Crazy For You (37 page)

“We were,” Kirk said. “We are.”

“Tell her the truth, Kirk,” Jerry insisted.

“The truth?” Roxanne’s tone matched the puzzling
expression overtaking her face.

“The truth is,” Kirk said reluctantly. “I was in
love with you.”

“And did I love you back?” she asked, curious.

The reality of Roxanne’s amnesia set in, and Kirk
realized if she couldn’t remember Frank Garrett then she couldn’t
possibly be in love with him. Suddenly Kirk had hope.

“You and I shared something really special,” he
said, twisting reality to suit his needs. “Unfortunately, it was
overshadowed by the fact that your son belongs to Frank Garrett.”
Kirk had found a grand opportunity to make her believe she’d loved
him instead of Frank.

“Kirk!” Jason stomped on his plan. “Aside from the
fact that this whole thing is really none of your business, but
you’ve chosen to stick your nose in where it does not belong...you
will tell her the truth. The way it really happened.”

Kirk hesitated, striving to gain control over his
mounting resentment toward Jason Fischer. He sucked in a breath and
turned to Roxanne. “No,” he said with little enthusiasm. “You did
not love me. You tried, but you could never love anybody but
him.”

Jason blew out his frustration. Even though neither
he nor Jerry thought Frank was the best thing for Roxanne, the last
thing they needed or wanted was Kirk Bronson coming in and
misleading her into believing something that was totally untrue.
Roxanne was already confused enough.

“Kirk?” Roxanne said. “Would you come back down to
the beach with me?”

“Sure.” Kirk nodded. Because whether Jason or Jerry
liked it or not, he wasn’t about to give up hope that he could win
Roxanne over this time. The way he saw it, he had the advantage now
because she didn’t remember Frank Garrett.

Roxanne turned to Jason and Jerry. “I think that if
I can just maybe talk to Kirk,” she said hopefully. “Maybe he can
tell me something that might remind me of those lost years.”

“Well I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Jerry shrugged, but
he knew Roxanne was grasping at straws. After all this time, it
wasn’t likely that she’d ever recover her memory. Jerry had told
her as much many times. “I just don’t want you getting your hopes
up over something that’s not likely to happen. Remember? Recovery
after all this time only happens in the movies.”

Still, she went with Kirk back down to the
beach.

“What are we going to do now?” Jason asked after
they’d left.

“We’re going to tell her that her time has run out,”
Jerry said. “It had to happen sooner or later.”

“One thing’s for sure...if Frank goes to the
hospital and raises enough hell...he’s going to find out she’s not
there.”

“And when that happens….”

“We can give her until Sunday.” Jason made the
decision on the spur of the moment. “Come Monday, she’s going to
have to face them all…whether she likes it or not.”

“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we
practice to deceive,” Jerry quoted Sir Walter Scott.

“My friend—” Jason shook his head. “—We didn’t just
weave the web...we’re all caught up in it.”

“C
an I ask you a question?”
Roxanne asked Kirk, as they walked across the sand and back toward
her blanket.

“Sure,” Kirk said.

“Do you think I was crazy?” She couldn’t look at
him. “When you knew me back then?”

“Well,” he said hesitantly. “If I told you there was
nothing wrong with you back then...I’d be lying.”

“Tell me the truth…” she requested. “Did he dominate
my thoughts and my life? Even when we were apart?”

Kirk thought about what Roxanne had been like back
then. The way she never really knew where she was at times. The way
she always thought Frank was somewhere nearby, waiting to have
lunch with her or something. And when she was in touch with
reality, she was always worried that Frank was going to find her
and punish her.

“Not that I am an expert or anything,” Kirk finally
said. “But I suppose he did.”

“Do you have any idea why I did this to myself?”

“No.” He assumed she was talking about the rumored
attempted suicide. “You’re going to have to face them, sooner or
later.”

“I’m afraid to.”

“Why?”

“Because, I don’t know them,” she confessed. “And
considering what I’ve heard about this Frank Garrett, I don’t think
I want to know him either.” She paused with a heavy sigh. “And as
for my son…the thing is, I don’t remember ever wanting to be a
mother. Maybe he’s better off without me.”

