Page 4 of True North

“So, you’re engaged then?” he barked out his question, causing her to jump.

“No.” She shook her head and groaned from the pain it caused. “I was considering his proposal, but I hadn’t accepted it. My father called me in the morning to tell me he wanted me to accept Zac’s generous offer. We fought and I said some nasty things to my dad. I hung up and that was the last thing I remember before waking up here today.” Nico paced in front of her, and her world started to spin a little faster.

“Can you please sit down? You are making me feel a little dizzy,” she admitted. Nico crossed the room to sit back down on the bed next to her. “Thanks,” she whispered, laying her head back on the pillow. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so awful. That thought made her want to laugh because she couldn’t remember anything from the past year.

“How about I do a little research and try to find your father and this Zachary Bierman?” Nico asked. She felt awkward taking him up on his offer, but she had no choice. “What is your father’s name?” he questioned.

“James Bernston,” she whispered. Toni was feeling more exhausted by the second.

“As in the land developer, James Bernston?” Nico asked.

“Yes, why?” Toni questioned.

“Fuck,” Nico swore. “He was just on the news, baby. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but your father died a few weeks back.” Toni felt a panic wash over her and she tried to sit up, but Nico’s big body was beside her, pushing her back onto the bed.

“He’s—” Toni’s voice cracked, and she couldn’t make the words come out. How could her father be gone? She had just talked to him on the phone, but that was just her mind playing tricks on her. If Nico was correct, she hadn’t spoken to her father for over a year and the thought of never being able to talk to him again made her feel hollow inside.

Nico pulled her into his arms, and she didn’t try to hide her sobs as he soothed her. He held her and let her cry, whispering how much he loved her and how sorry he was. “How can he be gone? Did they say how it happened? Maybe you heard wrong,” she asked. Nico shook his head, and Toni could tell he was certain.

“I’m so sorry, honey. I make it my business to know all the major land developers on this island. When a man as important as James Bernston dies—well, let’s just say that’s something I wouldn’t get wrong.” Nico pulled her against his body and settled next to her, stretching out on the bed. She knew she should protest, but she didn’t. She needed his comfort, even if he was a stranger to her. Pushing him away right now wasn’t something she felt strong enough to do.

“Relax, baby. I just want to hold you while you sleep. You need to rest and then we’ll figure everything else out later,” he promised. Toni wanted to believe Nico, but a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if everything he told her was true. She had no reason to doubt him, but he was a stranger to her and that set off all her alarms. Toni needed to find out what happened to her father, and she worried she had no choice but to put her faith in a man who claimed to know her, a man who said that he loved her, a man she couldn’t remember. But what choice did she have?

Nico

Nico held Toni throughout the night and loved that she didn’t try to push him away. He felt like shit, being the one to have to tell her about her father’s death. And the way he just blurted it out had him feeling even worse. He really could have handled it better.

He woke her every hour, or so, to make sure she was all right, and by dawn he was awake and restless. He wanted to do a little research as to how James Bernston died, so he would be better prepared for Toni’s onslaught of questions. One thing about his girl that amnesia wouldn’t change was that she liked to be well-informed, to the point of being downright nosey. That was one of the reasons he had to hide her engagement ring, she was always going through his things, looking for the little surprises he liked to get for her. Toni loved that he spoiled her and if she was correct, and her name really was Toni Bernston, then she was used to being spoiled.

Her father was one of the wealthiest men on the East Coast. He had funded many of the island’s real estate deals, making him a millionaire many times over. He was also one of Nico’s loudest critics when it came to erosion control and saving the Isle of Palms. James saw Nico’s research as a threat, and he often used his money and clout to persuade the local media to bash the research Nico’s team was doing on the island. His team was working to prove developers like James Bernston were stripping away the island’s natural barriers and leaving the land defenseless every time a strong storm or God forbid, a hurricane blew through. But people like Bernston didn’t care about saving the land or the beaches, they were only worried about their bottom line. Sooner or later, the whole island would be at the bottom of the ocean, taking all of Bernston’s pretty buildings with it. And why would he care? James Bernston would already be gone, moved on to the next project, with his pockets full and damage already done.

Nico carefully unwrapped himself from Toni’s warm body, reluctant to leave her. He knew she’d want answers as soon as she woke up, and he wanted to be prepared. He quietly crept down to his office to find Heather sitting behind his desk again. The woman honestly never left work and that was one of his favorite things about her. Well, that and her devotion to their research. She was always ready to try something new if it meant they might find the answers they were looking for or a new way of doing things. Nico would never tell Heather he thought she was brilliant, hell, she was probably the smartest person on his team but knowing that would give her an inflated ego and that was the last thing he needed.

“Hey boss,” she whispered. “How is Jenn?”

“Toni,” he reminded her.

Heather snapped her fingers. “Right, Toni. That’s going to take some getting used to. How is she doing today?” Nico sighed, not knowing how to answer Heather’s question.

“She’s doing all right. No memory of me still, but something happened last night.” Nico crossed his office and found a t-shirt he discarded a few days earlier and slipped it over his head. Even though he lived at the beach, he still felt the need to require a certain dress code around the lab and office.

“Here, drink this. You look like shit,” Heather said, handing him a mug of black coffee.

“Thanks,” he barked, taking the mug.

“So, what exactly happened with Toni last night?” Heather asked. Nico took a sip of his hot coffee and set the mug on his desk.

“Two things. First, when I was waking her, she said my name. But when she woke completely up, she admitted she didn’t remember me. If she’s remembering me in her dreams, maybe she’ll regain some of her memories of this past year,” Nico whispered.

“That’s amazing, boss,” Heather gushed. “I knew she wouldn’t be able to forget you. What was the second thing?”

“Her father’s dead,” Nico said. Heather gasped and he realized he really needed to work on his delivery. Blurting out facts worked for science, but everyday life needed a gentler approach. “Sorry, that wasn’t such a great way to share the news.” Nico grimaced. “Her father is James Bernston, the wealthy land developer who went all over social media bad-mouthing our research.” Heather gasped again and he was starting to think maybe he wasn’t ever going to get the hang of delivering news.

“He’s dead?” Heather asked.

“Yep. I didn’t realize that he was Toni’s father until she asked me if I could help her find him. I reluctantly agreed and asked her dad’s name and that’s when it hit me. I saw something about his death on the news a few weeks ago.” Nico turned on his computer, ready to get some answers.

“How did Toni take the news?” Heather questioned.

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