“He does?”
He narrowed his eyes at me and bobbed his head. “Oh yeah, he likes you a lot.”
* * *
I let Leon lead the way down the hall to Sean’s room. Following behind him was like driving behind a semi-truck. I couldn’t see anything on the other side of him. I’d never seen a man so tall and wide.
“Hey, look who I found,” Leon said, walking into Sean’s room with a big grin on his face. He stepped aside to let me pass. When I saw Sean in the bed, all bandages and metal rods and screws, it made me sick to my stomach. He really did look like he’d been mowed over by a train.
“Hey,” Sean said, his voice a weak whisper. He held out his right hand and wiggled his fingers at me. “I was hoping you’d come.”
I took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Jesus, you scared the crap out of me,” I said. My eyes welled with tears despite my best efforts to hold them back. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“I am okay and I feel awesome,” he said with a smile.
“He’s a little doped up,” Leon said. He went to the other side of the bed and rested his big hands on the bedrail. “He’s gonna be okay, but the docs say he’ll be here for at least two weeks, then rehab for a while. God help his physical therapist.”
“Katie will take care of me,” Sean said, the words slurring past his lips. “We’ll go to the cabin and she’ll take care of me.”
“Sure,” I said, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. “I’ll take care of you. Whatever you want.”
I heard a familiar voice in the hallway outside that made me cringe. A harsh, female voice, like a low growl. I didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. It was Madge Sinclair, talking to someone on the phone.
“I’d better go and let you rest,” I said quietly, hoping I could slip out without being seen by Madge.
“No, you just got here.” Sean wouldn’t let go of my hand. His fingers were like a vice. “Leon, have you met Katie,”
“Yeah, man,” Leon said, rolling his eyes at me. “I’ve met Katie.”
Then, like a storm that I knew was coming but couldn’t avoid, Madge burst into the room. “So, how’s my favorite client…”
Her mouth snapped shut when she saw me standing beside the bed holding Sean’s hand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, giving me a look that nearly made me wet my pants.
“Madge, hey,” Sean said with a dopey grin on his face. “Do you know Katie Holmes from Playboy Magazine?”
Madge blinked at him for a moment, then glared at me. “No, but I know Kate Asher from Sports Insider Online.”
Sean frowned between us. “Who?”
Leon shook his head. He wagged a thick finger at me. “Now I know why you looked familiar,” he said. “Shit.”
“Shit is right,” Madge said. Her eyes filled with anger. She curled her lip into a snarl. “What’s going on here? Why does he think you’re someone else?”
“What’s going on?” Sean asked, confused, still clutching my hand. He gave Madge a hard look. “This is my girlfriend. This is Katie Holmes, like the actress, only hotter. Be nice to her, Madge.”
“Sean, my dear, this is a low-level reporter named Kate Asher from SIO,” Madge said, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at me. “She’s one of those awful people who is banned from Kings Stadium.”
“What? Bullshit.” Sean let go of my hand and rolled his head on the pillow to look at me. “Tell her who you are, Katie.”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath and prepared to lie, but it was no use. The ruse was up. Lying further would have only dug my grave deeper a foot deeper.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice quivering. “I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand. I was just trying to get an interview.”
“Get out,” Madge said. She nodded at Leon like she was sicking a dog on me. “Get her out of here before I call the police. And tell security she is not allowed back into this room.”
“Please, let me explain,” I said. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as Leon came around the bed and gently took my arm.