by Sue MacKay
‘My mother was hoping you’d drop in for that reason, so she’s not concerned about Capeka getting too fond of you in a short time.’
‘That’s good.’ Alesha’s heart rate sped up as she studied this man she’d been so intimate with before knowing much about him. But she had known he was kind, helpful, considerate, could laugh, and smiled like every woman’s dream. What more did she need to know? He hadn’t hurt her, probably wouldn’t either. He certainly wouldn’t if she didn’t let him close. Did she regret last night? Not one bit.
‘Got a minute first? I’d like to ask you a couple of things.’ Kristof held a hand out in the direction of a door along the hall.
‘Sure.’ Nothing about last night showed in his straight expression. None of the passion or need or even the delight in sharing what they’d had. They were back to friendly without overdoing it. ‘Sure,’ she repeated.
She’d barely parked her butt on the chair by a desk when he asked, ‘What line of nursing are you most qualified in?’
Definitely back to basics. That was fine by her. ‘I’ve mostly worked on children’s wards and in paediatric ICU. But as all nurses do in their training, I’ve covered everything and feel comfortable in most situations. Why?’
‘Theatre work?’
So that was where this was going. ‘Yes, some, but not for eighteen months when I worked for five weeks as a fill-in at one of the East London hospitals.’
Kristof locked his intense gaze on her. ‘I know you’re on holiday so this is asking a lot, but we’re down a theatre nurse today and I have a tight schedule of small surgeries.’ He paused. ‘Would you mind helping with handing over bandages, suture equipment, things like that?’
Alesha rushed in. ‘No problem.’ The tour would be on every day so she wasn’t missing out on anything and if she was needed here then that was fine with her.
‘It’s mundane, I know, but you haven’t got clearance to work as a qualified nurse. I’d still like to check your credentials though.’
‘I’d be leery if you didn’t. Ring the nursing employment agency I am currently working through.’ She tapped her phone for the number, and gave him a name to ask for. ‘While you’re doing that I’ll go say hello to Capeka. Oh, and mundane doesn’t bother me if I’m helping someone.’
Kristof was already picking up the phone, barely giving her a nod.
Okay. Definitely professional mode. Did that mean last night never happened? Or he wanted to forget it had? Or was Kristof afraid she was expecting more? Hearing him ask for the recruitment manager she’d referred him to, Alesha gave a mental shrug and left him to it. Whatever he thought about their night together wasn’t going to change her plans.
Heading to the classroom where she’d met Capeka yesterday, she found a happy smile before entering quietly so as not to disturb the children who were all engrossed in their books. All, except one wee girl standing in the corner on one leg.
Alesha said hello to the teacher, and instantly Capeka lifted her head, a glimmer of hope in those big, sad eyes.
Oh, oh. This might not be a wise idea if the child was starting to look out for her. But Kristof said his mother was happy for her to drop by and if she could do even the smallest amount of good for this girl she would.
The teacher was holding out a book towards Alesha and she took it, relieved to see it was another classic that she could semi interpret into English. Not that it mattered if she made up the whole story since Capeka wouldn’t understand a word, but it felt more right somehow.
Settling onto a small chair near without being too close to Capeka, she opened the book and dug into early childhood memories of sitting on her mother’s knee to listen to this story. The words came readily. As did the warmth and security of being with her mother. Too readily. Her voice faltered. Deep breath, carry on. This was about a child in need right before her, not about her. Nor was it anything to do with what had happened when she’d been a child. But for the first time in a long time Alesha admitted to herself that she had a longing for those days when she’d been safe and loved and totally secure in her little girl’s life.
Read, damn it. Just read. As in make up words to fit the pictures on the pages.
A small hand touched her arm, withdrew immediately.
Raising her eyes, Alesha saw an understanding in the brown eyes staring at her. An understanding no child this age should have. It was desperately hard not to reach out and hug this girl tight. Capeka had heard her pain in her voice and reacted. In the kindest way.
