by Tina Beckett
As if hearing her thoughts, he glanced at her before looking back at their patient. “She’s great. Wants me to buy her a sports car.”
Darcie’s eyebrows shot up, even though she tried to keep her facial features frozen into place. The woman had actually asked him to buy her a car? A pool of distaste gathered in the pit of her stomach. Just what kind of women did the man hang out with?
Isla, though, instead of castigating Lucas and telling him to kick the tramp to the curb, laughed as if she found that idea hilarious.
“Did you tell her she has to be tall enough to reach the pedals first?”
Her brain hit the rewind button and played those words over twice. Either he was dating a very short woman or…
“Yep. I also told her she has to be old enough to have her driving permit. So I’m safe for a few years.”
Darcie couldn’t help it. The words just came out. “Cora’s not of legal age?”
“He hasn’t talked your ear off about her yet? Wow.” Her former flatmate blew out a breath. “She’s his niece. And she gives him quite a bit of grief. Isn’t that right, Lucas?”
The man in question studied Darcie as if he couldn’t quite grasp something. “That’s right, and…” The pupils in his eyes grew larger. “Oh, Darcie, I’m almost afraid to ask. Who did you think she was?”
“I—I…” She stammered around for a second then finally gave up.
He made a tutting sound then his lips curved. “I think I see. A love triangle, wasn’t it? I don’t know if I should be insulted or flattered.”
“I just thought, she was—”
“My girlfriend?”
Isla’s voice cut in. “Would someone like to clue me in on what you two are going on about? What’s this about a love triangle?”
“It’s nothing.”
Lucas spoke at the exact same time she did. He then laughed, while Darcie’s face flamed.
Their patient looked from one to the other of them. “Oh, this is definitely not nothing. But…” she patted her belly “…someone is starting to use my bladder as his own personal football. So unless you want to take a break while I visit the loo, maybe we should get on with this.”
“Of course.” Lucas pulled out his measuring tape and stretched it over the bulge of Isla’s belly, writing the results on her chart. “Right on schedule. At this rate I think the baby will weigh in at a little over seven pounds. The perfect size for a first baby.”
“Thank goodness, because right now my stomach looks to be the size of a football.” She gave a light laugh. “I guess that’s why this little guy feels like he’s training for the World Cup.”
“Anything out of the ordinary? Contractions?”
“No. Nothing. I feel great.” She glanced at Darcie. “Except I have to break our date for the beach this afternoon. Someone called off sick, and they’ve asked me to fill in.”
“Don’t worry about it. Some other time.”
“I know, but I promised to take you to see some sights, and with everything with Alessi and the baby, time has just slipped away.” Isla slid a look at Lucas. “Aren’t you two on the same rota?”
A pit lodged in her stomach. “Yes, why?”
“Well, because…” She gave the midwife a wide smile. “Would you mind going in my place? Darcie and I were going to make a list of things for her to see and do. If she puts it off too much longer, she’ll go back to England without having visited anything.”
Her unease morphed into horror. “Isla, I’m sure he has other things to do with his off time than go to the beach.”
“Actually, I’m free once our shift is over.” The smile he gave her was much slower than Isla’s and held a touch of challenge that made her shiver. “I’ll be happy to help her make her list. And maybe even tick an item or two off of it. Since we do have the same rota. Unless she doesn’t trust me, for some reason.”
Isla skimmed her hands over her belly and gave a sigh that sounded relieved. “Of course she trusts you. That would be brilliant, Lucas. At this point, I would only slow her down.”
They were making plans that she hadn’t even agreed to. And go to the beach with Lucas? See those long legs stretched out on the sand beside hers? A dull roar sounded in her ears as panic set in.
“I’ll be fine—”
A quick knock sounded before she could blurt out the rest of her sentence, that she would be fine on her own, that she didn’t need company.
Sean Anderson, one of the other obstetricians, poked his head into the room. “Sorry, guys, they told me Isla was here.” He looked at the patient, his expression unreadable. “One of your teen mums-to-be projects is at the nurses’ station, asking for you. And after that your father wants to speak with you about your sister. I have a few questions about her myself.”
Poor Isla. Not exactly the kind of thing one wanted to deal with when heavily pregnant.
Charles Delamere—Isla’s father and the head of the Melbourne Victoria Hospital—had given her friend nothing but grief over her older sister’s mad dash to England and the reasons behind it. Sean hadn’t been far behind in the question department. But according to Isla, she’d promised Isabel that she would never reveal her secret to anyone. Especially not to Sean, since his coming to the hospital nine months ago had been what had sent Isabel running for the door in the first place.
She tried to avoid the other man’s gaze as much as possible, until Isla sat up and grabbed her hand. “Would you come with me, since you wanted to know more about the teen mums program?”
Her eyes said it all. She didn’t want to be alone with Sean in case he grilled her again about Isabel. Darcie wouldn’t have known about any of this except that Isabel’s sudden departure had left an opening at both the MMU and in the Delameres’ luxurious penthouse flat, which she’d shared with Isla until her friend’s marriage to Alessandro.
