Playing All the Angles

by Nicole Lane

  “I know. But that’s how it is.”

  He nodded and paused, then asked, “How are you?”

  “I’m brilliant. I am. I’m happy about it, Dominic. I want this. I’m happy and I’m healthy. And I have support.”

  “There wasn’t any American, right?”

  “No. I hate American accents.”

  “And the list is much shorter than you said.”

  “Do you need it spelled out, really?”

  “I’m willing to be Uncle Dominic, but…yeah. I want to hear it.”

  Eve took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay. You’re the only person I was sleeping with. You’ll be an excellent uncle.”

  She watched his pupils dilate, and he seemed to be struggling to breathe. He leaned forward to put his head between his knees, and Eve hurried over to the sink to wet a towel. She folded it over the back of his neck, letting it cool him for a moment before she spoke. “A few months ago, I thought you were going to LA. I didn’t think you were that serious about her. I thought you were going away and we’d never see you again. I wasn’t careful enough because I thought I could afford to be careless.”

  “You knew it was possible?” His voice was strained.

  “It’s always possible when you’re fucking, Dominic. I honestly didn’t think it would happen. I’ve been on the pill forever. I didn’t think it was going to happen.”

  He swallowed hard again, shoulders shaking, and she laid a hand in the middle of his back, wrapping her arms around him when he shifted to press his face into her middle, hot tears wetting her shirt. When he had cried himself out, he let his arms fall away from where he had clutched her to him.

  “I can’t believe it.” He wiped his face with both hands as Eve backed away. “Sorry—it’s just…Issie and I wanted to try quickly.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, the idea of Isabelle being tied to him by a baby ironically upsetting. “Well, at least you know you aren’t shooting blanks.”

  That made him laugh. “Do I at least get to offer a name suggestion?”

  “Why not? Everyone else seems to have ideas.”

  “The neighbor included?”

  “Tad? He thinks I should go with anything that does not begin with a vowel.”

  Dominic laughed again then tilted his head at her. “Shagged him yet?”

  “Are you kidding me? Of course.”

  “Before or after you knew?”

  “Before, if it matters.”

  “Did he know?”

  “He’s the second person I told.”

  “I don’t suppose I’m allowed to be jealous?” He chewed his cheeks.

  Eve knelt down in front of him, leaning between his legs and letting him hug her close. “Best of both worlds, Dominic. You got the girl you wanted. You get to be uncle to what promises to be a beautiful baby girl—and never change a diaper—and you don’t have to deal with me being a stumbling block. Because, be honest, feeling any desire to shag me just now?”

  “God, no,” he groaned, giving her another squeeze. “No. I think you’ve found the key to making yourself unattractive to me.”

  “Well, that’s good, right? Makes it easier? So…friends? Civil?”

  “Friends,” he said. “Always.”

  “Oi, there?” Tad’s voice rang out from the entryway. “You all decent?”

  Eve rolled back on her heels, letting Dominic help her stand. “You very nearly caught me in a compromising position, but we’re decent.”

  Tad walked back to where the two of them stood, and she considered both men for a moment. In the short time she’d known Tad, he had shown her more real kindness and consideration than almost anyone else she’d ever taken to bed. He was smart, funny, creative, and confident, which was all the more apparent in the graceful way he shook hands with Dominic.

  “We’re watching movies,” he said. “Care to join us? There enough popcorn, Evie?”

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  Dominic shook his head. “No. No, thanks. I just came for a quick talk. I need to head back home. Got a lot to do. A lot to…do.”

  “I’ll see you out,” Eve told him.

  At the door, he hung back just a moment. “Are you going to be okay? I mean, really okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I know it’s crazy, but I think I really am. Finally.”

  He stared at her a long moment, seeming to take her in as a different person. “Yeah. I think you will. It’s going to be a hard secret to keep.”

  “It’s one worth keeping.”

  “It is.”

  He reached out and patted her belly. “Night.”

