Page 12 of When I Found You

Arthur’s staring at me. I can’t tell if he’s more horrified by my manners or my appetite. He arches a brow.

“Sorry. It’s just...” I lick my lips and smile. “It’s really good.”

He takes a bite.

I focus on eating slower. “Did you make this?”

He nods. “My Nonna’s recipe.”

“Nonna?” I ask wiping a stray bit of sauce from my cheek.

“Italian for grandma. She emigrated when she was young.”

“Wow.” I stuff more pasta in my mouth so I don’t trip over my words and say something that makes the universe implode. Silence descends like a heavy fog.

I finish my last bite and push the plate away. Satisfied and grateful. But the silence is killing me. The man across the table doesn’t seem interested in talking any more than I do, but I am curious. Maybe my curiosity is what contributed the events which led me to the top of the Empire State Building in the first place. It doesn’t matter. I don’t have any friends here and we’re stuck together, so I might as well make the best of it.

“So, Arthur, what do you do?”

“I’m an architect.” He swirls the wine in his glass, and I stare at my own water with regret.

Then it clicks. “Wait, you work at Lincoln Architecture Firm?”

“I started it.” Arthur sips his wine taking full measure of me as he does so.

My face heats and I remember the paper I found lying on the ground outside the office. “Arthur Maxwell,” I mutter under my breath and hide my face in my hands. “Of course.”

“Your amnesia must be clearing up. I never told you my surname.” His eyes glint with challenge.

“When I was outside your office, I found a paper on the ground. I bent down to pick it up and saw that name...your name on it. Right before you knocked me out with the door and kidnapped me.” I fold my arms across my chest and hold his gaze.

“It was an accident.” He leans forward and braces his bare forearms on the table. The light catches the hint of gray starting at his temples and my body goes into hyper alert.

Shit, am I supposed to be scared or horny right now? I’m confused. I shove both away with force and clear my throat. “Accident or not. It happened. Nothing we can do about it now.”

“I find it difficult to believe you can remember your name and the fact you have no family or friends to call, but nothing else.”

I swallow convulsively. “Well, I don’t, and that’s all I know.” It’s not a lie per se, but it’s definitely not the truth. I pray he doesn’t press me further.

Arthur looks more skeptical than before.

“I’ll be out of your hair in a few days. I’ll find a job and pay you back for the inconvenience,” I lie. How the hell am I going to legally work? I don’t exist. “If you want, I can cook, I’ll clean, whatever I need to do. I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

He harumphs. “Too late.”

It stings, but I brush it off and take the opening I’ve recognized as the perfect opportunity. “Do you need help at the office? I can answer phones or run errands.”

He scoffs and takes another drink. “No. The last thing I need is you at the office as well as my apartment.”

I stand and collect the dishes. “Fine. I offered.”

Without waiting for a reply, I carry the dirty plates to the sink to clean them. I can tell when my company isn’t appreciated. The familiar feeling bites even more now because I’m completely out of my element.

As I wash, Arthur sets his glass next to the sink. His presence and the spicy cologne I’m beginning to associate with him distract me. He turns and leans against the counter, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“Today has been strange for both of us.” He exhales sharply. “Stay. Recover. We’ll figure something out.”

“I can’t stay here and do nothing. There must be some way I can pay you.” I meet his gaze and realize my mistake instantly. He’s close. Too close. My heart races faster.

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