How am I going to leave her at the end of the week?
It might be kinder never to see her again than do that.
The girl stood in front of her, closer than she’d been before, one leg tucked tight behind the other, her arms folded across her waist. Her face was blank, but in those eyes a score of emotions swirled. Good, bad and probably the ugly. Then Capeka dipped her head as though to say, ‘Come on. Keep reading.’
So she did.
Until the sound of a man clearing his throat interrupted. Kristof stood near but not so near as to frighten Capeka, watching them both. His eyes were unreadable.
Alesha asked, ‘Did I pass muster?’
An abrupt nod. ‘Of course. When you’ve finished that book I’d like to get started in Theatre. There are things I’ll need to explain and show you first.’
‘I’ll be five minutes.’ Returning to the story, she noted he didn’t leave, merely stood there, watching and listening, and in a glance she saw just as unfathomable as he’d been earlier. His professional face. The one he seemed to use all the time around here. Thank goodness he hadn’t used it last night or they’d never have got far.
Kristof’s professionalism continued throughout the day. ‘First up is a tonsillectomy. Mila is five and has had constant throat infections for the last nine months as far as we’re aware. They probably go back a lot further but we only met her last September. Other children I’m operating on today have come in from the surrounding country towns where there are no hospitals. By coming to us they’re avoiding the long waiting lists in the cities.’
‘Does the children’s home get funding for these operations?’ she asked, without thinking she was probably overstepping the mark with such a question.
Kristof gave her one sharp shake of his handsome head. Scrubbed up and dressed in clean operating garb, he still looked as sexy as it was possible for a man to be. More than.
Alesha smiled behind her mask, let the heat that thought caused absorb into her, went with the job on hand, helping the other nurse as required. Stepping up to the table where Mila lay anaesthetised, she said, ‘She’s a little cutie, for sure.’
‘A vast improvement on the day she came to us,’ Jacob, the anaesthetist, informed her. An older man who worked part time at the local hospital, he was apparently always available for operations in this Theatre.
‘Then I’m hoping Capeka will one day be happy too.’
‘There’s a long way to go before that’s possible,’ Kristof muttered, glancing her way, a snap heatwave blasting the air between them. Not so professional now, was he?
Gotcha.
She grinned behind her mask.
His gaze dropped to the top of her scrubs where her breasts resided, his eyes widening.
Her nipples tightened. Oh, boy, trouble in scrubs. Alesha grabbed the box of wipes the other nurse was indicating and dragged her eyes away from the man who’d given her the night of her life. Today was going to take for ever to end.
Kristof lifted a scalpel. ‘Here we go.’
Alesha was in awe of the surgeon from that moment on. Not just the man under the scrubs. Kristof was focused on one thing and one thing only, removing Mila’s tonsils with as little trauma as possible. He was thorough, tidy, neat with his suturing, fast to keep the time under anaesthesia to a minimum. In other words the best surgeon she’d ever had th
e privilege to observe in Theatre.
No surprises there, she realised as she donned another set of scrubs for their next patient—another tonsillectomy. Followed by the breaking and resetting of a small boy’s fractured arm that had not been put in a cast at the time the injury occurred three months earlier. That made Alesha shiver. Even though she’d come across a similar case years ago it was still hard to believe a child could go without medical help. A child deserved all the kindness and care available out there, no matter where they lived or who they lived with. But that was being Pollyanna-ish, and she knew she wasn’t about to change the world. At least she was helping a few youngsters in Dubrovnik.
When they stopped for a quick cup of tea and sandwich Kristof read files and absently put food in his mouth.
Alesha watched him from under lowered eyebrows, though she probably could’ve stared hard at him and he wouldn’t have noticed.
Then he looked up and she realised he knew she’d been studying him. He nodded and returned to his notes.
