Breaking Her No-Dates Rule

Emily Forbes

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Excerpt

About the Athor

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Copyright

It’s their last summer of being single!

Off duty, these three nurses, and one midwife, are young, free and fabulous—for the moment …

Work hard and play hard could be flatmates Ruby, Ellie, Jess and Tilly’s motto. By day these three trainee nurses and one newly qualified midwife are lifesavers at Eastern Beaches hospital, but by night they’re seeking love in Sydney— and only sexy doctors need apply!

Together they’ve made it through their first year in

hospital, with shatteringly emotional shifts, tough

new bosses and patching together broken hearts from

inappropriate crushes over a glass of wine (or two!)

Read on to meet the drop-dead gorgeous docs

who sweep Ellie and Jess out of their scrubs.

And if you missed Ruby and Tilly’s stories

CORT MASON—DR DELECTABLE by Carol Marinelli and

SURVIVAL GUIDE TO DATING YOUR BOSS by Fiona McArthur are available from www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the author

EMILY FORBES began her writing life as a partnership between two sisters who are both passionate bibliophiles. As a team, Emily had ten books published—and one of her proudest moments was when her tenth book was nominated for the 2010 Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award.

While Emily’s love of writing remains as strong as ever, the demands of life with young families has recently made it difficult to work on stories together. But rather than give up her dream Emily now writes solo. The challenges may be different, but the reward of having a book published is still as sweet as ever.

Whether as a team or as an individual, Emily hopes to keep bringing stories to her readers. Her inspiration comes from everywhere—stories she hears while travelling, at mothers’ lunches, in the media and in her other career as a physiotherapist all get embellished with a large dose of imagination until they develop a life of their own.

If you would like to get in touch with Emily you can email her at emilyforbes@internode.on.net, and she can also be found blogging at the Harlequin Medical™ Romance blog—www.eharlequin.com

For Sophie Grace, one of my many gorgeous nieces.

This book will be released as you celebrate

two major milestones, your eighteenth birthday

and the end of your school days. This is my gift to you

as you enter the next stage of your life;

I hope it is everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

Wishing you every success and happiness,

with all my love, Auntie K

PROLOGUE

THE old gate at 71 Hill Street squeaked in protest as Ellie shoved it open. The noise went unnoticed by her as she was intent on getting inside, getting home. Tears blurred her vision and she struggled to fit her key into the front door. She was mortified. She wanted to climb into bed, pull the covers over her head and hide from the world.

Finally the door opened and she stumbled through it. She felt physically sick and she got to the bathroom with seconds to spare before she vomited. She leant her head against the cool surface of the tiled wall as she waited to see if her stomach had emptied itself of her dinner. The rich meat she’d ordered didn’t combine well with the nausea that rumbled through her following Rob’s announcement. She’d been so nervous throughout dinner she’d barely tasted her meal and now she wondered why she’d bothered eating at all.

Physically she felt better once her stomach was empty, although emotionally she felt battered and bruised. She rinsed her face and brushed her teeth but the minute the toothpaste hit her stomach she felt herself start to gag again. With one hand she quickly gathered her blonde hair into a ponytail and held it out of the way as she vomited a second time.

Jess and Tilly left the hospital together after their late shifts and walked down Hill Street to number 71; home. Heading straight for the kitchen, Jess put the kettle on and searched through the bread bin for penicillin-free bread. Someone really needed to get to the shops she thought, they were living on takeaways and toast and if they didn’t shop soon ther wouldn’t even be any toast. She found a couple of slices of bread that looked edible and slid them into the toaster.

From the bathroom the girls could hear the sound of running water followed by vomiting.

‘Is that Ruby?’ Tilly asked.

Jess shrugged. ‘No idea.’ They’d arrived home together so she knew no more about what was going on in the house at the moment than Tilly did. And with four, and sometimes five, people sharing a house, there were plenty of things happening. Despite the colour-coded calendar in the kitchen no one could be expected to keep up to date with all the action.

Tilly went into the passage and knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Ruby, is that you? Are you okay?’

‘What are you doing?’ Ruby’s voice came from behind them, startling them both.

Tilly turned around. ‘We thought you were in the bathroom. We could hear vomiting,’ she explained.

Ruby came down the stairs, shaking her head. ‘Not me,’ she said with a shrug. ‘But Adam’s back. I heard him come home and he had company.’

‘It could be Ellie,’ Jess said hopefully. She didn’t want to think of Adam’s company.

‘Ellie’s supposed to be having dinner with Rob,’ Ruby replied.

The bathroom door opened and Ellie emerged, white faced and shivering with black smudges of mascara under her eyes. Tilly, Ruby and Jess stepped back, enlarging their semi-circle to make room for her.

‘What are you doing home?’

‘What happened to dinner with Rob?’

‘Are you sick?’

Ellie looked from one friend to the next as they each asked a question. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

The girls could see Ellie’s lips moving but there was nothing to hear. ‘Something’s wrong,’ Ruby said to the others. She took Ellie’s hand and led her through to the lounge where she sat her down. Her hands were like ice. ‘Someone grab a blanket, I think she’s in shock.’ Had she been in an accident? Ruby searched Ellie’s body for clues but there was no sign of an injury—no scratches, no blood, no bruises. ‘Ellie, talk to us. What happened? Are you hurt?’

Jess returned, carrying a box of tissues and the quilt from Ellie’s bed. She draped the quilt around her shoulders. ‘Was there an accident?’

Ellie shook her head. Physically she was unharmed, but how did she explain the night she’d had? None of them knew that when she’d gone out to dinner with her boyfriend of three months she’d been expecting a proposal. None of them knew what she had been wishing for and none of them knew how her world had been totally turned on its head.

The girls took up their positions on the couches surrounding her.

‘You look terrible,’ Tilly said in her usual no-nonsense fashion. ‘What’s going on?’

In a house of four women, and one, often-absent, male, there weren’t many secrets. Ellie didn’t intend withholding the story but she didn’t know if she was capable of sharing it tonight. She gathered the corners of the quilt in her hands and pulled it tight around her, seeking comfort in its warmth. She looked at each of her friends in turn. Her voice wobbled when she spoke. ‘You’ll say you told me so.’

‘Of course we won’t,’ Jess said.

Ellie kept her focus on Jess. Tilly and Ruby had never really warmed to Rob and therefore Ellie thought Jess would be the most sympathetic. ‘Rob asked me to dinner tonight and I was sure he was going to propose, but he had a different surprise.’ She paused as she reached for a tissue and blew her nose. ‘It turns out he’s married.’

‘What?’

‘He’s married?’

‘That bastard,’ Tilly fumed. ‘I always had a bad feeling about him.’

‘That’s not helping,’ Jess said to Tilly, before turning back to Ellie. ‘Start at the beginning, tell us what happened.’

