Kayla.’ Jack stooped to kiss her cheek.
‘Hello, Jack.’
‘Is Liz around?’
‘She’s in the tearoom with her feet up. I think she’ll be glad to go home.’
‘That’s what I’m here for. Catch you two kids later.’ Jack grinned at the two of them and winked.
Tom watched the expressions flit over her face as her eyes followed Jack. Then suddenly she turned to face him, her silvery eyes impaling him, her mouth firm.
‘My keys, please, Sergeant?’
He juggled them in his hands, tossing them from one to the other. ‘Have you been cleared by your doctor…
Doctor?’
‘Yes, of course.’
He tilted his head and considered her. ‘So, your near collapse was because…?’
Her lips thinned and for a moment he thought she’d refuse to answer. He almost relished the opportunity to lock horns with her.
‘Low blood sugar. Tiredness. Getting up too quickly. I prescribed myself a cup of tea and grilled cheese on toast while I waited for you to return my keys.’ She held out her hand. ‘And now I’d like to go home to bed.’
Tom’s fingers clutched the keys as he bit back a tempting retort. She did not mean anything by her comment. It was not an opening or an offer. If he was a gentleman, he would definitely let that slide through to the keeper.
He cleared his throat and dangled the keys. ‘In that case…’
As she reached out, he caught her hand, gently turning it over and depositing the keys on her palm with studied care. He curled her fingers over them one at a time as he held her eyes with his.
‘Thank you.’ She tugged lightly and when he didn’t release her, she narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Was there something else…Sergeant?’
‘Yes, there is. Kayla.’ He let his tongue linger over the syllables of her name. ‘You get a good night’s sleep.’
He felt her hand twitch in his, saw a flare of awareness in her eyes. And something else. A starkness, a vulnerability.
Surely she wasn’t afraid of him. He released his grip and her hand dropped to her side.
‘Thank you, Sergeant.’
She turned away, walking quickly, her movements oddly jerky as though she was having trouble co-ordinating her limbs. As though she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
He wasn’t used to having that sort of effect on women. He knew, without conceit, that he was reasonably good looking. Kayla Morgan was indifferent, immune. No, more than that—she seemed to find him downright distasteful. Damn it, she didn’t know him well enough to feel that way about him. It rankled, made him want to get in her way, be hard to ignore.
Hands on hips, he watched until she was several metres away then he called softly, ‘Kayla?’
The stiff stride halted. ‘Yes?’
He waited, the silence stretched. She pivoted to look at him with obvious reluctance. ‘What did you want?’
There it was again, that hint of defencelessness, of desperately masked fear. It reached out and touched him. Made him want to gather her close, shield her from whatever was troubling her. Which was difficult because he seemed to be the main cause of her stress right now. How could he protect her from himself?
‘Come and see me at the station this week. I need you to make a statement about the accident.’
‘Oh. Yes.’ She swallowed, relief patent on her face. ‘All right.’
‘Goodnight.’ He jammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
‘‘Night.’ And she was moving away from him again. A couple of steps later she stopped. He could almost see an internal battle being waged as she looked over her shoulder then turned to face him. ‘I should thank you for your assistance tonight.’
‘Should you?’
‘Yes, I should,’ she said firmly, squaring her shoulders. Her bearing reminded him of his nephew’s attitude when he’d had to apologise for a serious transgression. Courage, trepidation and determination not to flinch from an unpleasant task. No prizes for guessing what, or who, was the distasteful thing in this case. ‘You were great at the accident. Thank you, Sergeant.’
‘Happy to help…Doctor.’
With a quick nod, she spun around and moved away, without hesitating this time.
Why was he doing this to himself? Kayla was giving him red lights all the way. Yet he felt compelled to keep pushing, to try to get close.
She was confident and competent when doing her job, but so vulnerable and prickly with him when dealing with him on a personal level.
He watched until she moved out of sight without looking back then he huffed out a breath. He’d thought she might look back at him, give him some indication that she knew he was still standing there. A vain hope.
He hunched his shoulders. Perhaps he should back off, let it go. Kayla was Liz’s friend. Liz would skewer him if he upset her. The whole thing was complicated.
‘Earth to Tom?’
He turned to find Liz watching him, curiosity and concern in her eyes. He wondered how long she’d been standing there, what she’d read on his face. She glanced along the corridor to where Kayla had disappeared.
‘Jack was looking for you,’ he said quickly into the brief silence.
‘He found me. Tony just collared him about something so I came on ahead.’ She paused. ‘We stabilised your accident victim and sent him off to Melbourne. I organised that blood test for his alcohol level, too.’
‘Good, thanks.’
‘Tom…about Kayla…’
‘What about her?’ He tried to sound casual but knew he hadn’t succeeded by Liz’s troubled expression.
‘Tom, I love you very dearly and I’m telling you as a friend. Kayla’s not up to your weight.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Don’t you?’ she said dryly. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at her. And not just today.’
‘Well, she’s not looking back so you can put your mind at ease.’
‘Perhaps.’ Liz looked along the corridor again. ‘Kayla’s my friend, Tom.’
‘I know. I’m just having a hard time picturing the two of you as pals. You seem like an unlikely pair.’
‘She
