Celia's Knight (California Love Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  Fifteen minutes later another vase of flowers arrived - red and yellow roses. They were her favorite, and as she guessed, they were from Martin. She opened the card and read the note, ‘Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery, Martin’.

  She held the card, feeling nothing but anger. She had an idea Martin was out with Randi and trying to look like a good boyfriend. She wanted to crumple the card but instead laid it on the table beside the bed with the card from her family.

  Around five, two nurses came in to help her with her shower. She’d been out of the bed, but this was the hardest. Not only was there pain but there was also the humiliation of needing help.

  It was difficult to wash her hair so it only got one washing. When she was about to step out of the shower, there was a tap on the door.

  “Do you need some help, dear?”

  “Yes, please.” Celia felt such relief at her mother’s voice. There was a small seat in the shower so she sat and let her mother give her hair a thorough washing. Twenty minutes later she was back in the bed while her mother blow-dried her hair.

  After the shower, Celia was exhausted and fell asleep. She woke up about an hour later ready to eat. She was weak and tired but it was heavenly to be clean. Looking at the clock, she could see it was close to seven. A glance around the room revealed two more vases of flowers.

  She raised her bed and was about to call for a nurse when the door opened. Someone held out a bag that was clearly marked, ‘Take Out’. “Yes, that looks wonderful.” From behind the bag Mike appeared. She hoped he couldn’t see the disappointment.

  “I suppose you were expecting Martin?” he asked.

  “Yes. He’s not been by today.”

  “He called about the time they were getting you into the shower.” Mike stepped closer to the bed and pulled the table into place. “I took your mother to your favorite restaurant and brought you something back.”

  Celia felt like a heel. Mike was taking her mother out to eat when it should have been Martin. It wasn’t his place and she wanted to complain but smiled instead. “I’m grateful and starving. Could you find me something to drink?”

  “Already done,” he said, holding up another bag.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. The food here is fair but not as good as anything from Tony’s. What’s in the bag?”

  “Breaded fries, a Tony Burger with the works but no onions and extra Special Sauce for the fries.”

  “Yummy. Could you set it all out for me? I feel weak as a kitten since the shower.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Celia watched Mike as he raised the bed into a full sitting position. They’d talked a lot over the last few weeks but she suddenly realized she really didn’t know anything about this man.

  Several times he had come over to help Martin work on his bike. He even had an old pair of coveralls that hung in Martin’s garage. They had ‘Mike’ embroidered on the pocket. She had seen him wear them more than once. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say what you do for a living.”

  “I’m mostly labeled as a mechanic.”

  “That fits. I’ve seen you working on Martin’s bike.”

  “Yes. I enjoy working with my hands and I’m pretty good with a hammer.”

  Celia nodded. She knew he was fishing to find out if her memory was working. She didn’t want to lie so she ignored him. “I’m starving. Do you want half of this or some fries? I’ll share.”

  “Thanks, but I had plenty. Your mother and I had the same thing.”

  “My mother had a burger?”

  “She didn’t eat all of it but she said it was good. Was it her first burger?”

  “I’d say it was her first Tony Burger but not her first burger. It’s just that she normally won’t eat with her fingers in public.”

  “I think I know someone else like that.”

  Celia glanced up and smiled. “Are you hinting I might be like my mother?”

  “I wasn’t hinting. Did I stutter?”

  This time she wanted to laugh but she knew it would hurt. “If you’re not going to join me, please sit down. Tell me the news of the day. I’m kind of lost without my phone.”

  Mike sat and as she knew he would, took out his phone and began to read her the headlines. He had a nice, deep voice and she enjoyed listening to him. Often, while he was working, they would discuss the events of the day.

  She listened to Mike as he read. A couple of times he made comments about things that she knew was a hint about the work they’d been doing.

  It was hard not to comment, but she couldn’t tell all just yet. She wasn’t finished with Martin but she also knew if she dragged this farce out much longer, she was going to hurt more people than just Martin.

  Mike had been nothing but kind to her and he didn’t need to get hit in the crossfire. She knew she should stop this lie and get on with her life, but she couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not until she had made Martin pay for hurting her.

  Chapter 14

  Little Secret

  Mike read the top news stories while Celia ate her meal. Now and then she would make a comment on something and a couple of times he played an interesting news clip he’d found. When she had eaten half of her large burger and several fries, she sighed and looked his way.

  “If you could bag this up I’d appreciate it.”

  “I can do that. Do you want me to save it or toss it in the trash?”

  “To be honest, I might want it later so just put it in the bag. I can buzz one of the nurses to get it out for me.”

  “Ok, consider it done.” Mike put her sandwich away and after he’d finished he began to feel out of place. He looked at his phone and started to put it away. “You look pretty tired. Would you like for me to go?”

  “No, not really. It’s been a long day and I’m tired but it would be great if you could just hang out. You can turn the TV on if you want.”

