Tom continued. ‘That’s why I want to give you this special injection. Yes, it may hurt a little when it pricks your skin, but think about how bad your parents would hurt if they lost you because you weren’t brave enough to do this.’
Annabel glanced over to her mum who’d been hanging back in the corner, no doubt waiting for the theatrics. ‘They’d probably cry for a month.’
Tom chuckled. ‘I reckon they’d cry a lot longer than that, princess. So, how about we get this quick jab over and done with and then I’ll show you some really cool medical stuff?’
‘What kind of stuff?’
‘Would you like to listen to your own heart?’ he asked, turning to survey the injection laid out ready on the table beside them.
‘That’d be totally cool.’ Smiling, Annabel thrust out her arm towards him, turned her head to look the other way and then squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Go for it.’
Tom did just that. Expertly finding the right spot and then jabbing the needle into her skin, all the while talking about the other totally cool things he would show her. Lauren and Annabel’s mum watched on, their mouths agape in astonishment as if they were witnessing a miracle. He hadn’t really said anything out of the ordinary but there was just something about Tom that made women—young and old—putty in his hands.
Lauren’s mind ran away with her as she imagined Tom with a child—a son or daughter of his own—and she swore she felt her ovaries quiver. He’d be that much more doting if dealing with his own flesh and blood. Not only would he make an awesome dad; his tall, dark and handsome genes mixed with her blonde ones would make some darling babies.
She shook her head. Lusting after his body was one thing, but getting to know him and starting to wish for more than he was willing to give was a recipe for disaster. And from now on Lauren wanted to be a disaster free zone.
The buzzer rang, alerting them to the fact that one of the elderly residents required assistance, and Lauren welcomed the opportunity to take her mind off the deliciousness of Tom Lewis. Her new friend. She wasn’t sure if her body would ever accept this last bit, even if he had watched a chick flick with her and cried like a girl.
Chuckling at the memory, she walked out of the treatment room and straight into Flynn Quartermaine striding down the corridor. Even though his grandma was still in the hospital, Lauren had somehow managed to avoid running into him. Until now.
As he reached out to steady her, she braced for her body’s usual reaction to him being so close, but that earth-shattering rush to her veins didn’t come. In fact, as she stared into his eyes she felt strangely impassive. He wasn’t nearly as good-looking as she remembered.
Or maybe it was simply that he didn’t measure up to Tom.
‘Hi Flynn,’ she said, extracting herself from his grip.
‘I’m sorry, Lauren, I didn’t expect you to—’
She cut him off, holding up a hand. ‘It’s okay. It was my fault. How are you anyway?’
Although it was only a few weeks since his wedding, several months had passed since they’d spoken properly. They’d been avoiding each other; Lauren because it hurt too damn much knowing he’d never be hers and Flynn—she guessed—because he felt guilty about how quickly he’d ditched her and gone running back to his ex.
‘I’m good.’ He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked awkwardly down the corridor towards Hilda Quartermaine’s room.
‘Come to see your gran?’
He nodded, his facial features relaxing slightly at the safe topic of conversation. What did he think? She was going to lay into him here about deserting her? ‘I had to bring a part from the header into town to get fixed, so I thought I’d drop in some of her favourite chocolate biscuits and a couple of audio books from the library. She’s going insane in here.’
Lauren smiled. ‘Yes, I’ll admit she’s not our easiest patient. She’ll be glad to see you. Hopefully she won’t be here much longer though.’
‘Dr Lewis said she’d be out by Christmas?’
‘That’s our aim. Have you and Ellie got big plans for your first Christmas together?’ She deserved an Academy Award for her sweet delivery of that question. She’d managed to sound genuinely interested.
Flynn’s eyes lit up at the mention of his wife. Lauren’s heart squeezed but she realised it wasn’t because she was jealous of Ellie per se, more that she desperately hoped for someone to look like that when thinking about her.
‘We’ll be spending it on the farm. Joyce has been teaching Ellie to cook and she’s convinced Mum to give her free rein over Christmas lunch.’ He chuckled fondly. ‘Should be interesting. How about you? Are you going to get away to see your parents or Frank?’
