Tori nodded. ‘I’m really excited about the project. Not to mention working with Caspar. Phil is a terrific paediatrician but he’s old enough to be my father. I think we’ve got a pretty good deal having Caspar take over while Phil is on leave. I can’t think of many better ways to spend my theatre time than watching Caspar St Claire.’
Tori had a point but Annie didn’t agree wholeheartedly. ‘I would have preferred him to be here minus the cameras, though,’ she replied. She had been on television before and both occasions had been unpleasant, to say the least. Traumatic would be a better way to describe it. She didn’t relish the idea of being exposed to the cameras.
And she knew that was how she was feeling—exposed and vulnerable. Annie had found Tori’s support and friendship invaluable since she’d moved to the Mount but Tori still only knew half the story as far as Annie’s history went. She thought about telling Tori the whole truth but now wasn’t the time or the place.
‘Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way,’ Tori said. ‘The cameras are part of the package. Look at it this way—you want your contract renewed, don’t you? I think taking part in this series would be a very good way of getting support for an extension of your contract.’
The instructor called them all to order and the class began putting an end to their conversation. Annie wasn’t fit enough to talk and exercise at the same time but she was co-ordinated enough to be able to exercise and think about Tori’s comment.
Her contract with the hospital was for twelve months. She needed it to be extended. She needed the job and needed the money. As much as she hated the idea of being on television, she knew Tori was right. She didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t afford to be choosy or create waves. She would have to sign the agreement and she would have to work with Caspar St Claire.
Avoiding Caspar for one afternoon had been a good start but she couldn’t avoid him for ever and, in case she’d forgotten the fact, she had an early reminder when she arrived at the hospital the following morning. Parked almost outside the front doors was a large van emblazoned with the television network logo.
Filming was due to start today and it appeared they were ready and raring to go. Just thinking about it made her insides tremble. She actually felt nauseous at the thought of the camera crew dogging her steps.
Annie sighed as she made her way into the hospital and upstairs to the maternity ward. She had little doubt her path would cross with Caspar’s at some point today.
She still hadn’t signed the agreement, but she planned to do it later that day. She was hoping to delay it just a little longer to buy herself one more day, one more day when she would be safe from observation.
She kept her head down as she hurried past the nursery, too afraid to look through the large glass door in case she saw him—she was keen to avoid an inevitable meeting for as long as possible. She stopped briefly at the nurses’ station to check for any updates before rushing to begin her rounds, rushing to hide behind the sanctuary of ward room curtains and doors.
Once she was among her patients she slowed her pace, ambling through her rounds. She wasn’t consulting until the afternoon so she took her time, hoping that Caspar would be long gone from the floor before she emerged again. When she eventually finished she returned to the nurses’ station to sign case notes but she made sure she kept her back to the wall, not wanting to give Caspar another opportunity to sneak up on her and overhear any conversations. She had no idea where he was but she wasn’t taking any chances.
However, within a few minutes she realised he must be on the floor. Nurses started appearing from all corners of the wing, from patients’ bedsides, the tearoom and even the pan room, as if there had been a silent announcement about events unfolding. And the only thing Annie could think of that would have the nurses all heading into the corridors would be if word had got around that Caspar St Claire was coming their way.
She glanced up from the notes and wasn’t surprised to see him walking towards the desk with nurses trailing in his wake, almost falling over themselves as they rushed to offer their help. One of the nurses, whose name Annie thought was Tiffany, almost knocked down another in her desperate hurry to get to Caspar first.
The scene was rather amusing and Annie found she was smiling to herself and feeling positive for the first time since Caspar had arrived at Blue Lake Hospital. But that didn’t mean she wanted to deal with him this morning. She thought about pretending she hadn’t seen him and making her escape, running away and hiding again. But it was too late. He was heading her way. And smiling. At her.
Did he think her smile was for him? She supposed he would. He had no reason to think she was smiling to herself about the unfolding tableau.
She had to admit he had a really lovely smile. A crease appeared on either side of his mouth, running down to his jaw. They framed his lips and accentuated his square jaw, and the brooding expression in his eyes was replaced with laughter. It was all too easy to keep smiling back at him in return but she needed to remember that she wasn’t one of the young, impressionable nurses and she had to remember that he wasn’t Dr Tall, Dark and Handsome to her. He was Dr Disturbing-her-peaceful-life.
Annie wiped the smile from her face as he drew nearer but she hadn’t completely forgotten Tori’s warning to play nicely.
‘Good morning,’ she greeted him. ‘Are you finding your way around all right?’
‘Yes. Everyone’s being very helpful,’ he replied, but he looked at her for a moment longer than he needed to and Annie could almost hear the unspoken words. Except for you.
Well, that was too bad for him. She imagined he was used to getting his own way but that didn’t mean he deserved to. And if Tiffany and the other nurses on this ward were the yardsticks then she didn’t doubt the females on staff were being extremely helpful.
‘Where is the crew?’ she asked, choosing to ignore his unspoken implication.
‘They’re busy doing their own checks. They need to do some run-throughs before we start—lighting, sound, that sort of thing.’
She’d expected to see him with an entourage. ‘How many of them are there?’
‘Only a few,’ he answered. ‘Liam, the cameraman, Keegan for sound and lighting, and you met Gail, the producer.’
‘No make-up?’
‘No make-up.’
That would explain why he looked so good in the flesh. Dr Tall, Dark and Handsome wasn’t made up for the cameras. The thought didn’t make her feel any better. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about men who were so good looking.
She’d thought his nose was slightly too long but standing directly in front of him now even that looked perfect and she knew she’d just been searching for flaws. It was hard to fault him physically.
‘Apparently our production budget is very modest, which is why the network can afford to be generous towards the hospital. We don’t have a lot of expenses.’
‘What about your fee? They must pay you?’ She remembered his sleek silver sports car and the words were out of her mouth before she realised how rude she sounded. ‘Sorry, ignore that, it’s none of my business.’ She was desperate to change the subject and she looked around quickly, searching for another topic of conversation.
The nurses, having all come out of the woodwork, were now milling around, pretending to look busy, but Annie could see they were all there to check Caspar out. She remembered how he’d known everyone in the meeting yesterday and wondered if his extensive knowledge included the nurses.
‘Do I need to introduce you or have you memorised everyone’s names?’ she asked as she gestured towards the nurses.
‘I didn’t have time to learn everybody’s name, just the most important ones,’ he replied as he zeroed in on her with his green eyes. He was watching her intently and she felt as though he was putting her under the microscope.