Ellie sniffed and reached for another tissue. ‘Rob invited me to dinner and I was sure it was going to be a turning point in our relationship. You know how he doesn’t like to go out on dates, he prefers to stay home, always saying he wants to relax after his long days at work and doesn’t want his private life made public at the hospital.’ The girls were nodding, they all knew Rob. He was an orthopaedic surgeon at Eastern Beaches Hospital where they all worked as nurses.

Ellie had accepted Rob’s reasons as legitimate but now she wondered how many of them had been for convenience and deceit. ‘I thought that because we were actually going out tonight it meant he was ready to go public with our relationship. I thought it was a good sign and I was all ready for a proposal or at least for him to ask me to move in with him. But he had an even bigger surprise. His wife and daughter arrive from the UK next week.’

‘He has a daughter too?’

‘And you had no idea?’

‘Of course not,’ Ellie protested. ‘Do you think I would willingly have a relationship with a married man?’

‘No,’ Ruby said as she shook her head, ‘but how do you keep something like that hidden?’

‘Easy,’ said Tilly, ‘you keep them in another country.’

‘But surely he’d have photos of them, take phone calls from them, stuff like that,’ Jess mused.

‘I guess with the time difference and his hours at the hospital it was easy to make sure he never spoke to them when I was around,’ Ellie said. ‘There was nothing to make me suspect he was anything other than what he said. There were no phone calls, he didn’t wear a wedding ring and there were no family photos, not one.’

‘Did he say why they’re coming now? He’s been here for months.’

‘They were waiting until the end of the school year.’

‘How old is his daughter?’

‘Dunno.’ Ellie shrugged. Getting all the details hadn’t been high on her list of priorities. ‘Old enough to go to school, I guess.’

‘So he’s just been killing time, fooling around with you, until his wife gets here?’ Ruby sounded horrified.

‘I always knew there was something suspicious about him.’ Tilly sounded as though she’d like a chance to tear Rob to pieces.

‘Well, you’ll love the next bit even more,’ Ellie told her, thinking it would give Tilly further reason to dislike Rob. ‘He seemed to think I’d like to keep the relationship going once his wife arrived.’

‘You’re kidding! I hope you set him straight.’

‘Of course. I actually created quite a scene. I didn’t think I had it in me. I think that’s why he orchestrated to have the conversation in a public place—I’m sure he thought there’d be safety in numbers.’ Thinking back to her reaction, Ellie was rather pleased she’d shown some fight. Even if the whole experience had left her feeling embarrassed and nauseous, at least she’d had the last word. And, as depressing as the evening had been, she did feel marginally better once she’d shared the saga with her girlfriends. ‘I can’t believe I’ve been such an idiot.’

‘It’s not your fault, Ellie. Rob lied to you,’ Ruby tried to console her.

‘God, his poor wife,’ said Tilly.

‘Who cares about his wife! What about Ellie?’ Jess was outraged.

Tilly just shrugged. ‘Ellie is better off without him. His wife isn’t so lucky, she’s stuck with him.’

‘But you guys know how much I want to belong to someone,’ Ellie said as she reached for yet another tissue. ‘I had all my hopes pinned on Rob and he’s played me for a complete fool.’

‘Rob is the fool, Ellie,’ Ruby interjected. ‘Don’t waste your time crying over him. You’ll meet someone else, someone who deserves you.’

Jess agreed. ‘Your soul mate is out there and he’s worth waiting for. Then everything will fall into place. You’ll have your happy ever after.’

‘I thought he might be “the one”.’

‘Trust me, Ellie, he’s not. You’ll know when you meet “the one”. You won’t be left wondering.’ Ruby had found her true love in Cort and she was convinced everyone else should, and would, experience the same happiness.

‘I feel like I’m running out of time.’

‘For goodness’ sake, you’re only twenty-three.’ Tilly spoke up with the wisdom her few extra years gave her.

‘I know, but I want children. You know I was an IVF baby—what if I have trouble getting pregnant, like my parents did? I want to know sooner rather than later.’

‘If you want my advice, I wouldn’t advertise that fact. It’s likely to scare most men away.’ Tilly was her usual pragmatic self.

‘If they don’t want children then they’re not the man for me, are they?’ Ellie responded.

‘But wanting children doesn’t automatically make them right for you and I don’t think you’ll find most men putting kids at the top of their to-do list, even the decent ones.’

Ellie could feel tears welling up again. ‘Rob said he wanted kids.’

‘Now you know why. He’s already got one.’ Tilly in particular didn’t keep her opinions to herself. Ellie loved Tilly dearly but she was definitely a person who saw the world in two dimensions—right and wrong—and unless you agreed with her you were obviously wrong! This made her a very good person to have in your corner but you didn’t want to be on her bad side. She hadn’t liked Rob and it turned out she’d been right about him all along.

‘Tilly, a little sympathy wouldn’t go astray,’ Jess suggested.

Tilly reached around the bulky quilt and hugged Ellie. ‘I’m sorry you’re upset now but things will work out. I know they will.’

‘How on earth am I going to work with him?’ Ellie asked as she blew her nose again.

‘You go to work with your head held high. You’ve done nothing wrong. He lied to you.’

CHAPTER ONE

ELLIE’S eyes were stinging and she could feel tears welling up, accompanied by an unexpected lump in her throat as the coffin slid soundlessly on the stainless-steel rollers and disappeared through the curtain. Behind the curtain, screened from the mourners in the chapel, her grandmother’s body would be taken away and all that would remain would be able to be contained in a small urn. That urn would end up behind a small brass plaque, next to the ashes of Ellie’s grandfather and parents.

‘You okay?’

Jess was sitting to Ellie’s left. She was holding out a pack of tissues.

Ellie took one and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m okay.’ Her grandmother had been eighty-eight years old and her death hadn’t been unexpected but it did mean that Ellie was now truly alone, the sole remaining member of her family. She was an only child and her parents had been killed when she was eleven. Her maternal grandparents had been her guardians and now they were both gone too. Her tears were selfish ones.

Surrounding her, flanking her, protecting her, were her closest friends. Jessica and Ruby sat on her left, Tilly on her right. She and Jess had been friends for several years now since meeting at university where they’d studied nursing together. They’d gone through the highs and lows of good and bad results, good and bad relationships and good and bad times generally. Ruby and Tilly had become her friends more recently, since they’d all started sharing a house and working at Eastern Beaches Hospital. These three were like family to her but they weren’t family.

As she waited for the funeral music to stop playing Ellie thought back over the past two months. In the space of nine weeks she’d lost her boyfriend—well, not so much lost as found out he was actually someone else’s cheating husband—and now she’d lost her grandmother. True, she had her friends but they weren’t what she longed for. Her friends were fabulous but they weren’t enough. Ellie wanted to belong and she longed for a family to call her own. Stop being pathetic, she told herself. It was one thing to cry over the death of a loved one, that was allowed, expected even, but to sit here, at her grandmother’s funeral, feeling sorry for herself was being a little too self-indulgent. She was twenty-three years old, she had friends, she would be fine.

