“Don’t make this about me.”
“But it is about you, isn’t it? Your feelings. What do you want to do? Burn her?”
“For once, just shut up, Dane. Did Shane ask you to send her?”
He snorted. “No. He was furious according to my men.”
“See! That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Stop being hysterical. This isn’t like you, even if you are pregnant.”
Hilary winced. Wrong thing to say.
“My pregnancy has nothing to do with this! Shane doesn’t deserve to have you mess with his life,” Vanessa said, gesturing wildly with her hands. “Don’t you think he had a good reason to break it off with her?”
“I think he doesn’t have even one good reason.”
Vanessa brought her arms under control and crossed them, tapping her foot. “Right. Because you’re the love expert.”
“He doesn’t remember her.”
“What?”
“He has amnesia. He doesn’t remember anything. Not you, not me. And not Ginger.”
Hilary put a hand over her mouth. Vanessa collapsed onto a couch behind her.
“When is he coming home?” Hilary asked Dane.
“Whenever he’s ready.”
“Is she there to bring him back?” Vanessa asked.
“That and to ensure he doesn’t suffer further emotional damage. The doctor was very specific about him being around someone he likes and trusts.”
“So you sent her? I could’ve gone,” Vanessa said.
Dane cocked an eyebrow. “In your condition? You think Barron’s going to let you fly all the way out there with his great-great-nephew in your belly?”
“Somebody else then. Family!”
“The doctor was specific. Ginger’s the one he had a good relationship with the longest. Mark would also probably work, but he can’t go out there to babysit Shane.” Dane glanced toward Hilary “Busy getting married, don’t you know.”
“Did you send a specialist or someone along with her?” Vanessa said.
“No, and I don’t plan to. We can arrange for all that when he comes home. The doctor who saw him said he was physically fine. He thinks that a memory loss this long may be psychological.”
“He doesn’t want to remember?” Vanessa looked incredulous, but Hilary could sort of understand. If Shane had had a childhood like Mark’s, he might never want to remember. Although their mother had mellowed a bit after her decision to divorce, that was a recent change, something that happened after Shane had left the States.
“You shouldn’t be surprised,” Dane said. “Out of all of us, he was the one with the artistic temperament. I always thought it odd that he never tried to run away. But this… Well, it’s beyond what I expected.”
“It’s not something to admire!” Vanessa shouted again.
Dane gave her a flat look. “I wasn’t. And stop shouting. For your information, I have no intention of letting him and Ginger stay together once they’re back. She’s just a means to an end, got it?”
Hilary shivered at the iciness in his eyes. She’d always known he could be blunt and cold, but using Shane’s ex like that seemed beyond low.
“Now if you ladies don’t mind, can you all get out so I can get ready for my evening?”
“Are you going out to continue with that woman?” Vanessa asked, wrinkling her nose.
“There are plenty of women in my phone. Now out. And Hilary, don’t let my sister do anything you wouldn’t do.” He pushed both women out and shut the door behind them. The lock engaged with a metallic click.
“Can you believe his gall?” Vanessa said, staring at Hilary.
“I think he cares about Shane.” Which was somewhat unexpected given the way he generally was.
“That’s like saying sharks are caring. No. Ugh. I have to do something,” Vanessa said as they stepped into the elevator.
“Like what?”
“Bring him home. I don’t think his problem is psychological, and even if it is, dealing with Dane would make anyone want to run the other way, not come home for medical treatment.”
“Do they not get along?”
Vanessa snorted. “Who gets along with Dane?” Her mouth firmed. “If Dane gave a damn, he wouldn’t have sent Ginger, no matter what.”
“I thought she and Shane were together since high school.”
“Yes, but she did something to make him break it off. And she’s dating somebody else! I saw it with my own eyes.” Vanessa huffed. “For her to go to Shane just because Dane asked her… It’s pretty messed up. She doesn’t even like Dane, and if she is really through with Shane like she said she was, she would’ve said no just to spite him. I feel like…” She swallowed. “I feel like she’s trying to weigh her options to figure out which is more lucrative. Shane or that guy she’s dating. And of course Shane’s going to come out ahead.”
Hilary cleared her throat. “Would that be so terrible? Maybe she’s realized that Shane’s the one she really wants after all.”
Vanessa looked at her. “Do you know what he fears the most?”
Hilary shook her head.
“Becoming like our parents. He’s nothing like Salazar, but Ginger… There’s no guarantee she’s not going to be like Mom, is there?” Vanessa’s throat worked, and she wiped away sudden tears impatiently, smudging her eyeliner. “We try so hard to block it all out, but we aren’t blind to their flaws and mistakes. I just…I just can’t let Ginger hurt Shane.”
Chapter Six
Ginger hid from Shane for the rest of the day and the next morning. She didn’t know how to deal with him. No, that wasn’t quite right. If all it had been was Shane wanting to sleep with her, or to go back to the way things were, she could have handled it. But she couldn’t control her reaction to him.
Logic didn’t work. Reminding herself of the pain of loss didn’t work. Her stupid, unteachable heart wanted Shane. It didn’t understand why she didn’t want to accept his proposal and pretend the past twelve months had never happened.
Don’t try to believe that you’re going to find another man who can somehow make you forget Shane forever. Didn’t work with Robert. Won’t work with anyone else.
She pushed the thought aside. She didn’t want to brood about Shane. She wanted to take photos.
The late afternoon sun was still bright and hot, the air too humid for anything but a simple sundress. Her huge white beach hat provided some cover as she walked along the beach and snapped pictures.
The camera never lied. It captured all the shadows and colors perfectly. When she looked at them later, they’d show her all the things her mind had forgotten or missed. Like that little lizard on a black rock she’d almost overlooked. The palm overhead gave it some relief from the direct sunlight. Its dark green and brown tail was long and straight, tapering to a sharp point. The way its head was up made it look alert, but its eyes were lazy slits.
Something splashed not too far from her, and she turned around and saw a man and Lou the elephant. His mahout yelled something when Lou splashed him with sea water again.
Lou had been found on the beach years ago. When none of the families who owned properties along the private strip could find where he’d come from, they decided to adopt him and hired a mahout to care for him.
“Hello, Klahan,” she called out, walking toward them.
“Good afternoon, madam,” he said, dragging out dam in that lilting way of his. His grin was extra bright against his darkly tanned skin. “I heard from Peeraya that you were back.”
“Yeah.” She smiled without elaborating. “He’s so big.”
“He’s a big boy,” the mahout agreed.
Lou looked at her with sparkling black eyes. The hair all over his body was a few inches long and stood up like wires. She patted him. “Do you remember me?”
He patted her back with his trunk. When it brushed by her side, she giggled. “That tickles, Lou.”
“He’s trying to see if you’re hiding food,” Klahan said.