As Carl washed over the wound, she gritted her teeth. It was more painful than she thought. Ben’s face screwed up a little and Evie found herself increasingly uncomfortable at all the fuss. Whilst Carl appeared detached and duty-like, Ben seemed genuinely concerned – possibly responsible, she thought as he scratched his chin. Perhaps it was harsh comparing him to Seb. Not once had she seen that look of concern in her partner’s eyes.
She watched the medic wrap the dirty swab and poke it into a clean plastic bag. The wound now throbbed.
‘I’ll get some ice brought over,’ the medic said, standing and pulling out his phone from his trouser pocket and immediately began texting.
Evie let out a chuckle. ‘I’m alive, that’s all I care about. And, as long as you make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else, I’ll leave it at that. And, somehow I must have missed the sign.’
The medic replaced his phone and unpeeled another antiseptic wipe, dabbing her skin again gently. ‘I’ll find a dressing to keep it clean but you have a nasty bruise. The ice should bring it down quicker.’
Ben sat back and rubbed his thighs. ‘Ok. So, you said you have a daughter. You called her name a few times.’
‘I’m sure I did, that’s all I could think about. My gorgeous little Charlotte. I can’t imagine life without her, she’s all I have.’ Evie gave Ben a sideways glance but felt her muscles go rigid. She shouldn’t have said that. It could invite questions. She changed tack swiftly. ‘So, what are you filming exactly?’
‘It’s the story of Pierre-Paul Riquet. The man who built the Canal du Midi. His life story and the challenges he had to overcome.’
Evie shoulders relaxed a little as she sat back in her chair. ‘Yes, makes sense. I should have guessed. Sounds fascinating! I’ll definitely be watching. He was quite the visionary. And it took a lot of money, time and expertise to get it completed. I love the fact that so many women were involved, and that the peasant women from the mountains had such an influence in the design. I hope you’ve included their story too.’
He scratched his head. ‘Well it’s more about his quest to get authorities and nobles to listen to his ideas, he had quite a battle to realise his dream. Even went against them and worked in secret.’
‘Oh, so it’s all about the men. Why are the heroes all male? I suppose that’s how you get the bulk of the viewers. Yes, Riquet should take credit for the overall initiation and the design of such a monumental achievement, but the Fonserannes Lock would never have worked without the expertise from the peasant woman. I think their inclusion would make it far more interesting.’
Ben’s eyes were suddenly distracted. ‘Ah,’ he peered up as a young woman approached the table. ‘Samantha, this is Evie.’ He stood up. ‘This is my second AD, assistant director.’
The assistant handed a package to the medic. ‘For the patient, I presume?’
‘Yes. Thank you.’
Evie immediately wondered if she and Ben were a couple. The girl was about her own age, possibly a little older, and she had the most beautiful long golden hair which spiralled down her back – almost touching her miniscule denim shorts. Samantha held out a tanned arm, offering a welcome hand.
‘Hi Evie. Gosh. That was scary. How are you?’ the assistant said, shaking her hand and immediately squatting to inspect the wound, her lips pouting one way and then another. ‘Mmm, fierce, you’ll have a nasty bruise.’
As Samantha examined her leg, Evie observed Ben. He watched his assistant step back as Carl positioned the ice. Evie blushed and reached for her glass.
‘Sam’s also our first-aider,’ Ben said. ‘She likes to mother.’
Samantha looked at Evie, ‘Take no notice, but you are trembling. Make sure you rest here for a while just to recover from the shock.’ Samantha tossed her head at Ben, rubbing her palms. ‘I can sit here with her.’
Cracking one knuckle with his other hand, his eyes glistened as he glanced from Evie to his assistant.
‘No, I’ll stay here with her and then run her home. Inform Daniel and Ravi. I think Gaz is in the van. Ask him for a form. I’ll start a report? I’m surprised he hasn’t got wind, but let him know, and can you tell the guys to break for an hour, then prepare to run through it again. They can then muck the road. Thanks. And thanks for getting here so quick.’
‘No problem.’ Samantha smiled. ‘Lovely to meet you, Evie. I hope you’ll be ok.’
Evie nodded. ‘Yep, fine. I’ll be off shortly. Bye and thank you.’
After waving her off, Evie said to the medic, ‘I can hold that ice on?’
‘It’s fine. You relax,’ he instructed, winding gauze around the ice on her leg.
‘Are you sure you won’t have another drink?’ Ben asked, ‘… Unless,’ he paused ‘would it be possible to take you out for a meal one evening?’
Again, the blood rushed to her cheeks as their eyes locked. Biting her lip, she said, ‘I’m sorry, my partner wouldn’t approve.’
‘Ah. When you said Charlotte was all you had, I obviously misunderstood but, fine, I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.’
Evie met his eyes with nervous approval. The rhythm of her heart started increasing. Had he really just asked her for a date?
Evie was still trembling when she climbed into the passenger seat of Ben’s 4x4, but noticed she felt weirdly invigorated. The accident must have pumped her blood so fast, she could only imagine her veins had stretched. Or was it that she was so happy to be alive? Ben placed her bike in the back before sliding in next to her wearing a comforting smile.
‘Are you ok?’
‘Yes, fine. I live in a village on the canal, do you know Colombiers?
‘Ah, mais oui! Tres beau.’ His smile flashed straight to her heart.
Maybe it was this man who was bringing her alive. He must have meant a date. What else? No one had asked her for a date since Charlotte, or since Seb at least. Although out of the question, it would be nice. Seb rarely took her out on proper dates when he bothered to come home. It would be magic to be romanced.
Those first weeks when she and Seb had met in Majorca were amazing. Seb had kept eyeing her whilst she’d served drinks at the Puro Club in Palma, joking and teasing, mainly flirting. Despite his forwardness, she’d enjoyed his attention and had found him savagely sexy. Not only that, she’d felt unbelievably special. She’d been singled out. Almost every girl in that bar wished they’d been in her shoes. He was the star, devilishly handsome, famous and, to boot, when he sang, his voice had rampantly resonated through to her soul. So it didn’t take long before she’d fallen for his easy charm and succumbed to his lair; in fact, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They’d spent many glorious days together, either lying idly in bed, making love, or lazing around the pool at Seb’s luxury harbour-side apartment, on the beach, or driving up to the mountains in his jeep, fine-dining on beautiful terraces. How she missed those days, missed Seb. He just wasn’t the same guy she’d met then. He’d spent time with her then. She could only hope he’d get bored with his music and come home.
She breathed out a heavy sigh and scooped back her hair.
Again Ben’s eyes met hers, his mouth curled to one side. Clasping her chest as it fluttered uncontrollably, she couldn’t believe such a small movement of the lips and eyes could create so much energy.
‘Well, before I so clumsily asked you out,’ he said, turning forward again and peering through the rear-view mirror, ‘and the reason I’d like us to talk is –