Chapter Four
The next morning Shane was up extra early, not having been able to sleep the night before. His fist was a poor substitute for Ginger, and knowing that she was only a few yards away had only added to his frustration.
Peeraya greeted him and offered him coffee. He nodded his thanks—she made some of the best brews he’d ever had—before his mind returned to the problem at hand.
Ginger had acted like the situation in South Africa had done something irrevocable to her. He could see how a person would be devastated at being treated that way by their fiancé. But it seemed out of character for her to claim that it had broken her heart so badly that she couldn’t even have sex with him. He’d seen how she’d challenged him to find her a room if he wanted her gone. Besides, they were engaged, for god’s sake!
By the time he was almost finished with his omelet and croissants, Ginger had made her way to the dining room. She was barefoot in an ocean blue sundress that reached right above her knees. Despite some makeup, there were dark circles under her eyes. Why was she making both of them suffer, when she could’ve ended it by giving in? He didn’t get that at all.
“Sawadee-ka,” Peeraya said to Ginger and poured her some coffee. Ginger murmured her thanks and sat on the edge of a seat across from him. Her knuckles were white as she brought the coffee cup to her lips.
“Relax. I don’t pounce until I’ve had at least two coffees,” Shane said dryly.
She choked and sputtered. He went over and patted her between the shoulder blades. She pulled back. “You could’ve said that before I had a mouthful of coffee.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he said, smiling.
Suddenly she laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.” The tension was gone from her shoulders and neck.
He tilted his head. “Where’s the ring?”
“What ring?”
“The engagement ring. I’m sure I gave you one.” He doubted he’d proposed without one, given how much money he had. It had to have been something memorable.
The tension came back. “I gave it back to you.”
“You did? When?”
“I left it at your penthouse after I got back from Johannesburg.”
“What the hell? You unilaterally ended our engagement?”
She nodded like it was the most obvious thing to do in the world, but her throat worked as she swallowed.
“You can’t do that,” he said.
“Uh, I think I can. And any woman would, if she’d gone through what I went through,” she said, lifting her chin.
“Are you lumping yourself in with all the other women out there?”
A slight smile curved her lips, but it wasn’t friendly. “Nice try. But you aren’t going to put me on the defensive.”
“I’m not putting you on anything. Just pointing out that it’s unfair to hold something I did after I lost my memory against me.”
She shook her head. “There’s more to it.”
“Did we fight a lot? Is that why I left?”
“No.” She tucked a wayward tendril behind her ear. The solitaire diamond on the lobe sparkled. “We rarely fought. As a matter of fact, we got along very well.”
He slowly made his way back around the table, thinking, women. “Then what’s the problem?”
“Do you have any idea what it did to me when you left the way you did? I thought the place had gotten robbed or something. There was stuff strewn everywhere.”
He cringed. “Maybe I’m messy.” He always had people picking up after him, and maybe Ginger was a neat freak.
“No. It was beyond messy. You were in a hurry to go. I had no idea why…and I still don’t know.” She took a sip of water. “And when you ignored my emails, texts and calls, I thought maybe something had happened to you…except your family was so blasé I figured that couldn’t be right. Then I learned your brother Mark knew where you were. You were in touch with him…but not me. Not your fiancée. And then there’s the hotel.” She dragged in a shuddering breath. “Do you know what it was like to see you with that woman?”