what’s on your agenda for today?’ she asked, fully expecting him to draw a blank on that.
But the bright look coming over his face told her otherwise.
“Clothes. What I have on…that’s it. Hand-me-downs left behind at the hospital. And shoes.”
“Then we go shopping,” she said, smiling.
He chuckled. “I think I’m one of those men who hates shopping.”
“Amnesia doesn’t cut it with me, Mateo. You need clothes—we get you clothes. And I love to shop, so prepare yourself. I could turn this into an all-day outing.”
Mateo moaned. “My mother loves shopping and when I was young, I was forced to walk behind her, carrying her handbag. It was humiliating, especially to a little boy who was bullied and called a mama’s boy, but it worked out because I worked out and got strong, which scared away the bullies.” He smiled. “I wasn’t really a fighter, but nobody ever knew that.”
“Well, I won’t ask you to carry my handbag unless you really want to.”
Mateo moaned again. “Can’t we just do it online?”
“What? And miss the fun of it?” Lizzie took another sip of the coffee and arched her eyebrows in surprise. “This is really good. I’m glad you remembered, because you can make it every morning you’re here.”
“Actually, I didn’t remember the coffee. I remembered my mom and her love of everything papaya. This was just a lucky guess.”
“So, Dr. Mateo Sanchez, skilled general surgeon…”
“Former general surgeon.”
“I’ll get on to that later. Maybe ask Janis to sit down hard on Dr. Jenkins and come up with a better treatment plan for you. Anyway, surgeon, chef, devoted son…what else?
“Not much technology sense.”
“With the technology sense of a nene.”
“What’s a nene?” he asked.
“A goose.”
She didn’t know if a few memories really were slipping back or if these were things he’d simply kept to himself. Maybe to maintain some control? But she wasn’t a shrink and, whatever the case was, she wouldn’t ask.
“The official Hawaiian bird, actually.”
“Seriously, with all the pretty little colorful birds everywhere, Hawaii chose a goose?”
She turned and strolled out to the lanai, where one of those “colorful birds”—a beautiful yellow-green amakihi—was sipping nectar from one of the nectar stations her dad had built. He’d had such a way with the birds, and with flowers. It was all still there—the colors, the care he’d taken… It was the first thing she went to look at every single morning of her life.
“The goose is a worthy bird,” she said, stepping away from where the amakihi was feeding, so as not to disturb it. “They’ve been here half a million years, and they don’t damage their habitat, so they’ve earned their place.” She studied the muffin he was holding out for her. “I’m assuming papaya?”
“I was taught to take advantage of what you’re given and be grateful for it.”
“As long as you didn’t climb the tree to get it, I’m good. But if you did…”
Mateo chuckled. “It was on the ground. Trust me. I may not remember a lot of things, but I do remember that head injuries and climbing up papaya trees don’t mix. So, about my clothes…”
The headache wasn’t bad, but it was too early to feel this tired. All he wanted to do was sit out on the lanai and doze, even though he’d been the one to suggest clothes-shopping. Too much, too soon. Making the coffee hadn’t been bad, but baking the muffins had done him in.
He had to show her he was better, because if he didn’t she’d pack him off to a hospital somewhere. There was nothing in him that wanted to go. In fact, even though he’d worked in a hospital, being turned into a hospital patient filled him with a fear that, when he thought about it, nearly paralyzed him.
He wanted to know why, but the answer didn’t come to him when he tried to find that piece of himself. In fact, the more he visualized himself as a patient, the more he sweated and came close to an anxiety attack.
There were so many mysteries to his life still locked away that when he let it happen the frustration of it all led to a bad temper. But bad temper didn’t solve his problems. So why go there? Why not detour around that roadblock? Because perhaps, at the end of the road, something better might be waiting for him.
It made sense. Now all he had to do was convince his logical mind to follow through. And that was the tough part. Because the other part of his mind still wanted to kick and rebel.
But not so much since Lizzie.
“It’s not too far. If you’re up for a walk, it’s about a mile.”
She was dressed in a Hawaiian wrap-skirt, midi-length, yellow with a white floral print. Her shirt was a strappy white tank top that left a bit of her belly exposed. No bra. Hair tucked into a floppy straw hat with a few wild tendrils escaping, oversize sunglasses, and sandals.
Normally when she wasn’t on duty she slouched around in terry shorts and an oversize T-shirt—with a bra. Going out with Mateo, for some uncharted reason, she wanted to look better. Funny how looking better made her feel better. Today she was feeling great. Something that hadn’t happened very much recently.
“In fact, there are several shops, so you’ll have a choice of clothing.”
He stood, gave her an appreciative stare, and slipped into his sandals. “So what kind of clothing are we talking about?” he asked, as his gaze stopped on her exposed belly.
“Whatever you like. Do you remember the way you used to dress?”
She did like the three-day stubble on him, and hoped it wouldn’t go once he’d fixed himself up.
“I remember scrubs. A couple of suits… Don’t know if I used to hate them then, but the thought of wearing a suit now…” He faked a gigantic cringe. “Pretty sure I slept in the buff.”
“Too much information,” Lizzie said, fighting back a grin—and a vision of Mateo in the buff.
As a doctor, she’d seen a lot of him, but not all. As a woman, her fantasies went well beyond—and that was dangerous.
Mateo and her on the beach. On a blanket. Him rubbing sunscreen on her back, her shoulders, her thighs…
Definitely dangerous territory, since she hadn’t sorted out what kind of man, if any, she wanted in her future. “You’ve
