Reba leaned against the edge of the opened door and cocked her head to the side while looking Eliza up and down. “What happened to you last night?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You disappeared from the club,” Reba replied. “At first, I thought you’d taken off with that yummy fella you were dancing with, but he was looking for you too.”
Eliza’s brows furrowed in thought. “What yummy fella?”
The redhead’s blue eyes went wide with surprise as she stepped away from the door to allow Eliza to enter her studio apartment. Taking a fistful of her thick coppery shoulder length locks, she twisted her hair into a bun and secured it with a hair tie as she asked, “Are you serious?”
Following her friend into the oversized room, Eliza closed the door behind her as she said, “Promise you won’t make fun if I tell you something?”
Reba gave a wary eye as she replied, “When do I make fun?”
Eliza gave a small grunt, “When don’t you?”
“You’re too sensitive,” Reba said as she dropped onto the well-worn sofa that was shoved against the wall beneath the one and only window the room possessed. “You need to lighten up. I don’t pick, I just lighten moods with a bit of teasing when they’re dark. Which yours seem to be more often than not lately.”
After a brief silence, Eliza nodded and said, “I can’t argue that. I don’t know what my problem is. It’s just that sometimes I feel like I don’t belong in this body.”
“That’s crazy,” Reba scowled. “You have a great body. I’d take your body over mine any day.”
That wasn’t the first time she’d made that type of remark to Eliza. With rich, dark, wavy hair that flowed over her shoulders, Eliza possessed a lean hourglass, five-feet-six-inch physique, Reba was more robust. The fact that her height was lucky to reach five-feet-two-inches with shoes on only proved to enhance her fluffy appearance. Bright red curls that were thick like a lion’s mane completed Reba’s disappointment in her lack of good fortune in the looks department.
Although Eliza didn’t believe Reba to be as unattractive as the woman herself did, more than once, she’d witnessed her friend being ignored in group conversations the seemed to consist of very tall people and could understand how she might wish for a bit more height. As for her hair. Well, Eliza thought that it was the prettiest thing about the young woman. Although, she was sure she’d never convince Reba of that fact.
“At first, I thought it was just the fact that I miss Dr. Rosenthal. Not just the job I had with him, but him. He was such a nice man. He was good to the animals as well as people,” Eliza said, “but, it’s been months since his death and the feeling inside of me is getting worse instead of better.”
“I didn’t realize you were so attached to the old guy,” Reba said with empathy. “Maybe you should see a grief counselor or join a group or something.”
“I have a serious problem,” Eliza blurted out. “I woke up this morning in a field on the edge of my farm. I was stark naked. I still haven’t found my clothes and I have no idea how I got there.”
“Say what?” Reba exclaimed.
“I don’t remember much about the club either,” she continued. “You said that I was dancing with someone. I don’t remember.”
Reba sucked in air.
“You hooked up with him within the first ten minutes of getting there,” Reba announced. “You danced with no one else. How can you not remember him?”
Tears silently trickled down Eliza’s cheeks. “What’s happening to me?”
Reba’s face showed her rage.
“It was that bastard bartender! It had to be,” she hissed. “I saw him eyeing you. He must have slipped something into your drink. That hottie you were with seemed stuck on you from the get-go, so how that bartender thought he’d wrestle you away is beyond me.” Taking a deep breath, she continued with, “I told you not to order mixed drinks. Beer! Just drink beer from the bottle and watch them remove the cap before you ingest it. Then, never ever set it down. You hold it close to your chest with your thumb over the opening.”
Feeling a little more at ease with this explanation, Eliza wiped the moistness from her cheeks with the back of her hand.
“I had to return home naked and dirty in front of my parents this morning,” she groaned.
Reba gave a slight chuckle, “I’ll bet Viviane loved that. It’ll keep her going for days.”
