A Life Less Lonely

by Jill Barry

  “You’ll need more of those. Many more,” he said. “I recommend starting from tomorrow.”

  “Yes, whatever you say, Doctor.”

  “Maybe you’d better have a booster now, just in case.”

  This kiss was going to make it extremely difficult for him to tear himself away. Tonight any further lovemaking would be cut short by the arrival of a taxi. Next time, he thought, maybe he’d find himself waking up beside this beautiful, precious woman, just as he’d done in her hotel room. They’d travelled a long way since then, and not just in air miles.

  ***

  Keir didn’t touch his mobile phone until the cab dropped him off and he’d unlocked his own front door. He kicked off his shoes and walked through to the kitchen where he ran the cold tap and filled a pint glass, drinking half straight away. He sat down at the table, staring at the remaining water, lost in thought.

  He didn’t need rocket science to figure out how Moira’s number came to be saved in his phone. He’d taken off his suit jacket and hung it in her hallway. She’d said something about needing to visit the bathroom and probably carried out her sneaky trick while he sat alone in her sitting room, wondering what the devil he was doing there.

  He clenched his jaw, imagining her fingers riffling through his coat pockets, finding the phone then adding her own number. She’d taken a chance. What if he’d decided to make a call and discovered her? Fortunately she’d failed to disrupt the magical events following his visit to her house. Nothing else mattered. If the nurse had rung him while he was with Andrea, instead of texting, he wouldn’t have recognised the number, but what if he’d answered? That could have been awkward. No way did he make his personal number known to any of the nurses. Nor did he keep any of their contact details in his phone. His PA did all that stuff at the office, and very conscientiously too.

  Keir decided the best way to make a statement was to remove Moira’s number and say no more. As he reached for the phone, it vibrated violently, disconcerting him. He picked it up with a feeling of foreboding. He accessed the latest message, relaxing at once when he saw who’d texted him.

  Night night. Love, Andrea XX

  One day soon, please let her admit her love for him in three important little words. Maybe she needed to write them before she actually said them. He loved her so very much and he could be patient, feeling as he did that everything would work out for them in the end. He sent his own tender response, then called up his contacts and deleted Haynes Moira from the list. Hopefully that would put an end to the matter.

  ***

  Andrea drove to work next morning, having left Josh at the university crèche as usual. The little boy hadn’t mentioned anything about the nice man who spoke to him the night before and he’d slept right through ‘til morning after she settled him down again.

  The brief but delicious interlude shared with Keir had convinced her she was ready to take their relationship a step further. She smiled to herself, thinking of the way he’d convinced her to take down the barricades. Once their close friendship became common knowledge, which doubtless would happen sooner than either he or she would wish, there’d be people tittle-tattling, some declaring it was too soon for her to begin seeing a new man. Often, people suddenly made single as she had been, swore they could never love again, having found the right partner first time around. But everyone held different views.

  She’d battled her own emotions right from that first day when she almost ploughed into Keir by the lift. The way their eyes had met … looking back her reaction told her it could be possible for her to find happiness again. She’d used her little son and her mother as excuses but fortunately Keir had unlocked her capacity to love as well as talked sense into her. He was absolutely right. It would have been terrible to pass up on this chance. He seemed happy to let things happen slowly. All of a sudden she longed to see him again. Wished they could sneak away from their jobs and steal a day together.

  This was all so silly. She was acting like a besotted teenager. She felt even happier than she had when spending time alone with Keir in Montreal. That had been merely an interlude. Now their future lay before them and it had every chance of proving to be a happy, secure partnership.

  There must be something extra bittersweet about a second time round relationship. Now she knew she would never stop loving Greg and it was perfectly legitimate to continue to do so as well as express her feelings for Keir. She could consider herself twice blessed. It would be great for Josh too, growing up with someone around to stop him relying too much on his mother. She smiled to herself as she thought of her clumsy attempts at playing football. Gut feeling told her Keir would be a great role model.

