Читать книгу Five Star Romance - Jacquelin Thomas - Страница 13

Chapter 4

Blaze silently noted that Livi was more beautiful than he remembered. She looked much younger than her twenty-seven years. When they’d met in Vegas, her hair had been shoulder-length, but Livi now wore it short, the dark brown color complementing the warm glow of her sienna complexion.

His mouth tightened as he forced himself to remember the way she had treated him while they were in Vegas. Blaze left the hospital looking for her, only to discover that she had checked out of the hotel. He had heard from one of his frat brothers that Livi had come to the hospital, but she left without seeing him.

Livi’s reaction to seeing him just now puzzled Blaze. She looked guilty, as if she were hiding something from him.

But what did she have to hide?

There was no point in speculation, he decided.

“Livi and I are going to sit down and have a discussion,” Blaze whispered to himself. “I have to know why she ran off like that.”

Strange and disquieting thoughts raced through his mind, but his heart rate increased every time he pictured Livi’s smile. His first impulse had been to wrap his arms around her, but he wisely held back. He couldn’t deny how much he longed to feel her in his arms or her soft lips against his. Seeing her and not being able to touch her proved to be unbearable. Blaze did not want to ignite any rumors among the hotel staff. He knew how quickly things spread along the employee grapevine. He refused to subject Livi or himself to the unwanted attentions of their coworkers.

Whatever happened in Vegas was just between Livi and him. Blaze wanted it to stay that way.

* * *

Later that evening, Livi found Sybil waiting for her when she arrived home. She was surprised by her friend’s visit. She thought Sybil would be spending the evening with her fiancé.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

Sybil had a key to Livi’s condo, but she rarely used it. When she did, it was only to water Livi’s plants whenever she was away on a buying trip.

“Todd and I had a fight,” her friend told her. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I came here. I hope you don’t mind.” She swiped at her tear-streaked face.

“Of course I don’t mind, Sybil.” Livi tossed her purse on the leather ottoman, and then sank down beside her friend. “What happened this time?”

Sybil seemed to have the worst taste in men, as far as Livi was concerned. She loved her friend like a sister, but Sybil had constant drama in the relationship department.

“I think he’s seeing someone else.” Sybil released a long sigh. “Go ahead and say it...you told me so.”

“All I’m going to say is that Todd is not worth all this heartache,” Livi said. “You deserve so much better.”

Sybil nodded. “I really don’t want to talk about that jerk. Let’s just focus on you. How are things?”

“I saw Blaze earlier,” Livi announced. “He came to the boutique.”

“Really?”

Livi nodded.

“What happened?”

“Nothing much,” Livi answered. “We talked for a few minutes and then he left. I had to get back to work, but mostly, the boutique wasn’t the right place to have that kind of discussion.”

“I take it that you two will be seeing each other again then,” Sybil queried.

“Blaze mentioned getting together for dinner. He was very nice to me, but that was about it, so I don’t know if there is anything to talk about.”

“I don’t believe that. You two were very intense in Vegas.”

“As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What Blaze and I shared stayed in Vegas.”

“How do you feel about it?”

Livi shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I guess he turned out to be a jerk, too.” Sybil rose to her feet. “I’m in need of a glass of wine. How about you?”

Livi looked up at her friend and smiled. “I have some in the fridge.”

She returned with the wine bottle and a glass, which she gave to Sybil. “I wouldn’t call Blaze a jerk, but he isn’t the same man I met in Las Vegas.”

“You’re not having any?” Sybil asked, pointing to the wine.

Livi shook her head no.

They lounged on the sofa and watched a movie.

Livi stretched and yawned. “I think I’m going to call it a night. I have a long day tomorrow.”

Sybil agreed as she checked her phone. “Todd’s called me seven times already.”

“Are you going to call him back?”

“Not tonight. I’m going to take a hot bubble bath and go to bed. I need to clear my head and I can’t do that if I talk to him right now.”

Livi hugged her friend. “Stay here as long as you like. I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll get dressed and have breakfast at the café on the corner before heading off to work.”

“Sounds good,” Sybil responded.

Livi showered, and then slipped into a pair of boy shorts and a camisole. She settled in bed and opened up her laptop.

She typed retrograde amnesia into the search engine. Livi wanted to know more about Blaze’s memory loss.

The information she found confirmed what Blaze had told her. People with this condition were unable to recall events that occurred before the onset of the trauma. Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed when she read that medical research had found no way to restore the memories that had been lost.

Her heart grew sad at the thought that he would never remember their last day together.

* * *

The next evening, Livi moved around her bedroom in a panic.