“I don’t remember the guy,” Eliza thoughtfully mused. “Well, maybe a little. I remember dancing with someone, but he’s faceless. The last thing I can clearly remember is dancing with this guy and being so hot that I couldn’t breathe so I slipped outside to cool down. After that, nothing.”
“And you woke up with no clothes?” Reba asked, even though she knew the answer.
“Naked as the day I was born,” she replied. “I thought maybe someone slipped me the date rape pill and then abducted and raped me, but why would they take me all the way to a remote part of my farm and then leave me there? Why not just drag me into the alley behind the club? Besides, no one knew me last night. They’d have no idea where I lived.”
“Did you check your wallet?” Reba asked. “If you took a cab all the way home, you should be pretty low on cash.”
Encouraged by the suggestion, Eliza grabbed her wallet from her purse as she said, “I didn’t think to check my money.” A smile formed on her perfectly shaped lips as she inspected the scant contents of her wallet. “At least that explains how I got home.”
“Okay, so you got too hot and in your bartender induced stupor, took a cab home,” Reba began. “Now all we have to do is to figure out why you were naked and what happened to your clothes.”
Feeling a bit foolish, Eliza admitted, “I never checked my room for the clothes.”
“Seriously?” Reba said with angst.
“When I was younger, I used to sleepwalk,” Eliza continued. “Maybe I went home and then sleepwalked. I woke up in the same place that I used to wake up when I was younger, except that I was naked.”
“Well, when you were younger, you didn’t have asshole bartenders drugging you,” Reba growled.
“You have no idea how much better I feel,” Eliza said with relief.
“I was thinking of going back there tonight, but maybe we should give that place a wide berth,” her friend mused.
“Tell me about the guy I was dancing with,” Eliza enthusiastically said as she positioned herself on the opposite end of the sofa as if preparing to hear a good story. “It sucks that I don’t remember him. I could shoot that bartender.”
“We should report him,” Reba snipped.
“We have no proof,” Eliza warned. “Just tell me about the guy. Maybe my memory will come back.”
A hater of telemarketers, Eliza normally didn’t answer her cell phone if the number that was displayed was one that she didn’t recognize, but for reasons she couldn’t explain, she answered it this time.“What happened to you last night?” asked a seductive male voice.Reba had painted a hot and sexy picture of the man Eliza had danced with the night before. When she heard the voice over the phone that sounded as if it could easily pair with such a man, the excitement and anticipation that this just might be him caused her voice to go an octave or two higher than normal as she asked, “Who is this?”“Oliver. The guy from last night,” he said. “You gave me your phone number, remember?”Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and humbly replied, “I’m sorry. I don’t.”“What?” he said with surprise.“I don’t remember
Her nerves felt frazzled, and her legs threatened to fail her as she entered the familiar coffee shop. Her favorite barista, Scott, was working the counter. Seeing her, he flashed a smile and waved a greeting. Then, pointing to a sandy haired man sitting in the back of the room, he raised his brows and patted his chest. Eliza took this as a sign of approval from the only male she knew who was prone to compete with her for a man’s attention.Scott’s gayness didn’t bother her in the least. In fact, she enjoyed spending time with him even if it stayed within the walls of the coffee shop during slow hours.Doing her best to smooth her appearance without being obvious about it, she moved toward the man with the sandy colored hair and piercing eyes that seemed to pull her to him without her using the slightest bit of effort to move herself.Although she was considered a tall woman, he still managed to exceed her height by a go
Eliza took the dinner plate that Viviane had finished rinsing the soap off from her mother’s outstretched hand and rubbed it dry with a dish towel. More than once she’d suggested that they get with the times and install a dishwasher, but her mother’s response was always the same. Holding up her hands, she’d smile and say, “I have reliable dishwashers right here. I don’t need anything else.”“Where did you go today?” Viviane asked as she wiped at the excess water in the white porcelain sink with a dishcloth.Carefully placing the dinner plate on top of the others in the cupboard, Eliza thought about her answer. Should she admit that she met a stranger for coffee? Well, he wasn’t a complete stranger since she’d danced quite a bit with him the night before. The only problem was that this was something that she could barely remember.Since it wasn’t her habit of sharing g