  “Good night, Dominic.”

  Chapter 6

  AT THE END OF THE WEEK, Isabelle was sitting in the dining room, books and laptop spread out in front of her on the table, her usual pose when studying or marking papers. She smiled at the computer screen when she saw Dominic’s reflection creeping up behind her. He was craning his neck to get a view of what she browsed as he approached.

  “It’s baby furniture,” she told him.

  “Hallo, love,” he said, bending to kiss her neck, then her lips when she turned her face to his. “Are we having a baby?”

  “Not yet! Don’t even joke. Did you have a good day?”

  “Yes, you? How did the exam go today?”

  “I think I scraped a good grade, actually.”

  “Brilliant. So, why cradles?”

  “I was looking for a gift for Alora’s shower, and then I started clicking through to see what Evie might like too.” She smiled, shrugging. “Never hurts to plan ahead.”

  “Hmm, did you find anything you like on there?”

  “Yes, there are a couple of things I think she could use—”

  “I mean for you.”

  “Oh.” She blushed sheepishly. “I did. But that’s ages away. There will be loads of new things by then.”

  “Doesn’t have to be ages away.” He leaned in and kissed her neck again. “All you have to do is stop taking that pill.”

  She laughed then. “Not till we’re married and you’re retired from racing. No way, no how.”

  “So, next month, then?”

  Isabelle’s blue eyes went wide, and Dominic got down on his knees beside her, his own eyes dancing.

  “Paris. Next month. It’s my last race. I’ll let the team know. It’ll be a bit of drama, but I can manage it. Yeah? Why wait? Issie, I love you more than anything in the world, and I want us married now. Yesterday. Two years ago. And I want you to have the wedding of your dreams, but I really don’t want you to have the wedding of Alora’s dreams. Let’s go to Paris and do our own thing. Get married there. Get pregnant there.”

  “You want to elope?”

  He nodded, smiling. “Yeah. That’s the most romantic thing I can think of—a very intimate wedding in Paris. Think about it, Issie. Everything you want, the way you want it. No holding out for the family, no squabbling or drama. Just you and me in the Tuileries or the Louvre or…anywhere you like.”

  She was stunned but smiled more and more as he continued.

  “And school will be out by then, so no worries there. We’ll have the summer for our honeymoon.”

  “Yes,” she breathed, nodding. “Yes!”

  He grinned. “We’ll be secretive. Just you and me. Our way.” He pushed up to kiss her. “And then a baby.”

  “Are you broody?” She mussed his hair, beaming.

  “I am. I am! I want to see you all round and roly and full of baby.”

  She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him again. “My parents are going to be furious.”

  “Nah, they love me,” he said, giving her a wink.

  “Yes, you’ve got quite a fan club amongst the D’Amicos.”

  “So, they’ll forgive us for being terribly romantic and running off to Paris to get married,” Dominic assured her, and Isabelle laughed as he plied her with kisses again.

  Later in the evening, Isabelle listened in
as Dominic called his manager and explained the situation, announcing his retirement at the same time. There was a bit of a row about it, but Dominic was firm. Yes, it had been a short career but a stellar one, and he could go out on top. She had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the rude gesture he made as he said the last, mouthing to her, “Like you better on top.”

  Isabelle went to work, planning, finding what she wanted and what she could get on such short notice. The only thing lacking would be the dress Eve was designing, but it was a small thing. She was sure she could find something suitable in Paris. Even that seemed romantic—to just go to Paris and buy something there.

  They talked about having a more formal ceremony in October as they’d planned, so that their families could be included. If they did decide to do that, provided Isabelle wasn’t very pregnant by then, she’d wear the dress Evie had designed for her.

