“I’ve been seeing this guy, well, we went out a couple of times. Then I invited him around and he stayed the night. Well, part of the night. I thought it was because he’d had to go into work, he’s a doctor too. But it turned out it was because he’d gone home to his wife and daughter.”
Julia let out a little sigh. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Vanessa.”
“The past few days I’ve stayed on the farm with Mum and Dad and spent some time with my sister. I’m not shattered like I was last week, but I’m just so tired.”
She nodded. “It’s hard to get past betrayal like that. Especially when your previous wounds are still so raw.”
I let out a small smile, and shifted my gaze to the window. The sun shone brightly outside, and when I was finished here, I could go and find a park to sit in and enjoy the rest of the day.
“Wallowing in self-pity didn’t help me before, but my visit home was good. I think it was just what I needed. It put a few things from my past to rest.” I turned back to look at Julia. “I’m better than I thought I’d be, but I’d still like to come back here. You’re so easy to talk to.”
She laughed. “I hope so. I’m glad to hear it. This could have been a big knock back for you, but it sounds like you’re already getting better at handling the tough times.”
I licked my lips. “I think what I really needed were people to talk to. I’ve spent way too much time holding it all in.”
There it was in a nutshell. The answer to most of my problems. I didn’t need a counsellor to tell me that talking things out would help, but I’d still come and talk to her.
She’d helped more than she’d ever know.
Home was a different story.
I’d enjoyed the peace and quiet, but being there alone was weird even after a few days with my family. At least I was nearly due back at work and could slip back into my routine. Even if the idea of running into Dylan made me want to puke.
My humiliation grew into anger the more I thought about what had happened. If the hospital wanted gossip, I’d make sure I got the word out. I wasn’t the one who had cheated. If I could save any of the other doctors or nurses from going near him, I’d do it.
His wife and daughter were what haunted me. If I knew how to reach out to them, I might have done it. Although, that might just make things worse.
Whatever else happened, I’d never let anyone walk over me again.
Chapter 17
Broken Vanessa was gone.
Tough, strong Vanessa took her place. I wouldn’t take any crap from anyone.
My break might have only been a week, but with all the love and support I’d received, I felt invigorated and ready to tackle anything.
I took a deep breath as I set off down the corridor toward the staff cafeteria. Time for a coffee before I began work. Hopefully Will would be there so I could catch him up on my long weekend.
“Vanessa.”
I froze as I got to the door, recognising Dylan’s voice.
“What do you want?” I didn’t turn, instead locking eyes with Will, who sat at our usual table with two coffees. He grinned and waved, and I took a couple more steps to get inside the door.
Dylan grabbed my arm. “Where were you all weekend? I tried to call.”
“I don’t have anything to talk to you about,” I snapped, pulling my arm away.
Will frowned and got to his feet. We’d be too far away for him to hear, but he’d have seen my reaction. If this past weekend had taught me anything, it was that I had so many people in my life who loved and supported me, Will and Ali included.
I faced Dylan, taking in his tired eyes with bags underneath, his maybe two-day stubble. Things hadn’t gone well after I’d last seen him.
“Stacey threw me out. I needed somewhere to stay.”
Anger bubbled in my stomach, and it took everything in me not to hit him.
“That makes two of us who want nothing to do with you, then.” I turned on my heel and stepped toward Will. He had suspicion written all over his face and he watched me, glaring at Dylan as I reached the table and sat down.
“You okay?” he muttered.
“I’ll be fine. Sit down.” I tugged at his coat and reluctantly he sat, not taking his eyes from Dylan.
“Where were you all weekend? Ali and I both tried to call to see if you were interested in a movie night.” He pushed the coffee toward me.
“Well, after I found out that Dylan had a wife, I went home. Camped out at Ella’s place. Even poured my heart out to her douchebag ex, trying to find out why people cheat.”
Will’s skin was a delicious angry shade of red as he shifted his gaze to me. I’d never seen Will mad, and for just a second I thought he might turn green and burst out of his clothes. “What did you say?”
I met his gaze. This was what I was grateful for. My world was full of people who loved and cared for me, who would do whatever it took to keep me safe. I knew that now more than ever. “Dylan’s married.”
“That piece of shit has a wife?” He raised his voice, and I could feel every eye in the place on me, but I giggled and nodded.
“Piece of shit is right. Needless to say, that little escapade is done and dusted. I would think now that word will spread through the hospital so he can’t try anything with anyone else.”
Will shook his head. “You’re laughing about it?”
“I did enough crying over the weekend. There’s only one thing I want now.”
“What’s that?”
“To get Connor back.”
Will frowned. “Where did that come from?”
“I’ve made so many mistakes. Thinking I could handle losing the baby alone was the first one, but the biggest one was letting him go.”
He shook his head. “It’s been months, sweetheart. You said he was seeing someone. What if he’s completely moved on?”
I shrugged. “I think he already has. But I’ve got to try. Right?
Will’s face lit up in a smile. “If you feel that strongly about it, go for it.” He took a sip of his coffee. “If it all turns to crap, you know where we are.”
“I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you and Ali.”
