Page 75 of Tainted Princess
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Francesca
Sitting in the passenger seat next to Vinnie, the air conditioner keeping us comfortable in the desert afternoon, I watched as the woman walked out of the hospital doors, her ratty hoodie zipped up over a pair of scrubs, her tired eyes on the ground before her. She looked just like her picture, but at the same time, vastly different.
The woman in the photo on the tablet in my hand had full cheeks, bright but tired blue eyes, and a wide smile that drew you in. The woman making her way to the bus stop outside the hospital was still pretty, but weary, her shoulders rounded and her steps slow.
And there most definitely was no smile in sight.
She was also skinnier, her face hollow and her hair lank. Not the kind of skinny that came from clean eating and a gym membership, either, but the kind that indicated living off Ramen noodles and stale break room coffee.
She looked tired, beaten down, and desperate, which suited me fine.
Popping my door open—and determinedly ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over me at the sudden movement—I exited the vehicle and made my way to the bus stop, Vinnie on my heels.
“Mia Carmichael?”
The woman jolted, my unexpected presence causing her eyes to widen. “Yes?”
“Dr. Carmichael, my name is Francesca. I was wondering if we could talk.”
Mia sighed, her fight or flight response dwindling now that she didn’t see me as a threat, and I wasn’t.
Not yet, at least.
“Any complaints must be reported directly to hospital administration by your legal council,” she responded robotically, turning back around on her bench.
“No, Dr. Carmichael, I don’t have a complaint. As I said, my name is Francesca—Frankie, if you like— and I was actually wondering if you’d like to get coffee with me. I have a proposal I’d like to discuss with you.”
Suspicion painted her face as she stared at me again, this time with a little more interest.
“Sorry, Frankie, but I’ve had a long shift. I need to get home and try and get some actual sleep before I come back here tomorrow and do it all over again. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll just go back to waiting for my bus.”
I chuckled. “I understand, and I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” I smiled, trying to put her at ease. “I’ll even throw in pastries. My treat.”
I could see her debating, her curiosity over what I could be offering warring with a woman’s natural sense for self-preservation when it came to strangers. She looked from me to Vinnie and back again before her curiosity finally won.
“Sure, why not. I’ve already missed the bus. I have some time before the next one if you’re buying.”
“I am, but if you don’t mind,” I said, looking around the sketchy area surrounding the hospital. “I’d like to go to a place where we’re a little less likely to contract hepatitis when we eat there.”
Mia choked out a dry laugh before standing. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
We didn’t go far, and Mia didn’t ask questions while we were driving, so I let her sit in contemplative silence until Vinnie found us a quaint little shop with net curtains and a shelf of dusty paperback books that all had some version of Fabio on the cover. The place was empty at this time of day, but the delicious smell of fresh baking had my hopes high.
“What can we get you, Mia?” I asked, pulling out the chair at one of the tables and sitting heavily. “I’m getting a latte and something sweet.”
“Just a black coffee for me, thanks,” she responded, sitting across from me, on the edge of her seat and alert.
“What? No treats?” I was aghast. “Impossible. Vinnie, can you bring us all the good things? I mean, frosting, Vin. Lots of frosting.”
Vinnie smiled at me, shaking his head as he walked away.
“So,” Mia said, cutting right to the chase. “Are you gonna tell me what all this is about? Because, I gotta say, I am not in the mood to listen to a presentation on how essential oils can cure my PMS. I happen to like my PMS. Serves a great purpose.”
“Really? What purpose is that?”
“If I’m a moody bitch, people will leave me the hell alone.”
