Maybe that was why he knew he had the reputation of being a playboy. But play was the key, wasn’t it? Like when he took the time to actually play with one of his smaller patients or do something silly enough to make them smile. And…good grief…he’d never encountered a woman who couldn’t accept a compliment, even if it had been an automatic and possibly less than genuine response.
Nico had a strong sense that anything Charlotte told him would be completely honest, no matter how badly it reflected on herself. In his experience, this was an unusual trait, particularly for a woman on first acquaintance.
What really surprised him, however, was how much he wanted to hear more about her. His curiosity about Charlotte Highton was increasing rapidly. He remembered the brilliant young doctor. He’d seen the icy-cool clinician in action. He’d seen a speaker not only cope with facing an international audience having been deprived of her resources but engage them to the point where she’d had them in the palm of her hand.
And now he’d seen a glimpse of a loving granddaughter. Beneath all the layers he could detect there was an orphan who’d been a desperately unhappy child. A woman who currently looked alone. And lonely.
Just who was the real Charlotte?
He tried to send a silent message with his smile. And his eyes.
Talk to me. Please. You never know, I might be able to help. I’m good at helping.
It wasn’t working, though. It was as though he was trying to hold a wild creature in his hands and it was struggling to be free. An injured wild creature that wanted to crawl away and lick its wounds somewhere it felt safe.
He needed something more to keep her here. He needed to tap into something that would give them a bond, however tenuous.
‘I’ve met many people at many conferences over the years,’ he told her. ‘They are often accompanied by their husbands or wives. Or their lovers. Sometimes by their children. You are the very first I’ve met who is accompanied by a grandparent. That’s…intriguing. Special.’
He watched Charlotte take a ragged breath. He heard her sniff and had to hide a smile because it sounded so…unprofessional. Childlike, even. It wasn’t as if he’d never witnessed a grown woman crying, of course. They usually did, when he told them things were over, but this was different. The tears had nothing to do with him and they touched a spot in his heart usually reserved for those younger patients or their families. Something poignant.
‘Gran is special,’ Charlotte said, her words a whisper. Then she cleared her throat. ‘But she doesn’t usually accompany me. In fact, I’m not allowed to talk about anything remotely gruesome or medical when I’m around her. She says that you can always find something uplifting to talk about if you try hard enough.’
‘A woman after my own heart,’ Nico smiled. ‘A finder of joy who can make people around her feel better.’
He let out a quiet breath as he sensed Charlotte relaxing. He knew she was almost smiling herself because he was watching so carefully and he could see the softening of her lips. The imperceptible curling at their corners.
‘She always has something to look forward to. A new adventure planned. That’s why she’s here. As soon as she knew I was going to be speaking in Venice she looked up the timetable for the Orient Express going from Venice back to London and when the dates were perfect she said it was meant to be and I couldn’t say no because it was well up the bucket list.’
‘The bucket list?’
‘You know…’ Charlotte really smiled this time, as she looked up and caught his gaze. ‘The list of things you really, really want to do before you kick the bucket?’
‘Kick the…? Oh…’ Just occasionally, the fact that English was a second language tripped him up. ‘Sì…’ The Italian word slipped out unconsciously as he contemplated the euphemism for dying. ‘I understand.’
Her eyes were grey. A dark, stormy sort of grey at the moment. He always expected blonde women to have blue eyes so the colour struck him as different. As unusual as this woman was herself, perhaps?
‘But it’s a crazy idea. How can we take a slow train trip across Europe when she’s so sick? We should fly back to London tonight. I could have her in a hospital by tomorrow, getting the kind of investigations she needs to plan treatment.’
‘Is that what she wants? Your grandmother?’ It was a relief to be given a problem to solve at last and Nico was more than ready to focus on it, but he needed more information. ‘What is her name?’
‘Geraldine. Her friends call her Jendi.’
‘And what are the symptoms of her illness?’
‘I don’t really know. She’s kept this from me. I wouldn’t have known about it at all yet except I found her resting and could see she had abdominal pain. And…I could feel a mass…’
‘She has medication for the pain?’
‘Yes. She seems fine now. She totally refused to consider cancelling the train trip and getting a flight to London. She told me to go away so she could have a bath in peace and get ready for the dinner tonight. She wants to dress up.’
‘If there are no obvious signs that it would be detrimental to her condition, then maybe that’s exactly what she should do.’
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. ‘And the train trip? You think that’s a good idea, too?’
‘Another day or two will not make any difference to the course of her illness,’ Nico said. ‘And look at it from her point of view. What would be better? To be lying in a hospital bed waiting for possibly a painful procedure or being able to forget about what lies ahead for a brief time and enjoying a wonderful experience in the company of someone you love?’
‘But…’ Charlotte caught her bottom lip between her teeth and tugged on it. It was another childish gesture that caught Nico in that soft spot in his heart. But then she let go with her teeth and soothed her lip with her tongue and suddenly it was quite another, very unexpected spot that Nico could feel waking up. ‘How could I forget enough to help her enjoy it?’
‘Because you have that kind of strength.’ This time the compliment was completely sincere. Nico already knew enough about Charlotte to be convinced of it. ‘You can choose the part of you that you want other people to see and the rest you can keep hidden.’
Something very odd flickered across Charlotte’s face. The kind of expression that suggested…guilt? As though she’d been caught out trying to hide something huge and important?
No. The expression was gone as fast as it had appeared. And now Charlotte was turning away. Nico wasn’t ready to let her go. Not just yet.
‘I think you should make the most of any time you can have together. Be proud that you can help her achieve this bucket-list thing. Maybe you can find out what the other things on her list are too and tick another one off soon.’
A rueful laugh escaped Charlotte. ‘Oh, I know what’s on the top of that list and it’s not something that’s ever going to be ticked off.’
‘Oh?’ Nico tilted his head encouragingly. ‘They say that nothing is impossible.’
‘This is.’ Charlotte was looking up at the sky now. Assessing the clouds to see if the forecasted snow might arrive or was she seeking divine inspiration? She flicked Nico the briefest glance. ‘Gran’s greatest wish is to see me get married. Settled down and ready to present her with her first great-grandchild.’
‘Ohhh…’ Nico nodded slowly. ‘That could be tricky.’
‘Impossible.’ The word was final.
‘Hmm.’ He had solved the problem of