‘No,’ she replied, perhaps a tad tersely. Her parents were going to be off the coast of Greece—or was it Spain—on some flash yacht or something. And Frank would still be in Nepal. They hadn’t had a family Christmas since he’d gone off to university, and since then Lauren had always volunteered to work the festive season. This made her popular amongst the nurses who had young families, and anyway, she preferred to spend the time hanging out with her elderly friends rather than being an outsider at someone else’s family celebration. ‘I’ll be here,’ she added brightly. ‘Someone has to keep this place going.’
‘You do a good job,’ Flynn said, his tone serious and his gaze grateful. ‘I don’t know if I ever really said how much I appreciated you calling me when Ellie’s godmother died. I know that must have been hard for you, after what happened between us, but Ellie and I are thankful you put our differences aside.’
Differences? That word downplayed her feelings big-time. He made it sound like she wasn’t bitter at his rejection at all, when she could be the poster child for bitter and she laid the blame solely at Flynn’s feet.
Yet, while all this was running through her head, she didn’t know what to say to his face. ‘Hey,’ she shrugged a shoulder and summoned a sickly sweet smile. ‘Stop beating yourself up. We went out like two or three times. You didn’t break my heart or anything.’
She resisted the urge to touch her nose to check if it were growing.
Flynn laughed nervously. ‘Well, phew. That’s good to hear because I’m hoping we can all be friends now. You, me, Ellie, Rats and Whitney.’
Lauren held her breath, praying he wasn’t going to tag ‘one big happy family’ onto that list. That would be too much.
‘And I’m really glad you’re coming to our little celebration on Friday night.’ Flynn reached out and patted her on the shoulder, like he would one of his football mates. Lauren flinched but he didn’t seem to notice. ‘It’ll be good to catch up.’
Thankfully the buzzer sounded again and Lauren gave him an apologetic smile. ‘I’m sorry but I have to go. See you soon, Flynn,’ she called over her shoulder as she hurried away.
Tom ushered Annabel and her mother out into the reception area, wondering when Mrs James would stop gushing. It was getting a little embarrassing. He’d only been doing his job.
‘Thank you so much, Dr Lewis. This is the first time ever Annabel hasn’t cried when getting her shot. You are amazing. Wait till I tell my husband.’
‘Thanks. She’s a great kid. And a brave one.’ He reached out to ruffle the little girl’s hair. He liked working with children and had been contemplating doing further study and specialising in paediatrics when his dad’s diagnosis had been made. After that he’d had too much to get his head around to think about career decisions.
‘What’s your favourite cake? I’ll bake one for you,’ Mrs James said, determined to find a way to thank him.
He opened his mouth to tell her that wasn’t necessary, but was distracted by a sight down the corridor and the word ‘chocolate’ rolled off his tongue before he could stop it.
‘Excellent.’ Finally Mrs James and Annabel left and Tom thought he managed to say goodbye, but he couldn’t be certain.
Standing about five metres away from him was Lauren, deeply engaged in a convers
ation with Flynn Quartermaine, the guy who’d broken her heart. Tom had to admit he was a handsome bloke—he had that muscular body and tan that only came from hard work in the great outdoors—and he could understand Lauren’s fascination.
But he didn’t like it. Watching the way Flynn and Lauren looked at each other left a foul taste in his mouth. An unfamiliar discomfort swirled in his gut.
No one looked more gorgeous in a nurse’s uniform, but Lauren could wear a used garbage bag and she’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her golden hair sparkled under the fluorescent lights and her skin glowed as she talked. Flynn had to be a dick to have chosen Ellie over Lauren, and Tom didn’t like the way he was leaning towards her as he spoke.
You had your chance buddy, so move on.
Tom had never felt so protective of anyone in his life. His fists bunched at his side and he took a step towards them, stopping short as realisation hit.
