Angel

They had shared a P.E. class when Lily was a freshman and Mark was a senior. During the gymnastics unit she did a cartwheel and her glasses slid right off her face. They were the kind of thick black frames commonly referred to as ‘hipster glasses.’

A lot of the boys catcalled her. One was particularly brave (or was it stupid?) and called out to her directly. “What are you hiding behind those clunkers for? You look better without your glasses!”

Lily, who had put her glasses back on by then, took them off and squinted at him before delivering a scorching burn. “What do you know? You look better without my glasses too.”

Everyone in the class went “ooooh” and the boy that dared mess with her turned beet red and tried to explain himself. “I didn’t mean anything weird by it!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I think you did. I think you believe in the outdated notion than women have to conform to men’s beauty standards to get by in this world. Let me tell you something; I can’t wear contacts because they mess with my eyes. I need these to see.

“I am not going to make myself ‘pretty’ for you or anyone else at the expense of my own comfort. And I’ll have you know that I rock these glasses. So keep your stupid opinions to yourself, kay?”

Lily shot him her most innocent smile after finishing her little speech and that intrigued Mark even more than her impassioned speech. So he was more than slightly surprised when he first encountered Angel, who had the exact same face.

She didn’t wear glasses but her hair and makeup were immaculate and her fashion sense was on point too. It had been a few years since he had seen Lily so he wondered if she had changed until he introduced himself and she didn’t display the tiniest bit of recognition.

He thought she might have forgotten him because they barely interacted but further probing indicated she hadn’t gone to the same high school. She was a completely different person.

Before he got her name, Edward came downstairs and called her Angel. She seemed bored at best as he approached and kissed her cheek, livening up slightly when she saw her baby.

She might not care about him much but she did care about that child. She wouldn’t abandon Aria without a word, which was why Mark didn’t believe she had run away. Something must have happened to her.

Mark continued with his calls until he finally found a viable lead. A woman matching Angel’s description was currently unconscious in a hospital and had been found without any ID on her.

Long wavy blonde hair. Emerald green eyes. About 5’8” and 130 pounds. That certainly sounded like Angel but he needed to head to the hospital and identify her to be sure. He didn’t want to give Edward false hope unnecessarily.

One glance was all it took. That was definitely Angel. But why did her hair look wet? What exactly happened?

He could ask about that later. He needed to call Edward first.

“Did you find her?” he asked before Mark even had the chance to say hello.

“Yes. She’s currently unconscious at Hallowfield Hospital. They haven’t given me any information about what happened to her yet. I would recommend coming over right away sir. They might be more forthcoming with the next of kin.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Edward said in a hard voice before hanging up.

Fifteen minutes? His house was at least twenty-five minutes from here. Mark sincerely hoped he didn’t plan on speeding because that getting pulled over would only make things worse. Not that he couldn’t afford to pay for the ticket but still.

Edward Todd was one of the wealthiest men in Monterey County. He was a real estate tycoon and it seemed like he owned half of everything around here. Landing a job with him straight out of college had been a real stroke of luck.

Mark had been doing an unpaid internship over the summer before his last year of college at a business Edward had a meeting with. His insights during the meeting may have gotten him in trouble with his temporary boss but they caught the attention of an even bigger fish.

He was paid very well to do anything Edward needed him to for business or otherwise. He wouldn’t have it any other way, even if he did have to deal with his boss’s rocky relationship with his wife frequently.

As promised, Edward did arrive after only fifteen minutes. His usual cool demeanor had cracked somehow in his panic. Despite his designer suit he looked disheveled.

“What happened to her?” he demanded of a nearby nurse.

“We aren’t entirely sure,” the woman replied calmly. “She was found washed up on a beach with a bump on her head. She should be able to tell us when she wakes up. Can you please tell me her name and your relationship to her?”

“Angelina Dawson. I’m her emergency contact,” Edward said crisply.

Hang on, Angelina Dawson? Why did that name sound familiar? Mark could have sworn he had heard it around somewhere recently…

The nurse’s eyes widened. “As in Miss California? That Angelina Dawson?”

He sighed. “Yes. Keep this under wraps though. She doesn’t need any negative publicity before the Miss Americana competition this summer. Her injury isn’t serious, is it? It won’t prevent her from competing?”

“It shouldn’t. We’d have to monitor her overnight to be sure but it looks like a simple concussion.”

“Then why is she unconscious?”

“…we aren’t sure.”

Edward scowled. “What are you people sure of?”

Mark stood their awkwardly, wondering how he hadn’t realized that Angel was actually a shortened version of her name. Or that she was somewhat famous. If she was in the pageant circuit and preparing for such a huge competition it was no wonder she was always busy.

Why had his boss introduced himself as her emergency contact of all things though? If they really were married wouldn’t it be easier to introduce himself as her husband? It wasn’t his job to ask though.

“Is there anything else you need me for here Mr. Todd?” Mark asked simply.

Edward shook his head. “Get back to the office and clear my schedule. Take care of any paperwork we’ve already discussed as well. I’m not going anywhere until Angel wakes up. And I trust you’ll keep your mouth shut about her identity.”

“Of course sir. I didn’t hear anything.”

“Good.”

Mark headed back to the office feeling a twinge of pity for his normally composed boss. He really was such a sucker for love. Angel probably wouldn’t even appreciate the fact that he dropped everything to come see her when he found out she was in the hospital. Oh well.