But the empty spot in her heart refused to listen. Ever since her parents had died she’d been conscious of this space waiting to be filled. She knew it could only be filled by love but it was a spot for family and family alone. No matter how much she loved her friends that spot was still there, empty, waiting. What if she never found her soul mate, her one true love. What if she never had the family she dreamed of? What if that empty spot was never filled?

Ellie shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. She had to be strong. She had to be positive. Somewhere her perfect partner waited for her, she had to believe that. Rob had been a mistake, it didn’t mean her quest for love was over. At least she hoped not.

The curtain was closed, the music had stopped, the coffin was gone, and her grandmother too. There was nothing left to do here.

She stood and her friends stood with her. They moved en masse to the lounge for the afternoon tea and shadowed her as she spoke to the funeral director and some of her grandmother’s friends, keeping a silent and protective eye on her until Ellie decided that she was able to leave without seeming rude.

‘Stat Bar, anyone?’ Tilly suggested as they made their way out of the funeral home. The Stat Bar was their favourite after-work haunt; a few hundred metres down the hill from the hospital where they all worked and only a few steps from the house they all called home, it was convenient and trendy.

‘Would you rather go somewhere else?’ Ruby asked Ellie. ‘Somewhere you can be anonymous?’

Ellie knew the Stat Bar would be crowded with hospital staff and she knew her friends would understand if she wanted to avoid it today but she shook her head. ‘No, that sounds good. I’m fine, really.’ A few familiar faces weren’t going to bother her.

The sun was still shining when they got back to Coogee Beach on Sydney’s south-eastern shore. It was a glorious afternoon, something Ellie couldn’t reconcile with a funeral. But, she decided as she sipped her drink, the sun did boost her spirits.

They’d managed to grab a coveted outside table overlooking the beach and the tangy smell of salt in the air, the crisp white sand framing the ocean and the sound of the waves breaking on the shore all conspired to make her feel better. Maybe the fact she was on her second vodka, lime and soda was also helping to improve her mood.

The Stat Bar was beginning to fill up with the after-work crowd. The allied health practitioners from the hospital were the first to file through the doors, followed by the junior doctors. As more people gathered in the bar Ellie decided it was time to freshen her make-up, she could only imagine the state of her foundation and mascara. She stood up, hauling her bag from under her chair.

Her high heels clicked on the tiled floor as she entered the ladies’ room. She always wore heels when she wasn’t at work as a way of compensating for only being five feet two inches tall. She dumped her bag on the counter and examined her face. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot but not too swollen, although the tip of her nose was still red from crying. She pulled a hairbrush and her make-up out from the depths of her handbag. Tipping her head back, she squeezed a couple of eye drops into the corner of each eye before sliding the Alice band from her shoulder-length blonde hair and running the brush through it. She repositioned the Alice band, using it to hold her hair off her face as she blended a little foundation over her nose. She leant forward, overbalancing slightly on her high heels as she checked her eyes. The drops were working, her blue eyes looked a little brighter now. She straightened up and applied a fresh coat of gloss to her lips. She removed a few long blonde hairs from her black dress, checking to see that she’d gotten rid of all the stray strands.

As she walked past the bar to return to her friends she saw Rob, her lying, adulterous ex, paying for his drinks. His distinctive appearance made him easy to pick out in a crowd. He was out of his theatre clothes and was wearing an immaculately pressed suit, a sharp contrast to the more casual clothes and various hospital uniforms that surrounded him. He had his back to the ocean and to the rest of the room and she could pass behind him unseen. She hurried past as Rob picked up his drink and turned from the bar.

‘Rob’s here,’ Ruby pointed out when Ellie returned to their table.

‘I saw him.’

‘Are you happy to stay?’

Ellie nodded, ‘Yes, I’m fine. Completely recovered.’

She’d had to recover quickly. She and Rob worked together on the orthopaedic ward so she saw him on an almost daily basis and she hadn’t had the luxury of time to retreat to lick her wounds in privacy. She’d had to maintain a civil working relationship. Rob’s personality was aloof and cool at the best of times, something Tilly had always delighted in reminding Ellie of, and since the breakdown of their relationship he certainly hadn’t become any more amenable, but mostly they managed to work together harmoniously. Although she didn’t want to socialise with him, she had no problem being in the same bar as him.

‘I’m still embarrassed,’ she admitted, ‘but pleased the whole thing was such a secret that I don’t have to live out my embarrassment in front of the entire hospital. I know I got caught up in all the possibilities of the relationship but I think I might have learnt my lesson, for a while at least. I’m going to take my time from now on, not dive in head first.’

Ellie’s remark made Ruby grin and Tilly laughed.

‘What’s so funny?’ Ellie demanded.

‘Famous last words,’ Tilly replied. ‘I’ve never known anyone who falls in love as quickly as you.’

‘I admit I’m a hopeless romantic,’ Ellie replied to Tilly, ‘and when you fell in love with Marcus, and Ruby and Cort sorted out their lives, I got a bit carried away, thinking I could be next, but I’m going to be patient.’ She reminded herself that she was going to be strong. Positive. Her perfect partner was out there, she just had to bide her time. She would find someone. ‘There’s someone out there for me and when the time is right he’ll appear.’

‘How about right now?’ Jess interrupted. ‘There’s a hot guy at the bar.’

‘I didn’t mean today.’ Ellie laughed.

‘Check him out before you cross him off your list,’ Jess advised. ‘He looks okay to me.’

Ellie turned her head. It wasn’t hard to see who Jess was talking about. Leaning on the bar, wearing faded jeans and a snug black T-shirt that hugged his sculpted arms and chest, was one definitely hot guy. He had one foot on the railing that ran around the base of the bar and his jeans were moulded to his very shapely backside. He was thin, not scrawny, but his waist was narrow. There was no sign of any spread around his middle and Ellie could see a slight ripple of abdominal muscles along his side. He looked naturally slim, not like he spent hours in the gym.

His face was in profile as he waited for his order. He had a square jaw darkened by a hint of stubble, full lips, one dark eyebrow that she could see and dark lashes. He got his order and turned away from them, unaware of their scrutiny as he moved through the crowd. Ellie straightened in her seat and followed his progress across the room. His walk was quite graceful, his long lean lines leant fluidity to his movement, and his steps were confident. He stopped to join the group of surgeons standing with Rob and Ellie watched, intrigued, as Rob introduced him to the others. How did Rob know him?

‘Do you know who he is?’ Jess asked. She’d shifted in her chair to get a better look.

‘No idea,’ Ellie replied.

She had a good view of him now. Standing beside Rob, she could see he was a few inches shorter, around six feet tall. Rob was getting thicker around his middle and the contrast between Hot Guy and Rob made Rob look older than his thirty-three years. Rob’s hair was more grey than brown, although it was still thick. Hot Guy had thick, almost black hair, with a definite curl.

