Elizabeth wanders in the direction of the restroom sign, her heels clicking against the stone floor.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, I turn to Leo.
“You should have told her you knew about my memory,” I say.
“I don’t believe it was in the briefing discussion,” Leo says archly.
“I told you to go with the flow.”
“I’m sorry, my acting skills weren’t up to hiding my surprise over that particular revelation.” He continues to watch me with that same intense dark gaze.
I flush under his scrutiny.
“What?” I demand to know.
“I already knew you’re a whole lot smarter than you pretend to be. I’m just trying to figure out why you try to hide that part of yourself,” Leo says.
I roll my eyes. “You can unravel the mystery later. We’ve got a bigger problem now. I’m fairly certain Elizabeth is now suspicious of us.”
“You can’t really blame her.”
“I guess not.”
Leo’s collar is damp from the humidity, exposing the hollow at the base of his throat. I stare at it for longer than is advisable before I snap back to the problem at hand.
“You’re going to have to kiss me,” I say.
Leo’s eyes widen. “What? I thought we agreed to keep this PG-13.”
“Well, we’re going to have to change things up because this is an emergency. We need to convince her.” I spot a bench tucked away in the corner, half-hidden behind a cascade of white Phalaenopsis and bathed in the soft glow of uplighting. It’s secluded. The kind of spot where a real couple might sneak away for a private moment.
Perfect.
“We can sit here, and Elizabeth can return from the restroom to find us making out.”
I hobble across to the bench, my crutches clicking against the damp stone, and lower myself onto the seat with less grace than I’d like. My ankle throbs in protest. Apparently, it’s had enough of tonight’s adventure, but that’s the least of my concerns right now.
Leo follows me, looking like he’s about to negotiate a particularly hostile merger. Jaw set, shoulders rigid, that furrow between his eyebrows deeper than ever.
He lowers himself hesitantly onto the bench next to me.
“Okay, how are we doing this?” he asks grimly.
“First of all, you’re sitting like you’re waiting for a prostate exam. Relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
“You’re the opposite of relaxed. You’re tensed. You’re the tensest person I’ve ever seen.”
Leo exhales slowly. His shoulders drop approximately one millimeter.
“Better,” I lie. “Now, turn toward me. No, not like that, you look like you’re about to deliver bad news about my investment portfolio. Like you actually want to be here.”
“I’m a tech consultant, not an actor.”
“You don’t need to be an actor. You just need to look at me like I’m not a spreadsheet with a compliance error.”
“I don’t look at spreadsheets like that.”
