‘Yes, OK. I’ll look at trying to set an estimated date. Will that help?’
Beth nodded briskly, trying to be businesslike when that chair had never been filled so well in all its life. ‘I take it you’ll want to do this on a weekend? We’ll be needing so many staff we won’t be able to run other theatres as well. It would leave them too short.’
‘Yes, logistically it’s the only way to do it,’ Gabe agreed. ‘Of course, that’s in a perfect world. If we need to go to an emergency separation, that could happen on any day.’
Beth nodded. ‘We may have to cancel some cases if that happens. Is it likely?’
Gabe rubbed his jaw. ‘Bridie is definitely the weaker twin. She’s not thriving like her sister. They’re both in good health at the moment but if Bridie picks up a bug and can’t fight it off, she could jeopardise Brooke’s health too. It’s a possibility.’ He gave her a smile that was half-grimace. ‘I guess we have to cross that bridge if we get to it.’
Beth saw a flash of vulnerability in his green gaze and realised the enormity of the job that had landed in Gabe’s lap. Sure, the surgery would require a team effort, but he was the leader, the ‘expert’. The outcome, good or bad, would be on his head.
She felt a rush of tenderness welling inside her as she remembered the carefree man she’d slept with. How different was the man before her? Dr Gabriel Fallon was an entirely different animal to Gabe, her Friday-night man.
She remembered the first day she’d scrubbed for him, Dr Gabriel Fallon, eminent neurosurgeon. She’d been worried how it would work so closely on the heels of their one-night stand, but she needn’t have been. He’d all but ignored her, demanding perfection from her and everyone in the theatre. Treating her with the utmost in professional courtesy. As if their fling had never happened.
So different from the Gabe of their first meeting. Gabe, the lover. Sure, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something hadn’t been quite right with him that night either, and he’d all but confirmed that when he’d admitted to his spontaneous behaviour, but he’d still been relaxed and laid back.
And if the whispers she’d heard since about his reputation were anything to go by, that Gabe enjoyed a party and a flirt and the company of women who knew the score.
Beth supposed the pressures of his work almost demanded this type of split personality. His job was highly stressful so it seemed only sensible to release the pressure through playing jack the lad in his downtime.
She opened her mouth to say, It’ll be all right, Gabe, then caught herself in time. She pressed her lips firmly together. She didn’t want to be part of his downtime. Best not to give him any encouragement.
‘Fingers crossed, we won’t.’ Beth stood. ‘Was there anything else, Dr Fallon?’ she asked primly.
Gabe contemplated saying something shocking just to rattle her. Beth was one single-minded woman. ‘No, Sister Rogers.’ He stood also. ‘I’ll consider myself dismissed.’
Beth watched him go wishing it was just as easy to dismiss him from her thoughts.
* * *
The sun was setting as Beth pulled up at the Bullimba house she’d called home since she’d been fifteen. Her gaze took in its rambling whitewashed exterior. It had been a palace compared to some of the dives she’d lived in on the streets and she’d loved it the second she’d clapped eyes on it.
She was running a little late. She’d done battle with the roster for another hour and then given it up as a bad joke. Gabe’s scent, sweet like shortbread, had invaded every corner of her office, making a mockery of her concentration. She’d stopped at the nearby shopping centre and picked up a bunch of flowers for Penny.
Beth walked up the path and was raising her hand to insert her key in the lock when she heard a car door slam behind her and a sexy voice say, ‘Wait…’
Beth’s heart crashed against her ribs as she turned towards the voice. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she demanded.
Gabe laughed. ‘That’s no way to speak to a dinner guest.’
He was wearing the clothes he’d worn to work this morning. Chocolate-brown trousers and a purple pinstriped shirt. The tie had been removed, the top buttons undone.
‘I hope your family are drinkers,’ Gabe said as he drew level with her, holding up a bottle of wine.
His crinkly caramel hair was still a little flat from his theatre cap and despite her absolute horror when she realised she would be sharing the table with him, she suppressed the urge to ruffle it. ‘You’re having dinner with us?’ Great. She’d drink the entire bottle all by herself!
Gabe nodded. ‘I ran into your father on my way out of the hospital.’
Damn John. ‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘You can’t have dinner with us.’
Gabe chuckled. ‘Yes, I can. John asked. I accepted.’
‘But…Dr Fallon—’
‘Beth,’ Gabe said sternly, ‘I swear to God, if you call me Dr Fallon all evening…’
‘Sorry Dr…er…Gabe.’ Beth tried not to stumble over the word but she did anyway. ‘Look, you don’t understand. It would make me feel very uncomfortable.’
Gabe frowned. ‘Why?’
She stared at him for a few moments, wondering whether he’d lost his mind. ‘Because we slept together,’ she said, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. ‘Or have you forgotten that already?’
He grinned at her, remembering in vivid detail. ‘So?’
So? So! So she couldn’t exchange polite pleasantries with him in front of her family and not give herself away. ‘Rilla and Hailey are very shrewd. They’ll guess. And I don’t need them on my case. They’ll try to matchmake and it was a one-off G-Gabe. A one-off. Not to mention that my father is your boss. You want to be sitting across the table from him when he realises just how well you know me?’
Gabe could see the pink in her cheeks as her straight blonde hair brushed her shoulders. He sighed. ‘How old are you Beth?’
Beth glared at him. ‘Older than you. Old enough to know better than to jump into bed with a complete stranger.’ How could she have been so stupid?
‘I don’t care who knows that we slept together, Beth.’
‘Well, I do,’ she snarled. ‘What happened with us is not the way I act. I’m embarrassed by it. I’d like to keep it to myself, if that’s all right. I’m worried we might slip up and let the cat out of the bag, especially if we’re together socially with my family. They know me too well.’
‘Beth, what happened between us wasn’t exactly normal for me either. We were both acting out of character. There was something obviously weighing on you that night. Don’t forget, I held you while you cried your heart out. It meant something to me that you could let go. Whatever you think, it was more than just a one-night stand.’
Beth shut her eyes. She could hear the sincere note in his voice and wished he hadn’t reminded her of how she had broken down. The fact that it apparently meant something to him she couldn’t even begin to process.
‘Please…’ She opened her eyes and fixed him with pleading eyes. ‘If it really meant something then I’m asking you to just turn around and leave. I need to be more prepared than this.’
Gabe saw the desperation in her eyes and a hint of the sadness that had afflicted her that fateful night. He handed her the wine and opened his mouth to agree.
The door opened abruptly. ‘There you are. Both of you,’ John boomed. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, come on in. Penny is so looking forward to meeting you.’