The Road to Hope

by Rachael Johns

  ‘You’ll probably move away, meet some gorgeous brain surgeon or something and end up having babies before me.’

  ‘I doubt that.’ Lauren tried to sound sympathetic, but she was sick of Whitney’s baby obsession. They were supposed to be having a conversation about her, but all Whitney could think about lately was getting pregnant. She hated how bitter that made her feel. She didn’t like the person she’d become in the last few months.

  ‘Oh my—cupcakes and cheese—I think you may have spoken too soon,’ Whitney cried.

  At Whitney’s exclamation, Lauren followed her friend’s gaze. She felt the blood drain from her face as she laid eyes on Dr Delicious standing at the pool entrance. Shirtless in brightly coloured board shorts, thongs and sunglasses, and with a towel thrown over his shoulder, he looked more like a surfer than a doctor. Her hand acted of its own accord, lifting the Diet Coke can to her lips. Unfortunately it had gone lukewarm during their conversation and did nothing to cool the inferno raging within.

  ‘He’s coming over here.’ Whitney dug Lauren hard in the side with her elbow but she barely even noticed. ‘I wonder who he is?’

  Somehow Lauren found the wherewithal to say, ‘His name’s Tom Lewis. He’s the locum covering Dr Bates’ leave. He’s also a friend of Frank’s.’

  ‘As in your brother Frank?’

  Tom was getting closer. Lauren’s heart beat faster.

  ‘One and the same,’ she replied, struggling to keep her damn ridiculous hormones under control. He’s just a man, she told herself. Just a good-looking run-of-the-mill man. If she hadn’t sworn off the species she probably wouldn’t have even noticed how splendid he was. ‘And he’s staying at my place.’

  ‘He’s what?’

  Lauren didn’t have the chance to elaborate because Tom arrived in front of them, his tall shadow falling over their sun-soaked bodies.

  ‘Well, hello there.’ Whitney flicked her hair a little and leaned forward, offering Tom a clear view of bikini cleavage. Lauren fought the urge to remind Whitney of her marital status. She gave her a glare instead. Whitney ignored it.

  ‘Hi.’ Tom smiled. The way he said ‘hi’ made it sound like an invitation to bed, and wasn’t it illegal to have a grin that hot? Her breasts suddenly felt heavy in her bikini and she cursed the fact that she wasn’t wearing the one-piece she usually wore for her morning lap swimming.

  ‘Hi Tom. Have a seat with us.’ Whitney patted the grass beside her. ‘I’m Whitney O’Donnell. Lauren’s just been telling me all about you.’

  ‘Has she now?’ Tom met Lauren’s gaze and smiled. He threw his towel down on the ground, slipped off his thongs and then dropped his sunnies on top of the pile. ‘You’ll have to tell me everything she said in a moment, but first the water beckons.’

  He turned and strode towards the pool, barely pausing at the edge before diving into the deep end. Lauren sucked in oxygen and heard Whitney’s intake echo beside her. Yep, that there was one fine specimen.

  ‘Please tell me you’re not leaving while he’s staying with you,’ Whitney said before screwing the lid off her bottle of water and taking a sip.

  ‘Of course I am. Dr Lewis has no bearing on my plans.’

  ‘Honey, is something wrong with you? Are you sick?’ She reached over and placed her palm on Lauren’s forehead. ‘Are your eyes not working? That man is just your type.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Lauren batted her friend’s hand away like she would a pesky mosquito.

  Whitney had the sense to look ashamed. ‘Nothing, it’s just…’ Her voice drifted off and then she tried again. ‘I don’t want you to go and you were just saying that the lack of suitable men was your reason for leaving, but there’s one very suitable man swimming in the pool. He’s undeniably hot, obviously intelligent and nice, and he’s staying with you. Seems perfect to me.’

  ‘Except he’s only temporary. So if your theory did work and I did manage to snag his interest, I wouldn’t be hanging around anyway.’

  Whitney scowled. ‘Whatever. I see you’re in a contrary mood today. All I’m saying is; don’t rule him out simply because he’s not Flynn.’

  ‘I’m not!’

