Page 17 of Be My Valentine

Kate… he hated hearing him say that name so familiarly.

“And you would have left her alone?”

“I have a few golden rules, though you’ll find it hard to believe. Did I buzz your sister after your warning?” Mark looked at him surprised, and Hanks continued undaunted, counting with his fingers, “I don’t touch other people’s sisters, mothers, and women if they inform me.”

“Mothers?” Mark commented incredulously.

“I almost fucked an intern’s mother, fuck, how was I supposed to know? Learn to talk, man, I would have put the brakes on.”

“She’s not my woman.” He protested.

“But you don’t like the idea of someone banging her.”

Mark fumed again.

“Could you please refrain from using language like that?”

Hanks laughed to tears.

“Oh, God, Mark, you’re a mess. I’d give her a try. Someone like that doesn’t stay on the market very long. Anyway, thanks for making Annie Carson angry, angry women give in to me.” He winked at him and got into the car with the others.

Mark found himself alone and got behind the wheel of the SUV. He was sober, he could drive. The pub was still discreetly crowded. He glanced at the clock: 1:15 am. He grumbled between his teeth. What time would she be out? He couldn’t stand the thought of her wandering around late at night in a deserted carriage or with some drunk sitting next to her. He called the one person he knew wouldn’t tell him to go to hell for waking her up.

Emma answered on the first ring.

“You weren’t sleeping, I feel less guilty already.” Her brother told her.

“The baby is already tyrannizing over my sleeping hours, but Phil and I managed to find the silver lining.” She implied with a hint of mischief. Mark heard his brother-in-law murmur a mild rebuke. Yes, the man was definitely a saint.

“Emma, I need to ask you a question and I want you to be honest.”

The sister was alarmed to hear the gravity of the tone.

“Ask me anything you want; I won’t lie to you.”

Mark took a breath and threw it out.

“Could Kate have been a prostitute?” As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Annie Carson had instilled a shred of doubt in him. And the shred of doubt instilled anger and helplessness.

He heard Emma’s crystalline laugh and closed his eyes relieved.

“Let me guess: the latest stunt from Boob Job? That woman would be capable of anything!”

“But how do you…”

“Men, you always have to give an explanation!” he heard his brother-in-law grumble again “Oh, honey, I’m not talking about you, you know that.” She placated him.

Mark rolled his eyes: hearing his sister flirt shamelessly with her husband was not the best.

“Listen to me:” Emma continued, “I don’t think Kate has been a prostitute. She’s pretty coy and doesn’t talk about her past but it could depend on a lot of things, maybe an ex she wants to forget or a family she doesn’t want to talk about.”

“Annie implied that she’s running out of money.”

Emma thought about it.

“That may be. Mark, you know we were lucky. Most young people have to struggle a lot to build a profession.”

“We did, too!” He defended himself.