“There’s nothing else to be said. Please under-45 stand. Besides this isn’t the time with Luc going into the hospital first thing in the morning for surgery on his leg. It’s time for bed right now and he needs a good night’s sleep.”
“What surgery? Luc never told Max about that!”
“Luc assures me it’s nothing serious, but he won’t want visitors for a while. In the meantime, I’m going to nurse him while he recuperates. When he’s feeling better the two of you can talk.”
“Olivia Duchess—don’t you dare hang up on me! I haven’t finished with yo—”
“Congratulations again on your win. You were fabulous. No doubt the German team has left Italy to re-strategize for the next Grand Prix on the schedule. But between you and me they don’t stand a chance against you. I’m proud to know you.”
“Oliviaaaaaaaaaaaa?”
“I’ll tell him. Good night.”
She turned around and put the receiver back on the hook too fast for Luc to hear her sister’s alarmed cry. When she looked up, their eyes collided.
His merciless gaze unnerved her. “Tell me what?” he demanded.
“Cesar’s worried about your leg and hopes the operation goes well.”
“It’s not as much an operation as a procedure done under a local anesthetic.”
She gave a feminine shrug of her shoulders. “The important thing is, I think I put him off. He’s concerned about you, and he isn’t going to come charging after me.”
“You expect me to believe that?” he asked in an urbane voice, but she felt his underlying contempt. “You kissed him back, remember?”
“At least a dozen women did the same thing to him today after his big win. I don’t know how he keeps his girlfriends straight in his mind. The point is, if he does show up, it probably won’t be before tomorrow. We’ll be long gone from the hospital by then.
“However should he come looking me, I’ll tell him that the pity I felt for you on the Piccione turned to love, but that I didn’t realize it until I went to Monza with him and he started kissing me.”
“He’ll never buy it.” His words dropped like rocks.
“You mean because he knows you’re not in love with me?” she fired. “Well if everyone didn’t know it before the wedding, you made certain they figured it out by the time it was over!
“But it doesn’t matter how you feel about me. All that’s important is that Cesar realizes I’m here and that I’ve made my choice, so ther—”
The phone rang again. She grabbed for it, fearing Greer was calling her back, but Luc’s hand was faster on the receiver. His smile was wicked as he picked up the receiver.
“Allo?” she heard him say. She held her breath, fearing the worst. “Bonsoir, Cesar.”
Oh, no. Cesar! This was turning into a nightmare.
“Congratulations on another brilliant win.” He’d switched to English. Olivia stood stock still, waiting for the bomb to drop. “She’s right here.”
With a penetrating glance that kept her rooted to the spot, Luc handed her the phone. “You’ll have to do a better job of getting rid of him this time around,” he whispered. “He’s not the grand champion of Formula I racing for nothing.”
Feeling as if she was walking on the edge of a cliff that was about to give way at any moment, she put the receiver to her ear. “What is it, Cesar?”
“Eh bien, what a greeting! You really do know how to wound. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that I learned you’d been to our parents’ house asking to see Luc.
“I expected you to come to the podium after the race today. With so much going on, it was several hours before I could get away to meet you at the hotel. When I did, all I found was your note.”
“I really am sorry.”
“Now I discover you at my brother’s house— Tell me, ma belle. What does he have that I don’t?”
For once she couldn’t figure out if it was his male pride talking, or if he truly had feelings for her.
“Can’t we leave it alone and just be friends?”