  She squeezed her car into a space near the Prof’s vehicle and grabbed her bag. Richard had beaten her to it this morning and it was time she arrived at her desk. Meanwhile she’d hug her precious secret to herself. Next time she was alone with Keir, really alone, with no one to hear it but him, she’d tell him how much he meant to her. He deserved to hear the words and only now did she consider it right and proper to say I love you and mean it.

  Josh had a sleepover invitation for the following weekend. He’d be staying with a family who helped Andrea tremendously in those first dark days when she needed someone living close by, someone who could look after her little boy while she dealt with the unwelcome but inevitable formalities. Josh was as at ease with this family as he was with Kirsty’s and it would be a chance for Andrea and Keir to spend a precious evening together, maybe even a night.

  She repeated the words to herself as she strode towards the building where her department was housed. Her unspoken I love you suddenly flew from her lips. Next time she said it, she wanted Keir to hear it for himself.

  Oddly enough, it didn’t feel at all strange. It felt totally right.

  Chapter Eleven

  Andrea read the email and gave a wistful smile. That would teach her to be presumptuous enough to imagine Keir packing his jimjams for a sleepover. Instead of Josh spending the night at his friend Dan’s house, Dan’s mum had sent a message, apologising for changing the plan. A family crisis meant she needed to drive to Devon.

  Would it be too soon to introduce Josh to the man she loved? She felt oddly nervous about the idea even though she had in mind purely a friendly get-together. Lost in thought, she jumped when the Prof appeared at her desk.

  “These trends are thought-provoking, Andrea,” said Richard, looking over the top of his specs at her.

  “Only to geeks like you and me,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Yes, and only I know how much hard work has gone into them. When it comes to digging out detail, I can’t think of anyone better than you. You have a forensic mind.” He peered at her. “Have you changed your hair style or something?”

  “Um, no.”

  “It’s just that there’s something different about you. You seem to have a bit of a glow, if you don’t mind my saying.”

  “I’m taking a lot of exercise these days,” she said hurriedly. “Josh has aspirations towards the England football team which means I have to train too.”

  “Hats off to you then. Josh is lucky to have … oh heck, I was about to put my size elevens right into it. I’m so sorry, Andrea. Fine friend I am.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. You know I don’t want you or anyone else to be treading on eggshells every time we talk. Josh and I are lucky to have you and Louise in our lives.”

  He beamed. “Speaking of my lovely wife, she came home yesterday evening with an interesting piece of gossip.”

  Andrea raised her eyebrows. “You’re a bad lad, Prof! Is it anyone I know?”

  “Well yes, as it happens.” He lowered his voice. “You know Louise is a friend of the hospital? She did her fortnightly stint on the desk yesterday. Afterwards, she was heading towards her car when she noticed Keir Harrison striding along, ahead of her.”

  “Uh-uh.” Andrea hoped her body language wouldn’t give her away.

  “A
pparently he stopped at the desk the previous time she was there and made himself known to her. I’d mentioned to him about my wife putting in a few hours at the hospital every now and then.”

  “He’s always very good at singling people out,” said Andrea, wondering where this was going. “He puts people at their ease.”

  “Indeed. Anyway, Louise almost called out to him, just to say hello, but somebody else beat her to it.” He leaned forward. “A pretty woman with red hair and good legs - Louise’s words, not mine - approached him, and well, seemed to be pulling all the stops out. Lou said it was the best impression of a damsel in distress she’d seen in a long while. And it worked. The woman was literally hanging on to Keir as he helped her into his car. Lou saw them drive off together. So, how about that then? No prizes for guessing who the redhead was.”

  Andrea knew exactly who that damsel would have been. A knife sliced slowly and irrevocably through Andrea’s heart. She was just being stupid? Keir must have been leaving work. If Moira Haynes had been in some kind of trouble, Keir, gentleman as he was, wouldn’t hesitate to help. But hanging on to him like that? Suddenly she recalled the way Moira had conducted herself the very first time she met her. Andrea had decided the nurse ticked all the boxes in terms of being a man’s woman and she had got the impression that the redhead’s mind was somewhere else and somewhere a lot more seductive. Not, however, while she performed her nursing duties. To be fair, you surely couldn’t fault Moira’s professional expertise.

