Leave a Mark by Stephanie Fournet Read Free Book Online

of these are inspirations. But I did the ones in the black frames.”
    Lee scanned the walls. He counted fourteen, and they were among the most striking. In one, an inverted Chinese fan spanned the lower back on a woman with generous hips. She’d captured the color, the grain, even the sheen of the fan’s silk, and a riverside town sprawled over the bamboo ribbing. It looked real enough to touch. In another, Wren had tattooed a pair of black lace underwear across a young woman’s entire pelvis. Lee found himself staring in order to find her cleft, but it was so well camouflaged among the lace pattern it was almost impossible.
    “Those are incredible.” He hoped she could hear the awe in his voice. He’d never seen anything like it.
    “Thank you,” she mumbled, stepping up to her coffee table and bending to clear sheets and sheets of sketches.
    “What are you doing?” He tore his eyes from the wall and frowned at her.
    “It’s such a mess. It’s embarrassing.”
    Lee reached forward to stop her. “First of all, it’s not a mess. Clearly, this is your workspace, and you are damn good at your work. Secondly, you aren’t supposed to be doing chores,” he scolded. “You need a good five days of rest.”
    He watched her brush her bangs out of her eyes again. She obviously wasn’t comfortable having him in her space, and it showed. And why should she be? He was pretty much a total stranger. Even if I am her doctor . Scratch that. Especially since he was her doctor.
    Lee needed to get out of there. The trouble was he wasn’t in any hurry to leave.
    “Sit down and put your feet up,” he said, gesturing to her couch. And then he did a double-take. It was a vintage camel-back sofa with glossy ball claw legs and scrolled arms. The gold fabric was a little worn, but, otherwise, it was in excellent condition.
    “What are you staring at?” She sounded edgy.
    “Is that a Chippendale?” he found himself asking. Lee didn’t need to ask. He’d spent enough Saturdays as a kid going to antique shows with his mom to know. Before she’d gotten sick, of course.
    “Yeah, so?”
    “It’s just really nice,” he said, knowing immediately that he sounded too surprised.
    Wren folded her arms across her chest. “Dr. Hawthorne, correct me if I’m wrong,” she said, throwing his words back at him. Her green eyes flashed. “But it sort of sounds like you’re judging me.”
    “No… I-I… know a little about antiques,” he stammered before recovering. “It’s a great piece.”
    She moved to the sofa and sat, but she eyed him the whole time. “Well, I like beautiful things,” she said with a defensive shrug.
    He hoped he could undo whatever offense he’d given. “You have excellent taste.”
    “Thank you." Her tone was a little stiff. Wren picked up her feet and toed off her black ankle boots, one at a time. As soon as the second one hit the floor, a black, white, and orange blur shot out from under the couch and streaked through the room.
    “I take it that was Agnes.”
    Wren smirked. “Yeah, she’s suspicious of strangers.”
    “I wonder where she gets that?” Lee said, unable to help himself.
    Wren gave him the stink-eye, and he laughed. Loud mewling issued from the next room, which Lee guessed was the kitchen.
    “If you tell me where to find her food, I’ll try to get on her good side.”
    She gave him an amused look. “Good luck with that,” she said, settling back against the arm of her sofa. “Her food is in the cabinet under the sink, and her bowl is in the corner by the fridge. She’ll probably hide under my bed until you leave, but she’ll eat eventually.”
    “Okay.” Lee turned and made his way to the kitchen. As soon as the cat saw him, she darted away through the opposite door, but when she heard him open the cabinet and shake the bag of Meow Mix, she ran back to her bowl. When Lee started to pour, Agnes did two, quick figure-eights through his legs before diving in.
    “Oh my God, is