Chapter 16 #2
He shook my hand enthusiastically. “I don’t know if you remember me. We met while you were being treated here—Joseph Kwon.”
Recognition dawned on me as I studied his beaming face. My accountant had sent this man a generous donation. He met me enthusiastically and happily obliged when I requested Amelie as my nurse.
“It’s great to see you again, sir. How’s the hand?”
I held up my palm, with a small scar running down the middle. “Good as new.”
His grin widened. “That’s good to hear. Is there anything I can do for you? Perhaps a follow-up appointment with our orthopedic specialist. Best in town.”
“I’m actually here for Amelie. I made her lunch to thank her for the excellent care she provided.”
The comment drew an annoyed glare from my wife.
Kwon beamed at Amelie. “Yes, of course. Amelie’s our best nurse. She’s just the kind of staff you can expect at Holy Trinity.”
He was buttering me up for another donation. He knew Amelie was married to another man, but didn’t mind pushing her onto me as long as the check cleared.
His lack of morals worked in my favor. Amelie couldn’t refute the Chief of Medicine when he said, “Please, join us at our table.”
She scanned his table with weary eyes, where his coworkers were watching us with interest. “Umm. We don’t want to intrude—”
I cut her off with an enthusiastic, “We’d love to.”
“Right this way,” Kwon gushed. “Come along, Amelie,” he added as an afterthought.
“A-all right,” she stammered, cornered by his request.
She dallied behind Kwon to give me a private earful.
Despite her ire, all I could focus on was her proximity.
She was close enough that she had to tilt her chin up to hold my gaze.
“This is my place of work.” Her voice dropped low enough that it required proximity to be heard, but her fury didn’t diminish.
If anything, it was scalding in a way that her full voice couldn’t have managed.
“It’ll be humiliating if my coworkers find out I brought a third person into my marriage for money.
” She paused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“Please, Kai, don’t tell them about us, and we can have a nice lunch together, just like you wanted. ”
When she put her mind to it, Amelie had the uncanny ability to move on instead of dwelling on the past.
I gave in with a curt nod because at least this wasn’t about him. Amelie feared her peers would judge her progressive marriage.
She sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Kwon kept up a brisk, ingratiating speech, recounting small hospital triumphs and budget woes as we followed him. He informed me of some upcoming hospital fundraiser, dismissing a couple of people at the table who had finished eating.
The remaining doctors, two women and one man, stopped their conversations and threw furtive glances at us. Meanwhile, Kwon powered through another soliloquy on post-surgical infection rates.
He pulled out a chair for me. When I gestured for Amelie to take it, he quickly pulled out another one.
I pushed the bagged lunch in front of her.
All eyes landed on Amelie. The lunch table radiated a faint nervousness, and I could sense her discomfort at everyone’s curiosity.
It was one thing to treat her to lunch and another entirely to bring a homemade meal.
Amelie couldn’t refuse the food without drawing more attention to herself, so she opened the brown bag with swift fingers.
Around us, conversation resumed. No one at this table understood what was happening.
To them, an ex-patient had brought his previous nurse lunch, a small gesture of his appreciation.
Only the two of us were privy to the truth.
She pulled out two sandwiches, wrapped in wax paper and sealed with little strips of tape.
Layers of dark rye and bright spinach peeked out beneath the folds.
Amelie placed one sandwich in front of me, keeping the other for herself, though she made no move to unwrap it.
“I’m very happy Amelie was able to convince you to visit us.” Kwon held out a hand, presenting her like a grand prize. “I hope this becomes a regular thing.”
“To be honest, I’d much rather go out for lunch,” I told him. “It’s been months since I moved to Darster, and I have barely seen it.” Nodding to Amelie, I said, “But my only friend in this town is always working.”
Amelie coughed uncomfortably while Kwon laughed throatily. “I’m sure Amelie would love to show you around.”
My wife was hell-bent on ignoring me and stared deep into her unwrapped sandwich as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
“Is that so?” My mouth curved without warmth. “In that case, I’ll take her out now. I’ve heard good things about Virtue & Vine. I’m sure they make a better lunch than I do.”
“Virtue & Vine!” Kwon clapped his hands. “You’re one lucky girl, Amelie. You get to go to a Michelin-star restaurant. Don’t you need a reservation? The wife and I have been trying to get one for weeks.”
I shrugged. “I know the owner. I’m sure they can squeeze us in.” More like, I owned the restaurant, and it shouldn’t be a problem.
Amelie’s back went ramrod straight. “That’s very kind of you, Kai. Unfortunately, I have nine hours left on my shift.”
“Take the rest of the day off,” Kwon said dismissively.