Page 58 of Last Summer

Nathan’s grinning as Ella eases down her window.

“Morning,” he says.

She eyes the trailer. “You aren’t serious.”

“I’m one hundred percent serious when it comes to snowmobiling.”

He wears gray snow pants and sturdy boots. He claps his hands together, his body visibly vibrating with excitement.

“Normal people start their days with caffeine,” she complains. Nathan starts his with adrenaline. So much for her conclusion that he’s living a risk-free life.

“Go park. We’re packed and ready to roll.”

She narrows her gaze. “You promised me an interview today, Donovan.”

“You’ll get your answers, Skye.”

“About us, too,” she presses, the memory-dream lurking in her mind. “I want to know everything.”

He drags his knit cap off his head and, ruffling his hair, glances at his boots.

“Sure, yeah, you’ll get those, too,” he says, looking straight at her, and Ella inhales sharply as realization hits her. She now knows why Damien didn’t want her to come and why Nathan acted so familiar with her when she arrived. Nathan’s expression says it all. That dream she had this morning? It wasn’t a dream. It was a memory. She and Nathan were involved.

Damn you, Damien, for not telling me.

She should turn around right now, call Rebecca from the road. Insist that she reassign the interview to Jordan or cancel altogether. To hell with her job. Her marriage is more important.

But Nathan...She wants to know what happened last summer and what it has to do with her memory loss. The two must be connected. She also wants to know why Nathan hasn’t just come out and told her. He’s as aggravating as Damien, keeping things from her.

She has no choice but to see this through.

Ella eases up the window and parks her car. When she gets out, Fred and Bing bark and howl from inside the house. They paw the front window.

“You aren’t bringing the dogs?”

“Not this trip.” He opens the passenger door and pats the leather seat. “Hop up.”

She heaves herself into the cab with a grunt.

Nathan touches her arm. “How’re you feeling today?”

“A little sore, but I’ll be fine.”

Concern etches deep grooves in his brow. “Sorry if I pushed you too hard.”

“You didn’t. I’m in shape, just not used to the elevation, I guess. You live in a beautiful area.”

He lifts his head. A slight smile plays on his lips. “Thanks. I love it up here.”

Ella breathes in and smiles. “I forgot how much I love the smell of pine. It reminds me of Christmas when I was a little girl. My aunt Kathy would take Andrew and me to the tree farms in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She was old and we were young, and we’d have to ask some other family’s dad to cut our tree and put it in the back of her car. When she got too sick to even decorate the tree, Andrew and I would walk to the corner tree lot and carry one back home. Aunt Kathy would sit in her chair and tell us exactly where she wanted us to hang the ornaments. I don’t think I’ve been to a tree farm since I was eleven.” She frowns, looking down at her hands folded over the leather gloves in her lap. She smiles slightly on an abbreviated exhale and shakes her head, bemused. “I have no idea why I just told you that.”

“It’s a good memory.”

“It is.” Her smile broadens. “I love the mountains, but I’ll let you in on a secret.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I’m not a fan of the cold. I make up excuses to get out of the city during fog season.”

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