‘If Ellie isn’t interested, you should go and introduce yourself, Jess,’ Ruby suggested.

Ellie couldn’t remember saying she wasn’t interested in the hot guy specifically but she bit her tongue because she had just said she was going to bide her time.

‘No way. I’m not going to interrupt that group,’ Jess said.

Ellie understood her sentiments. As very recent nursing graduates they still felt there was a pecking order among the medical staff and their social standing in the hospital certainly didn’t allow them to fraternise with the surgeons uninvited out of hours. And if the group of surgeons included Rob, they’d definitely keep their distance.

But Ellie knew there was another reason why Jess wouldn’t approach the hot guy. Jess had been quite genuine in pointing him out to Ellie and even if he hadn’t been talking to Rob she wouldn’t have gone over, because Jess was completely besotted with Adam.

Adam Carmichael; the token male in their house, their mostly absent landlord, Ruby’s brother and their resident Casanova rolled into one. There was never a shortage of women traipsing through his door when he was in Sydney and the girls often joked that he should put a revolving door on his bedroom so he could move his conquests in and out more efficiently. And, even though he was completely wrong for her, Jess had a thing for Adam.

Ellie wished Jess would meet somebody who would take her mind off him, someone who was ready for a real relationship, someone who wouldn’t break her heart. But despite Ellie’s pleas Jess seemed quite determined to ignore any other possibilities, including the hot guy. And in that case, Ellie decided, she might as well enjoy the view.

She looked back into the bar. Hot Guy was still talking to Rob but he was looking at her. Their gazes locked and something flashed through her. A jolt, a strike, a shock to the heart, and the rest of the room receded as the spark of connection flared. She sat still, riveted to the spot as he looked her up and down without a hint of embarrassment. She should have been horrified but all she could do was wait for him to finish. Wait for his eyes to meet hers again. Without consciously acknowledging her actions, she was waiting to see if she could work out what had happened with that first glance. What was it?

His gaze returned to her face and there it was again. A flash of what? Recognition? Ellie wondered if he knew who she was. She mentally shook her head. No. Rob would never have talked about her.

She didn’t move, she couldn’t move. She knew she was staring but she couldn’t stop. She felt a blush spread up her neck and into her cheeks but still she couldn’t look away.

His smouldering good looks had a slight wildness about them, an edginess, which drew her to him. She imagined she could feel the heat radiating from him. Her fingers itched to touch him and if he’d been standing beside her she knew she would have reached out to feel him. She could imagine the heat of his hands burning her skin and that made her blush even more.

He held her gaze, a hint of mischief in his eyes, almost as though he could read her thoughts, and then he grinned at her. Ellie smiled back. She didn’t mean to and she was surprised to find her face was capable of expression but her smile was an automatic response to the power of his.

She tore her eyes away from his, forcing herself to break the connection. She tried to focus on the conversation going on around her, tried to behave normally, tried to pretend she hadn’t just shared a moment with a hot stranger.

She had no idea how successful she was being but thankfully the arrival of Ruby’s fiancé, Cort, provided a welcome distraction.

Cort was a senior emergency registrar and Ellie wondered if he knew who the hot guy was. She didn’t have to wonder for long.

‘Do you know who the guy in the black T-shirt is over there? The one who’s talking to Rob Coleman?’ Ruby inclined her head in their direction as she asked Cort the question.

‘That’s James Leonardi,’ he said as he took in the group. ‘He’s a new registrar.’

‘In Emergency?’ Ellie asked. Was the new reg working with Cort?

Cort shook his head. ‘Orthopaedics.’

‘Orthopaedics?’ Ellie repeated. She didn’t know whether to be nervous or delighted. The hot guy was an orthopod? She was going to have to work with him?

‘He’s transferred from Royal North Shore. I understand the director of orthopaedics poached him, and apparently there are high expectations of him.’

Ellie was vaguely aware that Cort was still talking but her mind had wandered off in the direction of the hot guy. James Leonardi. His name sounded Spanish or Italian. She should have known. That would explain where the heat was coming from, he would have passionate blood running through his veins, it was almost tangible. It was in his eyes too, in the look he had given her. Fire, heat and passion.

There was a silent humming in the air around her. She could feel it and she was convinced it was coming from him. How was it possible to feel such an instant connection with a complete stranger?

She shifted in her chair. She needed to change position. She needed something else to look at. She was going to be working with the man so she needed to picture him in a white coat, in a sterile environment. In theatre scrubs. No. That wasn’t helping. He looked just as good in her imagination.

Maybe she should go home. Maybe it was a case of out of sight, out of mind.

CHAPTER TWO

ELLIE stepped into the shower and tried to let the water wash away thoughts of Dr James Leonardi. Out of sight, out of mind hadn’t worked terribly well. He’d been in her dreams all night. Her subconscious had been infiltrated by a stranger.

But he didn’t feel like a stranger.

She closed her eyes and his image burst into her head. She could instantly recall the line of his shoulder under his T-shirt, the slight curl in his black hair and the heat in his expression when he’d looked at her with his dark eyes. She let her memory linger on the curve of his butt and the long sinewy length of his back as she rinsed her hair before she opened her eyes, turned off the shower and attempted to banish all further thoughts of him from her mind. She needed to focus. She had to work with him. She couldn’t let her fantasies rule her thoughts.

And a fantasy was all he could be. She wasn’t going to date another doctor. She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. It was too awkward when things went badly. She’d learnt that much from her experience with Rob. The orthopaedic ward was definitely off limits and, therefore, so was James Leonardi.

But putting him out of her mind was easier said than done. Especially as he was all anyone wanted to talk about at handover that morning.

‘Have you seen the new doctor?’

‘Yep.’

‘Isn’t he superb?’

‘Is he Italian? He looks Italian.’

‘I was on yesterday when he started and he’s as Australian as you and me.’

‘Oh, you lucky thing. Is he as gorgeous as he looks?’

Listening to the nurses’ gossip, it was as though the outside world had ceased to exist. This new world appeared to revolve entirely around Dr James Leonardi. Ellie kept quiet. She had nothing to contribute, she hadn’t actually met or spoken to him, and her thoughts were not for sharing.

The CNC handed Ellie a stack of files. ‘You can accompany Dr. Leonardi on his rounds this morning—you know the patients better than anyone. I’ve given you George, Mavis, Dylan and Jenny.’

Ellie wondered if she’d been given this job because of her silence rather than her nursing skills. Not that it mattered. She took the files and went to wait for the rest of the group.

Ward rounds in a teaching hospital tended to be rather large affairs. They would be accompanied by the ward physio, Charlotte, and however many physio students she’d have with her today. There were nursing students on the ward too and there would possibly be a medical student or two and an intern. It was rather daunting for the patients until they got used to it and daunting for the students also.

