The doctor then smiled at Kara, her expression weary with fatigue but happy. “Your fiancée will be okay.”
Her fiancée. Crap.She had to figure out a way out of this mess.
“Thank you,” Kara replied and she meant it. She couldn’t have borne Angelo not getting better.
“You should go home and rest,” Jared suggested to Angelo’s parents.
Matteo shook his head. “We aren’t going anywhere. No sense in going home when Angelo isn’t there.”
“Fair enough,” Jared agreed, and looked to Kara. “Can I speak to you a moment?”
Kara followed Jared to a corner of the waiting room, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. She knew where this was going, even before he spoke.
“Angelo is like a brother to me. That’s why I know you aren’t his fiancée.” Jared’s gaze was hard, watching her reaction as if she were under a microscope.
Her breath was squeezed out in a painful rush. Alessia said this man was a lawyer. What if he thought she was running some sort of a scam on Angelo? He could get the law involved. They’d check her background, flags would go up, her father could find her… Kara’s vision swam a little.
Her mind raced to find a way to cover her tracks, but then Jared surprised her.
“I want you to know you cantrustme,” he said.
Of all the words she’d expected to hear, those were the least expected, and the most welcome.
“Trust you?”
“With whatever this situation really is. If Angelo saved you, then you’re someone worth saving. I won’t tell his family, but I need to know what’s really happening in case I can help.” That harsh look in his eyes had faded enough that the pressure against Kara’s chest eased.
Kara weighed the honesty in his tone against her own fears.Trust him…a quiet voice said inside her head. It might have sounded like Angelo’s.
She drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t mean for this to happen… I didn’t think it through.” Kara struggled to make her words make sense as she tried to start at the beginning. “I’ve never met Angelo before tonight. We were both working at the soup kitchen. After we finished serving everyone, I left to go home, and a man attacked me in an alley by the soup kitchen. Angelo… he saved my life. He…” She held back fresh tears. “He asked me to stay with him and I said I would. When the ambulance arrived, the only way I could go with him was if I was his family, so I said I was his fiancée. I didn’t expect his family to get here so fast, and then the attendant said I was his fiancée and… it all just spiraled out of control…” Her voice trailed off as she waited to see how Jared would react.
His face slowly broke into a smile. “Well, I have to admit, it’s not as crazy a story as I was expecting, but if anyone was going to end up with a fake fiancée it would be Angelo. It’s almost like a sit-com episode.” His smile faded slightly as he glanced over her head at Angelo’s family. “The thing is, his family has had enough shock and worry for one day. Let’s not add to it by disappointing them with the news that Angelo isn’t engaged. When Angelo wakes up, we’ll talk to him to decide how to let his family downgently.” Jared’s lips twitched. “His mother’s had her heart set on Angelo getting married for years.”
“She mentioned something like that,” Kara muttered miserably. “I wish I hadn’t lied to the EMTs.”
Jared placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad you did. He wanted you to stay with him and you stayed. He’s going to appreciate that.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I just wanted to help somehow.” What she couldn’t say aloud was that she was afraid he would die, and she didn’t want him to die alone.
Jared shot her a soft smile. “Angelo has that effect on people. He goes the extra mile for others. It’s only natural you’d want to do the same for him.” He gently squeezed her arm. “I’m guessing you won’t be leaving the hospital either?”
“No way,” she said resolutely. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”
“Not for Christmas?” Jared’s brows rose.
She shook her head. “It’s just me. And being here is okay. Now that I know the surgery went well, I feel I can relax a little.”
“Try to get some rest. I don’t know if that’s possible in those chairs or not, but try.” He looked at the waiting room chairs with skepticism. “And whatever you do, don’t say anything else that might give Mrs. Vertucci hope.”
“Like what?” she didn’t answer what he meant.
Jared was grinning again and in that moment Kara understood how he and Angelo seemed to be such good friends. They emanated that same “the world delights me” sort of energy she only experienced every now and then.
“I don’t know… like don’t tell her you’re pregnant or anything.” He winked at her.
Pregnant? Yeah, definitely not possible. She was hoping to be long gone before they’d get to any point where she’d really have to fake being his fiancée.
Kara took a seat beside Matteo, who insisted she use his coat as a pillow.
