All for This
Page 34
“Oh.” Nate’s sister. And a famous actress—thus the recognition. “Nice to meet you.”
The bell over the door rings as Sam and Liz come in, their arms full of collapsed boxes.
“I stole Sam so he could help me with these,” Liz says from behind him. “I promise I’ll get him back in time to open the club.”
Sam stops in his tracks two steps in the door, and Liz runs right into his back. “Ho. Lee. Shit,” Sam manages.
“Walk much?” Liz says, skirting around him. “Geez.” She turns to Janelle. “Have you been helped?”
“Yeah. This guy here is helping me. I’m so rude.” She shakes her head and gives me an apologetic smile. “What was your name?”
I fold my arms and watch her as I say, “Max Hallowell.”
Her brows shoot up and her jaw unhinges. Suddenly she looks just like her character from Roommates. “Oooh,” she whispers. “Holy crap. And you’re here. Are you…? Did Hanna…? Oh, shit. Wow. Well, who can blame her for ditching my dorky-ass brother? You are a f**king fox. Look at those shoulders. Damn. How much can you bench-press?”
I don’t answer or correct her. I’m not sure what she knows or when she last talked to Hanna. Sam’s still gawking, and Lizzy is scowling.
“Who are you?” Liz asks Janelle.
“Elle,” she says, offering Liz her hand. “Nate’s sister, Hanna’s friend. You’re Lizzy, aren’t you? I’ve heard so much about you.”
Lizzy’s eyes go wide and she stares at the woman’s hand. “Janelle Crane,” she says, putting it together. “Janelle Crane knows who I am.”
“Janelle f**king Crane,” Sam mutters. “Holy hell. You’re even more gorgeous in person, which, for the record, I wouldn’t have thought was possible. Damn.”
Lizzy elbows Sam in the side—hard, judging from the way he doubles over—then drops the boxes and takes Elle’s hand. “Have you talked to Hanna since the accident?”
Elle shakes her head. “No, but Nate told me briefly about it when he came to see me in India. Does she remember me?”
“I don’t know. Probably. She has most of her memory back.”
Sam gathers Lizzy’s boxes with hers and stacks them in the corner. “What are all these for, anyway?”
“Hanna’s moving,” Liz says. Then she shoots me a look and winces—no doubt my surprise is all over my face. “And she probably wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“Where’s she moving?” I ask. “Someplace without stairs, I hope.”
“No kidding,” Liz mutters. “There are stairs, but she won’t need to use them. I’ll let her fill you in on the details.”
“Is she in the back?” Janelle asks. “I have to talk to her.” Without waiting for an answer or, you know, permission, she pushes through the swinging kitchen door.
Liz and I exchange a worried look before I follow Janelle.
The sounds of squealing women greet my ears as I come through the door. Nate’s nowhere to be seen, and the women are hugging like old friends. I’m reminded of those months of Hanna’s life that I missed. While we were only pretending to be a couple, she was forming new friendships, falling in love with another man…and getting pregnant.
“I am so glad to see you,” Janelle says. “And you remember me, so obviously the important parts of your memory are back.”
Hanna shrugs. “Most of it, but there are still missing pieces.”
“Do you know what caused the accident?”
Hanna shakes her head. “Nix said I probably never will remember that day, unfortunately. What are you doing here? How long are you staying?”
“I had to come see the bakery I’ve heard so much about—and see my idiot brother—but I came here first. Did the lawyers contact you with the news yet?”
“What news?”
“I’m going to buy out your silent partner. Well, assuming he takes my offer, but it was way generous, so I’m sure he will.”
Hanna’s eyes connect with mine over Janelle’s shoulder. The offer didn’t come from Nate. It came from Nate’s sister, a sister who thinks Hanna dumped Nate for me.
“Actually,” Hanna says, “Max is the silent partner.” She nods toward me, and Janelle spins around, her eyes wide.
“Oh. My. God. How romantic is that? Did you know that when you decided to marry him? And I owe you an apology! You know when I called and asked you to go check on Nate, I had no idea about the accident and that you had freaking amnesia. Nate was more interested in tequila than filling me in on the pertinent details, but he told me when he came to the retreat in India.” She shakes her head. “And I’m sorry I had to ask you to do that. Considering the decisions you’d just made, you were probably a terrible person to ask, but I couldn’t think of anyone else he’d listen to.”
Hanna smiles, but it’s forced. “Do you know about my decisions, then?”
“Nothing was official, but you were pretty determined about your choice.”
Hanna’s eyes flick to mine and then back to Janelle. “My choice to marry Max?”
“Of course. Where’s your ring, anyway? Did you set a date yet?” She flashes me a grin over her shoulder then lowers her voice. “He’s so gorgeous, I can’t even. And is that why you’re moving? Are you going to live together?”