All the chatter from the other nurses still hadn’t prepared Ellie for the jolt she got when she saw Dr Leonardi again. Her first official encounter with him was hardly going to be an intimate affair but that didn’t stop her heart from racing with expectation. He watched her intently as she introduced herself.

‘Dr. Leonardi, I’m Ellie Nicholson, I’ll be doing your rounds with you this morning.’ As she spoke she was aware of that strange connection again, that silent hum, that unexplained feeling that he knew more about her than he should, and she could see in his eyes that he remembered her.

‘Hello again,’ he said, and although his gaze didn’t move from her face Ellie felt as though he was running his eyes over the length of her just as he’d done yesterday in the Stat Bar. His eyes were dark, dark brown and by the look in them she knew he was recalling yesterday too. She felt another blush creep up her neck as the corners of his eyes creased as he smiled and his eyes darkened further, reminding her of molten chocolate.

He extended his hand. It was warm, just as she’d expected, and now she could feel that silent hum pulsing up her arm. It was no longer just moving through the air, it was moving through her and it was definitely coming from him. She could feel herself wanting to close her eyes, wanting to lose herself in the force field that surrounded them. That was the only way to describe the sensation. She fought to keep her eyes open, fought not to succumb to his intensity.

She felt Charlotte watching her and knew she was wondering about Dr Leonardi’s choice of words. Hello again.

She avoided the physio’s gaze as she fought to keep a level head. She let go of Dr Leonardi’s hand as she checked to see if the right people had assembled.

‘Shall we get started?’ she said, turning away from James Leonardi and forcing herself to concentrate as she led the group to the first patient on her list. Her job would be to make sure that all the medical staff was up to speed on the patient’s condition and treatment regime. Charlotte would be responsible for ensuring that the physio angle was covered and together they would work out what else needed to be done or discuss discharge possibilities.

‘Morning, George,’ Ellie greeted their first patient, before introducing him to the group and handing his case notes to James. She took a step closer to the bed, putting some distance between her and James. She had to move away, it was impossible to stay focussed on her work when he stood so near. He smelt like limes, like a cool drink on a hot day, and she was finding him hugely distracting.

‘This is George Poni,’ she said, forcing herself to concentrate on the patient. ‘He’s a fifty-year-old who came off second best when his motorbike hit a guard rail six days ago. He sustained a fractured left ankle, left head of radius, clavicle and wrist. He underwent open reduction, internal fixation of his ankle and wrist and conservative, non-surgical treatment of his clavicle and elbow. He’s had no complications and we’re starting to consider discharge.’

‘I can’t go home,’ George interrupted. ‘My wife is going to kill me. Tell them, Ellie.’

‘You’ll be fine, George,’ Ellie said in an attempt to placate him. ‘I’ve spoken to Lilly and she’s quite calm about the whole thing now as long as you promise to give up the motorbike and find some other safer hobby to pursue through your mid-life crisis. Her words, not mine!’ she added at the end of her spiel. Out of the corner of her eye she could see James smiling. His smile was wide and it brought creases to the corners of his eyes. He had the smile of someone who smiled often and who was used to people smiling with him.

‘Other than putting his life in danger, is there any other reason not to discharge George?’ James asked. ‘How mobile is he, Charlotte?’

‘He’s partial weight-bearing on his left leg and can manage short distances with one crutch, but we’re planning on sending him home with a wheelchair as he can’t use two crutches because of his upper-limb injuries. There’s still a lot of swelling but nothing more than expected. Despite George’s protestations, his wife is capable and willing to give support.’

James was checking the medication chart at the end of George’s bed. ‘He’s still having four-hourly Panadeine Forte?’ He directed his question at Ellie.

‘For his elbow and ankle.’ Ellie clarified George’s pain relief requirements.

‘Do we need this bed?’

‘No.’ Ellie shook her head. ‘We’re okay at the moment.’

‘Okay, George. I’ll do you a deal. Let’s see how you go with painkillers every six hours but we’ll start making arrangements for discharge and review your situation tomorrow.’

‘Thanks, Doc.’

‘Next?’ James said. Ellie indicated the bed diagonally opposite George’s, where a very thin, pale young man lay, and the group migrated to his bedside.

‘Dylan Harris, twenty-four, also involved in a motorbike accident, six weeks ago. He sustained a fractured right femur and fractured pelvis. He’s had a K-nail inserted into his femur and was in traction for his pelvis. He been a bit slow to get up and get moving.’ In fact, if she was being totally honest, Ellie would say Dylan was being ridiculously pathetic. He regularly burst into dramatic tears whenever the physios came to do his treatment, even though his injuries were healing well and there was nothing to be concerned about from his recovery point of view.

‘What seems to be the problem?’

‘A lack of motivation and co-operation,’ Charlotte contributed.

‘I’m not using that walking frame, that’s for old people,’ Dylan sulked, indicating the gutter frame that was waiting beside his bed.

Charlotte sighed. ‘How many times have we had this conversation, Dylan? The rate you’re going you will be old before you get out of here. Once I’m confident that you’re walking safely with the frame we can look at progressing to crutches.’

‘I’ll get up if Ellie walks with me.’

‘You have to walk with the physios first,’ Charlotte replied. ‘It’s hospital policy.’

‘Why don’t I come back with Charlotte after rounds and we’ll get you out of bed together?’ Ellie suggested. ‘I’ll be your second person assist,’ she said to Charlotte.

‘As long as you’re sure,’ Charlotte said.

Ellie didn’t really have time to spend getting Dylan on his feet for the first time. She knew how long that process could take. Even just a few steps would be a massive task when he’d been lying in bed for so long. But there didn’t seem to be any other way this was going to happen. She nodded.

‘Any other issues?’ James asked.

‘None,’ Ellie replied.

‘All right. Dylan, if I come back tomorrow and find you haven’t at least attempted to get out of bed I’ll get you moved to another ward where you won’t have Ellie or Charlotte looking after you,’ James threatened, obviously figuring that was the way to get Dylan motivated. ‘But if you start complying with treatment you can stay here.’

By the look on Dylan’s face Ellie could tell he wasn’t sure whether he’d just won the argument or been gazumped by Dr Leonardi. In Ellie’s opinion it was Dr Leonardi 1, Dylan 0.

When James finished his rounds and left the ward Ellie felt as though he’d taken some of her energy with him, although a hint of his fresh lime scent remained, tantalising her senses.

She threw herself into the morning’s work, hoping that if she kept busy she wouldn’t have time to think about Dr Leonardi. Wouldn’t have time to think about his chocolate eyes and how they’d watched every move she’d made. Wouldn’t have time to think about those full lips and how they’d curled into a smile when she’d said something that had amused him, and she wouldn’t have time to think about the throbbing she felt in the air when she was near him or the way it pulsed through her body when he touched her.

In some ways she hoped his effect on her would wear off as he spent more time on the ward. Maybe it would fade away and she’d be able to work in peace. But a part of her enjoyed the buzz he gave her, the feeling of danger, as though he was forbidden fruit.