  “If you don’t mind, I would like to show you some pictures of a house I’m working on. It’s about finished and I’m kind of happy with the way it has turned out.”

  “I like pictures,” she said. When she looked his way, he placed the phone where she could see it and began swiping the pictures from image to image so she could see them.

  He tried not to read anything into her facial expressions, but after a few minutes, she rubbed her eyes. Mike thought she was getting tired. Celia asked for a tissue, and the next thing he knew, she was crying.

  Mike looked around quickly for a tissue and found one. He handed it to her. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “No,” she moaned. “Please don’t go. I’m so stupid. I’ve only made things worse.”

  “Please don’t cry.” Mike pushed his phone into his pocket feeling like a heel. He didn’t know what he’d done but he was pretty sure that he’d brought on the waterworks. “Can I get the doctor? Are you in pain?”

  “Yes. I’m in a great deal of pain. I’ve made a terrible mistake and I don’t know what to do.”

  “What is it?” Mike asked, as he reached her another tissue. She wiped her eyes, dabbed at her delicate nose and then met his gaze. She looked as if she was about to break out into another flood of tears.

  “It’s not worth putting yourself through all these tears, no matter what it is. Just relax.”

  “I can’t. I have to tell you. I’m afraid you’re going to be angry with me.”

  “I won’t be. I promise.” He was pretty sure what the problem was but he wanted to hear her say it. He didn’t want to bring up a topic that might hurt her worse. He still wasn’t totally sure that she really wasn’t suffering from memory loss.

  She took her time and looked down at the tissue before speaking. “You’ve been a great friend. I can never thank you enough for putting up with me but I need to tell you the truth.”

  When she said this, he knew that she hadn’t lost her memory. He could just feel it. He also didn’t want her to go on dragging this out. She had to be feeling terrible and the sooner he could
let her know he wasn’t angry, the quicker she could get over this.

  “I know what the doctors said about you, Celia, and I know what you did.”

  “You do? Does everyone know?” she asked, looking like she could burst into tears again at any moment. He shook his head ‘no’.

  “I think they suspect it, but, no. Your mother put on a pretty good show. She has everyone convinced that you lost your memory.”

  Celia let out a little laugh that turned into a sob. “I didn’t want her to do that. I was just so angry with Martin. I wanted to make him suffer. Now, I’m just going to look like a desperate woman and everyone will be laughing at me.”

  “No, they won’t. They don’t have to know.” Mike wasn’t sure what made him say that but Celia stopped crying and looked at him.

  “What are you saying? They’ll find out.”

  “Why? Maybe your memory could just come back. Maybe no one will ever have to know that you hadn’t really forgotten what was going on.”

  She dabbed at her eyes again, and as abruptly as the tears had started, they stopped. She gave this some thought then looked at Mike and murmuring softly said, “But you’ll know.”

  “So. It’ll be our little secret.”

  “But you’re best friends with Martin. Are you telling me that you won’t tell him?”

  “I don’t see any reason for him to find out. I’ll tell him that while we were talking I showed you some pictures of the house we’ve been remodeling and it all just came flooding back.”

  He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t sure she believed him, but slowly, a smile came upon her lips. “How do I know that I can trust you? You could go behind my back and the next thing I know it’s all over the papers. The headlines would read, ‘Martin Taylor’s Former Live-in Love’s Latest Ploy to Save a Dying Romance’.”

  “That does sound interesting. Do you think they’d pay me well for a story like that? I’m remodeling this house and I could use some money. My partner’s gotten lazy and is just laying around not doing much of anything to help these days.”

  Celia must have learned a few things by hanging around Mike for he could see it setting into her mind that he was telling the truth. She looked at him and smiled. “I’ll work twice as hard when I get out of here, but tell me, why are you doing this? What would make you turn on your friend?”

  “I’m not turning on anyone. Martin doesn’t need to know everything. I don’t mean to sound crude or hurtful, but to be very honest, he’ll just be glad that you have your memory back.”

  “Right. So he can get on with his life.”

  “I’m thinking that is what both of you need. I don’t mean to be rude, but I think it’s over and it would be good if you could move on, too. Revenge never tastes as sweet as you think it’s going to.”

  “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

  “Not like this, but I know that when something is over - and you know it’s really over - it’s best to move on and try to learn from your mistakes.”

  “The only mistake I made was trusting Martin.”

  Mike raised a brow and Celia gave him a dirty look. “Okay, maybe there was more than that.”

  “I’m not judging. I think we just need to look at our past with a clear perspective. That way, we can learn from our mistakes.”

  “I know. I’m just not ready to admit mine yet.”

  “That’s fine. You need time to recover from your injuries - injuries on the outside as well as injuries on the inside. If you want, you can let your memory return when your mother comes in to see you. It might be better that way. Fewer questions would be directed at me.”

  Celia nodded. “Thanks. I’ll do that. I appreciate it, I really do. I just wasn’t thinking clearly and wanted to see Martin hurting as much as I am.”