She wanted to look nice for her dinner with Blaze, but she could not figure out what to wear. She glanced over at the pile of clothes on her bed.

Livi was acting as nervous as a schoolgirl going on her first date. She wanted to wear something that would rekindle what they’d experienced in Vegas.

“Sybil, I need you,” she called out.

“What about that black dress with the draped ruffle down the front?” Sybil suggested as she strolled into the room. “You know, the one you bought when we were in San Diego. I’m sure it still has the tags on it.”

“I thought about wearing that one, but...I don’t know.”

“Okay, so what time is your date?”

Livi glanced over at the clock. “In a couple of hours.”

She knew style and fashion, but drew a blank at the thought of seeing Blaze tonight. Livi wanted to “wow” him.

Sybil gestured toward the closet. “C’mon, let me see what we can come up with.”

Livi pulled out the black dress with the draped ruffle.

“No, it’s not sexy enough,” Sybil said with a shake of her head.

Livi tossed it on the bed, and then walked back to her closet.

This time she came out with a sleeveless, drop-waist, draped, red dress. A strip of gold beading adorned the shoulders. “What about this?” Livi asked, holding up the jersey knit dress.

“That’s the one. It hugs your body in all the right places,” Sybil stated. “Wear your black platform pumps. The ones with the gold studs.”

Livi smiled and nodded. “I have the matching purse for those shoes, too.”

“Are you planning on wearing any makeup?”

Livi frowned. “Do I need to?”

“Just a little,” she suggested. “And wear your hair slicked back.”

Sybil sat in the living room watching television while Livi showered and prepared for her date.

When Livi entered the room twenty minutes later, her friend gave her a thumbs-up.

“You look great.”

“Thanks so much for your help, Sybil.”

She surveyed her reflection in the wall mirror.

Livi was pleased with what she saw, and hoped that it served as a subtle reminder to Blaze of what they once shared.

They had elected to meet at the Chart House restaurant in Marina del Rey. Livi knew Blaze chose not to eat at one of the hotel restaurants because he did not want any of the hotel employees to see them having dinner together.

Livi left early for the restaurant so she could be the first to arrive. It would give her a few moments to compose herself before seeing Blaze.

The Chart House was one of her favorite places to eat. Livi loved the stunning waterfront location that offered scenic views of the marina and picturesque Southern California skies.

To her dismay, Blaze was already at the restaurant and was seated in one of the booths by the window. Livi took a deep breath as she walked over to join him.

He stood up and waited until she sat down before returning to his seat.

Livi bit back a smile. Blaze couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her.

She sat in the chair, her fingers tensed in her lap.

“Thank you for meeting me here,” he said, recovering.

“It sounded more like an order than an invitation,” she muttered uneasily.

He seemed taken aback by her response. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Livi gave a slight shrug.

The waiter approached their table.

Blaze and Livi both ordered a glass of chardonnay.

Their gazes met and held, making Livi nervous. She thought she detected a flicker in his intense eyes, causing her pulse to skitter alarmingly.

“You’re staring,” she murmured and stirred uneasily in her chair.

“I’m sorry,” he responded. “Livi, I can’t believe we’re in the same room after all this time. I really thought that I would never see you again.”

She picked up her menu with trembling hands. “I wanted to contact you, Blaze. I just didn’t know what to say, especially after I left the way I did.”

“I’d really like to know why you ran away like that,” Blaze stated. “That’s what I could never understand. I heard that you came to the hospital but I don’t remember seeing you. What I do remember is that we clicked immediately and I thought we could talk about anything and everything. Was I mistaken?”

Awkwardly, she cleared her throat. “No, Blaze, I admit that what I did was very immature—it just seemed like a good idea at the time.” Her hands, hidden from sight, twisted nervously in her lap.

The waiter came to take their dinner order.

She tried to think of a plausible explanation. “Blaze, my flight was leaving in a couple of hours. I just panicked.”

“So you have no regrets about our time together?”

Livi shook her head. “I don’t.” She took a long sip of her ice water, and then said, “However, you can’t really say the same, since you don’t remember anything about our last day together.”

Their food arrived.

Blaze regarded her quizzically for a moment, and then pointed toward her plate. “You’re not eating.”

Livi settled back in her seat. “I’m not as hungry as I thought. I’m going to take it home and eat it later.” In his presence, Livi could not imagine doing something as simple as chewing. She was so nervous that she couldn’t even manage normal activities.

Blaze took another bite of his steak. “This is really delicious. I’m glad you chose this place. Now that I know about it, I’ll come back here often.”