Will’s gaze shifted, his eyes narrowing as he stared over my head. I didn’t need to turn to know Dylan was back in his sights.
“Don’t let him bother you.”
“I’ll punch him if he gets close to you again.”
I poked Will’s arm with my index finger. “I’ll punch him if he gets close to me again.”
His anger lifted as he dropped his gaze to my face again, and the corners of his lips curled into a smile. “I’d pay to see that.”
I HADN’T BEEN BACK in the spare room since the night Dylan had stayed. It was time to change the sheets, make the bed, and forget it had ever happened.
Grimacing as I stripped the bed, I took every last thing off it that might remind me of him—the sheets, the pillowcases, even the quilt. It could all go in the washing machine, removing any remaining scent.
Matt had told me a story once. The weekend after Sam left, Ella had burned all her bedding in the backyard. I understood that feeling more than anyone right now. I’d put the washing machine on the highest temperature I could, and even though it wouldn’t really make the bedding cleaner, it made me feel a hell of a lot better.
When did my life become such a mess?
Just a short time ago, I’d had everything—a promising career, a loving long-term relationship, and I’d been forming a family with the only person who’d ever truly understood me. At least, he had until our lives were thrown into turmoil.
My career was still there, but I’d lost everything else and helped break up a marriage to boot. What I needed now was to slow down, take a breather, and work out where to go from here.
I didn’t know if Connor was still seeing someone. If he was, it was my loss and I’d have to learn to live with what had happened.
All I could do was hope for the bes
t.
Chapter 18
Boys always liked Ella.
Even though I was nine years younger, I was old enough to realise what effect she had on men in her late teens.
Two babies later, with a third one coming, she still had that swagger in her hips and that confidence that never failed to attract attention. I could see it from one end of the hospital corridor to the other.
She sashayed toward me, her arms swinging at her sides, a huge smile on her face at the sight of me. I had no idea why she was here or what she wanted, but as always, I was pleased to see her.
“Vanessa,” she said.
“Ella, what are you doing here?” I hugged her. It was a month since Sam had taken me up to see her. While we’d talked on the phone, she hadn’t told me anything about this visit.
“Matt had an interview with a company he’s going to hopefully be doing some work for, so we thought, seeing as our wedding anniversary is next week, we’d sneak away for the night. I dropped him off and I thought I’d surprise you, but I wasn’t sure when you had lunch.”
I grinned. “Your timing is impeccable. I’m just on my way to the cafeteria now. You can meet Will.”
She smiled widely. “I’d like that.”
I hadn’t seen her dressed up like this in a long time. When she’d lived in the city, she’d worn makeup every single day. Absolutely immaculate. I had no idea where she learned her skills. When I tried to wear anything other than a splash of colour, I looked like a clown auditioning for the circus.
As we reached the last turn before the cafeteria, I spotted Dylan. He glanced away, only to shift his focus to Ella. I knew that look; I’d seen it before. Part of me hoped he’d approach us. She’d rip him to shreds.
Instead of stirring anything up, I guided her toward the table I usually shared with Will. He was nowhere to be seen yet.
“Am I supposed to be in here?” Ella looked around at all the staff.
“You sit here. I’ll check out what there is to eat. If anyone asks, I’ll just tell them you’re wandering from the Psychiatric ward.” I grinned.
She narrowed her eyes. “You would.”
“Back in a minute.”
I left her at the table and headed toward the counter. A range of hot food left a mix of scents floating through the air. I grinned when I spotted lasagne was in the warmer. Ella’s favourite.
“Two lasagnes, please,” I said, handing over my card.
While I waited for the food to be dished up, I looked back at Ella. She scanned the room before meeting my eyes and smiling.
“Is that your sister?”
I rolled my eyes at the sound of Dylan’s voice. Turning, I took in the sight of a clean-shaven man who looked almost back to the way he had when I met him. Relaxed, ready to take on the world. It made my stomach turn.
“None of your business.”
He gave me a half-hearted smile. “I’m single now. I need all the help I can get.” He dropped his voice. “You know, if you ever want to …”
“Ewww,” I said, loud enough for people around me to shift their focus. “You can get antibiotics for that.”
I picked up the tray with the lasagnes and smiled sweetly as I made my way back to the table. Will had arrived and had already sat with Ella, talking.
“Lasagne?” I placed the tray on the table.
Ella smiled up at me, and I sat beside her. “So, you’ve met Will, then?”
“I recognised Ella from the photo you showed me of her family, so I introduced myself.” Will stood. “I’ll grab some food and come back.”
I watched as he walked away, rolling my eyes at the sight of Dylan. He sat at a nearby table, looking at my sister. Or rather, her ample cleavage that had been known to distract.
“I ran into dickface when I went to get the food”
Ella’s brows knitted in confusion. “Dickface? Oh.”
“He asked if you were my sister. I told him it was none of his business.”
Will returned, placing his tray on the table and sitting down. “Hey, you know Dylan’s over there, taking a good look at Ella? I should go and have a word.”
Ella laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Just ignore him. I’ll deal with him later if I have to.”