It happened again!Eliza groaned with despair as she rolled onto her back and looked up into the early morning sky. Her nightmare was continued. She was naked in the field on the edge of the woods again. She’d gone to bed early without a drop of alcohol in her system, let alone any type of drug, yet the sledgehammer in her head was pounding even harder than the morning before. Like the first time, she couldn’t remember a thing on how or why she was in such a state.To add to her misery, along with the pounding inside her head, her leg burned and hurt like a sharp object had been dragged down it. A knife, perhaps?Struggling against the acute throbbing that radiated from her skull into the rest of her trembling body, she forced herself to sit up. Her vision was still a bit blurred, but it was clear enough for her to see dried and crusted blood that coated the singular, deep scratch down the outer side of her left calf. Th
After a quick shower to remove the grime on her flesh, Eliza decided that a long hot Epsom Salts bath was in order.She hadn’t completely emersed her body into the steaming water before she felt the relief it offered both physically and mentally. She’d taken headache medicine immediately upon entering the bathroom. Her shower had been just long enough to give it an opportunity to take effect. Now, with her body being enveloped by the comfort of heated healing liquid, she felt a sense of peace and tranquility for the first time since she’d woken up naked the morning before.Closing her eyes, she sank deep into the water while she allowed her mind to go blank. With any luck, not trying so hard to remember just might be the way to get the answers to what happened to make her wake up naked in the field two mornings in a row surface.As relaxation overtook her, she felt light enough to float. Her legs relaxed enough to actually rai
It was a miracle!Amazed and bewildered, Eliza inspected the leg that she’d wounded during the night. There was absolutely no sign of an injury. Cautiously putting her weight on it, she discovered no indication of a bruise beneath her kneecap. She had no idea that a hot Epsom salts bath could work such wonders, but there was no mistaking the fact that she was completely healed. There wasn’t even a scar from the jagged gash on her leg.She’d have spent a bit more time pondering such a miraculous recovery had she not been preoccupied with the idea of acting as a guide on the state lands for Oliver as he searched for his missing brother. She’d accepted his invitation without thinking about the fact that she’d been wounded. That came after the call ended. Her relief was acute when she discovered that she had no injuries whatsoever to concern herself with.Once again, she felt inclined to give a
Eliza sucked in air as her car pulled into the parking lot of the gas station she’d agreed to meet Oliver at. She couldn’t help equating his long, muscled figure as he leaned against the side of his late model, immaculate looking black GMC pickup truck in his faded denim jeans and form fitting black tee shirt to a male model she’d admired in one of her father’s farm magazines a few months back. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the name of the magazine or the exact looks of the model. She just remembered that he was sexy and pleasing to the eye. She was certain that if they came to Oliver and asked him to pose, those lean muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt would make a mighty find picture. Better than the model in the magazine.What she was oblivious to was the fact that Oliver was having a similar reaction to seeing her in her well-worn, form fitting khaki hiking pants and navy tee shirt that
Oliver’s mind struggled with what information he should and shouldn’t divulge while his eyes were mesmerized by the gentle sway of Eliza’s shapely hips as she led the way up the trail. He’d told her that he was searching for his brother, but he’d offered no reason as to why. Interestingly, she hadn’t asked.At first, he thought that the reason why she didn’t ask was because she had no interest in him. After spending time with her and feeling the electricity between them, he knew that wasn’t true. She was just one of those polite people who didn’t pry.If they found his brother near nightfall, it could prove dangerous for her. It was only right to inform her of this fact. The problem was that he had no idea how to tell this beautiful woman who had an immediate hold on him from the moment he set eyes on her that he couldn’t quite explain but knew he couldn’t give up that