  Dominic was in training for his last race, and that was keeping him busy during the day while Isabelle finished up her exams for the semester. While planning their elopement, she still sat on all the phone calls from Alora about the plans for the wedding and tried to sound enthusiastic. It wasn’t that difficult to sound excited, since her big day was nearly upon her, but it was awfully hard not to tell Alora what she was really planning to do. She felt a little guilty for letting her sister go to so much trouble, but it made Alora happy. She agreed to go to lunch at Alora’s to discuss the moot floral arrangements, looking forward to at least visiting with her sister and her nieces.

  When she arrived, Alora was running around in a twitter. “Can you believe I forgot that Una’s got a party today? Could you be a love and keep an eye on Olive while I deliver her?” She grabbed her purse and Una’s hand. “I won’t be an hour. We just have to run to get a pressie for her little friend, and then I’ll drop her by the party. Olive’s ready to go down for a nap at any time, aren’t you, lamb chop? Do you mind?”

  Isabelle laughingly shrugged. “Not at all. Olive and I will have a great time.”

  Alora was out the door and gone with a breathless, “Thank you!” and Isabelle bent and scooped Olive up off the floor, tickling her as they went up the stairs.

  Olive’s bedroom was done in butterflies with green fields painted on the walls. It was lovely. Isabelle wondered if she would have daughters or sons and what they would end up wanting in their rooms. Her niece began to squirm and asked to be put down, so Isabelle set her down on the play mat. If Olive was tired, she didn’t show it. If anything, she seemed to want to bask in the undivided attention of her aunt. She kept bringing things to Isabelle to play with, and they would play for a while before she scurried off for something else. Finally, after all the stuffed animals had received proper attention, Olive pointed to the shelves above her bed.

  “Buh-fly,” she said, indicating the brightly colored butterfly on the middle shelf. Isabelle recognized it as the bank that Olive had received on her first birthday the year before. It was one of those mechanical ones that lit up and played a tune when coins were put into it.

  “You want to watch the butterfly light up?” Isabelle asked, standing to reach for the bank when Olive nodded and clapped.

  Isabelle dug into her jeans pocket for some change and came up with a few coins to feed into the slot. She put one in, and the butterfly played its tinking song, the lights popping and fading in time to the music. Olive squealed with delight, and Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You want to try?” she asked, offering one of the coins to Olive.

  She nodded and took the coin, considering it for a moment before lifting it toward her mouth.

  “No, Olive, give it to the butterfly,” Isabelle said, indicating the slot.

  She did as she was told, and the butterfly repeated its show.

  “One more,” Isabelle said, giving the coin to the girl, who took it and popped it into her mouth without hesitation. “No! Spit that out!”

  She reached for her, but Olive leaned back, turning her head from side to side to keep from allowing Isabelle to get her mouth open. A second later, Olive was choking, and Isabelle got hold of her, forcing her mouth open and searching for the coin. It wasn’t in there.

  “Oh, no, Olive,” she cried, patting the girl on the back as she struggled for breath. It took only another moment before her airway cleared and she could breathe again, but her face had gone red, and she was crying.

  “Okay, all right,” Isabelle said, scooping her up. “We’re going to take you to the doctor.”

  “Buh-fly,” Olive cried as Isabelle hurried from the room. “My buh-fly! Buh-fly!”

  If she hadn’t been so worried, Isabelle might have laughed at the little girl’s single-mindedness. She grabbed her bag and the keys to her car and was momentarily stumped by the lack of a child seat. “They’ll get over it,” she said aloud, making the choice to put Olive in the front seat and buckle her in there. “And if we get pulled over, we’ll just ask for an escort to the hospital.”

  Olive sniffled and whined but seemed otherwise all right. Still, Isabelle had no idea what a swallowed coin would do to a child and wasn’t about to find out on her own. As she drove, she rang Alora and left her a voice mail explaining the situation. “I’m taking her to Sacred Heart Emergency. Come find us when you can.”

  She drove as fast as she dared but carefully, all the while trying to soothe Olive until they arrived at the hospital. She parked in Emergency and went through the sliding doors to reception, where a nurse greeted her almost immediately. Isabelle explained what had happened, and the nurse took down notes on a clipboard.

