The Procedure by Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea Page A

back to the front. “Thank you, Mary,” I called after her. When she turned to look at me, I smiled reassuringly.
    She almost fell over in relief. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Aldridge.”
    “You too.”
    I was tempted to mouth if it was okay to follow Collette, but she turned away before I could. Inside Ms. Collette’s office, I was wrapped in complete femininity. Soft colors and frilly décor inspired the room, setting it apart from the serene theme on the other side of the door.
    “Mary is a sweet girl, often speaking without thinking, but she means no harm.” Ms. Collette sat down behind her desk.
    Suddenly feeling like Ms. Collette had eyes and ears everywhere, I worried about Mary. “She seems very sweet and made me feel right at home here. This is a lovely office by the way. The whole place is amazing. You’ve done a remarkable job with the design.”
    “Thank you. So tell me how you met my grandson. You don’t look like you’re one of Stein’s patients.”
    I didn’t miss the way she crinkled her nose at Roman’s partner’s name or his choice of practice. Flushing, I wondered how she would feel if she knew that I had practically begged Roman to do the very things she turned her nose up at.
    “No, I’m not one of Dr. Stein’s patients.”
    “Good.” She fell back against her chair. “He’d be a stupid man to try and mess with a face or body like yours.”
    Well played, Roman Blake. Send in your sweet grandmother with compliments and intimidation. Well played, indeed.
    “Thanks, ma’am.”
    She waved a wrinkled hand in front of her face. “Please, call me Collette.”
    I smiled. “You don’t sound…”
    “British? I’m not. I was born here in Miami. Roman’s mother, my daughter, met the man she said she was destined to marry during a summer vacation trip to Oxford.”
    I could hear it in the way she talked about Roman’s father that he wasn’t exactly Collette’s first choice for her daughter’s happily ever after. “That sounds romantic.”
    She smirked. “That’s exactly what Elizabeth said,” she said, sighing.
    “You thought it was cliché?”
    “Actually, yes, I did. She was too young to give up everything she did for a boy, but she did. Because of that choice, she gave me Roman and Rachel, so I could never be upset with her for that.”
    “Roman has a sister? Do she and their parents still live in London?”
    Her eyes narrowed curiously. “You really haven’t known Roman very long, have you?”
    I let out a nervous laugh. “Not at all, but I’m happy I met him.”
    “You know, you just might be exactly what my stubborn grandson needs.”
    I flushed. “Oh, no, it’s not like that. I’m…”
    “Married? So I’ve heard. Roman also said it wasn’t like that between the two of you, but I know my grandson.” Instead of elaborating, she stared at me intently for a couple of more seconds. “Well,” she finally said. Taking a deep breath, she used the surface of her desk to stand. “I won’t keep you any longer, dear. You didn’t come to my spa to talk to an old woman.”
    “Don’t be silly. I’ve enjoyed our conversation. Maybe we could have lunch sometime?”
    She smiled. “I’d like that. You looked just about as knotted as a raggedy old shoestring when you came in, and I think I might have made it worse.”
    We walked to the door of her office together before she stepped in front of me to pull it open.
    “I promise that it has nothing to do with you.”
    “Well, either way, my staff will make you feel like a brand-new woman. Marcus will take very good care of you.”
    It turned out that Collette was not an exaggerator either. Twenty minutes later, I was sprawled, facedown, with only a towel to cover me as Marcus indeed took good care of me.
    I spent the first twenty minutes of my massage trying to cover things that I was ashamed of, but once his capable hands released the stress that held my muscles bunched tightly, I no longer cared what he saw or