  ‘Good, because he’s coming back and I for one want to get to know him better.’ Whitney dug around in her bag and pulled out a bottle of sun cream, just as Tom—dripping wet and looking even hotter than ever—returned. He bent down, picked up his towel and rubbed it vigorously over his body, finishing by towelling his thick, dark curls.

  ‘Beautiful day for a swim,’ he said, laying his towel down next to Lauren and then dropping to his knees. ‘Do you need some help with that?’

  It took Lauren less than a second to work out he was referring to Whitney and her sun cream efforts.

  ‘Sure.’ Whitney smiled and leaned across Lauren to hand Tom the bottle, before turning her back to them. He leaned over too and Lauren found herself lying unwittingly beneath his arms, his chest muscles bunching and flexing as he rubbed cream up and down Whitney’s back. It was excruciating. Could Tom not see the golden band on Whitney’s finger? Or did that sort of thing not matter to him?

  Lauren started to turn over, about to begin reading her book, when he finished.

  ‘Thanks,’ Whitney all but purred, then added, ‘Lauren’s shoulders are looking a little red. Maybe you could rub some on for her as well.’

  Resisting the urge to beat Whitney around the head with her book, she opened Bridget Jones’s Diary and lay down on her stomach. ‘No, I’m fine.’ But the words had barely left her mouth before a dollop of sun cream landed between her shoulder blades, quickly followed by Tom’s large hand.

  Her limbs went limp as he ran his fingers across the top of her back, slipping them beneath the strap of her bikini to get overall coverage as he massaged in the cream. Thank God her head was facing the ground, away from him and Whitney, because the expression on her face would have given away everything she was feeling. The imagination she’d been trying to rein in ran away with her as she briefly indulged in the idea of turning over and feeling his hands rub cream over her breasts. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from groaning.

  Then something snapped. She heard footsteps behind them and remembered they were in a very public place with half the town watching them and no doubt speculating over just how long it would take for the local tart to lure the locum into her web. She sat up, almost bumping into his head in her efforts.

  ‘I think that’s enough,’ she said. And sure enough when she looked around, a few mums with young children were glowering in her direction. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Tom to be careful, that spending too much time with her would get tongues wagging, but she bit back the words just in time. She didn’t want to be the one to taint his opinion of her. He’d hear the gossip soon enough. ‘Thanks,’ she added, not wanting him to think her a total bitch.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ Tom sat back on his towel, planting his hands on the ground behind them.

  ‘So Tom, tell us about yourself? Where are you from?’ Whitney said, slanting a get a grip look at Lauren. ‘Why are you a locum? Most of the substitute doctors we’ve had in the past are getting close to retirement. I swear some of them should already have done so.’

  Tom chuckled. ‘I’m from Adelaide, and mostly I do locum work for the opportunity to travel Australia. During my holidays from uni, I travelled lots overseas but a couple of months back I realised I’d barely seen anything of our own country. I figured working and travelling would be ideal—and there’s always a shortage of doctors in rural communities.’

  ‘Sure is.’ Whitney nodded, hanging on his every word.

  ‘I bought myself an old ute, sold most of my stuff, rented out my apartment, packed a bag, threw my surfboard on the back tray and followed the work.’

  ‘You surf?’ Lauren found herself drawn into the conversation, the image of Tom riding high on a wave impossible to resist. She may have swooned a little.

  ‘Yup. Won some co
ntests when I was young and even contemplated going professional. But I broke my leg badly when I was sixteen and haven’t surfed as well since.’

  ‘Oh, what a pity,’ Whitney crooned.

  Tom shrugged. ‘Life has a habit of throwing curveballs. That’s why I don’t make plans anymore.’

  ‘Well, you might be disappointed around here.’ Lauren didn’t look at him as she spoke because she didn’t want to get lost in those deep brown eyes. ‘In case you haven’t noticed, we’re more than a hundred kilometres from the ocean.’

  ‘True.’ Tom nodded once. ‘But there are plenty other amazing things to see in Australia. When I heard Hope Junction needed a locum, I couldn’t resist. Frank often talks about growing up here—and about you. I was curious.’