  “It’s easy to jump to conclusions,” said Andrea calmly. “Look how Keir assumed there might be some romantic involvement between you and me. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Imagine how embarrassing it might’ve been if he’d made his suspicions known to other people.”

  The Prof took the hint. “Touché,” he said. “I’m sure you’re right. I sincerely hope it was just a one off lift. It would seem Keir’s had enough trouble in the romance department. Although, I suppose if he had a bit of a fling with Moira, it’d probably brighten up his life. As long as they were discreet about it,” he added hurriedly. ‘These things happen and they’re both unattached.”

  “Is that all for now then, Richard?” Andrea wanted to get on. The Prof could be a bit of an old woman sometimes with his liking for juicy titbits of gossip, but no way did she intend telling him just how wrong he was. She’d probably sound like a lovesick teenager confessing a crush and no way would her boss be capable of keeping that morsel of information under his hat.

  “May I hang on to this?” He waved her piece of paper at her.

  “Of course. I need to look over the latest results for the trial patients now so I’ll be next door if you want me.”

  “Well, keep an eye on Dr Casanova later, won’t you?”

  “It’s not Holby City over there, you know,” snapped Andrea.

  Richard looked up in amazement as his research fellow strode out of his office. Her glare would turn a man to stone at ten paces. He winced as she gave the door an uncharacteristic shove.

  ***

  The patients and their carers filtered into the clinic. Moira Haynes was taking her turn to note their attendance, sitting at a small table near the entrance when Andrea arrived.

  “Dr Palmer,” said the nurse, giving her a sweet smile. ‘How are you today?’

  “Fine, thanks, Moira.” Andrea’s tone was cool. “I’m looking forward to this next phase.”

  “I know. It’s so exciting, isn’t it? Keir’s amazing, the way he’s driving things - all the attention he’s created.”

  “Indeed,” said Andrea. “Teamwork’s important as well, though.”

  “I know. I sometimes wonder if he should delegate more than he does. I was only saying to him last night, when he was round at mine, that I thought he looked a bit tired. I offered to cook supper for him, you know. I told him he should unwind more but – men, what are they like?” She smirked.

  Andrea would like to have wiped the silly smile off the nurse’s face. She pictured herself hurling a custard pie directly at Moira then watching as the glutinous mess rolled down each smooth cheek. How childish was that? But what the other woman said didn’t tie up with Andrea’s experience. Moira’s intimated cosy evening with Keir - if it took place anywhere else but her imagination - must have been short-lived. But why hadn’t Keir mentioned this visit to Moira’s home if it was entirely innocent? She knew she shouldn’t let Moira get to her, but nonetheless a tiny seed of suspicion had been planted.

  “I’m not late, am I?” Keir stood, briefcase in hand, immaculate in light grey trousers and lilac and white striped shirt with dark purple tie.

  Andrea’s heart did its hop, skip and jump act. She managed to nod in friendly fashion at him, trying not to notice the subtle whiff of citrus and the images it invoked. “You’re not late at all,” she said.

  Her eyes moved back to the woman seated at the table. At that moment, Andrea’s life contained an extra dimension, man-shaped and opportune for the rediscovery of happiness. She watched with mild curiosity as Moira reached into her pocket and produced a small card, placing it on the surface before her like a gambler playing a trump card.

  A glance to her left showed Keir watching too. His expression displayed not mild curiosity but something verging on panic.

  “I believe this is yours, Keir,” said Moira in honey-dipped tones. “It must have dropped from your pocket while you were at my place last night. Maybe when you took off your jacket? I hope you haven’t spent time searching for it. Perhaps I should have rung to let you know where you’d left it.”

