Kingsley & Vanessa: Her ‘Condition’

‘If I had asked you to treat me to breakfast, where would you have taken me?’ Kingsley asked teasingly. ‘Let me think,’ Vanessa said. ‘There’s a nice hot dog stand right outside the hospital where I work.’ ‘Hot dogs for breakfast? Is that what you eat regularly?’ Kingsley raised an eyebrow, curious. ‘Yeah, what’s wrong with that? Not classy enough for your taste?’ Kingsley fell silent. He realised there was still a lot he didn’t know about this woman, despite having read that dossier. Vanessa continued, ‘I’m just an emergency room doctor. If you deduct the insurance and all kinds of fees, my take-home pay is less than eight K a month. I can’t afford to eat at expensive places like this all the time, the way you do.’ True, she was born into a wealthy family, but after her aunt climbed into her father’s bed and became her stepmother, even Cinderella had a better life than her. She had to work part-time during summer vacations to pay for college tuition. Moreover, Marty never provided her