Falling for Her Impossible Boss. Alison Roberts

straight in her chair. She was smiling. She looked at Oliver’s back. He was standing very straight. Bella had the distinct impression that if he turned around, he would not be smiling.

      ‘I want to go home,’ Lady Dorothy announced. ‘But I realise I’m going to need some help until I get better. Oliver suggested that I get a private nurse.’

      ‘That sounds like a very good idea,’ Bella said cautiously, not sure what this had to do with her.

      Lady Dorothy beamed at her. ‘So you’ll take the job, then?’

      Bella’s jaw dropped. ‘I’m not a private nurse. I work here, at St Patrick’s.’

      ‘That’s what I told you, Mother,’ Oliver said, without turning around. ‘Private nurses probably have specialised training.’

      ‘Nonsense,’ Lady Dorothy said. ‘A nurse is a nurse.’ She was still smiling at Bella. ‘What’s to stop you taking on a private job?’

      ‘Oh … no, I couldn’t.’ Bella was taken aback. ‘I’m only working until I can save enough money to go overseas.’

      ‘There you go,’ Oliver said. ‘You need someone who can commit to more long-term employment.’

      ‘I’d pay you very well, dear.’ Lady Oliver frowned at Oliver’s back. ‘And Oliver won’t be in the way. His wing of the house is quite separate, really.’

      Bella couldn’t help sucking in an audible breath. His wing of the house? Her astonishment came out as a rather different query, however. ‘You live with your mother?’

      The back stiffened further, quite visibly, and Oliver turned to face Bella directly. Oh … Lord … how could she have forgotten just how intimidating this man could be? Except … something about his face reminded her of how he’d looked when she’d caught him out with the fast food. Was he embarrassed by the fact that he still lived with his mother?

      Even though the tiny hint of vulnerability was quite appealing, Bella knew it would be a big mistake to smile.

      ‘How long is it going to take for you to save up to go overseas?’ Lady Dorothy seemed undeterred.

      ‘Um … a wee while, I guess.’ Bella had to look away from the direct stare she was receiving from Oliver. He didn’t approve of what his mother was trying to do here. What was the problem? Did he think she wasn’t good enough to care for his mother without the kind of supervisory hierarchy a hospital provided? Of course she was. If she wanted to be a private nurse, she would be an excellent one. It was, in fact, the type of job she was considering doing when she went overseas because she’d heard that it paid very well.

      ‘Is that why you live with your aunt? To help you save money?’

      ‘Partly.’ Bella turned her attention back to Lady Dorothy who was, after all, a much more likeable person than her son. ‘She’s also my favourite person in the world. She’s not that much older than me and she lived with my family for a long time.’ Bella was happy to change the subject because the idea of a job that would pay well enough to speed up her saving was rather tempting.

      She also had to admit that Oliver was right. They needed someone who could commit long term. It wouldn’t be fair to Lady Dorothy to take on a job as her private nurse and then disappear off overseas in a few months. ‘She’s getting married soon and I’m going to be her bridesmaid.’

      ‘How exciting. I love weddings. Have you decided what to give them for a gift?’

      ‘No …’ Bella hadn’t thought about that at all. She wasn’t given time to think about it now either because Oliver made a kind of huffing noise and muttered something about having to get back to his ward round.

      ‘I’ll see you later, Mother. When I get a chance I’ll ring an agency and make some enquiries about private nursing arrangements.’

      He nodded at Bella as he left. The matter was ended.

      Lady Dorothy left the subject alone for the moment as well, moving on to an animated discussion about potential wedding gifts. Bella’s head was whirling with suggestions by the time she headed for her lunch break. Of course she wanted to give Kate and Connor something special but that was going to be awfully expensive, wasn’t it?

      Bella took a few minutes to surf the internet while she had a coffee to end her break. It seemed like a good idea to try to reconnect with her dreams of overseas travel. She looked at the cost of flights and what she might have to pay for even cheap accommodation in a place like London. She reminded herself that she would need to factor in the cost of eating at least occasionally and allow for it taking a bit of time to find a new job. Then she scribbled on a piece of paper, trying to decide how long it would take her to save enough to spread her wings.

      The results were depressing. It might take her a lot longer than the six months she’d been counting on given her determination to get out of Kate and Connor’s way by the time they came back from their honeymoon.

      She screwed up the piece of paper and threw it into the bin in the nurses’ station. When she went back to Lady Dorothy’s room, it seemed like salt was being rubbed into the wound to find her patient brandishing a very similar-looking piece of paper.

      ‘There …’ Lady Dorothy was having difficulty keeping hold of the paper but managed to push it towards Bella. ‘That’s how much I’ll pay you to come and be my nurse. I don’t care if it’s not for very long. I’m sure I’ll be much better by the time you want to leave and if I can’t manage by myself, I’ll come up with another plan.’

      Bella took the piece of paper, mainly to save Lady Dorothy the embarrassment of having it fall from her stiff fingers. She caught sight of the amount written in wobbly figures on the paper, however, and her jaw dropped.

      ‘That’s ridiculous,’ she squeaked. ‘You could probably hire three nurses for that much.’

      ‘I don’t want three nurses,’ Lady Dorothy said firmly. ‘I only want one. You.’

      CHAPTER FOUR

      ‘MOTHER… Bella said she couldn’t take the position. Stop pestering her.’

      ‘I’m just trying to understand, Oliver. That can hardly be considered pestering, can it?’ The question became directed at Bella as Lady Dorothy turned her head. Her smile was sweet. There was even a dimple flashing in a soft cheek.