Jealousy had struck him green. He wasn’t usually the jealous type, but watching Lauren talk to someone she’d recently had a thing with wreaked havoc with his self-control. Stupid when Flynn was newly—and by all accounts, happily—married, but where Lauren was concerned he wasn’t rational. It might have been her gorgeous face and hot body that first grabbed his attention, but now that he’d spent time with her, he’d found so much more to admire. He wanted to be the man who made her insides quiver. He wanted to be the person who made Flynn Quartermaine a distant memory.
And it killed him to know he couldn’t be.
The buzzer rang again, jolting Tom from his unhealthy thoughts. Lauren made her excuses to Flynn and hurried off down the hall.
‘Hey Dr Lewis, great to see you again.’ Flynn strode towards him and offered his hand.
Tom took it, registering the other man’s firm shake and feeling a ridiculous urge to better it.
Flynn looked at him oddly as he extracted his hand. ‘I’ve just been telling Lauren how grateful we are for the care Gran is receiving here. Thanks for all you’ve done.’
‘All part of the service,’ Tom said, regaining his equilibrium. ‘Although I can’t say I’m not glad she’ll be going home soon. She’s beaten me at Uno one too many times and my ego’s taken a battering.’
Flynn rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. ‘She plays evil, that woman. Even as kids, she’d never let Lucy or me win any board game. Not without a fight.’
‘My gran was just the same.’ Tom chuckled. ‘And I thought grannies were supposed to be sweet old ladies who spoilt their grandkids.’
‘Maybe we lucked out.’ Flynn glanced down the corridor to Mrs Q’s room. ‘And speaking of mine, I’d better go deliver these biscuits before she disowns me. Will I see you Friday night?’
‘What’s happening Friday night?’
Flynn frowned. ‘Sorry, I thought Lauren had told you. We’re having a party at our place to celebrate Ellie’s last episode of Lake Street. Just a few drinks amongst friends. We’d love you to come.’
‘And Lauren’s going?’
‘Yep.’ Flynn smiled again, but now Tom could see it was an innocuous one. He hadn’t been flirting with Lauren, merely making conversation. Exactly like they were doing now.
‘That sounds good.’
The idea of a night out with Lauren sounded better than it should. He shouldn’t be excited about spending more time with her but he couldn’t help it. She just did something to him. Even though they hadn’t slept together, hanging out with her took his mind off his worries in a way he hadn’t experienced with the other women he’d bedded for specifically that aim.
Getting out of the house might not be a bad thing—there were only so many intimate dinners and movie sessions on the couch he could take. He might have managed almost three weeks of playing the perfect gentlemen around her but his balls were suffering. They were going blue with his efforts not to cross the line.
‘Excellent. Looking forward to it.’ Flynn slapped him on the back, as seemed to be the way for blokes in the bush, and then started down the corridor.
Tom was due back at the surgery but he went looking for Lauren first. He found her in Ned’s room, trying to help him with a crossword puzzle. Her brow was furrowed as she peered over his shoulder, obviously stumped. Unable to help himself, Tom stepped up close and peered over her shoulder. ‘Which one are we stuck on?’
‘Twenty-four across,’ Ned muttered grumpily.
Tom found the clue—an eleven letter word for flirtatious man—and then answered straight away. ‘Philanderer.’
Lauren snapped her head to look at him and glared. ‘Show-off. Or is it a case of knowing a lot about the topic?’
‘What can I say?’ It didn’t hurt for her to think him a ladies’ man, but he was also secretly pleased to have remembered the term so quickly. Hopefully all this brain exercising was paying off.
Ned started scribbling down the answer and moved immediately on to the next clue. Tom and Lauren stepped away from him out into the corridor.
‘Was that what the buzzer was about?’ Tom asked, gesturing back into Ned’s room.
Lauren smirked. ‘Yep. Apparently it was an emergency.’
‘What’s this about you keeping a big party from me? Are you embarrassed to be seen out and about with the likes of me?’
‘What? No!’ Lauren sighed and puffed out air between her lips, blowing her fringe up in the action. ‘I was going to mention it, I just forgot.’
‘You sound really excited about it.’