“What about Candy?” Kirk asked. “You remember her.
Why don’t you want to see her?”

“Well aside from the fact that I’m thoroughly
ashamed of myself...I would love to see Candy. But if I see her,
then I’ll have to see the rest of them.”

“They’re worried about you,” Kirk said. “It’s not
right to let them think you’re still in a coma. And facing them
won’t be as bad as you think.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” She rolled her
eyes.

“You faced me.”

“That’s different.”

“Why?” he questioned her with a slight smile.
“Because you don’t owe me any explanations?”

“I know I should see them. But every time I think
about it, I get so scared.” A chill rushed over Roxanne. She
shivered.

“Well I guess you don’t have to see them if you
really don’t want to,” he said. “But just let them know you’re
okay.”

“If I promise to let them know I’m okay,” she said
in a bargaining way. “Would you promise to not lecture me about it
anymore? And give me at least a few days to prepare myself for
this?”

“Deal.”

Roxanne looked at Kirk, overwhelmed with feelings of
admiration. “You will stay with me, won’t you?”

“I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”

As confused as Roxanne was about those lost years,
she thought she saw something in Kirk. Something she’d never seen
before. All the while, losing sight of the fact that there must be
a reason why she’d never fell in love with him in the first
place.

Roxanne never considered for a second that Frank
Garrett might be that reason. He was no longer of importance to
her. After all, she couldn’t remember him.

J
ason and Jerry were at
their wit’s end trying to figure out how to tell Roxanne that her
time had run out because Frank was intent upon seeing her. As the
weekend passed, they realized Roxanne wasn’t the only one running
out of time. They too were in the same predicament. Whether they
looked forward to it or not, they had to tell her. But like a gift
from the heavens she brought up the subject first.

Finding Jason in his library, Roxanne paused in the
doorway. “Are you busy?”

“No.” He backed away from his desk. “Come on
in.”

“I wanted to talk to you about Candy…and the
others,” she added, feeling a little uncomfortable talking about
people she had no memory of.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about them, too.
I’m sorry but we’re going to have to tell them,” he said
reluctantly. “It seems your son has been having dreams about you.
He insists that you aren’t in the hospital. He claims you’re at the
beach.” He gave her time to let that sink in. “Frank is determined
to show him differently.”

An anxious feeling swept through Roxanne. “My son
has been dreaming that I’m at the beach?”

“Yes,” Jason answered.

“That’s very odd.”

“Frankie’s very attached to you,” Jason told her. “I
know how you feel right now…but you and Frankie have a very special
bond. And he misses you very much.”

Roxanne couldn’t remember the slightest thing about
Frankie, but still, she felt guilty for depriving him of his
mother. “I need to see him,” she finally said. “Hell, I’ll probably
spend the rest of my life never remembering a damned thing about
the last eight years,” she added compliantly. “But that doesn’t
change the fact that I do have a son out there, and I guess it’s
time for me to accept my grown-up responsibility.”

Jason blew his relief out in a sigh. “I’ll get us a
flight out tomorrow.”

“Hmm…I’m not so sure I like that idea.” She
grumbled. “I was thinking more along the lines of them coming
here?”

“If you’re more comfortable with that,” Jason said.
“I don’t mind.”

“I know I have to go back to my son.” She hesitated.
“But I’m not so sure I want to go back to the marriage.” The
thought chafed her like a bad sunburn.

“I’ll tell you something. Roxanne,” Jason’s tone
turned serious. “While it’s true that I’ve never been a big fan of
Frank Garrett’s…you need to consider the facts. During five years
of separation, you were never able to get over him. You didn’t move
forward because you couldn’t. You should give a lot of time to a
lot of thought before you make any decisions regarding your
marriage.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” But no matter what the
past had been, the truth of the matter was that now Roxanne had no
memories or recollections of Frank Garrett. Husband or not. At
present, she had no feelings toward him whatsoever, one way or
another.

N
either Jason nor Jerry
looked forward to facing Frank or Candy, but they’d started this
thing together and it was only fitting that they finish it that way
too. Patiently they stood at the door of Roxanne’s home, waiting
for Jameson to answer the bell.

