Page 65 of Born for Starlight

“She’s a professional. She’ll help.”

“Hmm.”

“Layla would never not help a child. You can depend on that, Angelica.”

“Why?”

“It’s because of her history.” She opened her mouth, and I raised my hand. “I won’t betray her confidences. Suffice it to say, that she’s invested in helping children.”

I was expecting another one of her enigmatic ‘hmms’, instead she picked up her spoon and the cup of brigadeiro. She spooned up the chocolate, slow. She put the spoon in her mouth upside down and pulled it out clean. She took her time about it. All of it. Every trace.

I forgot how to chew.

She followed it with a long sip of milk. Her eyes drifted half closed. A small sound of satisfaction, low in her throat.

Sweet Jesus.

"So." She set the glass down and smiled at me. "Thank you for warming up your... old friend. Since that's handled now, can I assume she’s arranged it for us to call the hospital and check on Luzia?"

I choked on a shrimp.

Careful.

Careful now.

"You would have thought, but it wasn’t that easy," I said, and my mouth kept going while my brain yelled at it to stop.

“What do you mean? Either she did you the favor, or she didn’t.”

“She did. And I called, just like she told me to. While you were in the tub.”

"You did?" Her eyes went wide. This time she wasn’t playing any kind of game, she was sincerely excited and hopeful. God, I hated this.

"I got the runaround. Three transfers before anybody would talk to me."

Shut up.

I didn't stop. I didn’t shut up.

"Luzia's been moved to the pediatric ICU. Her lungs again. No visitors. Family only."

Her fork went down. Her hand came up to her mouth, and everything in her face was fear for that little girl, and I hated myself. I could actually see a sheen of tears in her eyes. I wasn’t dealing with the actress, I was dealing with the woman.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"I'm telling you now. I didn't want to lead with it at lunch."

"Oh my God. ICU. Matthew."

"I know. Which is why I messaged Layla again."

You're still going. Why aren’t you shutting up?

"I asked her to work on getting you visitor access. Family only is a rule until somebody important bends it."

Angelica went still. Not upset still. Thinking still. I’d watched Bruno play poker. She'd have cleaned him out.

"Layla again," she said. "The wine broker. She can get me into a pediatric ICU? I don’t care if she has a history. How in the hell can she work that kind of magic?"