  Lauren swallowed. She was very curious about him too and wondered why Frank had never mentioned him. Or had he? She racked her brain trying to think about a reference but came up blank. Nowadays most of their conversations centred around their parents’ later-than-midlife crisis and Frank’s experiences as an aid doctor in Nepal.

  Whitney’s mobile started to ring and she glanced down at the caller ID. ‘It’s Rats,’ she said.

  As she answered, Tom looked to Lauren. ‘Rats?’

  ‘Her husband,’ Lauren explained, perhaps placing a little too much emphasis on the word. ‘Every second person has a nickname around here. Hang around long enough and one is sure to stick to you as well.’ Dr Delicious immediately came to mind.

  ‘Do you have one?’

  ‘No.’ Although she knew people called her many names behind her back. She glanced over at Whitney, hoping the conversation would soon end. It was one thing chatting to Tom in a group but he made her nervous when it was just the two of them. Nervous and horny.

  Silence lingered for a few long moments until Whitney finally disconnected. ‘Rats is calling it a day,’ she said, her face beaming as she started to gather her things. ‘I’ve got to get home. Nice meeting you, Tom.’

  ‘You too.’ He threw her a wave as she scrambled to leave. ‘Booty call?’ Tom added when Whitney was out of earshot.

  Lauren looked at him and burst out laughing. ‘Something like that. They’re trying for a baby.’

  ‘I see. Not going well?’

  She pursed her lips. She probably shouldn’t have offered that little seed of information but it wasn’t like Whitney was quiet about their efforts. ‘They got married mid year and have been trying a little bit longer than that.’

  ‘If it comes up in conversation, tell Whitney I’d be happy to discuss their options,’ Tom said, suddenly sounding serious and not at all surf-dude-esque. ‘A good friend of mine is a fertility doctor in Perth.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll let her know.’ Lauren sighed, racking her brain for what to do or say next. On the one hand, hanging with Tom alone would test her nerves and her resolve, but on the other hand it was nice to be with someone new. ‘Are you looking forward to starting tomorrow?’

  ‘Sure. I like to keep busy.’

  She snorted. ‘Trust me, you’ll be run off your feet with everyone coming to check you out.’

  He laughed. ‘I guessed as much. I’ve worked in six towns in two months and so far it’s been the same on the first day in all of them. It’s amusing listening to the different ailments people contrive.’

  ‘What’s the worst?’

  ‘In one place I had a woman tell me she thought her toenails were growing too fast.’

  ‘No way! I’m sure the people of Hope Junction can beat that. We are creative individuals around here.’

  ‘Good to hear. I look forward to tomorrow morning.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘What time does this place close? I was thinking I could whip us up some nice veggie burgers for dinner.’

  ‘You don’t have to cook for me,’ Lauren said, although her mouth watered at the thought. If his burgers were half as good as his pancakes, she’d be a lost cause.

  ‘I know I don’t, but I want to. Please? It’s the least I can do to thank you for letting me stay.’ He looked seriously into her eyes and she felt that resolve melting. If he had to be so devastatingly good-looking, why couldn’t he also have been an arrogant jerk?

  ‘Fine,’ she relented. ‘But we’re not making a habit of this, okay?’

  ‘Whatever you say, Lauren. Whatever you say.’

  Chapter Six

  Tom got up early, wanting to be at the surgery before it opened, and was disappointed not to run into Lauren. Her door was closed so he guessed she was still in bed, which wasn’t surprising considering how late they’d stayed up. He went into the kitchen, cooked some eggs for breakfast and made some coffee, hoping the aroma of both might lure her out, but not even a rumble came from her bedroom.

  He sat down at the table to eat, drink and do his morning logic puzzle. Usually he raced through the task and sometimes did another, but today he couldn’t focus. He wasn’t nervous exactly but the first day on a new job was always a little stressful—having to get used to the ways of the practice receptionist and nurse. Damn, he wished Lauren was the surgery nurse. Last night she’d chopped up the salad items for his burgers while he’d whipped up his mum’s special lentil patty mix. They’d joked around a bit, Tom being all cloak and dagger about the secret ingredient and Lauren trying to trick him into spilling it. Then over dinner, they’d chatted about Frank, work, favourite movies.