“He knows who you are. He knows about my family.” I frowned. “If he makes you feel uncomfortable …”
Ella fixed her blue eyes on me with a serene expression that said everything.
“He’s not worth worrying about. Let’s just enjoy our lunch.”
“Doesn’t that bug you, though? That he has the nerve to look at you like that, knowing you’re married? I told him about my sister and her husband living with their kids on the farm.” I stared at her.
Ella shrugged and smiled. “You know what? I don’t care. I have Matt and the kids, and that’s all that matters. Matt trusts me, Ness, just as I trust him.”
I nodded. “I guess. It irritates the crap out of me.”
“When you’ve had two babies with a third on the way, and you’re a little more bent out of shape than you used to be, it’s nice to even just be looked at. But I’m not saying that if he came over to the table I wouldn’t cut out his eyeballs and feed them to him.” She turned to Will. “I’m glad Vanessa has you. I hear you help keep her sane. I know how difficult that is.”
He laughed. “I like your sister, Vanessa. She’s kind of like you, but not really. I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of either of you.”
Ella smiled smugly, and I rolled my eyes. “Yeah I kind of like her too. Even if she doesn’t mind guys looking at her boobs.”
“Can we please just eat?” Ella laughed. “This smells so good.”
“It even tastes good. Not bad for hospital food.” I took a bite. This was nice, and I smiled at Ella tucking in to her own plate of food. “So, do you guys need a place to stay the night?”
She shook her head. “We booked a motel. Somewhere fancy.” She waggled her eyebrows as she returned to her lunch.
I shook my head. “You guys are so dirty.”
“Admit it. You’d do the same.”
“Maybe. If I had a man to do that with.” I flicked a narrow-eyed glance at Dylan.
“Yeah, but you’ve got a plan for that, haven’t you?”
I shrugged. “Depends on if he’s with someone else.”
Ella looked up at me with those brilliant blue eyes. Why didn’t I get those eyes? Instead I had to settle for the hazel ones that didn’t drill through anything. Hers penetrated my brain.
“Don’t give up hope. He loved you so much.”
“I don’t know if that’s enough. It didn’t keep us together. Although, that was my fault.”
She sighed. “No one can blame you for that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
“If he doesn’t want me, I’ll just move Will and Ali into your house and we can all live together. What’s that called? Polygamy? Threesome?” I licked my lips as I shifted my attentions to Will. Will coughed, slapping the table as he reached for his can of Coke.
“Did your food go down the wrong way?” I asked.
“Something like that,” he rasped.
“It’s okay. You’re not my type. Neither is Ali.”
“That’s a relief.” He laughed, shaking his head at me.
I hadn’t felt more like myself in ages. It was good to stretch my legs again.
Thirty minutes later, we sat in front of three empty plates, and it was time to get back to work.
“Thank you for lunch. I need to go and pick up Matt and get to our motel,” Ella said.
“I hope you have a great dirty night away from the kids.”
She had a distracted smile on her face. “I’ve been looking forward to this, but I miss them. Tonight won’t be easy.”
“I’m sure Matt will keep you busy.”
Nodding, she chuckled. “I’m sure. I just have something to do before I go.”
“What’s that?”
My jaw dropped as she stood a
nd walked straight to Dylan’s table. Leaning over a little, she spoke to him, his almost smug expression slowly changing as he wriggled uncomfortably in his seat.
She smiled, turning back toward me and marching along with that confident flick of her hips.
“What on earth did you say?”
“I told him I felt sorry for his wife and I hoped one day she’d find someone who deserved her and wouldn’t be such an arse.”
My eyes widened. “You didn’t.”
“And then I told him if he went near you again, I’d personally come down and chop his wandering penis off.”
I clapped my hand across my mouth as I laughed and stood. Will showed no restraint at all, guffawing so hard that everyone else in the cafeteria turned to look.
“I love you, Vanessa, and I will not let that man or anyone else get away with hurting you.” There were times when my sister drove me insane, but I always knew she had my back. Today was no exception.
Nodding, I sniffed as she leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Love you too, Sis.” I closed my eyes in her embrace, that familiar honey scent of hers overwhelming me.
She let go of me, fixing her sights on Will. “I expect you to keep an eye on her.”
He nodded. “Absolutely. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Ella’s visit was like having my fairy godmother appear and flit off when she’d fixed everything. With another quick hug, Ella walked away, turning to wave as she reached the door.
“Your sister is really something,” Will said.
“She sure is.”
Chapter 19
Right up until the moment when I arrived at Jacinda’s wedding, my bravado wasn’t just for show. I’d driven down to Tauranga in the morning, ready for the late afternoon wedding, and had booked into a nearby motel.
Watching the bride’s friends and relatives mill around as they waited for the ceremony to start, my nerves got up and ran away.
And then I saw them.
Do you ever wonder what it’s like to have a special power?
More than anything, I wanted the ability to shoot laser beams out of my eyes and fry that woman who was all over Connor. I shouldn’t have felt that way—I’d given away that right—but a targeted beam right at her face ought to do the trick.
In a Heartbeat (Lifetime Book 2) Page 13