Maybe that was the attraction, the exact thing that had got people into trouble all through the ages—wanting something they couldn’t have. After her disastrous fling with Rob she wasn’t going to get involved with someone on the orthopaedic ward again. Not ever.

She’d just have to ignore those feelings, she told herself. That would be the sensible thing to do.

‘Ellie? Are you awake?’

‘Come in, Jess.’

The door opened. ‘Good, you’re up. Do you want to come for a walk with me?’

Ellie looked at her watch. Ten past eight.

‘Now?’ she said.

‘Please,’ Jess begged as she pulled Ellie’s curtains back. ‘Adam’s home again and I don’t want to be here when he gets up.’

Now the early morning walk made sense. Ellie knew Jess wouldn’t want to confront whoever it was who had kept Adam company last night. Their house belonged to Adam and the fifth bedroom was his to use whenever he was in Sydney. His work as a surgeon with Operation New Faces had him travelling around the world but when he was home there was always an endless stream of girls in and out of his bed, and Ellie knew Jess found that upsetting. Being reminded of Adam’s casual attitude to relationships was almost more than Jess could handle and she hated having to play nice whenever her path crossed with one of his many women.

‘Okay,’ Ellie conceded, ‘give me a minute to get dressed.’ Her room was flooded with light. It was going to be a beautiful day and she may as well get up and enjoy it. She climbed out of bed and pulled on underwear, a sports singlet and shorts. She’d shower later. She went to the mirror to brush her hair and tied it back into a ponytail. She rubbed sunscreen over her skin and grabbed a hat and her sunglasses. She was ready.

A light northerly breeze was blowing along the foreshore as Ellie and Jess crossed Arden Street and headed for the path that hugged the beach. The morning sun was warm on Ellie’s skin with enough heat in it to make the breeze feel pleasant instead of uncomfortable.

A low stone wall separated the beach from the path and Ellie and Jess had to dodge joggers and dog walkers as they headed north. At this early hour the only people who were up were people who had a reason to be—people who wanted to get their morning exercise in or who had young children. The lawn area was teeming with families and there were even some keen ones on the beach, building sandcastles and swimming.

Ellie kept her gaze averted from the young families. She didn’t need a reminder of what she was missing. Since breaking up with Rob, she’d decided she would bide her time before starting another relationship. She’d had a few intense, short-lived relationships in the past year and she’d thought having a self-enforced break would be a good idea.

‘Perhaps I should get a dog,’ she said to Jess.

‘What are you talking about?’

Ellie waved a hand in the general direction of the other pedestrians. ‘Everyone here has either got kids or a dog. If I’m not going to have kids, maybe a dog is a good alternative. Lots of people do that.’

‘Since when aren’t you having kids?’ Jess asked.

‘Well, I won’t be having any in the near future so a dog might be a good alternative,’ she explained. ‘Besides you know how, when you want something really badly, it seems to take for ever to happen and how, if you stop wanting it, it falls into your lap? Maybe, if I decide to get a dog, I’ll meet the man who will be the father of my children just because I’ve replaced the idea of kids with the reality of a dog.’

‘I don’t get that logic at all,’ Jess replied, and Ellie caught her sideways look, the one that said she thought her friend might be going mad. ‘I think we need to walk a bit faster. We need to get to Bondi and see the backpackers—the young, single crowd who don’t have kids or a dog. That’s another reality, you know. Anyway, I thought you were taking a break from the dating scene.’

‘I am,’ Ellie replied, but even as she uttered the words she knew she could be tempted out of her self-imposed ban very quickly and it was all because of James Leonardi. Since he’d arrived at Eastern Beaches, on the orthopaedic ward, her hormones had gone into overdrive. She was overwhelmingly aware of him and his presence reminded her that she loved being in a relationship. Loved the idea of being in love. ‘I think what I’m trying to say is that perhaps if I stop trying to find my ideal man, he might find me.’

Jess nodded. ‘That makes a bit more sense but, you know what, I think you might just need to revise your definition of your perfect man. You might not want to hear this but I think you’ve been looking at the wrong type of men.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ve always gone for the guys who appeared sensible and mature, older than you, ones who you think might be ready to settle down, without really worrying about what they’re like. Maybe you should try dating someone your own age.’

‘What’s age got to do with it? Cort’s older than Ruby and you’re still lusting after Adam, who’s older than you too, why do I have to date the young ones?’ Ellie argued.

‘Maybe not too young but maybe you should look for someone who’s not so serious and staid, someone who knows how to have a good time, less of a father figure.’

Ellie frowned. ‘Is that what you think I’ve been doing?’

‘I think you’re looking for someone to be the father of your children but I also think you want someone who will take care of you,’ Jess explained. ‘You don’t need that, you can take care of yourself. I think you should choose a man because he’s a good man, not because you think he’ll make a good father. Look for someone who you can have a bit of fun with. You don’t need to rush into the whole marriage and babies thing. You’re still young. Relax.’ Jess stopped talking as they walked up a steep stretch of path but as soon as they were on a downhill slope again she continued. ‘If I told you your ideal man was waiting around the corner for you, tell me what you’d want to see.’

That was easy. ‘Taller than me,’ Ellie said, ‘maybe a bit older, fit but not with weightlifter muscles, more of a runner’s physique.’ So what if her description was an identical match to James Leonardi? Surely there were plenty of other men who could be described in the same fashion!

‘And what would he be like?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, does he make you laugh or does he take life very seriously? Could he be divorced? Already have kids? Do you want a professional or someone who has a job where they get dirty? A dog person or a cat person? Tea or coffee drinker?’

They’d reached Gordon’s Bay and turned for the trip home. As they walked down the hill around the northern end of Coogee Bay, past Rob’s apartment building, Ellie quickened her pace, not slowing until they’d made it back to the stone wall that signalled the beginning of the beach. A few fishing boats were being taken out from the fishing club and there were a couple of games of beach volleyball under way. Ellie’s attention was drawn to a game of two on two between four fit young guys. They were all wearing board shorts without shirts, their bodies tanned and firm in the morning sun. A few steps closer and Ellie’s heart began to race in her chest. There was something familiar about one of them.

Olive skin, dark hair, a lithe frame. Her fictitious ideal man. James Leonardi.

He had his back to them and his calf muscles bulged as he propelled himself off the sand and into the air to block a ball at the net. His block was successful and Ellie watched as he high-fived his partner and waited for the ball to be returned. He scooped it up and prepared to serve. He tossed the ball high and raised his arms in the air as he hit it over the net. Ellie could see the muscles of his back ripple with the movement. She’d seen his face in profile as he’d served the ball over the net but, even without that glimpse, Ellie knew it was him, she could feel it. That humming in the air was back, getting louder as she got closer. Her senses were on high alert. The sun was a bit brighter, the tang of the sea a bit saltier, the air a bit warmer, but the sounds of the other people had faded a little. The humming was drowning the other sounds out.

