is more,’ Leo explained to Lizzie as he worked. ‘In this case we’re not trying to change anything, just enhance.’
‘Will there be any more procedures?’ Lizzie asked now that Marianna was dozing quietly as Leo worked.
Leo shook his head. ‘I’ve already zapped a few capillaries and I’m sure Marianna won’t mind me telling you she had some work done with the most impressive ceramist. I might have to pay him a visit.’
Lizzie smiled behind her mask, Leo needed no work done on his teeth, which were white and very even, but not so falsely perfect that she really couldn’t be sure if he’d had work done.
‘Have you ever thought of having anything done, Lizzie?’ Marianna asked groggily.
‘I have.’ Lizzie refused to look at Leo.
‘Have you had anything done yourself?’
It was Lizzie who chose not to answer this time.
‘That’s what I’m trying to work out,’ Leo answered for her.
It was all good-natured teasing, just the sort of idle chatter that took place during a straightforward procedure, and in less than an hour Marianna was sitting up, a little woozy but looking into the mirror as Leo outlined what he had done.
‘You will get a little bruising and swelling but not too much, I think.’
‘Will I be able to cover it with make-up?’
‘No make-up yet,’ Leo warned. ‘It’s going to look worse before it looks better. We’ll keep you here for today …’ He wrote his operation notes and gave Lizzie his instructions. ‘Lots of iced eye masks and if Marianna can rest in a recliner, that would be great. I’d like her head up.’
‘Sure.’
Lizzie watched as he wrote on a small card. She assumed it was the instructions but he clipped it to the operation notes.
‘Okay, call someone to help you take Marianna to the recovery area.’
It was nothing like anywhere Lizzie had worked.
She didn’t even have to push the wheelchair.
Charlotte was waiting in the sumptuous recovery room, which was more like a day spa than anything Lizzie was used to. She welcomed Marianna and they helped her into a chair and checked her obs and then, as Marianna slept, Charlotte showed Lizzie a few things—such as letting the chef know that they had a patient back from Theatre after twilight sedation.
‘Iced water.’ Charlotte read Marianna’s choices to the chef and Lizzie hid her amazement—you even ordered water here! ‘Could you send some chamomile tea in half an hour and I’ll let you know when she’s ready for breakfast. Poached eggs and salmon and brown bread, no crusts, no butter.’
‘I want to get my eyes done just so I can lie in that chair and have poached eggs and salmon brought up to me.’ Lizzie smiled. ‘But I’ll have butter, please.’
‘You can,’ Charlotte answered. ‘Leo lets us have one procedure a year on the house … it doesn’t have to be you, you can use it for a family member.’
Lizzie wondered if she should get a T-shirt with ‘I LOVE MY JOB!’ printed on the front.
‘Usually a patient who has had a blepharoplasty would just stay till around lunchtime but Leo wants Marianna here all day and you’ll take her back to the hotel this evening.’
‘Okay.’
There was a knock at the door and Gwen came in, smiling. ‘Have you got something for me?’
‘I do.’
Charlotte removed the little card from the patient notes and handed it to Gwen, who headed off. ‘It’s just a note to attach to flowers,’ Charlotte explained. ‘Gwen will have them sent to the hotel.’
‘Do all patients come home to flowers and handwritten notes from the surgeon?’
‘Leo’s Ladies do,’ Charlotte said with a smile. ‘I’ll leave you, then.’
Lizzie was completely unused to doing nothing at work but, for this esteemed patient, the head nurse was with her at all times and Lizzie found herself checking cupboards for something to do.
‘You can sit and read,’ Leo said, when he came in later in the afternoon to check in on Marianna. ‘You don’t have to pretend to be busy. You may as well enjoy the quiet times, it’s not always like this.’
‘Thanks.’
He went over and checked on Marianna.
‘I think I can go back to the hotel now,’ Marianna said, and Leo agreed. Really, she could have gone home a while ago but naturally Leo had wanted to make sure everything was fine.
‘Lizzie will see you back to your hotel. If you have any concerns at all, don’t hesitate to call me. Otherwise I’ll see you tomorrow.’
He gave his instructions to Lizzie before they headed off.
‘Don’t worry about coming back,’ Leo said. ‘Thank you for coming in so early. It all went very well. I’ll give you a call a bit later.’
‘A call?’
‘To make sure the transfer to the hotel went okay.’
Why else would he be calling her? Lizzie thought, trying to tame a sudden blush.
The hotel ensured everything went seamlessly too and, completely unseen by any prying eyes, Lizzie transferred her patient from Harley Street to a gorgeous suite at the hotel, where flowers were waiting from Ferdinand and, of course, from Leo too.
‘How sweet!’ Marianna said as she read the card and whatever Leo had written made her laugh. ‘He says my puppy really needs his nails trimmed. Leo is gorgeous, isn’t he?’
Lizzie didn’t really know how to answer. ‘He’s a great boss,’ she said. ‘Well, so far …’ And then her voice trailed off. Really, their start had been terrible, she’d been thinking of walking out on the job there and then, but in less than two days somehow all had been forgiven.
Not forgotten, though.
As she slipped eye masks into the fridge for Marianna to use overnight Lizzie recalled Ethan’s words this morning—he’d been warning her, Lizzie knew.
He didn’t have to.
Of course Leo was gorgeous and of course she fancied him, but there was no way Lizzie was going to add herself to the list of Leo’s Ladies. And anyway, she told herself, as if someone as stunning and delicious and as in demand as Leo Hunter might be remotely interested in her.
He was, though.
Lizzie swallowed and then corrected herself.
Leo Hunter would have been flirting from the cradle—those blue eyes, that slow smile certainly weren’t exclusive to her.
Two days in and Lizzie was in love …
With her job!
And she had every intention of keeping it.
She applied some ointment to Marianna’s eyes and made sure she was settled before saying goodbye then heading out to the street and into a taxi and home.
Lizzie was just sinking into the bath with the last of the champagne chocolate truffles and wondering if it was true that she could have a procedure done, and what she might choose if it was, when her phone rang.
Of course she had to race through to the lounge and stood naked and dripping wet as the very unruffled voice of Leo came on the line.
‘Did I disturb you?’
‘Of course not,’ Lizzie lied.
‘How was Marianna?’
‘Fine.