Darcie had been all too happy to take Isabel’s place, since she knew what it was like to run from something. In Darcie’s case, it had been the right decision. In Isabel’s, she wasn’t so sure.
Isla hadn’t told her much, but she knew Isabel was keeping something big from Sean. Maybe it was time for her to tell him the truth and see what happened.
But that wasn’t her decision to make.
“Of course I’ll come with you. It’ll give me a chance to meet someone who’s in the program.”
As Isla threw her a grateful look and slid off the bed, Lucas, who’d been listening to their conversation without a word, wrapped his fingers around Darcie’s wrist. “I’ll meet you by the entrance after work. This’ll give us a chance to discuss some things as well.”
Like how she’d somehow managed to leap to the conclusion that his niece was some floozy that kept him out late at night and caused him to have a flippant attitude about work? Heavens, she’d misjudged the man, and she wasn’t exactly sure how to make it right. But going to the beach with him was the last venue she would have chosen. For the life of her, though, she couldn’t think of a way to get out of it. “If you’re sure.”
“More than sure.” His thumb glided across the inside of her wrist, the touch so light she was almost positive she’d imagined it, if not for the cheeky grin that followed. Then he released her. “Give me a ring when you’re done.”
“’Kay.”
Once out the door, she went with Sean and Isla to the waiting area, her shaking legs and thumping heart threatening to send her to the floor. It took several deep breaths to get hold of herself.
It turned out the expectant mum was there to introduce Isla to a friend of hers—also a teen, also pregnant—who wanted to be included in the teen mums program. Darcie’s heart ached over these young women who found themselves facing the unthinkable alone. She glanced at her friend, who greeted the newcomer with a smile, handing her a brochure that explained the enrolment process for TMTB. Darcie might not be able to understand what they went through, but Isla and Isabel understood all too well. Her chest grew tighter as she noticed Sean still
standing behind them.
Oh, the tangled webs.
Once the girls were off on their way, Sean stepped forward. Holding up a hand, Isla stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t ask, Sean. I can’t tell you.” She hesitated, and her mouth opened as if she was going to say something else then stopped.
All the heartache with Robert came rushing back, and Darcie realized how much simpler it would have been if he’d told her the truth when he’d first realized he loved someone else, rather than dragging out the process. If he hadn’t kept his feelings for Tabitha a secret, maybe things would have been easier on all involved.
That thought propelled her next words.
“Maybe you should call Isabel and ask her yourself,” she suggested, grabbing Isla’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze of reassurance. She was half-afraid Isla would smack her for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.
Sean’s blue eyes swung toward her. “I tried when I heard she was leaving, but she wouldn’t take my calls.”
Instead of cutting her off, Isla nodded, wrapping her arm around Darcie’s as if needing to hold onto something. “Maybe, Sean…maybe you should just go there. If you’re standing in front of her, she can’t ignore you.”
“Go to England?” he asked.
That was a fantastic idea.
Lucas had planted himself in Darcie’s path a couple of weeks ago, and she’d been forced to stand there while he’d had his say. Maybe Sean should do the same. Once everything was out in the open, they could decide what to do with the truth. Or at least Isabel would be forced to tell him to his face that she wanted nothing to do with him. Somehow Darcie didn’t think that’s what the other woman would say when it came down to it. But, whatever happened, it was up to the two of them to hash things out. It wasn’t Isla’s responsibility, and she shouldn’t have to act as intermediary, especially with a baby on the way. The last thing she needed was any added stress.
“I can give you her address, if you promise not to tell her where you got it,” Isla added.
“My contract at the hospital is almost up.” He dragged a hand through his hair, tousling the messy strands even more. “I’ll have to think about it.”
Isla’s chin angled up a fraction of an inch. “I guess it comes down to whether or not you really want to know why she left, or how much you might come to regret it if you never take the chance and ask.”
“I’ll let you know if I need that address.” With that, he strode down the hallway as if the very hounds of hell were hot on his heels.
Darcie sighed. “Do you think he will?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the better question would be…if he should.”
* * *
Why had he agreed to take her to the beach?
Lucas paused at the entrance to the car park to roll down the long sleeves of his shirt and button the cuffs against the cool air—or maybe he was gearing up for battle.
Having seen Darcie’s face go pink when she’d realized Cora was his niece and not his lover had made something come to life inside him…as had her comment about a love triangle. The fact that she’d envisioned herself with him in that way was so at odds with how she’d always treated him that her flippant words had intrigued him. As had the thought of seeing her outside her own environment. Would the woman he’d come to view as an English rose—beautiful skin, green eyes, and a set of thorns that would pierce the toughest hide—turn into someone different once she stepped off hospital property?
That was why he’d agreed. If she was going to make any kind of transformation, he wanted to be there to see it.
He glanced back inside the hospital as he waited. It was spring in Melbourne, and the air definitely bore a hint of that as it had been warmer than usual. Hence Isla’s suggestion of going to one of the beaches hadn’t seemed too crazy. In fact, the temperature was still holding at almost nineteen degrees, and the sun was just starting to ease toward the horizon, so they wouldn’t need jackets. Although in Melbourne that could change at any time.
