The Chase, Volume 4 by Jessica Wood Page B

Ms. Peters is here to see Ms. Stuart.”
    “Thanks, Jim. Please let her in.” Connor turned to me. “Anna’s here. Do you want me to keep you company or do you want to catch up with her by yourself?”
    “I’d like to get to know her by myself if that’s okay.”
    “Of course. I have a lot of work to catch up on. So I’ll be on my laptop in the dining room. If you need anything, just let me know.” Connor walked over and kissed me gently on the cheeks.
    “Sure. Thank you.” I smiled at him.
    Seconds later, a redhead in a bright yellow sundress walked into the kitchen.
    “Oh my gosh, Liv! It’s so good to see you awake! How are you feeling?” The bubbly redhead ran toward me with her arms outstretched to hug me.
    “Hi.” I gave her an uncomfortable smile.
    She didn’t seem to notice my unease as she flung her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Babe, I was so worried.”
    When she finally pulled away and I saw tears developing in her eyes. “I…” I wasn’t sure what to stay to this girl that I didn’t recognize.
    “Oh my God, sorry! How could I be such an airhead?” She made a face and lowered her voice. “Connor told me that you don’t remember anything yet.” She outstretched her hand. “I’m Anna, your best friend.” She beamed at me with pride as if she had just told me she was an Olympic gold medalist.
    I smiled at her, knowing that there was something about her carefree and happy personality that made me instantly feel at ease with her. I shook her hand, immediately realizing how awkward this might be for her to be shaking hands with her best friend in such a formal way.
    “So how are you feeling?” She wrapped her arms around my arm as she walked us toward the living room.
    “It’s been okay. I’m still trying to adjust.”
    She shook her head and looked at me like I was a wounded puppy. “How’s Connor been treating you?” She looked over at Conner who looked up from his laptop at the mention of his name. “He better not be acting like a jerk or he’ll have to answer to me.” She made her comments intentionally loud enough for Connor to hear.
    “Hey, this isn’t fair. You’ve been here for how many minutes and it’s already turning into a Connor Roast?”
    Anna snorted and rolled her eyes. “If you’ve been treating my girl right, then there won’t be a Connor Roast.”
    He laughed. “Okay. Touché. Well I’ll let you girls catch up. I need to head into the office to grab some documents.” He closed his laptop and packed it into his briefcase. He walked over to us and leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “You okay here with Anna? I’ll be back in a few hours.”
    I smiled up at him and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
    “Don’t worry, Mr. Brady. I’ll take care of your wonderful fiancée. I promise not to feed her too many negative stories about you.”
    He laughed and shook his head. “Have a fun time, ladies.” Our eyes met and his expression softened. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
    I nodded.
    After we heard the front door close behind Connor, I turned to Anna. “Does Connor not treat me well?”
    She laughed. “Girl, I was joking around. Connor treats you like a princess.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, of course!” She then frowned. “Why? Has he not been treating you well?”
    “No, no, no. He has. That’s not what I meant. I think I just took your joking earlier seriously.” I let out a sigh. “Sorry, I’m still trying to figure things out.”
    “I totally understand, Liv. I just can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
    “I…” I paused. It seemed weird to be talking to this girl who knew me so well but I had no memory of. “Can I ask you something, Anna?”
    “Of course, sweetie. Fire away.”
    “Can you tell me about my relationship with Connor?”
    “Sure.” She scrunched her face together as she thought about where to start. “What would you like to know?” she finally asked.
    “Well…” There had been