I must have been snockered on pain killers because I have no memory of the conversation.
I’ve decided Gracie might as well be my American fairy godmother. Her version of meat pie was so delicious, I had two helpings with two glasses of wine. It’s the most I’ve eaten since I was shot and definitely the first drink.
Red proved I am the only person on earth he’s salty about because he fawned over Gracie and the pie in the same fashion he grandfathers Abbott. And since I need information to operate in everything I do, this was a good bit for me to file away. Red is only irritable with me.
Good to know.
Little Abbott ate half of her lunch and then dropped her fork when Gracie explained she made it because it’s a popular English dish and she heard it was a favorite of mine. That’s when she announced she was full and ready to get her cat.
Lord have mercy. That child hates me.
Gracie, with her wide, beautiful blue eyes, simply poured me another glass of Meritage and instructed me to drink up.
That was an hour ago. Red and Abbott left me to my bloated stomach, relaxed head, and new friend.
I’m lying on Cole’s bed with my shirt tucked under my breasts as Gracie snips away. “I know my body. I’m not doing anything it can’t handle.”
I feel her stop and open my eyes to find hers on me. “I have a feeling that means you’re overdoing it.”
I shake my head as my lids fall again so I can enjoy my relaxed buzz. “I’m doing exactly what I need to do to get the hell out of your country as soon as I can.”
Snip.
“You don’t like Virginia?”
Tug.
One more stitch is a bad memory. “You’re with Jarvis and you’re Grady’s sister, which means you know Crew. I assume you know all there is to know.”
Snip.
“I do.”
Tug.
“And you’ve been sent here, to work on me privately, as opposed to my returning to the doctor for a follow-up visit.”
Her touch on my belly is gentle and methodical. I had no idea she was a surgical nurse until she announced that fact during lunch. She was sent here to check me over and remove my stitches if she deemed they were ready to bite the dust. I was planning to rip them out myself in the next day or so but how could I argue after she made me pork pie and wined me up? This might be the loveliest thing anyone has done for me since my Pakistani neighbor boy brought me a stack of warm chapati fresh from the skillet.
Who am I kidding? Sleeping up against Cole Carson is mighty lovely, as well. Even if it takes a lot of wine to admit it.
But it doesn’t count right now since he’s basically holding me hostage in the middle of a forest with his family who hates me.
“Yeah, Jarvis explained how you don’t need a trip back into the public right now. It’s all good. I’m here for whatever you need, but do me a favor and don’t get shot again. I don’t exactly have the tools back at the cottage for that.”
“Bloody hell. If I go through that again, let me die.”
Snip.
“I don’t even want to think about that. You didn’t answer my question and you seem hellbent to get out of Dodge. Why don’t you like it here?”
Tug.
“I can’t be here while the intelligence world is looking for me. Even if I wasn’t living this nightmare, I’m not ready to give up my work. Cole and I are complicated and became something I never planned. He’s lived his exciting career and I still want to live mine.”
“How old is Cole?”
“Thirty-five.”
She stops and sits up. “And how old are you?”
I open my eyes and focus on her. “Twenty-seven.”
She goes back to work on my many stitches.
Snip.
“And you and Cole stayed a thing all that time?” She stops before yanking out another stitch and looks up to me. “Noah filled me in on everything he knows. I hope it’s okay to ask you all this. I have three sisters—I’m chatty and nosy by nature. Sorry if I’m crossing the line.”
“I have brothers. They’re not chatty or nosy. It’s fine, Gracie.”
She goes back to work on me.
Tug.
“Okay, then. I want to know it all. Start from the beginning and spill, my new British friend.” She stops and sits up straight. “Wait. I should get you another glass of wine.”