‘Not exactly.’ Seb picked up his glass and Luci’s eyes followed the path of his drink from the table to his lips. She watched as he took a long sip. She could scarcely believe she was sitting at a bar, having a drink with a stranger. She’d never been out with a man she’d just met. Not one on one. For as long as she could remember she had been part of a couple.
Seb made her feel nervous. But it was a good kind of nervous. An exciting kind.
He swallowed his beer and continued, ‘I’m employed by the state health department and I’m based out of North Sydney Hospital but I spend most of my time in rural areas. There doesn’t seem to be much point paying rent in the city, especially not at Sydney prices, for the few nights a month that I’m in town so I crash at Cal’s.’
Disappointment washed over her. He was only in town a few nights a month. Did that mean he’d be gone again soon?
‘If you’re only here for a few days then I’m sure we can manage to share the space,’ she suggested, hoping she sounded friendly and hospitable rather than desperate, but the truth was she’d quite like the company. While she was enjoying her anonymity she’d never lived on her own before—she’d left home and moved into university accommodation and then married Ben. She was finding Callum’s apartment a bit too quiet. She liked the idea of having company and she had a feeling she could do a lot worse than Seb’s.
‘I need to be honest,’ he replied. ‘I’m here for longer than a few days this time, it’ll be closer to six weeks, and in the interests of full disclosure I’ll be working out of the community health centre attached to the hospital. Where will you be doing your placement?’
‘There.’ Because Luci was from interstate she’d been given the most convenient placement.
‘So we’ll be working together too,’ Seb added, ‘but if you’re happy to share Cal’s space for a few days, we could give it a trial and see how we go.’ He smiled at her and Luci’s heart flipped in her chest. ‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll find somewhere else to stay. How’s that sound?’
It sounded all right to her but she paused while she pretended to give it some thought. She nodded. ‘Okay.’
‘That’s settled, then.’ He tapped his drink against hers. ‘House mates it is.’ He sipped his beer and asked, ‘So tell me about Vickers Hill. Your family is there?’
Luci nodded. ‘My parents. I work at the local hospital.’
‘Is it a big town?’
‘Big enough to need a hospital. Your typical country hospital. We have obstetrics and some aged-care beds and we do some minor surgery as well.’
‘So why the change to family and community health?’
‘I needed to get out.’
‘Of the hospital?’
Luci shook her head. ‘Of Vickers Hill.’
‘Why?’
Luci sighed quietly. There was no point keeping everything a secret as she figured he’d find out most of it eventually anyway. His brother was in Vickers Hill, working with her father. There would be no secrets. Not that her father would talk about her but Luci knew there were patients who couldn’t resist gossip. And if Callum looked anything like Seb did, Luci knew there’d be no shortage of patients booking appointments with the new doctor. ‘I got divorced six months ago and I just felt I needed to get out of town for a while.’
‘Has it been messy?’
‘Not messy so much as awkward. My dad is the local doctor—Callum has gone to work in his clinic,’ she explained, ‘so everyone, and I mean everyone, knows me. My ex-husband and I grew up together, we dated since high school, got married at twenty-one and divorced at twenty-five.’
‘You were together, what, ten years?’
‘About that.’
‘That’s a long time. This must be tough for you.’
No one else, other than Flick and her parents, had really understood how her divorce had impacted on her but Seb had hit the nail on the head immediately.
Her divorce had turned her world upside down. Every day of her life had included Ben. He was part of her history. Their friendship and relationship had shaped her into the person she was today and it had been difficult to separate herself into her own person. Ben was wrapped up in her identity and she was having to shape a new one for herself. It had been tough. Really tough.
Perhaps it was the distance lending Seb perspective. Everyone at home seemed to be having just as much difficulty adjusting to Luci being single as she was, which was partly why she had decided, or agreed with Flick’s suggestion, to leave. The locals weren’t moving on as quickly as she would like, which had made things even more difficult for her. It had taken her a lot of adjusting but she was finally coming to terms with the end of her marriage, and she felt the process would be faster if she didn’t have to contend with local opinion as well.
‘It has been rough,’ she admitted. ‘I reckon a divorce is sad and stressful enough, without having an entire town involved. Because everyone knew us, had seen us grow up, they all seemed to think that our divorce was somehow their business. I was tired of everyone either feeling sorry for me because I couldn’t keep my husband or offering to set me up with their nephew, grandson or best friend’s boy.’
‘So you ran away?’
He was watching her closely and Luci could feel herself starting to blush. She wasn’t used to such close attention. She turned away, breaking eye contact. ‘It was time for a change.’
Feeling sorry for herself was self-indulgent. She needed to move on but in a town where everyone knew her business that was hard to do. The truth was she hadn’t coped well at all but that was none of their business. That’s why Flick had been able to talk her into this crazy idea to take a study break in Sydney, and looking around her now she had to admit that it hadn’t been such a mad idea after all. She was actually feeling like she was able to put her marriage behind her. But the demise of her marriage had also cost her the chance of motherhood and that wasn’t so easy to come to terms with.
But she preferred to think she was running towards her future rather than away from her past. She didn’t want to get pigeonholed, which was the danger if she’d stayed put, but there was no need to explain everything. Seb didn’t need to know it all. Unlike at home, she could choose to keep her secrets. This was her opportunity to tell people only what she wanted them to know and she intended to make the most of it.
‘Well, I reckon there’s plenty in Sydney to keep you so busy that you won’t have time to think. And I promise not to introduce you to any eligible men. Unless you ask me to,’ he added. He finished his beer, pushed back the cuff of his shirt and looked at his watch. ‘I have a meeting to get to but can I give you a lift home first?’ he asked as he picked up his helmet.
‘That would be great,’ she said, but she should have said no.
Seb offered her his leather jacket to wear for protection, just in case something untoward happened. His hands brushed hers as he slid the jacket over her arms and when his fingers brushed her neck as he fastened the strap of his spare helmet under her chin Luci thought she might melt on the spot. And she still had to get on the bike and sit behind him and wrap her arms around his waist. She wasn’t sure her brain could be trusted to convey all those messages.
She should have declined his offer, she’d remember that next time.
But it was too late now. She’d been on a motorbike before. It was probably no different from cycling—it would all come back to her once she got on. Her ex had a trail bike that he’d used to ride around his parents’ property and to school. He would pick her up every morning and give her a lift, but they’d been seventeen then. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d ridden on the back of his bike,