  He’d asked her lots of questions about Hope Junction and enjoyed hearing some of the crazy local stories, but every time he thought she was relaxing around him—every time he slipped a little flirting into the mix—she drew back into herself. He couldn’t understand why, had asked her outright if she was in a relationship, and her face fell as she told him no. Most women in turn would have asked him if there was anyone special in his life, but she had quickly moved the conversation on, clearly not wanting to discuss her apparently non-existent love life.

  Behind her gorgeous face she had sad eyes and he wondered if something else was worrying her. As he shovelled egg into his mouth, he contemplated calling Frank to ask, but quickly wrote off the idea. He didn’t want to worry his friend over something that was probably nothing.

  His thoughts were jarred by the sound of the front door opening. He heard keys being dumped in the bowl on the hall side table and then soft footsteps padding down the hallway. Lauren appeared in the doorway to the kitchen wearing a short casual dress and sneakers, her hair wet and tied up in a high ponytail. He couldn’t help but notice her dress was damp and slightly see-through. As he’d observed at the pool yesterday, the woman had a fit body to go with her gorgeous face.

  ‘Oh…hi Tom.’ She blinked and stumbled on her words as if she still wasn’t used to him being there. ‘All ready for your first day?’

  He nodded, taking care not to stare at the two wet patches on her chest. ‘You been for a swim?’

  She nodded and tugged the band out of her hair, shaking her gorgeous blonde locks free. ‘I do laps in the summer whenever I’m not working the early shift.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll join you one day.’

  Her eyes widened a moment, and if he wasn’t mistaken she looked immensely uncomfortable with this suggestion. ‘Is that coffee I smell?’ she asked.

  ‘Sure is. Can I get you a cup?’

  ‘It’s fine. I’ll get one myself.’ She walked across the kitchen, stretched up to collect a mug from the overhead cupboard and then poured some from the machine. She lifted the drink to her lips and took a long sip. ‘This is good,’ she said with a grin.

  ‘Yep. That’s one thing I couldn’t leave behind,’ he said, referring to the shiny steel coffee maker. ‘I can cope with almost anything as long as I have good coffee.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more.’ She gestured towards his book. ‘What’s that you’re doing?’

  ‘It’s a logic puzzle book.’

  She quirked an eyebrow. ‘You do them often?’

  He nodded. ‘I enjoy them.’ That was only partly true. Before his dad’s
diagnosis he would never have contemplated such a thing. But although he’d started them for brain training, they were addictive and he now looked forward to his daily puzzle session.

  She smiled and then started to carry the mug across the kitchen, but paused before exiting and turned back. ‘I’m on the late shift today so don’t make me dinner. Have a great day.’

  ‘I might see you at the hospital,’ he said, already looking forward to the possibility.

  ‘Let’s hope not. I’m praying for an emergency free day.’

  ‘Me too. I meant when I do my rounds of the nursing home section.’

  ‘Oh.’ She looked surprised. ‘Aren’t you going to do them this morning, before you go into the surgery? That’s when Hannah sees the patients.’

  He’d likely do a lot of things different to Hannah Bates but he didn’t say this. ‘I’ll probably see them this morning and this afternoon. I figure some of them probably don’t get many visitors.’

  ‘That’s true,’ she said sadly. ‘I might see you later then.’

  *

  Lauren breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Tom’s ute start up outside. Now she’d no longer have to barricade herself in her bedroom like some kind of prisoner. Unable to sleep this morning, she’d gotten up earlier than normal to do her laps, hoping to work off some pent-up energy in the pool. She’d done double her usual number of laps—her arms would kill tomorrow—but it hadn’t done anything to quell the sexual frustration building within her.

  How did nuns manage a life of celibacy? It couldn’t be good for their health. Resisting the gorgeous Tom Lewis, who was definitely flirting with her, had sent her blood pressure soaring. And it had only been two nights. She should have feigned a headache or tiredness last night and refused his offer to cook her dinner, but no, instead she’d gone to the opposite extreme and helped him. And she’d had fun as they worked together to create one of the best dishes she’d eaten in a long time. Not only was the man almost too good-looking to be real, he was funny, charming and a whiz in the kitchen.