‘I am.’ She didn’t meet his gaze.
‘Liar,’ he whispered, stepping a little too close to comfort. ‘Don’t lie to me, Lauren.’
She glared right back. ‘Of course I don’t want to go. I can’t think of anything worse than watching Ellie’s big finale and having to pretend I’m enjoying it. Everyone knows I dated Flynn just before he went back to her. I don’t want their pity. I told you, I’m tired of being fodder for gossip.’
She was cute when she was grumpy. ‘But if you don’t go, won’t that prove their point?’
‘See?’ She pouted and thrust both her hands up in the air. ‘I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.’
‘Then let’s go together. I’ll look out for you.’
‘Okay! Whatever.’
Lauren loved that Tom had an answer for everything—from crossword riddles to quick fixes for her life—but at the same time it made her want to throttle him.
‘Excellent.’ He grinned, looking as if he’d just won first prize in some worldwide tournament. ‘I’ll see you later.’
Before she could get in another word, he turned and swaggered off down the corridor, giving her the perfect view of his even more perfect backside. She whimpered slightly and then dropped her head into her hands.
If she had to attend this stupid soap opera party, at least she’d have Tom there to keep her amused, but his presence would be another nail in her social coffin. The gossips would have a field day when they arrived together, saying the old Lauren was up to her usual tricks, sinking her claws into their locum before a more suitable single gal had a chance. It would be one thing if that were true, but it wasn’t fair to be tarnished with that brush when she wasn’t reaping any rewards. She’d been so good since that near miss in the hospital storeroom. She’d stuck to her guns and stayed on the straight and narrow where Dr Delicious was concerned.
So why didn’t she feel better about it?
Chapter Fourteen
Lauren stood in her panties and bra, staring into her wardrobe. After the cull she’d done when she was packing, there wasn’t a whole lot of choice left and frankly, she had no clue what one wore to a celebrity’s party. Granted, Flynn was about as down to earth as a bloke could be, but this was Ellie’s do. Anything was possible.
All week she’d been searching for an excuse to get out of attending but the prayer she’d made that one of the evening nurses would call in sick and she’d have to stay back late hadn’t been answered, at least not in the way she’d
hoped. Funny, most of Australia would probably have sold their souls to attend Ellie’s party—Lauren would sell hers not to. Friday had come round far too fast, and now she needed to choose an outfit before Tom started banging on her door wondering what she was up to.
As she dismissed one dress as too fancy for a farm setting and another as too short, she could hear him down the hall, singing in the shower.
Her breath caught in her lungs at the image of him scrubbing himself clean in her bathroom and she decided that she wanted to look her best. Just because this wasn’t a date didn’t mean she couldn’t make an effort. There had to be something that accentuated her assets without making her look like a tart. After more deliberation, she finally chose a floor-length cotton maxi skirt spattered with bright green flowers and a black tank top to go with it. She threw some chunky bead jewellery round her neck, clicked silver hoops into her ears, applied approximately half the make-up she usually would and then slipped her feet into a pair of black ballet flats.
She turned slowly, examining herself in the floor-to-ceiling wardrobe mirrors, pleasantly surprised by the sight. The phrase Girl Next Door came to mind—the outfit wasn’t at all showy but she still looked good, pretty and natural. Better still, she felt good. And that was saying something, considering where she was going and what she was about to face.
She walked out into the kitchen and found Tom downing a glass of milk.
‘Hey.’ She smiled, waiting for him to say something, but although his gaze raked over her body, all he said was, ‘Hey yourself.’
‘How do I look?’ Her hands stupidly clammy, she pinched the material of her skirt out and turned slightly to give him a better view.
He put his glass in the sink and then leaned back against the bench, folding his arms across his broad chest. ‘How do you think you look?’
What? She frowned as she dropped her grip on her skirt. What kind of question was that?
‘Well?’ he pushed.
Confused, she licked her lips slightly as she swallowed and thought about his question. ‘I think this is a really pretty skirt and that it makes me look happy and fresh.’
The Road to Hope Page 13