Promptly, the butler opened the door and smiled
pleasantly when he saw them. After his short, formal greeting, he
moved aside letting them in.

Ever since Jason’s telephone call, Frank had been
pacing the living room. He had a terrible feeling that something
wasn’t quite right. Jason had said to get Candy and Rich over
because he and Jerry would be at the house within half an hour. The
possibilities of why they were being called together invaded
Frank’s comfort zone, threatening his well-being.

Jason and Jerry entered the living room. Neither of
them took seats. That made Frank nervous.

“Frank.” Jason spoke first. It was always a bad sign
when that fruitcake Jerry let anybody else do the talking. “Maybe
you should sit down.”

Frank stuck his finger in Jason’s face. “Don’t you
tell me she’s dead. Do you hear me?” Fear and doubt raged inside
Frank, but mostly fear. “Don’t you dare tell me that!”

“On the contrary,” Jerry said. “Roxanne is very much
alive. And she’s out of the coma.”

“She is?” Hope chased Frank’s fear away.

“Thank God.” For a brief moment, Candy closed her
eyes.

“But there is a problem,” Jerry said.

“How can there be a problem?” Frank said
dismissively. “She’s awake. She’s okay. That’s all that
matters.”

“Well she’s not really okay.” Reluctance lit Jerry’s
face.

“What do you mean she’s not okay?” Frank’s fear
threatened to turn around on his hope.

“Roxanne is suffering from a rare form of partial
amnesia,” Jerry explained. “She’s basically lost the last eight
years.”

“What?” Frank didn’t fully understand what that
meant.

“She doesn’t remember you, Frank.” Jerry sounded
happy to tell Frank that bit of news. “She doesn’t remember her
career. She doesn’t remember her son.” But he didn’t seem to like
delivering the last two pieces at all.

“What are you saying?” Candy asked nervously.

“The only familiar thing about the life Roxanne has
now… is you, Candy.” Jerry gave her a slight, remorseful nod. “But
she doesn’t remember you as you are now. Her memory of you is that
of a nineteen-year-old girl.”

“How can that be?” Candy didn’t hide her
confusion.

“Well I can only theorize,” Jerry turned to look at
Frank. “The last few months before she overdosed took such a toll
on her mental instability that she just wanted out.” He paused,
making no attempt to hide his condemnation of Frank. “When that
didn’t happen her brain took over. Seems it’s decided to wipe out
the memory and existence of what troubled her so.”

That much was true, and Frank knew it. She was so
disgusted with him, rather than coming back home to the same old
scene, she chose to block him out entirely. Unfortunately, that
also meant she’d blocked out Frankie. Silently, Frank ridiculed
himself for that.

“I’m going to see her.” Frank decided at that
precise instant. “I’ll tell her how much I love her and she’ll
remember. She’ll remember me and she’ll remember Frankie. And
everything’ll be fine.”

Frank spun around, but before he was two steps
toward the door Jason had grabbed his arm. “You’d better hear what
I have to say first.”

“Who cares what you have to say.” Frank gave a
dismissive shrug.

“You will,” Jason said. “Once you’ve heard it.”

“Make it quick will you. I’ve gotta get to
Roxie.”

“Roxanne has a problem with the fact that she tried
to kill herself,” Jason said. “She’s also having trouble with the
notion that she has a family she can’t remember. And why I don’t
know, but she’s convinced herself she’s incapable of being a good
mother.”

“Well I can understand that she’s scared, since she
can’t remember us,” Frank said. “But I’ll fix it. I’ll fix
everything.”

“Just like you fixed it when you married her?”
Jerry’s snide tone bit at Frank.

He paused to collect himself after that blow. While
the supposition was true, Frank didn’t deserve it as much as he
thought he did. Well this Frank didn’t. The Frank standing before
them right now was not the same man who plotted, planned, and acted
to drive Roxanne over the edge. The man standing before them now
wanted nothing more than to prove himself to his wife. He only
wanted to win her back. And he really had his work cut out for
him.

“Are you through?” Frank asked Jason, ignoring
Jerry.

“No, I’m not,” Jason said. “Roxanne is not in the
hospital. She’s at my beach house in Jamaica.”