  “We’ll get you into a room, and I’ll page pediatrics,” she said, standing and directing Isabelle into one of the cubicles off the reception area. “She should be fine, but they’ll want to take a look.”

  “Thank you,” Isabelle breathed, taking Olive along with her.

  It seemed hours until the curtain was pulled back on the room she was in, and a young-looking doctor entered the room, reading a chart. “Miss Olive?” he asked, addressing the child first, and Isabelle felt her heart stop beating. “I’m Dr. Goodwin.” Then he looked up and froze. “Isabelle?”

  “Patrick?”

  They stared at one another for a moment before he shook himself back to business. “She swallowed a coin?” He had his stethoscope out and leaned in to give Olive a listen.

  “A coin. Just one. She…eats things.”

  “They all do. How old is she?”

  “Nearly two. She’s Alora’s youngest.”

  “Oh!” He went pale and flushed in rapid succession, then focused on Olive again. After an examination, he shrugged at Isabelle. “It will work its way out. It isn’t really a worry, and she’ll sort her own self out soon. There aren’t any markings on her throat, so no cutting there, and all her vitals are perfect. Ah…how are you?”

  “Relieved,” she said. “This is a surprise. I didn’t know you’d given up the priesthood.”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, it didn’t feel right after all. I went into medicine instead.”

  “Pediatrics, I presume?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “Always loved kids, and I want to help people.”

  “That’s great, Patrick. Your parents must be proud.”

  He shrugged. “Mum’s just glad she’s still got a chance for grandchildren,” he said, chuckling. “What about you? Did you finish university?”

  Isabelle nodded. “I’m a teaching assistant and taking my certification classes right now. The semester’s just finished. Where did you do medical school?”

  “Cyprus. Through St. Georges, London. I’m just an intern.”

  “That’s fantastic. I’m…happy for you.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I heard you were living with someone. When I got back from school, I…well, you were living with someone.” Glancing down at her hand, he said, “And married now?”

  “Married soon. Yeah. We’ve been together for just over two years.”

/>   “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. We’re happy. I’m happy. You? Married?”

  He laughed. “Ah, no. When things started shifting with the vocational callings, I got permission from the Church to continue with med school while I worked toward my vows. They’re hurting for priests, so they’ll bend over backwards. And when I decided I just wasn’t cut for the cloth, I went headfirst into studies. I may as well be a monk. I live in abject poverty, chastity, and complete obedience to my chief attending. Just, I got a white coat instead of black.”

  “I’m sure that will change once you’ve cleared your residency,” she replied, glancing at Olive, who was watching Patrick with unabashed interest.

  “The poverty and obedience bit, perhaps,” he said, jesting. “I don’t have much time to do anything else.”

  “But it’s all worthwhile. I’m glad you found something that makes you happy, Patrick.”

  They stood, smiling shyly at each other, when Alora’s voice broke the silence and the curtain was thrown back.

  “Olive? Oh, my God! Darling, are you all right?” she cried, scooping the child up in her arms.

  “Buh-fly,” Olive sobbed, throwing herself into her mother’s neck.

  “Doctor—” Alora whipped around, a stream of questions flying and then slowing. “Patrick?”

  “It’s him.” Isabelle nodded.

  “Patrick! You’re a doctor?”

  “It was that or priest,” he tried to joke.

  “Is my daughter all right?” she asked, still staring at him.

  “Yes, she’s fine. She swallowed a coin, but there’s no damage. It isn’t lodged in her esophagus, so it should work its way out of her system on its own,” he assured her.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Alora clucked, hugging Olive tighter before returning her attention to him. “How long have you been back in England?”

  “About six months,” he said, glancing toward Isabelle.

  “Why didn’t you let anyone know?”

  “Lora,” Isabelle chided. “He’s been working on his residency. The man barely has time to breathe, much less catch up with old friends.”

  “Old friends?” Alora cried. “We’re family!”