Graham disappears into the living room to open the door and greet Camila. I stay behind, pushing the eggs around my plate. They donโt taste much better than the overcooked bacon, but at least theyโre edible. Barely.
Ziggy has gone to the back door, and heโs yapping at it, eager to go outside. I wonder if I could take him out into the backyard. I assume the backyard must be fenced in. Iโd love to sit outside with him while he plays. It will be nice to get some fresh air.
But then when I go to the back door and try to open the lock, I realize thereโs a problem. You canโt simply turn the lock to open the door. Thereโs a keyhole.
The back door requires a key to open it from the inside. A sick feeling washes over me as I jiggle the door knob,
wondering if this is some kind of mistake. Iโm not locked inside here, am I? Why would the door lock this way? Whatโs going on?
โTess?โ
I whirl around, my heart pounding. Graham is standing in the kitchen, and next to him is a woman in her mid- twenties. The woman is gorgeous. She has black hair pulled into a stylishly messy bun behind her head, falling in sexy tendrils around her face, a perfectly pert nose, and plump lips. She doesnโt have one scrap of makeup on her flawless light brown skin. She blinks her big brown eyes at me, probably having witnessed my struggle with the back door.
โHello, Tess.โ The womanโs voice is gentle and has a bit of a rasp to it, like the voice of someone far older than her twenty-something years. โIโm Camila.โ
Considering her number is programmed into my phone, I suspect I have met this woman dozens if not hundreds of
times before. Itโs embarrassing that she has to introduce herself to me. It wasnโt quite as bad when it was just me and Graham, but Iโm starting to feel like a mental patient.
โHi,โ I say. โUm. Sorry to be rude butโฆ who are you?โ โCamila keeps the house clean for us,โ Graham says.
Soโฆ she is the cleaning woman? That doesnโt seem quite right. First of all, why would I have her number programmed into my phone? Also, how come she doesnโt have any cleaning supplies?
โAlso,โ he adds, โif you want to go anywhere during the day, Camila will help you get there. Sheโll keep you company. And drive you wherever you want to go.โ
I look over at the beautiful Camila, who is staring intently back at me. โI can handle driving,โ I say.
Graham and Camila exchange looks. โI donโt think thatโs a good idea, Tess,โ he says.
I fold my arms across my chest. โWhy not? Iโm an excellent driver. And I know this neighborhood. Why canโt I drive?โ
Grahamโs eyes evade mine. โYou have seizures from your head injury. Legally, you canโt drive.โ
Graham is looking away, but Camila is looking straight at me, her gaze unwavering. She doesnโt seem even the slightest bit uncomfortable about this conversation. โIโll take you wherever you want to go, Tess,โ she says. This time I notice a trace of an accent in her raspy voice.
I stare straight back at her, trying to get her to look away or at least blink. But if this is a blinking contest, she is clearly the master.
โThe back door is locked from the inside,โ I say. โWhereโs the key?โ
โIโve got a key,โ Camila says.
A lump forms in my throat. โWhere isย myย key?โ
โListen, Tess.โ Graham comes around the side of the kitchen island to stand closer to me. โLike I said, if you want to go anywhere, just let us know.โ
My pulse starts to jump. The letter I wrote to myself said to relax and trust my husband, but I donโt like any of this. This woman is not here to cleanโshe clearly has been hired to watch me all day. Iโm a prisoner in my own home and sheโs my warden. Thereโs something off about this entire situation.
โThis is for your own safety, Tess.โ Camilaโs voice has softened. โI know it seems weird, but you and I are friends. Weโre going to have a good day together. I promise you.โ
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.ย Just remember that the people around you care about you very much and only want you to be safe. Do what they say.
Those were my own words. In my own handwriting. My wisdom to myself.
โOkay,โ I say softly.
โThatโs my girl.โ Graham grins at me. God, he is very handsome. I can see how I fell for him, even if heโs not my type. Especially after he saved my life. โAnyway, Iโve got to get to work. But Iโm going to leave you in Camilaโs capable hands.โ He winks at me. โSo be goodโboth of you.โ
He stands there for a moment as he pushes his glasses up his nose. Heโs about to leave for work, and I realize this is the sort of moment when a normal wife who hadย notย forgotten most of the last decade of her life might give her husband a peck on the lips. But I donโt know this guy. Am I really supposed toย kissย him?
It feels like it should all come back to me. In the same way I knew exactly what to do with my phone, even though I didnโt remember having owned one. Or the way I looked down at Ziggy and instantly loved him. But when I look at Graham, he still seems like a stranger.
I can see in his eyes that he knows what Iโm thinking. โItโs okay,โ he mumbles. โIโll see you later, Tess. All right?โ
I bite down on my lower lip. โOkay.โ
He offers me a tiny smile. Heโs disappointed, but heโs trying not to let on. I might not know this guy, but heโs been
so nice to me today. He comforted me when I was freaking out in the bathroom. He made me breakfast, even though it was very slightly charred black. Heโs been patiently answering my stupid questions all morning. Maybe I still canโt remember him, but I can tell my letter was correct: heโs a good man.
So as he turns to leave the kitchen, I reach out and grab his arm. He looks back at me, blinking in surprise. And before I can overthink it, I lean forward and brush my lips against his.
I meant it just to be a quick peck, but Graham holds me there for an extra beat. When our lips part, that tiny smile is broadening across his lips. He looks the happiest Iโve seen him since I woke him up by screaming my ex-boyfriendโs name.
โHave a good day at work,โ I murmur. โAnd thanks for taking care of my company.โ
He envelopes my hand in his larger one and gives it a squeeze. โAnything for you, Tess.โ
It isnโt until Graham has left the kitchen that I realize Camila has been glaring at us the whole time.