Jessica pulled a face. ‘Not exactly.’ She might have said more, but Connor emerged from the house just then and came to join them.
‘So there you are. I wondered where you had all gone. I just came back from the garage and the house was empty.’ He looked from one to the other. ‘You’ve a smudge on your face, Phoebe…leaf green. It’s quite fetching, but it doesn’t quite go with the peaches-and-cream look. Want me to rub it off for you?’
He moved towards her, his hands at the ready, and Phoebe inched herself back in her seat, avoiding his seeking fingers. ‘I’ll do it myself, thanks.’ It was a plague on her nervous system that he was here at all, without him attempting to lay his hands on her. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and rubbed vigorously at her cheek.
His mouth curved, and he turned his attention to Jessica. ‘What’s up, Jess? You don’t look too happy. It’s because you’d rather be down the pub, isn’t it?’
Jessica threw an ice cube at him. ‘At this time of day? Are you mad?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Well, yes, actually…maybe I would.’ She let out a short laugh. ‘But it wouldn’t do when I’m supposed to go on duty in a couple of hours. Late shift…ugh.’
‘Same here.’ Connor frowned. ‘So what’s with Mr Kirk and his team? I heard what you were saying just now. Is he giving you a hard time?’
‘Not really.’ Jessica was thoughtful for a moment. ‘It’s just that there’s something about his manner that bothers me a bit. I do my best, but he can be a bit aloof sometimes. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking because he has this way of keeping his distance…He’s like it with the patients, too. A sort of I-know-best, paternal kind of attitude that really ought to have died out long ago. Still, he’s rated very highly. I’ve heard he’s a top-rate surgeon and he’s known for getting results and working on new procedures. I expect I’ll learn a lot from him.’
Connor put his feet up on one of the empty chairs, crossing his legs at the ankles. ‘You shouldn’t let him get to you. It doesn’t do for doctors to get above themselves. These days they’re open to scrutiny.’ The fabric of his trousers pulled tautly across his thighs and Phoebe averted her gaze.
She still didn’t know why he was actually living here with them. His parents had a big house that wasn’t too far away from here, and surely it would have been better for him to stay with them?
She said softly, ‘I expect Mr Kirk knows that, but doesn’t much care.’ She sent Connor a quick glance. ‘He’s very confident in his abilities—in fact, in some respects he reminds me of you. You never seem to falter or question what you do. It appears to me that you look over a situation, decide what to do about it and move on…like choosing to come here when you had opportunities waiting for you in London. Better ones than you were offered here, according to Alex.’
His gaze narrowed on her. Did he suspect that she was wishing he were elsewhere? If he did, he made no comment. Instead, he answered cautiously, ‘It’s all a bit subjective, isn’t it? I could have stayed to do a six-month stint in trauma surgery, but this rotation in A and E was more tempting. Besides, I thought it would be pleasant to spend the spring and summer months by the sea in my home county.’
‘I suppose I can see the logic in that.’ She reached for the jug and poured out more juice, adding ice from an insulated pot. ‘What do your parents think about you coming back here to Devon? They must be pleased to have you on their doorstep once more.’
He nodded. ‘My mother was glad to have me close by. My father is busy with the business as usual, but even he manages to take a break at the weekends, so it’s all worked out fairly well.’
‘You didn’t ever think of going to live at home? I would have thought that would be the cheaper option.’
His mouth tilted, and she knew then that he had picked up on her train of thought. ‘Maybe,’ he said, a glitter of amusement starting up in his eyes, ‘but, as I said, I was quite taken with the option of living by the coast, and since Alex and I are related to one another it seemed like a good option to stay here. My parents’ house is further inland…just like your family home. Did you not think of going to stay there?’
She leaned back in her chair. ‘It crossed my mind, but I wanted to be independent. Besides, my sister and her children often stay over at the house, and it would have been a bit of a squeeze if I’d been living there, too. My parents only have a three-bedroomed place, unlike your country mansion.’
He blinked, sending her a wry smile. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call it that. It’s bigger than average, I guess, but mansion? Never.’
‘Anyway,’ Phoebe murmured, ‘our old house doesn’t come anywhere near what you enjoyed, but my mother loves it when the family are around. She likes to fuss over her grandchildren, especially with little Emily being so poorly as a baby. The children bring out all her maternal instincts.’ She swallowed her ice-cold drink. ‘It suits me to visit on a regular basis.’
‘I can imagine. I remember what a lovely atmosphere there was when I first used to visit,’ Connor said, nodding. ‘Your parents made a wonderful, welcoming home and I could see how happy you were as a family…on the instances when I was allowed to call in and see you, that is. Things changed after I grew older. I became the wild boy from over the hill, and they had me down as a bad influence, didn’t they?’ He made a rueful grimace. ‘I can’t say that I blame them.’
Phoebe stared down at the liquid in her glass. She had been resentful of the ban at first. For all he had landed in trouble on a regular basis, Connor had always managed to tug at her heartstrings. Maybe that was why she had gone looking for him that day when he’d gone missing at the end of her fifteenth summer. It had been as though there was an almost telepathic bond between them, and she had sensed that something was seriously wrong.
Jessica’s face lit up with curiosity. ‘You were wild? Oh, I can just imagine it. You still have that look about you as though the devil’s lurking in there somewhere.’ She grinned impishly. ‘I’m intrigued. Tell me more.’
‘Nope. Will not.’ Connor sent her a teasing glance. ‘I shall keep my murky past to myself, and leave you in suspense. All I will say is that Phoebe’s parents were probably right to warn her off me, and Phoebe showed a lot more common sense than you might have expected for a girl of her tender years. She always followed her instincts, and I expect that’s why she and Alex bond together so well. He’s protective of her, and in return she gives him the stability he needs.’
‘Alex—huh…he’s a liability.’ Jessica’s tone was scornful. ‘What he needs is a good shaking.’
‘See—we all have our faults.’ Connor yawned and then stretched, as though preparing for action, his movements supple like a tiger’s, and Phoebe watched, unwillingly drawn to follow the way his long body uncoiled.
‘I have to get ready for work,’ he said. ‘Does anyone want a lift in to the hospital?’
‘Oh, yes, please.’ Jessica straightened, preparing to stand up. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to ask. How could anyone resist a spin in that beautiful car?’
He smiled, and glanced at Phoebe. ‘And you? We all finish work around the same time, don’t we?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ll stick with my runabout, thanks. That way I can come and go as I please.’
‘Independent to the last,’ he murmured. ‘One day, Phoebe, one day…’
She had no idea what he meant by that. ‘Yes, one day I’ll find out what it is I truly want,’ she said, ‘and then the world will be my oyster.’
Things certainly weren’t going the way she wanted right now. At work, she struggled every day to come to terms with working with vulnerable babies, and