Page 17 of Question Everything

She looked up at him and smiled. He thought back to when they first met, when he finally opened her car door after the accident, and she spoke to him with a distinct British accent. Listening to her now, she sounded like she hailed from somewhere in the Midwest, with her flat, measured tone. Was he remembering it wrong?No. No, she sounded like someone who had spent her life in and out of fancy boarding schools. What was that about?he questioned to himself.Time to stop playing house and get into the database for himself to see if he could piece together this puzzle.

“Kyle, where are you, brother? I’ve been calling out to you to come help me in the kitchen,” Sibby said, interrupting his train of thought.

“Sorry, Sibby, sure. What do you need?” He stood up and grabbed the now empty plates closest to him.

“Start clearing and we’ll bring out dessert,” she replied, disappearing behind the swinging door into the kitchen.

He followed her and once at the sink, he carefully placed the Sunday china down. He turned to go and get more dirty dishes when she stopped him.

“Tell me. How long do you think it’s proper for you to have that beautiful woman in your home? You’re doing her no favors if you don’t track down someone who knows where she was supposed to be going when she crashed that car. You cannot seriously intend to have her stay forever. Have you considered that she might have a husband out there somewhere?”

“She’s not wearing a ring, Sibby. Plus, she would remember a husband, wouldn’t she?”

“C’mon brother! Take off those blinders you’ve got on. I mean, she’s pretty, and all, but still. She might just have a husband, and most certainly, that child has a father. What have you been doing all week? And by the by, I didn’t realize that the internet took off on Saturday and Sunday. Unless there’s something else going on between the two of you…”

“Sibby! Seriously? She has a head injury and a baby. I was busy taking care of them and just trying to give her a minute to collect herself and feel better.”

“Oh. So, you’re not attracted to her or anything? News to me.”

“What are you talking about? Are you really suggesting that I would make a move on a woman who can’t remember her own name?”

“Take advantage? No, brother. But find yourself lonely with an incredibly beautiful and vulnerable female in your home? That’s a ticket to disaster if I ever saw on, she said dryly.”

“Nothing happened and nothing will happen, Sibby.”

“Are you sure? It’s been a long time since Meghan left you and a whole lot of women in between that you haven’t brought home for Sunday supper.”

“I couldn’t come here tonight and leave her alone. She can barely take care of herself, let alone the baby.”

“As I said. A ticket to disaster. You’ve got enough on your plate with the investigation coming to a head. Find out who this woman is and send her on her way.”

“That’s the plan, Sib.”

“You know what they say about that, right? Man plans…”

“…and God laughs,” he finished her sentence for her. Leaning in, Kyle kissed his sister on the cheek. “Thanks for looking out for me, but I’ve got this situation under control.”

“It’s safe to assume that your lady friend and her daughter won’t be back next Sunday, then?” Sibby’s eyes narrowed as she bore down on him with her famous death stare.

“I’d put money on those odds,” he said and smiled. “I have nothing but time until I get my badge back. I’ll figure out this puzzle way before next weekend.”

Kyle turned and went back into the dining room to gather more plates.

“Can I help with those?” Mia asked, looking up at him, her voice soft, her eyes searching his own.

All at once Kyle felt his stomach flip with a nervous energy he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so sure of himself when he told Sibby that he had everything under control. He’d bet and lost a whole lot more many times before this woman literally crashed into his life. Suddenly he wasn’t sure about those odds at all, and when betting against himself, things never seemed go his way.

CHAPTER 9

It was well past midnight when Kyle sat down behind the screen of his computer.

Mia and Sarah were sleeping, and he was careful to close the door to his office so that in case Mia woke up and went into the living room, she wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing. As he waited for the system to boot, he thought about what Sibby had said as they cleaned up after dinner. He had been lonely after Meghan left, but he’d also been happy with his choice not to get involved with anyone else. He really had believed that it was working for him, this no strings attached sort of lifestyle. Then he thought about the auburn-haired beauty asleep in his bed. He knew better than to crawl in there after her, but that didn’t lessen the desire he felt to do that very thing.

She appears to be a single mother without any idea of who she really is, asshole,he admonished himself, then stopped cold.Wait. What if she’s not single? What if Sibby is right and she has a husband out there somewhere, worried sick about his wife and child? Even more reason to stay away,he cautioned himself, internally battling.Did she lose her wedding ring in the accident?

Realizing it was useless to guess, Kyle looked up at his screen and clicked on the Boston police department’s database, hoping to find some answers to his questions. He typed in his badge number and prayed that he still had access, even though he was technically not supposed to be working. Magically, the program loaded, and he put in the case number for Mia’s accident. He read over the police report and didn’t see any detail that he didn’t already know. Plus, there were notes from the hospital that outlined the diagnosis of a head trauma due to the crash, but the “next of kin” information was blank.

That makes sense,he told himself.If they asked her when she came to in the hospital about who they might call for her, she wouldn’t have known. She has no memory of who she is.

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