‘Kate, I was twenty-two, he was twenty-four,’ Eve declared, injecting as much careless indifference into her voice as she could. ‘We shared a short summer romance, that’s all.’
‘Which wouldn’t make it any the less painful when it ended,’ Kate Althorp said gently.
The midwife saw too much—way too much—and Eve picked up her hairbrush again.
‘Water under the bridge years ago,’ she said. ‘We’ve both gone our separate ways since then, led very different lives.’
Or at least Tom had, Eve thought as Kate looked for a moment as though she’d like to say something, then dried her hands on a paper towel and left the cloakroom. Tom had gone off to the States, full of determination to succeed, and he had, whereas she…
She squeezed her eyes shut. He was not going to do this to her. She had spent all these years rebuilding her life into something to be proud of, something that mattered, and she was not going to let his presence tear it all down, make it seem worthless.
‘Enough, Eve,’ she said as she opened her eyes and gazed at her reflection again. ‘The past is past. Don’t resurrect it.’
Except it wasn’t that easy, she realised as she walked out of the cloakroom, and found Tom and Tassie waiting for her, grinning like a pair of conspirators.
‘Tassie was convinced you’d slipped down the toilet,’ Tom declared. ‘I told her we’d give you another five minutes, then I’d go over the top in my capacity as head of rescue operations at Deltaron.’
‘Promises, promises,’ Eve said lightly, and Tom’s grin widened.
‘You think I wouldn’t—or couldn’t?’ he replied.
‘I think we should eat,’ she said firmly, refusing to be drawn, but he knew what she was doing.
She could see it in the glint in his eyes. The familiar half daring, half challenging glint which had appeared in the past whenever he’d been about to do, or say, something completely outrageous, and a faint unease stirred in her. An unease which must have shown on her face because he smiled.
‘I’m a mature man now, Eve,’ he declared. ‘No fights, no arguments, I promise.’
And he was as good as his word.
For the next hour Tom charmed his way round the crowded room as only he could when he wanted to. Of course it helped that most of the people at the reception were newcomers to the village, but even when some of the older villagers cut him dead he didn’t rise to the bait. He simply moved away with a wry smile to gently reassure Lauren about his car, then make Chloe Mackinnon, the village’s other midwife, laugh as her fiancé, Dr Fawkner, stood by, watching protectively.
‘He’s changed, hasn’t he?’ Kate observed, nodding towards Tom who was now engaged in an animated discussion about fund-holding practices with Dr Lovak.
‘Tom always could string more than two words together, you know,’ Eve said more caustically than she’d intended, and Kate’s eyebrows rose.
‘I never thought he couldn’t,’ the midwife replied. ‘Just as you also know I never thought he got a fair deal in Penhally.’
‘Still won’t, judging by the reaction of some people,’ Eve said, nodding across to a small group of villagers who were throwing deep frowns in Tom’s direction.
‘People have long memories and old prejudices. I’m not saying they’re right,’ Kate continued as Eve opened her mouth to interrupt. ‘In fact, the longer I’ve lived, the less inclined I’ve become to judge anyone, but don’t forget Tom has friends here, too, as well as detractors.’
Name one, apart from yourself, Eve was tempted to say, but she didn’t.
‘I must get Tassie home,’ she said instead. ‘She’s beginning to look tired.’
Tom clearly wasn’t because the minute Eve began to make her way through the throng he was instantly at her side.
‘Trying to run out on me, are you?’ he said, and she shook her head at him.
‘It’s time I took Tassie home,’ she replied, sidestepping quickly as Freddie and Sam dashed past them, slipping and sliding on the polished wooden floor, whooping at the top of their lungs.
‘Regular little bundles of fun, aren’t they?’ Tom said with amusement as the youngsters scampered off.
‘You used to hate kids,’ Eve reminded him. ‘Said they should all be kept indoors by their parents until they were teenagers.’
‘Yeah, well…’ Tom glanced back at the two boys. ‘Do you ever find yourself wishing you’d had children?’
Eve stared fixedly at the wedding cake sitting on the table by the window.
‘No point in wishing, Tom,’ she said. ‘It’s better to deal with the here and now.’
‘I guess so,’ he said, then smiled and waved to Tassie. ‘But I still think I’d like to have kids.’
‘And I think it’s way past time Tassie went home,’ Eve said through a throat so tight it hurt.
‘Eve—’
‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t Tom Cornish. And what brings Penhally’s local-boy-made-good back to Cornwall?’
Eve glanced over her shoulder to see Nick Tremayne standing behind them, and smiled.
‘Tom,’ she began, ‘this is—’
‘Nick Tremayne.’ Tom grinned. ‘No need for an introduction, Eve. I would have recognised this old reprobate anywhere. Good to see you again, Nick, and still doctoring, I hear.’
‘And you’re still globetrotting with Deltaron if all I’ve read about you is true,’ Nick replied with no smile at all.
‘You’ve been following my career?’ Tom said lightly, but Eve could see a slightly puzzled look in his eyes. ‘I’m flattered.’
‘Oh, even in a sleepy little backwater like Penhally, we have the internet and satellite television now,’ Nick replied, ‘which means I’m all too aware of your exploits.’
‘Tom is just back for a short visit,’ Eve said, glancing from Tom to Nick, then back again uncertainly. Lord, but the animosity emanating from Nick was so patent it could have flash-frozen fish. ‘He’s leaving on Monday.’
‘Back to singlehandedly, heroically saving the world, I presume?’ Nick declared, and what little smile there had been left on Tom’s face disappeared completely.
‘If you want heroes, Nick, then it’s the people who live in the countries my team and I go into to help who deserve that title,’ he said tersely. ‘They’re the ones who have to tackle the long-term effects of any disaster.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Nick observed, ‘but they don’t get the credit, do they? Because they get left with the boring, tedious stuff, like rebuilding their country, while you swan off on yet another photo opportunity.’
‘Now, just a minute,’ Tom began, his face darkening, and Eve caught hold of his sleeve quickly.
‘Tom, we really do have to get Tassie home,’ she said. ‘She’s very tired, and I told Amanda we’d make sure she wouldn’t be too late back.’
For a moment she didn’t think he was going to come with her. He certainly didn’t look as though he wanted to as he glared at Nick, and Nick glared back, then he nodded reluctantly.
‘Right,’ he said, then added, ‘See you around, Nick,’ before he strode out of the room,