Soon they returned to Theatre for an appendectomy, followed by other small but essential surgeries. The worst came in as they were wrapping up for the day. A boy had been attacked by a dog, his arm torn apart as he’d apparently tried to hide his face. In that, he’d succeeded, with only scratches on his cheeks. But the trauma they had to deal with was hideous and it would be a long time before the lad would be using his arm to full potential again, if ever.
‘Why wasn’t he taken to the main hospital?’ Alesha asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Kristof replied, not looking at her.
But he was guessing, and not liking what he was coming up with. She wouldn’t probe any further. They’d been there to help the boy and that was all that mattered. Since this seemed to be the only room to change in, she slipped out of her scrubs pants and stepped into her sky-blue capris. ‘I’m glad you could put him back together.’ The odds on the boy’s recovery being good were vastly improved having had Kristof operate on him.
‘So am I.’ Kristof had taken both pieces of his scrubs off and was pulling on khaki knee-length shorts, followed by a white tee shirt.
She tried not to gape at the array of muscles filling her vision with only the boxers to cover some of them. She quickly gave up and enjoyed the view. After all, he could’ve waited until she left the room before stripping down to his underwear, but, then again, she’d seen it all anyway. Did this mean professional Kristof was back in his box and the fun guy was joining her? Letting her hair free of the thick band she’d tugged it into earlier, she dragged a brush through the tangle. ‘I’m going to see Capeka before heading out into the sunshine.’ She presumed it was still sunny outside.
‘I’ll walk you back to the apartments when you’re ready.’ Kristof was studying his fingers. Then he raised his head and hit her with an irresistible smile. ‘Can’t have you getting lost or locked out.’
Right then she’d have done anything he asked. Anything. That smile should be bottled and sold to raise funds for this place. Her knees were incapable of bending, her head spun, and as for her heart—it had obviously forgotten what it had been put inside her chest to do. ‘As if,’ she croaked through a mire of happy shock.
‘We’ll go to Cavtat tonight.’ He checked his watch. ‘How about you have half an hour with Capeka then we’ll head up the hill to get ready, and I’ll pick you up at six?’ That smile just got wider and warmer and—oh, where was the professional guy when she needed him?
‘Umm, yes, I suppose so.’ Wasn’t she the one with the restaurant voucher? ‘I thought I’d like to go by boat, remember?’
‘I do. I’ll arrange that. But we’ll drive down to the Old City. It’s a bit of a walk home from the boat after a late night.’
* * *
Alesha’s face was worth a thousand pictures. Kristof had watched as excitement followed by irritation then resignation vied for supremacy. All because he’d taken charge about when to go to Cavtat. ‘I figured since it’s looking like being a beautiful evening we should make the most of it.’ The chances of rain any time throughout the week were non-existent, but still. He hadn’t been able to get any part of the previous evening and night out of his blood, out of his head, so the sooner they had this dinner together, the better. By the end of the night he’d either be over Ms Alesha Milligan or hanging out for more time with her. He had a sneaking suspicion which it would be after feasting his eyes on her most of the long day in Theatre.
Glancing at his watch, he grimaced. How long did thirty minutes take?
Apparently for ever. It wasn’t as though Alesha had dragged out her time with Capeka. In fact it’d been bang on half an hour when she’d put aside the book she’d been using to make up a story to go with the pictures and left the room. ‘Ready when you are,’ she told him.
Was she as keen as him for the evening to begin? He hadn’t felt this excited about a date in so long it was ridiculous. It had to be the air, or the sun, or the fact he was away from London. Yeah right. Try the red bikini, or that stunning figure, or the generosity in Alesha’s lovemaking. Any one of those would do it. Put them all together and what chance did he have to remain sane and sensible around her? But he had to try. ‘The boat ride’s booked.’
‘I’m looking forward to it,’ she replied, sounding less excited than him.
‘You’re sure? We could make it another night.’
Don’t dare say that’s a good idea.