‘Well? What do you think?’ Jess was still waiting for Ellie to answer her questions.

Without a trace of a doubt Ellie knew what she wanted. He was right there, in front of her.

As vaguely as she could, she answered Jess’s last question. She tried not to watch James as she spoke but it was hard to keep her attention focussed elsewhere. ‘He has a smile that could brighten any day. He should have a job he enjoys but he doesn’t necessarily have to wear a suit and a tie to work. He needs to like being active, a physical kind of guy, but he’d have to smell nice. He needs a sense of humour and he needs to love his family. He doesn’t need to have his life all mapped out but he would need to know how to treat a woman and he must be prepared to only date one woman at a time.’

Ellie wasn’t sure if James qualified for any of those things, for all she knew he was already married with half a dozen children, but surely with that smouldering, Latin thing he had going on, not to mention the look he had in his eye, she was willing to bet he’d taken his fair share of women to bed, and she was willing, if he was available, to put her hand up to join that list. He could be her experiment, she decided. She could try choosing a man first and looking for a father for her future children second. She could live in the moment for a change. She didn’t have to fall in love with him.

She managed to position herself between Jess and the beach so she was able to keep one eye on the volleyball, and on James, as they walked past. With her hair tied back and hidden underneath a cap she didn’t think he’d recognise her so she thought she could check him out from behind her dark glasses. As they drew level he bent down to pick up the ball and Ellie felt safe enough to let her eyes run over him. His shorts pulled taut over his legs and butt as he squatted down to the sand and his biceps flexed as he retrieved the ball. As he straightened up he looked directly at her. Ellie had thought he wouldn’t recognise her but he paused in mid-action and stood still, only for a second or two but Ellie knew that in that space of time he’d known it was her. She quickly averted her gaze and hurried past. She felt as though he could read her mind and she definitely did not want him to know what she was thinking.

She kept walking, resisting the urge to turn around as she and Jess continued on to the kiosk by the beach stairs where they stopped for coffee. While they waited for their orders to be filled she wondered whether she’d lost her mind. She was supposed to be getting her life into order and taking stock of her goals, not thinking about ripping the clothes of a virtual stranger.

She must be mad to think about James Leonardi at all. Dating was supposed to be off her list and dating another doctor from the same department would definitely be asking for trouble. But there was something irresistible about him. Not just his looks or the powerful, passionate vibe he exuded; it had something to do with that strange humming sensation, that magnetic pull that seemed to draw her to him. Even now, she knew she could turn around and instantly find him in a crowd. Somehow they were connected.

But she had to ignore these feelings. She kept her back turned to the beach as she waited for her coffee, resisting the urge to take just one more look. It didn’t matter how much she fancied him, James Leonardi was not for her.

CHAPTER THREE

WHEN Ellie returned to work on Tuesday it was to one of the worst shifts she’d had in a long time and it was all thanks to Rob. Mostly they’d managed to work amicably together since the demise of their affair but occasionally she seemed to be in his firing line and today was an especially bad day. She was being blamed for every little thing that went wrong—a dressing that hadn’t been changed, X-rays that had been misplaced and a blood test that had been ordered but hadn’t been done fast enough to please Rob. None of these things were actually Ellie’s tasks, she was up to her neck in admissions and discharge summaries, but Rob had decided to haul her over hot coals for the failings of the entire ward. And he wasn’t finished yet. Ellie was completing paperwork at the nurses’ station when she saw him marching towards her with a severe expression on his face. She froze, wondering what she was going to be blamed for now.

He stopped a few paces from her and snapped. ‘I just saw George Poni and his wife getting into the lift. He tells me he’s going home.’

‘Yes, I’m filing his paperwork now,’ she said, waving a hand towards the stack of papers on the desk.

‘Who said he was ready for discharge? Mr Poni is my patient.’

‘Yes, but you handed his care over to Dr. Leonardi.’ Ellie tried to keep a neutral tone.

‘I still expect the courtesy of being informed if my patients are leaving.’

First I’ve heard of it, Ellie thought, but she bit her tongue. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you wanted everything discussed with you. The physio said he was ready to leave, his mobility aids and equipment for home have been organised, I’ve made an outpatient appointment for George to see you in a fortnight and his discharge was discussed with Dr Leonardi,’ she explained. She was tired of being made a scapegoat for Rob’s bad mood today.

‘Next time I would like to be kept in the loop,’ Rob barked at her. ‘I expect to have my orders followed. Is that understood?’

I was following orders, Ellie felt like saying. You hadn’t indicated that James wasn’t to discharge your patients. She knew the appropriate discharge procedures had been followed. ‘Yes, Dr Coleman,’ she replied, hoping he’d go away and leave her alone if she didn’t argue. She couldn’t believe he was treating her this way but she was powerless to prevent his verbal lashing and he knew it. Her meek and mild attitude had the desired effect. With one final glare in her direction Rob stormed from the ward.

‘Boy, you’re in his bad books today. I’ve never seen him that irritated.’ Sarah, a first-year nursing graduate, who had been keeping her head down throughout Rob’s tirade, spoke up the moment he left. ‘What have you done to upset him?’

Ellie blinked back tears. She wasn’t going to let him get to her. She knew exactly what she’d done to annoy him. She’d gone against his wishes and she knew Rob was annoyed over her refusal to continue their relationship but she couldn’t believe he was choosing to take it out on her in this fashion. He had no cause to query her work performance; she was good at her job and she took pride in that. She knew what the problem was but there was nothing she could say, or do, that wouldn’t put her in the spotlight. She couldn’t tell anyone else why he was treating her this way. So she shrugged.

‘Maybe he just got out of the wrong side of the bed,’ she proposed.

‘I see his mood hasn’t improved at all.’

Ellie looked up from her paperwork at the sound of James’s voice. How long had he been standing there, she wondered and what had he heard? She was only just feeling brave enough to face him after seeing him at the beach on the weekend and now he’d witnessed her latest embarrassing moment. She was ready to crawl under the desk at the thought that he’d heard that exchange with Rob.

‘Any idea what that was all about?’ he asked.

He was watching her with his chocolate gaze, seemingly oblivious to her discomfort.

‘He was annoyed because George Poni has been discharged without his say-so,’ Ellie told him.

James frowned, a crease marring his smooth olive forehead. ‘I wonder why he didn’t say anything to me about that.’

Ellie shrugged. ‘Maybe I’m an easier target.’ There was no reason for anyone to think that Rob’s earlier behaviour was related to her in any way, shape or form, especially not if she appeared unfazed.

‘He was biting people’s heads off in Theatre too this morning so unless you did something to upset him before that I think you’re off the hook,’ James said.

And then he smiled at her, a wide smile that brought those lovely creases to the corners of his dark eyes. Instantly Ellie felt her confidence restored, just his presence helped to soothe her frazzled nerves and his smile almost completely eradicated all thoughts of Rob’s tirade from her mind. That hum of electricity she could feel when he was present made everything else recede. Harsh words, colleagues, nothing else seemed to matter so much and once again Ellie had to force herself to concentrate on the tasks at hand.