The bell over the door rings as Sam and Liz come in, their arms full of collapsed boxes.
“I stole Sam so he could help me with these,” Liz says from behind him. “I promise I’ll get him back in time to open the club.”
Sam stops in his tracks two steps in the door, and Liz runs right into his back. “Ho. Lee. Shit,” Sam manages.
“Walk much?” Liz says, skirting around him. “Geez.” She turns to Janelle. “Have you been helped?”
“Yeah. This guy here is helping me. I’m so rude.” She shakes her head and gives me an apologetic smile. “What was your name?”
I fold my arms and watch her as I say, “Max Hallowell.”
Her brows shoot up and her jaw unhinges. Suddenly she looks just like her character from Roommates. “Oooh,” she whispers. “Holy crap. And you’re here. Are you…? Did Hanna…? Oh, shit. Wow. Well, who can blame her for ditching my dorky-ass brother? You are a f**king fox. Look at those shoulders. Damn. How much can you bench-press?”
I don’t answer or correct her. I’m not sure what she knows or when she last talked to Hanna. Sam’s still gawking, and Lizzy is scowling.
“Who are you?” Liz asks Janelle.
“Elle,” she says, offering Liz her hand. “Nate’s sister, Hanna’s friend. You’re Lizzy, aren’t you? I’ve heard so much about you.”
Lizzy’s eyes go wide and she stares at the woman’s hand. “Janelle Crane,” she says, putting it together. “Janelle Crane knows who I am.”
“Janelle f**king Crane,” Sam mutters. “Holy hell. You’re even more gorgeous in person, which, for the record, I wouldn’t have thought was possible. Damn.”
Lizzy elbows Sam in the side—hard, judging from the way he doubles over—then drops the boxes and takes Elle’s hand. “Have you talked to Hanna since the accident?”
Elle shakes her head. “No, but Nate told me briefly about it when he came to see me in India. Does she remember me?”
“I don’t know. Probably. She has most of her memory back.”
Sam gathers Lizzy’s boxes with hers and stacks them in the corner. “What are all these for, anyway?”
“Hanna’s moving,” Liz says. Then she shoots me a look and winces—no doubt my surprise is all over my face. “And she probably wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“Where’s she moving?” I ask. “Someplace without stairs, I hope.”
“No kidding,” Liz mutters. “There are stairs, but she won’t need to use them. I’ll let her fill you in on the details.”
“Is she in the back?” Janelle asks. “I have to talk to her.” Without waiting for an answer or, you know, permission, she pushes through the swinging kitchen door.
Liz and I exchange a worried look before I follow Janelle.
The sounds of squealing women greet my ears as I come through the door. Nate’s nowhere to be seen, and the women are hugging like old friends. I’m reminded of those months of Hanna’s life that I missed. While we were only pretending to be a couple, she was forming new friendships, falling in love with another man…and getting pregnant.
“I am so glad to see you,” Janelle says. “And you remember me, so obviously the important parts of your memory are back.”
Hanna shrugs. “Most of it, but there are still missing pieces.”
“Do you know what caused the accident?”
Hanna shakes her head. “Nix said I probably never will remember that day, unfortunately. What are you doing here? How long are you staying?”
“I had to come see the bakery I’ve heard so much about—and see my idiot brother—but I came here first. Did the lawyers contact you with the news yet?”
“What news?”
“I’m going to buy out your silent partner. Well, assuming he takes my offer, but it was way generous, so I’m sure he will.”
Hanna’s eyes connect with mine over Janelle’s shoulder. The offer didn’t come from Nate. It came from Nate’s sister, a sister who thinks Hanna dumped Nate for me.
“Actually,” Hanna says, “Max is the silent partner.” She nods toward me, and Janelle spins around, her eyes wide.
“Oh. My. God. How romantic is that? Did you know that when you decided to marry him? And I owe you an apology! You know when I called and asked you to go check on Nate, I had no idea about the accident and that you had freaking amnesia. Nate was more interested in tequila than filling me in on the pertinent details, but he told me when he came to the retreat in India.” She shakes her head. “And I’m sorry I had to ask you to do that. Considering the decisions you’d just made, you were probably a terrible person to ask, but I couldn’t think of anyone else he’d listen to.”
Hanna smiles, but it’s forced. “Do you know about my decisions, then?”
“Nothing was official, but you were pretty determined about your choice.”
Hanna’s eyes flick to mine and then back to Janelle. “My choice to marry Max?”
“Of course. Where’s your ring, anyway? Did you set a date yet?” She flashes me a grin over her shoulder then lowers her voice. “He’s so gorgeous, I can’t even. And is that why you’re moving? Are you going to live together?”