  Mike smiled and fought the urge to reach out and brush back a few strands of her hair that were out of place. He didn’t feel it was his place so he spoke, “Martin may never admit it but I don’t think he ever meant to hurt you. He made one mistake and then kept making another and another, and before he knew it, he didn’t know how to undo what he had done. That explanation probably won’t ever satisfy you, but I believe it is the truth.”

  Chapter 15

  Weekend Plans

  When Martin called Saturday around 10am to say he was on his way to the hospital, there wasn’t a lot Randi could say. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but she understood.

  “I didn’t make it yesterday. I had a meeting with Bill about a couple of movies and the upcoming awards.”

  “Will you be reading for either of the movies?”

  “I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. Would you like to take a look at the script?”

  “Sure. I’d love to. Is that legal?”

  “I’m not sure and I don’t care. I’d like to have your input.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” Randi knew that Martin was thinking that Celia had never cared but he didn’t say the words.

  “I’ll get you a copy and you can read it as you have time. It’s the one I’m most interested in. I won’t tell you what part I like, and we’ll see how well you can read me.”

  “I can read you better than you want to know.” Randi smiled as she walked out into the backyard with the pups. “When can we see each other? I’ll be free tomorrow, if you’re free.”

  “Sure, we can have breakfast, dinner or both. Sunday’s are pretty free.”

  “How about dinner? I’ll be working late tonight and then sleeping in Sunday morning.”

  “That sounds like fun.” Randi could hear the smile in Martin’s voice.

  “You’re not invited for that. For some reason if I think of you and the bed, rest is not what comes to mind.”

  Martin chuckled teasingly and said, “I like the way you think, and if you change your mind, I’m just a phone call away.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but for now, I have to do a few things and then head out and do some cleaning.”

  “Are you working for Pitt? I told you that man is off limits.”

  Randi laughed. “No. You haven’t hired a maid, have you? I told you that the next maid should be chosen by your mother or me.”

  “I don’t plan on needing a live-in maid for a long while, and if I get someone to clean anything, I’ll be out of the house while the cleaning is being done.”

  “Smart man. And speaking of women who I don’t want in your life, did you get the flowers for Celia?”

  “Yes. I’m sure she wasn’t happy that I didn’t drop by yesterday but she had Mike and her mother to keep her company.”

  “How’s she doing? Any changes?”

  “Not that I know of. I just passed a few words with one of the nurses and didn’t learn much. You can call me in a couple of hours and I’ll let you know if there is any change.”

  “I will. I’ll be cleaning a couple of offices today and there will be a skeleton crew. I should be able to take a break whenever I want. I’ll call and check in around two and you can tell me how she’s doing.”

  “That’s sweet of you. Maybe that has something to do with the reason I fell in love with you.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that. I’ll let you know if I do.”

  “I’m not tired of having you around either so if you decide you want to do breakfast in bed, let me know.”

  Randi laughed. “What’s got you in such a romantic mood? What kind of script are you reading, or should I dare ask about it?”

  “I’ll never tell. I’ll just let you read it for yourself. I’ve got to run. Text me later if you have time. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Martin. Behave yourself and don’t upset Celia. This will be over before you know it.”

  Randi hung up the phone hoping that her last statement would soon prove to be true. She dropped the phone onto the bed and dug her fingers into her hair. It was driving her nuts to be so kind and thoughtful towards C
elia when what she really wanted to do was go to the hospital and shake the woman until she admitted the truth.

  Did Celia really think she could win Martin back with some kind of ploy or had she really lost her memory? Only time would tell.

  After she showered, Randi went downstairs, and once again, borrowed the family car. Since her dad was only working a few days a week, there was no need for them to have the car all the time. Randi also knew the gas she was putting in the car was helping with the errands her mom and dad needed to run.

  If she kept working like she had for the last two days, she would also be able to pay her mother for dog sitting, if she would take it.

  Sometimes parents had trouble taking money from their kids. She knew her folks had some money in the bank but she was also aware that if they started dipping into it, there would be no easy way to replace it.

  Her dad was looking for a new occupation and if his current company laid him off, he would be able to draw unemployment for a while. That money would help, but it wouldn’t be something that would last forever.

  Randi hated to see her parents worrying about things like replacing the refrigerator or the car, but it was a part of life. Unless you were a famous movie star like Martin, there were a lot of monetary things to worry about.

  A sigh escaped as Randi glanced into her full-length mirror. What did the man see in her? She was just a working girl with not much to offer other than her heart.

  Her mind went back to her parents and their troubles. The only good thing that had come out of her dad’s financial troubles was the fact that her mother had quit complaining about her dating Martin.

  Randi wasn’t sure if her mother had realized that if she married Martin her future should be financially secure, or if her dad had convinced her mother to allow Randi to make her own decisions.

  Her dad had never been the kind of person to comment on the men in or life, but he could be seeing things a bit differently now. After all, what parent wouldn’t want to wake up one day and find out their daughter was dating a famous, rich movie star?