She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘So it’s not just me, then.’ She paused briefly and mentally crossed her fingers before asking, ‘He didn’t explain why he was so cross?’

‘Are you kidding? He’s an orthopaedic surgeon, he doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone!’

Ellie closed the file she’d been working on and looked up at him. There were two bright spots of colour on her cheeks and her blue eyes were glistening but the panicked look he’d seen there a moment before had vanished. Her earlier nervous expression had been replaced by a smile as she laughed at his flippant comment.

‘Are you here on a social call or is there someone you want to see?’ she asked.

As she spoke her blonde hair bounced around her shoulders, catching the light and distracting him. Why had he come to the ward? He struggled to recall what he was doing there. ‘I’m here to see Mavis Williams. I was paged, something about her temperature?’

Ellie nodded. ‘Yep. Let me grab her file and I’ll come with you.’

She collected the case notes and led the way and he trailed a couple of steps behind, enjoying the way her hips moved as she stepped out in front. She was a petite woman, several inches shorter than him but perfectly proportioned. Her waist was tiny, her hips narrow but they swayed enticingly.

She’d intrigued him since the first time he’d seen her at the Stat Bar and he’d celebrated his good fortune when he’d discovered that not only did she work at the hospital but she worked on the orthopaedic ward. She’d be working with him.

When he’d seen her at the Stat Bar it was as though they had been the only two people in the room. She’d been surrounded by others but it was as if they had receded into the distance, leaving her standing alone, silhouetted by her own golden glow. It had been an odd sensation for James.

He’d felt her presence at the beach too. It had been more than just the feeling you got when you knew you were being watched. There had been something extra. Despite her cap and sunglasses, he’d known instantly it was her. He’d felt her and it wasn’t until she’d walked away that he’d noticed she wasn’t alone. She may have been walking with a friend but he’d only had eyes for Ellie.

She was the first woman to catch his attention in months, in almost seven months to be exact. Perhaps he was ready to move on.

‘Morning, Mavis,’ James greeted the old lady as they entered her room. ‘You’re running a temperature, I hear.’

Ellie retook Mavis’s temperature as James checked her other symptoms. ‘The nurses might be right, Mavis. It’s possible you have a UTI. It’s a common complaint in hospitals, I’m afraid. If you can stomach cranberry juice that’s often a good natural combatant but I’ll organise some tests and if necessary we can treat it with antibiotics.’ He glanced at Ellie, who immediately picked up on his silent request.

‘I’ll go and organise the things for the urine culture,’ she said.

James watched her go. She made him think of summer and sunshine and happy times. She was golden and if he believed in auras that would be how he would describe her. She had a golden aura and it seemed to envelop him whenever he was near her. It ensnared him and made it difficult to think past her and just being around her made him feel good.

‘You’re enjoying your new job, I see?’ Mavis said with a smile.

‘It certainly has some perks.’ He wasn’t embarrassed at being caught watching Ellie. Most of the males on staff did the same, he’d seen them. Almost everyone seemed captivated by her and he wondered if she was aware of the effect she had on men.

‘You’re not married, then?’

He hadn’t been embarrassed until Mavis made that remark. Did she think he’d still be watching Ellie if he were married? He shook his head. ‘No. I never quite made it down the aisle.’

‘Why don’t you ask Ellie out? She’s single too,’ Mavis the matchmaker replied.

‘Is she?’ His heart rate increased with the announcement. ‘How do you know that?’

‘You don’t get to my age without learning a thing or two about people and, besides, I’ve been here so long I’m starting to feel like part of the furniture and when people get used to having you around they forget to watch their conversations. Trust me, she’s single. You should ask her out.’

‘I might take your advice. Thanks, Mavis,’ he said with a wink as Ellie returned to the room. But even as he spoke he wondered if he would issue an invitation. What would be the sensible thing to do? Had anything changed in his life over the past few months? He was still committed to his job, still focussed on establishing his career. Did he have the time or emotional energy for the singles scene? No matter how enticing Ellie was, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to date again.

There was a buzz of excitement in the room. The noise level had been high all evening, as was usually the case in a room full of women, but the level had increased noticeably in the last few minutes. Ellie checked her watch—ten-thirty. Her school leavers’ reunion had been girls only until now and her old school friends were becoming distracted by the arrival of their boyfriends.

They had only been out of school for five years so there wasn’t all that much to catch up on. They’d been doing one of three things—travelling overseas, studying or working or a combination of all of those. A few were married, a couple had babies but they were the exceptions.

Ellie watched as Carol, Amy and Fiona, in fact, most of the organising committee, went to greet their partners as they entered the function room. Two things were immediately obvious to Ellie. One, that three hours was the time limit allocated to catching up with friends before the girls needed to let their partners in on the evening and, two, the committee members were all in relationships, which was why the decision to include partners in the evening had been made. A third thing came to mind as Ellie watched the change in group dynamics—she wasn’t in the mood to watch happy couples.

It had been three months since the disastrous dinner with Rob and her heart was well and truly mended. If she was honest, she’d admit her pride and her ego had suffered more than her heart. It was more about her dreams and what his lies had done to them. She was angry more than heartbroken and it wasn’t difficult to be angry with a man who was a liar and a cheat. Her dreams might have been shattered but her heart was intact, though she still didn’t feel like being surrounded by happy couples.

The reunion was being held in Sydney’s infamous Kings Cross district in a private function room in a recently renovated and refurbished building. The building was typical of many in the Cross, with the businesses making the most of limited land by going upwards. There was a ‘gentleman’s club’ in the basement, a traditional nightclub on the ground floor with function rooms on the first floor, and Ellie didn’t want to know what was on the floor above that.

The reunion committee had booked out the function room until midnight and Ellie knew that gave them access to the nightclub afterwards. Normally she would be planning on partying until the small hours of the morning but tonight she was out of sorts. She was tired of the incessant noisy chatter going on about her but it was still too early to go home. To get some respite from the noise she slipped out of the room and onto the balcony that opened off it. Maybe watching people in the Cross, instead of her old school friends and their partners, would improve her mood.

She closed the balcony doors behind her and the change in atmosphere between inside and outside was incredible. Inside the air had smelt of perfume, hairspray and women and while initially that had been overpowering it was at least a clean smell. Outside the air smelt of petrol fumes, cigarettes, greasy takeaway food, alcohol and men. And the noise had changed from the high-pitched, excited chatter of women to car horns, music and deeper, loud voices.

If she had been down at street level she might have retreated inside but on a first-floor balcony she felt safe enough to watch from a distance. The balcony was divided in two by a low iron balustrade and a second function room opened onto the other half. From her vantage point Ellie could see people inside the other room but for the moment the adjoining balcony was empty.

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