But then the screaming started.
I was on my feet and across the room in a matter of moments. The screams were coming from the female companion of a man clutching his throat and turning a pale shade of blue.
“He’s choking!” she shouted. “Someone help him! Please!”
The balding man had stood and was pulling at his collar. He was at least a foot taller than me. I needed to administer a Heimlich but wasn’t going to be able to get the right angle, even with the added height from my heels. I kicked off my shoes and then jumped onto the chair the man had vacated.
I wrapped my arms around him, clasped my hands together, and yanked.
It didn’t help, but at least I found the bottom of his rib cage. I jerked my fists in and up again, and something gave; his body released and he gasped for breath. I leapt off the chair just as he plonked himself down.
“I thought my time was up,” the man said in an American accent. “Thank you, miss.” He took a deep breath and blew it out dramatically.
I crouched down bedside him and took his wrist, wanting to make sure his pulse was steady. “Have some water and rest a while. You should go to hospital. You seem fine, but I can’t perform all the checks they can in casualty.”
“I’m fine. Breathin’, thanks to you.”
“I know but—”
“This is the best goddamn steak I’ve ever eaten.” He poked at his plate with a pudgy finger. “I don’t say that lightly. I come from Texas—a good steak is a way of life out there. There’s no way I’m leavin’ this restaurant until I’m done or dead.”
I tried not to roll my eyes as I turned to the woman next to him, who I assumed was his wife. “Some food could have made its way into his lungs. He really needs to go to a hospital. I don’t even have a stethoscope with me.” Note to self: find evening clutch large enough for necessities.
“Thank you, honey,” his wife said. “But my husband is the most stubborn steak eater you’ll ever meet. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Please do. And if he struggles to breathe at all, take him straight to A&E.”
“Don’t you worry.” She patted me on the arm. “Can I write you a check or somethin’ to say thank you?”
I slipped my shoes back on. “Absolutely no need. Enjoy your dinner.”
I turned to find Joshua staring at me, his mouth slightly agape. I smiled and wandered back over to our table.
“You’re Wonder Woman,” he said.
I rolled my eyes at his teasing. “Sorry to interrupt—”
“Only you would apologize for saving a man’s life. You were amazing. He would have choked to death.”
I shrugged. “He didn’t.” I glanced back over my shoulder at the guy laughing with his wife. “Hopefully he won’t develop aspiration pneumonia. But I’ve done what I can.”
The waiters made more of a fuss of me than I was comfortable with. They brought us a bottle of champagne along with our starters.
“This is nice.” I picked up a champagne flute. “I feel like I at least contributed to dinner in some way now.”
“You being here with me is all the contribution I wanted.” Joshua raised his glass. “Let’s make a toast.”
“To not choking on our dinner?” I suggested.
“To staying in each other’s orbits,” he countered.
I grinned, a warm feeling chasing down my limbs. Until now I’d forgotten what we’d been talking about. “I’ll drink to that.” I hoped Joshua and I would see each other after I moved.
I’d miss him.
Too much.
That was why the interruption from the Texan diner had come at the right time. It was as if Joshua had unwittingly been casting a spell over me all evening. I needed to remind myself that tonight wasn’t a real date. He didn’t see me like that and I had a forcefield around me to make sure I didn’t see him like that. We were friends. With a history. That was all.
Twenty-Four
Joshua
The evening wasn’t going to plan. Hartford was still dismissing my flirting, and she couldn’t take a compliment no matter how many I gave her. I was supposed to be stoking the fire of desire according to Tristan, but so far, I hadn’t seen evidence of so much as a spark.
“You know, you’ve got me thinking . . .I know I agreed to all this dating stuff to keep Gerry happy, but I’m coming round to the idea that maybe finding someone to love might not be the worst thing in the world.”
I nodded and glanced down to see if my heart was actually beating out of my chest. Had I managed to break through to her? Or was she talking about love in the abstract? Someone she might find in the future?
The attraction I felt for Hartford wasn’t anything like what I’d felt for Diana. It felt deeper somehow, despite the fact that Diana and I were going to be married. We’d both been so young and stupid. Hartford was delightfully open and honest, but she wasn’t naïve. I’d watched her save a man’s life tonight, stop a family’s grief before it started. She was phenomenally capable, and although she was a little green in so many ways, it was nowhere that mattered. She was a clever, sensitive, caring woman. I completely respected her. But it was more than that. As I sat holding her hand, listening to her experiences of medical school and Yemen, her theories on death and love, I couldn’t look away from the variety of expressions that danced across her face, the way she was so kind to the waiter, the patterns she drew in the air with her free hand as she waved it around to emphasize words here and there.