Sophie felt the shock hit her like an actual physical blow when she heard the man’s voice. She rocked back on her heels and had to grab hold of the cabinet to steady herself. She knew she should turn round but it was impossible to move a single muscle. It couldn’t be him! a small voice was screaming inside her head. It was just her mind playing tricks…
‘Are you all right, Sophie?’
There could be no mistaking who he was now that he’d called her by name, even though he’d spoken to her in a tone she hadn’t heard him use for a long time. Their last conversations had been so angry and bitter that it still made her feel sick whenever she thought about them. It felt as though a lifetime had passed since she’d heard such concern in his voice.
‘For pity’s sake, say something, Sophie. Don’t just stand there looking as though your worst nightmare has come true!’
There was a catch in that deep voice now, an echo of pain that made her ache as well. She was actually trying to think of a way to comfort him when it struck her what she was doing.
This man had broken her heart and he most certainly didn’t deserve her pity!
Anger gave her the strength to turn and face her ex-husband at last. ‘What are you doing here, Liam? Exactly what is going on?’
Liam could feel the waves of antipathy flowing across the cabin and suddenly found it impossible to think clearly. Why hadn’t he allowed for the fact that he would feel so…emotional? he wondered dazedly.
‘I’m the new ship’s doctor,’ he said tersely, struggling to keep a grip on himself. He’d known when he’d accepted the post that Sophie might be upset by the thought of them working together, but he’d told himself that he would find a way to convince her it would be all right. All he wanted was a chance to set matters straight and it had seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. The last few months had convinced him that he needed to lay the past to rest, once and for all.
‘Th-the new doctor?’
Liam’s hands clenched when he heard the tremor in her voice. It was obvious how shocked she was and he suddenly found himself wondering if he was being selfish. Maybe Sophie had come to terms with the past and he was in danger of opening up wounds that had already healed? Just because he hadn’t been able to rid himself of the memories, it didn’t mean she’d had the same problem. He only had to look at her to see how much she had changed, in fact.
His slate-grey eyes skimmed over her as he drank in the differences two years had brought about. The new hairstyle suited her, he realised in surprise, even though he would never have expected her to opt for such a funky style. Sophie’s choice of hairstyle and clothing had been very conservative in the past but there was nothing conservative about that spiky halo of blonde wisps or about the outfit she was wearing, for that matter.
Liam’s mouth curved into a reluctant smile when he read the logo on the front of her T-shirt. Treat me like a princess! it implored, and it amused him greatly although he couldn’t for the life of him imagine the old Sophie wearing anything like it. Ditto the snug-fitting jeans which hugged her pert little bottom like loving hands.
His smile faded abruptly as his gaze travelled on. Although she was of no more than average height, she had incredibly long legs and the tight jeans set them off to perfection, highlighting their shapeliness. Liam felt a funny buzzing sensation in the pit of his stomach and hastily lowered his eyes another few inches. He just managed to bite back his gasp when he saw her bare toes peeping through the straps of her sandals.
She’d painted her toenails bright blue to match her T-shirt but Sophie had never worn nail polish in the past. Even if she had, she certainly wouldn’t have dreamt of wearing such a crazy colour. Adding up everything he’d seen—the funky hairstyle, the trendy clothes, the nail polish—and he was more convinced than ever that he’d made a massive error of judgement. Sophie had moved on with her life and the proof of that was clear from her appearance. How could it be fair to rake up the past when it would be bound to upset her?
‘Let’s get this straight, Liam. Are you saying that you’re going to be working on board this ship?’
Liam took a deep breath when he heard the mounting anger in her voice. Maybe he had made a mistake but there was little he could do about it now except to try and make the coming weeks as easy as possible for both of them.
‘That’s right. I’ve signed on for the summer season,’ he explained, trying to disguise his hurt when he saw her mouth thin with displeasure. Surely he hadn’t been foolish enough to hope that she might be pleased to see him?
‘Dr Hampson has decided to retire,’ he continued hurriedly before the idea could take root. He knew why he’d taken the job and it had nothing whatsoever to do with winning Sophie over. ‘Apparently, he’s been having chest pains and his consultant has advised him to take things easy. I was hired at the last minute as his replacement.’
‘So you had no idea I would be working on this ship when you took the job?’
Liam saw her frown as she tested out that theory and sighed. He was tempted to take the easy way out but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t tell her the truth. There’d been enough half-truths in the past and he refused to let them spill over into the present.
‘No. One of your friends at the Royal Memorial told me that you’d got a job on board this ship when I went up there to see you. She wasn’t sure when the Esmeralda actually set sail but she gave me the name of the agency who’d hired you so I could check with them.’ He shrugged. ‘To cut a long story short, I phoned them and during the course of the conversation they mentioned they were looking for someone to replace Dr Hampson so I offered my services.’
‘This just doesn’t make sense!’
She shook her head so that the spiky wisps of blonde hair shimmered as they caught the glow from the overhead light. Liam’s hands clenched again but this time because he had an almost irresistible urge to run his fingers through that silky halo. All of a sudden he could remember with alarming clarity just how soft her hair had always felt, how wonderful it had smelled when he’d woken each morning and taken her in his arms…
‘You seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to track me down, Liam, but surely it must have occurred to you that you were the last person I would want to work with? I would have thought I’d be the last person on your list, too, so what is going on? Why did you really take this job? If it was your idea of a…a joke then I have to say that I don’t find it the least bit funny!’
Liam dragged his mind back from such nonsensical thoughts when he heard the fury in her voice. ‘I didn’t do it as a joke, Sophie. Far from it. I realised a couple of months ago that we needed to talk to one another. There are a lot of things we need to sort out so when I found out there was a job going on board the Esmeralda, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.’
‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this!’ She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. ‘It’s two years since our divorce, Liam, and not once in all that time did you make any attempt to talk to me. You didn’t make much of an effort before that either, so why have you suddenly decided that it’s time we sorted things out?’
‘Because it might be two years but I haven’t come to terms with what happened even if you have!’
All of a sudden Liam could feel his own anger igniting. He took a couple of steps, which were all it needed to cross the cabin. He stared down into her angry blue eyes, feeling the pain welling inside him as the memory of all the hurtful things they’d said to one another came rushing back.
Sophie should have trusted him! She should have had enough faith in him to know that he would never have had an affair!
‘What happened between us left scars, Sophie, and I’m not too proud to admit that either. The only way we can rid ourselves of them is by talking it all through and getting the truth out into the open at last.’
‘You want