brush her teeth, shower, and put on clothes.
But she steeled herself to push through the stiffness and fatigue. Whatever challenges this threw at her, she’d deal with them. It would only get better from here, right?
She’d just finished putting on her shoes when Adam walked in. She looked up to say hello and realized he wasn’t alone. Chandler Ruthven was with him.
Chandler.
Attraction zinged through her blood immediately. He’d always been handsome as hell.
The man was hardly a stranger—he and her brother were longtime friends. But she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him. He’d enlisted right out of high school and had become a Navy SEAL.
He was supposed to be overseas…wasn’t he? What was he doing in town? And for that matter, what was he doing in her hospital room?
Eden flushed a little as she wondered if he was there for her. Maybe they’d started dating in the past year? That would be some truly excellent news to wake up to.
“Hey, sis.” Adam said. “Mom and Dad filled me in on what’s going on. Memory loss, huh?”
“Yeah,” she said as she finished tying her sneakers before looking up again. “It’s so weird. Like a blank chalkboard where you know stuff should be written. The doctor is hopeful it’ll all come back with time.”
“I hope so.” Adam shifted slightly and hiked a thumb at the guy behind him. “You remember Chandler, right?”
“Sure. Hi, Chandler.” She kept her voice steady even as her heart rate sped up. “Are you on leave?” she asked.
“I left the Navy,” he explained. “My dad had some health issues last year, so I came home to take over the security agency.”
“Chandler’s my boss now,” Adam added.
Okay. But that still didn’t explain why he’d come to her hospital room with Adam. Sadly, she wasn’t getting any flirty vibes off of him, so she had to admit it didn’t seem like anything had happened between them. Too bad.
They got her stuff and she signed off on her discharge paperwork. Almost before she knew it, they were on their way home to her small three-bedroom ranch in the suburbs of Charlottesville, Virginia. The longer she was out of the stuffy hospital, the better Eden felt, though she still wasn’t quite back to normal.
When they reached her house, she expected the men to say goodbye, but they went inside with her and began to hover again, just like her parents had back at the hospital. Eden was confused—and also achy and exhausted, so she wasn’t really in the mood to play hostess.
She sighed and sank down on her couch, wishing Adam and Chandler would just leave so she could have some time to herself to rest and get her head straight.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “What the hell is up with you two?”
Adam and Chandler froze, exchanging a look before taking a seat in two chairs across from her.
“Look, sis,” Adam said. “This may be hard for you to hear…but I’m worried you’re not safe.”
“Stop acting so weird.” Eden sat back into the cushions, frowning. “I asked the doctor point-blank if it was safe for me to stay at home by myself and she said it was. I know I got knocked in the head, and the amnesia is bad, but it’ll get better. I’m safe, I promise.”
Adam and Chandler looked at each other again, then Adam sighed. “No, sis. I don’t think you are.” She started to argue again, but he held up a hand to stop her. “Listen to me, okay? It’s not because you can’t care for yourself. It’s because we think your accident wasn’t an accident at all—that someone drove you off the road.”
“Someone…what?” she said, totally taken aback. The idea was so bizarre that she didn’t know how to react. “You think someone purposely tried to hurt me? That’s ridiculous. No one has any reason to attack me.”
“No reason you can remember,” Adam pointed out.
Eden shook her head. This all sounded like something out of a nightmare. “Are you saying I’ve forgotten I made an enemy? Someone angry enough with me to kill me?”
“If I’m right, they’re not angry,” her brother said slowly, carefully, “they’re afraid. Afraid of what will happen when you take the witness stand in a few weeks, like you’re supposed to.”
“Witness stand?” Eden repeated, her stomach sinking. “What did I witness?”
“A murder.”
