Page 38 of Enemies to French Kisses
“Iambeing respectful,” Jess cocks her head. “He’s hot. Oh,hello,number two. Who are you?” She walks to Vincent who is as close to cowering in the corner as possible. He’s not used to seeing so many of my type in one place.
He gives a tight wave from the corner. “Hello. Vincent. Laura’s colleague. I’m a bioinformatician with a specialty in critical organ function sensors.”
That shuts everyone up.
A man’s weak voice from behind us breaks the silence.
“Laura?”
I rush to Marc’s bedside. “Hi there. Do you need me to get the doctor? Are you in pain?”
“I…” His eyes are foggy and his lips are dry. “What happened?”
“You fell. Down the steps at Sacre Coeur.”
“I did? Huh. Who are all these people? Why don’t I recognize them?”
“Because you don’t know them.”
He lets out a long exhale. “Thank goodness.”
He seems more himself, his eyes clearing, and short-term memory loss must be normal. Any chance he’s forgotten my monumental telling-off in front of Sacre Coeur? Because I wouldn’t mind one bit if that was lost in the fog. He’s so weak now, and my words were sharp enough to cut. I remember the boys on the football team often couldn’t remember how they got a concussion, the last few minutes of the game just before a big hit being lost in a brain jungle. With any luck, that’s the only thing he’s lost.
“That’s our cue,” Natalie gives me a hug. “We’ll take off, keep us posted.”
“That’s best,” I say to them. “It looks like he’s coming out of it.” And not a moment too soon. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend to be his wife. Then again, the police are still milling in the hallway.
This feels like a moral rock and a hard place.
“Vincent,” Marc smiles, “you made it. Ready for new modelling?”
“I think you need some rest first. I’ll catch you next week. Sleep will do you good.” Vincent nods to me. “No more accidents, please.”
“Wise words.”
It’s just me and Marc now.
“My head aches.” He lifts his hand to find the IV and pulse reader attached to it. “Wow, it must have been bad.”
“It could have been worse. You know the police are still around…” just in case this was an act he put on for them, is it too much to ask that he keep it up until he’s released from the hospital?
“Send them away, then.”
I laugh. “I’m not sure it’s that easy.”
“In that case,” his eyes glimmer in that old way and I brace myself. “Bring them in here so I can tell them to leave man and wife alone.”
It could be a joke. He could be serious. He could be putting this on for my benefit or to get the police off my back.
I genuinely have no idea which it is.
CHAPTER14
Marc
The edges are barely cominginto focus. The police, my head, the beeping machine.
And her.
