Page 84 of Zane

“I know.” Zane sighed. “I’m just not used to having nothing to do.”

“This will pass,” Janessa told him, reaching out to give him a hug.

Zane hoped that was true. But honestly, sometimes he had a very difficult time imagining the future. That wasn’t how it had previously been for him. He’d always had an idea of what his future would look like and the steps he needed to take to achieve his dreams.

Now, however, it seemed like he was staring into the distance, his vision obscured by the fog of memory loss.

After saying goodbye to Janessa, Zane left the clinic and climbed into Kelsey’s car. Her small car wasn’t the most comfortable or easy to get in and out of with his cast and crutches. Maybe he should spend his time doing some research for a new car since he would be receiving an insurance settlement for his other car, which had been totaled in the accident.

A glance at the dashboard showed him that the gas was just below a quarter tank. He thought he could pump gas, so instead of heading straight home, he went to a nearby gas station. There weren’t a lot of things he could do for Kelsey, but he thought he could manage to fill the tank of her car.

It took a minute, but he finally got situated and started the pump. As he waited for it to finish, he leaned on his crutches and looked around. This was a newer gas station, and its main building also sold pizza and other gas station type fare.

Once the pump had finished, he got back into the car. As he drove home, Zane wondered again about how they’d dealt with finances in their marriage. It felt odd to give someone access to his money, but he’d always assumed that once he was married, he and his wife would combine their money. Truly become one in every way.

But could he become one with a stranger? Especially since it didn’t appear that he’d given her access to his money, even when he had known her.

As he got back behind the wheel, Zane decided not to go home quite yet. Kelsey would probably sleep until around three, so there was no sense going home to an empty house.

Instead, he went for a bit of a drive. It had been awhile since he’d just toured around his hometown. There were some changes that had occurred over the years he’d been away. A new building for the library. New gas stations. A couple of new restaurants. An expansion of the high school.

He had good memories of his growing up years in Serenity.

At the time, he and his other adopted siblings had been part of a fairly small group of visible minorities. Thankfully, because they had many siblings around at school and their family was well known, they hadn’t had bad experiences as a result of that. Still, he hadn’t wanted to stick around in Serenity.

After he’d exhausted the town sights, Zane headed in the direction of the resort. He didn’t plan to stop in, since he wasn’t exactly dressed to visit a luxury resort.

He’d heard plenty about the new rink that Hudson’s father had built, so he decided to take a drive past that. After looping past the rink, he headed for the hotel and pulled into the parking lot of The Steakhouse. He’d worked at the restaurants one summer as a bus boy between his junior and senior year.

Zane had wanted to work in the kitchen, but they hadn’t had a spot for him there, though the chefs had been more than happy to answer any questions he had. And he’d been able to pick up a fair amount of information by just watching.

He wondered how they were staffed now. Perhaps he could get a job there until he had a better idea of where his life was going and what was happening with him and Kelsey.

Finally, he turned the car back towards the house. After parking at the curb, he made his way up the driveway and into the house. It was quiet, so he didn’t think Kelsey was up yet.

In the kitchen, he surveyed the contents of the fridge, wondering what he should make for dinner. He still wasn’t up for cooking more intricate dishes. The precise cutting and multiple ingredients required weren’t interesting to him at the moment. Hopefully, that would change soon.

After a few minutes, he decided he’d make a Bolognese sauce and some pasta. Not freshly made because he didn’t think Lee and Rori had a pasta maker.

Glancing at the clock, he figured Kelsey would be up soon, and having noticed that she liked a coffee when she got up, he started up the coffeemaker. Though his day was almost half over, hers was just beginning.

Zane had been working for a bit when he heard movement. Turning from the saucepan where he was browning some meat, he saw Kelsey walk into the kitchen. She wore a pair of loose shorts, an oversized T-shirt, and her hair was up in a messy bun.

“Good morning,” he said.

She lifted her phone to look at the screen, then arched a brow at him. “Morning?”

“Your morning,” he clarified. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes, but you don’t need to get it for me.”

“I think I can manage it.” He lifted a mug from the mug tree and moved over to the coffee maker. He poured the coffee, then scooted it along the counter to where Kelsey had set her phone while she went to the fridge to get the cream she liked in her coffee.

“Thank you,” she said as she poured a healthy dollop of cream into the mug, changing it from black to light brown.

Zane put a piece of sourdough bread in the toaster, then retrieved the butter from the fridge. Since committing himself tomaking an effort with Kelsey, he’d tried to pay close attention to the things she did and what she preferred.

It was why he now knew that she liked coffee and a piece of buttered toast when she woke up. He watched as she lifted her cup and took a sip of coffee, her eyes closing as she savored it.

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