Tanned.
Toned.
And tomorrow he’d be her new boss!
But the fact she’d soon be working alongside him wasn’t what was causing Ally’s heart to trip into overdrive. Neither was it the fact he was looking even more divine that she remembered. It was all she’d forgotten that terrified her most. Forgotten how just the sight of him flamed her senses, forgotten the agony of loving him from a distance, being a friend when she had wanted so much more.
But no matter how she’d tried, there was one thing time could never erase, one memory that, no matter how hard she’d fought it, simply couldn’t be banished from her mind—the fleshy weight of his lips on hers the night they had said goodbye for the last time, the heady, weightless feeling of being held by him, the decadent luxury she had briefly sampled of gazing into those dark green eyes. For one moment in time she had felt like the only woman who mattered but that was followed by the utter devastation the next morning when she had woken up in an empty bed, and realized that the man she’d secretly loved from a distance, the man she’d given her all to just a few hours before, had so easily walked away.
‘Rory!’ Pulling open the front door, she smiled widely as he dragged his bags up the garden path. ‘How are you?’
‘Worn out! They kept us for six hours.’ Dragging his bag into the hallway, he did a double-take. ‘I don’t remember the floorboards.’
‘They were under that disgusting carpet all along—I found them last year and had them polished up.’
‘It looks great. Don’t tell me she’s still here!’ Rory’s eyes were practically on stalks as Sheba came waddling down the hall to see what all the noise was, her pink tongue lolling out of her tired mouth, but her old ears pricked up and her tail was definitely wagging as she clearly recognised a very old friend. ‘Hey, girl.’ Rory dropped down to his knees. ‘Hardly a girl, though. How old is she now?’
‘Fifteen,’ Ally replied, hating the question and all it implied. ‘But she’s going really well.’
Rory didn’t say anything, clearly not convinced by Ally’s falsely cheerful voice. Sheba was literally on her last legs, her massive, overweight body barely able to hold her weight, the once gorgeous brown eyes clouded by cataracts now. And deep down Ally knew that, but it was more than she could bear to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else.
‘Look, I hate to dash off, but I’m on duty at twelve-thirty…’
‘No problem.’ Rory smiled, for the first time looking at her, taking in the navy culottes and white shirt, her long dark curls held back in a navy scrunchy, purple epaulettes on her shoulders.
‘What do they mean?’
‘Associate Charge Nurse.’ Ally gave a tight smile. ‘Which means I really shouldn’t be late.’
‘No worries. I’ll just grab a coffee and something to eat, and then I think I’ll crash.’
‘There are coffee beans in the cupboard, but you’ll have to grind them.’ She gave a tiny wince. ‘And I don’t think I’ve got any milk.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘Or sugar.’ Ally grimaced. ‘And if you want bread, you’re going to have to go to the shop, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I’d have company.’
‘Not a problem.’ Rory smiled. ‘To tell you the truth, all I want to do is stretch out and sleep.’
‘Oh.’ Picking up her keys and placing them in her bag, Ally gave what she hoped was a suitably apologetic smile. ‘I’ve just put some washing on. I put some sheets in for you—they shouldn’t take too long, you’ll just have to whiz them through the dryer.’
‘That’s great, Ally, thanks.’ A tiny wave of guilt licked at her as she watched his tired face force a smile. She attempted to hide her blush. She looked down at her watch—and Rory got the unvoiced message. ‘You’d better get to work, then. We can catch up tonight, and I’ll ring out for take-aways….’
‘I’m out tonight!’ She hadn’t even planned to say it, but the lie slipped out so easily it caught even her by surprise. ‘But there’s some numbers on the fridge if you want to get something to eat…’
‘Anywhere nice?’
‘Sorry?’ Turning at the door, Ally blinked back at him.
‘Tonight—are you going anywhere nice?’
‘Just out.’ Ally shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance, trying so hard just to walk away, but even as she did, a question stilled her.
‘It’s not a problem, is it?’
‘Problem?’ Swinging around for the first time, she managed to actually look at him, her eyes frowning as they met his.
‘Me.’ Rory looked back at her. ‘Being here. If it is, you just have to say. I don’t want to…’ For a second he faltered. ‘I mean, if your boyfriend’s going to be worried by my staying here, you just have to say.’
‘Why would it be a problem, Rory?’ Still she looked at him, even managed a very thin smile. ‘I’ve got an old friend staying for a couple weeks until he finds somewhere else. Why would anyone have a problem with that?’ She turned and walked to her car. Thankfully the door was unlocked and Ally slid inside. Shaking hands pushed the key in the ignition, and she attempted a smart reverse but failed miserably, instead doing bunny hops the whole length of her driveway.
She’d sit in the movies alone if she had to!
Watch the same film twice over if it kept her out till after midnight.
Anything other than letting him glimpse the effect his return was having on her.
‘Let the poor woman rest!’ Rinska moaned, and Ally smothered a smile as the throaty Polish accent sighed into the phone. ‘I’ll be there when I can.’
‘Problem?’ Ally checked.
‘According to this very eager student, Mrs Williams isn’t progressing as she should. He wants me to do another internal to see how far along she is.’
‘But she’s doing well.’ Ally frowned. ‘I was only in there a moment ago.’
‘How did you find her?’ Rinska asked, clearly valuing Ally’s opinion.
‘Nervous, excited—a typical first-time mum. I told Jake—the student—to suggest a deep bath. She’s got ages to go yet.’
‘She’s only one centimetre dilated.’ Rinska rolled her glittery blue-eyeshadowed eyes at Ally. A consultant in Poland, Rinska was now relegated to working as an intern in Australia until her qualifications were approved and, though it must be hellish for Rinska to be such a tiny cog in a big wheel, Ally was delighted to have such a knowledgeable doctor on the shop floor. ‘She’ll still be labouring when we come back tomorrow morning. She’s hoping to do it without analgesia.’ A rather loud moan coming from delivery suite two had both women grimacing a touch—well aware that there was a lot of pain still to come! ‘Well, at least she’s got a chance of making a natural delivery—tomorrow it will be a different story. ‘
‘Tomorrow?’Ally frowned.
‘Mrs Williams is already ten days over her due date—from what I’ve heard, the new registrar that is starting doesn’t believe in letting nature take its course. She’d have been put on a Pitocin drip and strapped to a monitor a couple of days ago if he were already here.’
‘Are you talking about Rory Donovan?’Ally checked. ‘I’ve worked with him—I guess he tended to err on the side of caution but I always thought that he was really good.’
‘He is.’ Rinska shrugged.