Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)

14.3|| The Memory of Tom

Angie was a complete moron. On the spot, she'd thought that telling him he had a girlfriend was brilliant. That way, she'd effectively killed any chance Geaneyi might have ever had to woo him. But she'd also planted a ghost between her and Tom, and she'd only become aware of that when she'd seen him tense, seen the conflict in his eyes. He was still drawn to her, and she'd just built a big fat wall between them.

But telling him the truth now felt like an even worse idea. Tom hated lies and he'd just started trusting her a little. So the only solution she could see was to jumpstart his memory. If he remembered everything, all of this would go away.

So, the next morning, she woke up confidently, a plan already formed in her mind. They first went to the hospital to see if Billy had made any improvements. The swelling was receding every day and the doctor was confident that they'd be able to take him off the meds very soon.

Angie was ecstatic. So much that she didn't even mind when Tom stayed behind to talk to Geaneyi. She had work to do anyway. For the next couple of hours, she searched the streets for the items she needed to put her plan in motion and finally met Tom in a park near the motel. Park was a generous word since it was more a patch of grass, a few benches and some trees, but at that point, she'd take whatever she could get.

Tom showed up just as she'd finished stuffing batteries into an old boom box. She could hardly believe it, but she'd actually managed to procure a song on tape that wasn't from two decades ago. All it took was some internet, an old microphone and someone with a tape recorder. She found everything she needed startlingly quick. She also found a skateboard for a knockout price and got that, too.

Tom glanced from her, to the boom box, to the skateboard, one eyebrow raised in question. "What's all this?"

"I'm going to try and kick-start your memory."

"And how would ancient memorabilia help?" he asked warily.

She put one foot on the skateboard and pushed it towards him. "Get on. I'm sure you still know how to ride it like a maniac."

Tom looked at her skeptically but placed one foot on the board. He used the other to push himself forward. He didn't look as secure as he used to, but since he hadn't fallen yet, she had hope. And indeed, the more he moved, the more he seemed to gain confidence. He bent his knees and pushed harder, gaining speed. Angie watched him zooming away, crisscrossing between the trees, turning abruptly. When he finally made his way back to her, there was a huge grin on his face.

"That was awesome. I actually missed it, even if I didn't know I could do it. What else could I do?"

His enthusiasm brought a smile to her face. "You could walk on your hands."

"Really?" He jumped off the skateboard and glanced at the pavement as if it were a dangerous monster ready to devour him.

It took a few moments before he finally shrugged and lowered himself on his hands. Once he pushed his legs up, he overbalanced and fell over. He let out a strangled yelp as he hit the ground. Angie sucked air through her teeth, but fought the impulse to rush over and fawn over him.

"You okay?" she asked instead.

"Yeah. I got a little scared and put too much force into it."

"Maybe you should try on the grass," she mumbled, but Tom was already balancing on his hands.

His body swayed, but the fact that he wasn't falling yet gave him enough confidence to experiment with the position of his legs. When he finally found a safe spot, he took a few hesitant steps. He stayed upright.

"There you go!" she said with a laugh.

It was amazing how happy this little bit of the old Tom made her feel. What was even more amazing was how happy he looked while clumsily walking around.