“Hi, sorry I’m late,” Darcie said in a breathless voice as the automatic doors closed behind her. “I wanted to grab a cardigan.”
She’d done more than that. She’d changed from her dark trousers and white blouse into a long gauzy white skirt and a knit turquoise top that crossed over her chest in a way that drew attention to her full curves. Curves that made his mouth go dry.
The transformation begins.
He swallowed, trying to rid himself of the sensation. He’d expected her to let her hair down in a figurative sense. He hadn’t expected to see those soft silky strands grazing the upper edges of her breasts.
That he was still staring at.
Forcing his eyes back to her face, where the color of her shirt made her eyes almost glow, he blinked back to reality. “Don’t worry about it. Do you want to take the car or ride the tram?”
“Oh, the tram, please. I haven’t ridden it to the beach yet, and it sounds like fun.”
When he’d called the house, Chessa had said Felix was home and was grilling burgers on the barbie. When he’d tensely asked the childminder if he seemed “okay” she’d answered yes. For once he appeared clearheaded.
Thank God. The last thing he wanted to do was skip out on his date with Darcie and ruin his reputation with her all over again.
Nope. This was not a date. Something he needed to remember.
“How do you usually get to the beach, then? Taxi?”
She glanced at him as they headed for the nearest tram station. “I haven’t actually been yet. I hear they’re beautiful.”
“You haven’t been to any of them?” Shock made him stop and look at her. Isla had mentioned taking her to see some sights, but surely she’d at least visited some of Melbourne’s famed beaches.
“Nope. No time. That’s why Isla suggested starting there and making a list of some other things.”
They started walking again. Hell, she’d been here how long? Nine months? “Well, I’m glad she mentioned it, then. We can get a snack at one of the kiosks if you want. The beaches are prettier in the morning, though.”
Maybe he should take her to see the sun rise over the ocean. Those first rays of light spilling onto the water and sand made them flash and glitter as if waking from a deep slumber.
Like him?
Of course not. He wasn’t asleep. He was purposeful. Conscious of every move he made and careful to keep his heart far from anything that smacked of affection…or worse. He’d seen firsthand what had happened with Felix and Cora when Melody had died. He never wanted anyone to have to explain to a child of his the things he’d had to explain to his niece. That her father was very sad that her mother had gone away.
You mean she died.
Cora had said the words in her no-nonsense, too-adult-for-her-age manner that made his heart contract.
His niece needed him for who knew how long. He wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize his ability to be there for her.
Especially not for love.
That wasn’t true. “Love” was exactly why he’d decided to remain single. He needed to expend all his emotional energy on a little girl who desperately needed a dependable, stable adult. Something that Felix couldn’t be. At least not yet.
Buying their tickets, he eased them over to the queue, where a few people waited for the next tram to arrive.
Darcie’s soft voice came through above the sound of nearby traffic. “I owe you an apology.”
He glanced over in surprise to see her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes staring straight ahead. “For what?”
“For chastising you for being late all those months ago. I thought you were…that Cora was…” She shrugged.
The tram, with its bright splashes of color, pulled to a halt as he processed her words. They both got on and grabbed an overhead strap, since all the seats were full. As they did so, he suddenly saw the whole situation through Darcie’s eyes. If she truly had thought his niece was a woman, then all those time
s he’d come rushing into work after sleeping on his brother’s couch had to look pretty damning when viewed through that lens.
He stepped closer to prevent anyone from hearing and leaned down. “I should have explained, but I thought it was—”
“None of my business. And it wasn’t. If I had questions, I should have asked you directly.”
Whether the reasons had been valid or not, she’d been right in expecting him to be prompt and ready to work when it was time for his assigned shift. “I should have tried harder.”
Except that sometimes there’d been no way to do that. He’d had to take Cora to school on mornings that Felix had been recovering from a bender or, worse, when he hadn’t come home for the night. There’d been that worry on top of having to care for his niece. There had been days he probably shouldn’t have come in to work at all. Except his sense of duty had forced him to march in there—late or not—and do what he’d promised to do.
After a while, though, all those promises had begun to bump into one another and fight for supremacy. His niece had to come first. And he would make no apologies for that.
The tram started up and Darcie lurched into him for a second. He reached out with his free hand to steady her, but she recovered, pulling away quickly and clearing her throat. “Does your niece live with you?”
His grip tightened slightly on the handhold, but he forced his voice to remain light. “She lives with my brother, but I help out with her every once in a while.”
That was the understatement of the year. But he loved Cora. He’d give his life for her if he had to.
Sensing she was going to ask another question, he added. “Her mom died of cancer a few years ago.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m so sorry, Lucas.”
So was he. But that didn’t change anything. “Thank you.” He braced himself to go around a curve, and Darcie—not anticipating the shift—bumped into him once again. This time the contact sent a jolt of awareness through him. He just prevented himself from anchoring her against him, and instead changed the subject. “So how is it that you haven’t seen any of our beaches? As busy as you are, surely you could have managed one side trip.”