Livi finished off her glass of water. “I’m glad you like it.”

Blaze was at ease and comfortable in her company. She wished she could be the same in his, but her secret was gnawing at her.

She studied his face for a moment, and then asked, “What do you like to do when you’re not working, Blaze?”

“I enjoy a good game of basketball,” he responded. “Dancing is one of my favorite pastimes, collecting vintage car models and reading. I’m a huge mystery fan.”

“We have all those things in common,” Livi said. “Except for the model cars. I don’t collect anything other than shoes. I love shoes.”

Blaze chuckled. “I’m not surprised by that at all.”

Livi grinned. “Hey, I know about your little Nike shoe habit.”

He held up his hands in defense. “I’m just saying...”

Shaking her head, Livi laughed.

“Now that I know where you are, I’d definitely like to get to know you better,” Blaze announced. Sitting here, talking and laughing like this, reminded him of Vegas.

Blaze eyed her for a moment before adding, “I feel as if there’s something you want to say to me.”

“We haven’t seen each other in two years, Blaze,” Livi said. “I guess I’m still in that I can’t believe that we’re here together stage.”

Blaze smiled. “It really is good to see you again.”

After a moment, she said, “You can’t imagine how shocked I was to find that you were connected to Robert DePaul. I never thought I’d see you again. Especially since you lived in Aspen, Georgia. Although I have to admit, I considered coming to look for you.”

“What made you change your mind?”

She shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t sure how you would respond.”

Blaze adjusted his tie. “My life changed in so many ways during that trip.”

If you only knew, she wanted to add. Instead, she opened her purse and fidgeted with something.

“Blaze, do you remember my name?”

He nodded. “It’s Elizabeth. I just didn’t remember your last name, if you even told me, mystery woman.”

They both laughed.

“What is the last thing you remember about our time together?” Livi asked.

Blaze searched his memory. “I think we were talking about going to a concert or something.”

“We made plans to see Jazz Murphy perform. He’s one of your frat brothers.”

Blaze nodded. “Then it gets hazy after that.”

His gaze traveled over her face seductively. “I really wish I could remember that last day. I feel as if I’m missing something important. All I know is what happened at the concert. My frat brothers told me that Jazz invited us up to the stage.”

Livi nodded. “You all did a step routine and the next thing I know you were falling off the stage.” She shuddered at the memory.

“You were there?”

“Yes,” she responded. “We were there together. On that last day, we met for breakfast. Afterward, we went to the Stratosphere Tower.”

“So we actually went there,” Blaze murmured. “We had discussed going to the observation deck the day we met.”

Puzzled, Livi nodded. “I’m not afraid of heights, but that deck was so high that we had an eye-level view of the helicopters.” She gazed at Blaze. “You don’t remember, do you?”

He shook his head. “I wish I could.”

“You told me about your parents and how they met,” Livi said. “They met at the county fair. Your father saw your mother and kept following her around until she confronted him. She told him that he might as well invite her to ride with him on the Ferris wheel. He did, although he was afraid of getting on the ride.”

Blaze nodded and smiled. “That was the first and last time he ever got on any ride. He was so sick afterward. My mother said it was my dad’s determination to move past his fear of heights to win her affection that attracted her initially. They married a few months later and are still going strong thirty-eight years later.”

The air around them seemed electrified, which only added to Blaze’s discomfort. Her memory of what happened gave Livi power.

“How long have you worked at the hotel?” he asked after a moment. “If I remember correctly, you told me you were an executive assistant at the time.”

“I was,” Livi responded. “I was actually your grandfather’s assistant.”

“So you knew Robert DePaul pretty well then.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

Livi nodded. “I knew him as well as anyone could outside of his family. Robert was a good man...a very savvy and intelligent businessman. Your father reminds me of him a great deal.”

“I would have liked to have met him,” Blaze confessed. “I understand why he waited, but I think that it bothers my dad—the way all this came about. Robert was a complete stranger to us all.”

“I’m sure Harold hasn’t made it any easier for your family.”

“Hopefully he’s too busy with the expansion of the Blythewood Hotels to try to sabotage us.”

“Your father can handle Harold.”

Blaze nodded in agreement. “I understand why Harold’s upset, but to go after my family the way he has—it’s not acceptable.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve seen the last of Harold,” Livi said. “You’ve beaten him at every turn, from what I’ve heard. I don’t think he’ll bother coming after you again.”

“As much as I’d like to believe that, I’m not so sure,” Blaze said. “I’m sure the man is trying to find something on my family. We’re not worried, though. We don’t have anything to hide.”