  How could this be? How could her fragile new happiness crumble so quickly? Like a spectator at a tennis match, caught in slow motion, Andrea turned her head away from Moira and looked back at Keir, noting his still stricken face. A light seemed to click off within her, whilst another part of her, the practical, sensible part, suspected something very odd about all this. At that precise moment, all she wanted to do was run away, get out of the room before she did or said something she might regret, except her feet seemed stuck in concrete.

  Wide-eyed, Moira looked from one to the other. “Naughty of me, I know, but I couldn’t resist typing Rhonda Pierce into my search engine. With those looks, I reckon she could easily be a model. It appears she’s a very high-powered lady but then, I suppose you met plenty of those in Montreal.”

  Andrea watched Moira’s gaze flicker between Keir and herself. The nurse was behaving so unprofessionally, so blatantly out of order, that she remained lost for words. Why would Moira attack Keir and Andrea’s chances in such a cruel, well-orchestrated manner, unless she had revenge on her mind? To her knowledge she’d done nothing to upset the nurse, in which case Moira had it in for Keir. Could he have said something about his feelings for Andrea? Surely Moira couldn’t possibly know how things had moved on regarding his relationship with Andrea. This wasn’t the time or place to make explanation. There was work to be done.

  Keir obviously felt the same. “I’ll be around for an hour if I’m needed,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for me to speak personally to some of the patients. Excuse me, please.”

  He smiled at Andrea but all she could offer was a tight, frozen smile in return. Moira, meanwhile, greeted the next patient, arriving arm in arm with his daughter. Andrea followed Keir’s example but distanced herself from him. She couldn’t help but feel angry. It wasn’t like him to be rude but he’d made no attempt to put Moira in her place. He must know how upset Andrea would be yet here he was carrying on his day as usual. At that moment, their relationship still so new and so vulnerable to the slightest bit of insecurity, all she wanted was for him to reassure her. Yet it didn’t seem to be happening. Doubt crept into her mind.

  ***

  “Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone, Andrea, please.” Keir prowled the length and breadth of his kitchen. This was such a nightmare. He’d already tried her mobile and discovered she’d switched it off. He’d jumped into his car and driven to the university in h
is lunch break, ignoring the lift and pounding up three flights to arrive, breathless, in her office. Andrea had gone out for an hour. Keir couldn’t hang around. His next appointment was in 45 minutes and no way could he cancel a prearranged meeting with the head of the local authority Social Services.

  Andrea’s voice mail requested him to leave a message after the tone. Keir forced himself to speak calmly. “Andrea, this is Keir. Could you give me a ring please? I need to speak to you urgently.” He closed the call. He knew she was there. She must be. She was there and she was hurting. And no wonder, given the way they’d parted company the evening before, having allowed their feelings for one another to take them to another level of their relationship. He’d felt as if everything was right in his world, once he’d convinced himself he hadn’t dreamt the whole thing.

  Now, through the mindless jealousy of scheming Sister Haynes, Andrea’s confidence in him, which he’d been thrilled to see beginning to blossom, was shattered. He pictured again that forced smile she gave him before she walked away from Moira’s nasty web of half-truths. She’d gone over to speak to her mother and that pleasant woman, Lizzie Dean. Rosemary’s condition didn’t appear to be deteriorating. Keir had spent time with her after Andrea moved on to another patient though Mrs Tarrant still seemed to think he was some kind of friendly bystander. No matter. What did matter, however, was Andrea’s state of mind. If she wouldn’t let him explain everything to her, how could they go forward as they’d decided in such loving circumstances only less than 24 hours before?

  He wanted a drink. There was some medicinal brandy in the cupboard and a few beers in the fridge. But he mustn’t indulge. He still contemplated driving over to Andrea’s house to see her. She’d have to let him in, surely? She wouldn’t want to risk the neighbours or Josh wondering what the doorstep discussion was all about. She might yet ring him back. She might be sensible enough to realise how he’d been set up. Or would she? She’d been through too much over the last months. She didn’t need this sort of thing. It was precisely the kind of incident to make her reassemble the barricades and who could blame her?