Was he rushing her? Into what? A dinner date that she’d asked him on. That was all. Relief softened his worry. He hadn’t signed up for life. Didn’t have to face the consequences of being tied to a woman for ever. The relief increased. He was just showing her some of the sights of his second hometown, as any decent person would. She’d been let down by the man who’d arranged this trip. In his book she deserved better than that. It wasn’t as though he intended spending a lot of time with Alesha. Come Saturday he was on his way back to London.
As Alesha would be, he reminded himself. So what? They wouldn’t have anything to do with each other there. They moved in different circles, professionally and privately. The only way they’d bump into each other would be if one of them deliberately got in touch with the other. And that was not happening. Not when he didn’t trust women not to play around on him or rip him off or hurt him in some other way. He’d given his heart once, got it back flattened and broken. This wasn’t only about Alesha. Most people he got close to just didn’t seem able to give him what he wanted—honest to goodness friendship and commitment. Nothing more, nothing less. Not even his parents had done that.
‘Tonight’s good. I’ve got to grab the opportunity while I can. Who knows what I might find to do tomorrow night?’ Alesha’s smile was light and general, not aimed to knock him sideways.
But it did. He could live on Alesha smiles. They were warm, sometimes sexy, and always slapped his heart. Which wasn’t good—but felt wonderful. ‘Then let’s head up the hill to get ready.’ If she’d changed her mind about wanting to go with him to use her dinner voucher then she’d have to tell him. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her to back off when he was looking out for her.
Tonight’s figure-hugging dress was navy blue and as tantalising as the red one had been. More so now that Kristof knew what was underneath. For a guy who wasn’t interested in getting close to a woman his body had other ideas, mocking his carefully held theories on how to live his life safely. ‘You look beautiful,’ he told Alesha as they strode along the wharf to their ride to Cavtat.
‘Thank you.’ Her tone was demure but her eyes were sparkling with pleasure.
‘You also look happy.’ She’d rallied quickly after being tossed aside for another woman. Or was she good at hiding her feelings? Except last night she hadn’t held back in bed. He’d swear she’d made love to him with no thoughts for any other man.
‘It’s a wonderful city and I’m enjoying it,
plus your company.’ Then the smile dropped and she shrugged. ‘You think I’m not acting how I should be after what Luke did to me.’
Kristof stopped and reached for both her hands. ‘I’m thinking let’s have a fling for the days we’re both in Dubrovnik.’
The smile didn’t return as her stunned gaze locked on him. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Yes.’ Now that he thought about it, he was. Very. ‘I know this week hasn’t started out how you’d expected and I don’t intend trying to make up for that. But last night was fun, and I like your company.’ He shrugged. ‘So why not? It can’t hurt anyone.’
Her head flicked back, fell forward. ‘As far as proposals go that’s very sterile.’ Then she lifted her chin, focused her gaze back on him. ‘But I like that. It’s perfect really. Originally I was coming here for fun and romance, instead I can have fun and—and more fun.’ Her shoulders lifted deliberately.
‘Hey, any time you’re not happy say so and we’ll call it quits.’
Finally she relaxed. ‘Works for me.’
Worked for him and all. ‘Then let’s get on that boat before it leaves without us.’ He kept one of her soft hands wrapped in his large one as he strode along the wharf. ‘You’re going to love Cavtat.’
* * *
Alesha wiped her mouth with the napkin and placed it beside her empty plate. ‘That walnut torte is to die for.’
Kristof laughed. ‘Told you. Like some more wine?’
She shook her head. ‘No, thanks.’ One night overindulging had been one too many. If they were going to bed together later on she wanted to be fully aware of everything, of Kristof. She did not want to miss a thing about that hard body and talented mouth, those sensuous fingers and cheeky lips. So she was having a fling. Who better to start this new lifestyle of having fun and no involvement with than a hunk who knew more about making love—sorry, having sex—than she’d have thought possible? Showed the kind of men she’d known before. They hadn’t been up to scratch at all. Whereas Kristof had reset the line. Spoiled her for ever, probably. At least she’d have some amazing holiday memories. Just not the ones she’d expected.
