help.’ Mrs Adams bit her lip. ‘And you missed most of the trip and the whales because of us. I feel so bad.’
‘We can arrange a replacement trip at no charge,’ the guide said. ‘And I’d like to thank you both, too. We have trained first aiders among the crew, of course, but we really needed a doctor to help us in this case.’
‘No problem,’ Hayley said.
‘Call into the office whenever suits you best,’ the guide said, ‘and we’ll rearrange your trip.’
‘I ought to give you something for helping us,’ Mrs Adams said.
‘There’s really no need,’ Sam said. ‘It’s what doctors are supposed to do—help people who need it.’
‘Agreed. Though if you really want to give us something,’ Hayley added, ‘then I’d like you to promise you’ll talk to your asthma specialist about what happened today, Milton, and that you’ll take your preventer inhaler regularly—even if you don’t think you need it, because taking it regularly is what helps to keep you well.’
Milton looked slightly shame-faced. ‘I will.’
‘Good.’ Hayley patted his shoulder. ‘Best of luck, and enjoy the rest of your holiday.’
‘You, too.’
When the ambulance doors closed and the Adamses were taken to hospital, Sam looked at Hayley. ‘Would you like to go for a coffee? Or do you need to get back to whoever you’re travelling with?’
‘I’m on my own,’ she said. ‘So a coffee would be lovely—unless you need to get back to your travelling companions?’
‘I’m on my own, too,’ he said. ‘Do you want to rebook your whale-watching trip first?’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘I saw one come up out of the water and dive back in. Expecting anything more’s probably greedy. Though if you want to rebook yours...?’
He smiled. ‘I’m greedy enough as it is. I go every week.’
‘Every week?’ She looked surprised. ‘Do you work at a hospital here, then?’
‘No. I’m kind of on sabbatical,’ he said. ‘My brother has a tour company out here, specialising in extreme trips—taking people walking on a glacier and that sort of thing. I’ve been helping him. But I go whale-watching every Monday afternoon. It’s the most amazing experience.’
She nodded. ‘It’s something Dani and I always wanted to see.’
‘Danny?’ Well, of course someone as pretty as Hayley Clark would be spoken for.
‘Danielle. My best friend,’ she explained.
How ridiculous that he should feel pleased that Dani was her best friend, not a partner. He was in no position to even think about starting a relationship, not with his new job starting in a fortnight.
Yet something about Hayley Clark tempted him.
Which was weird, because he’d had tourists throwing themselves at him all summer and not one of them had interested him.
What was it about her?
‘She fractured her second and third metatarsal last week, so the orthopods said she couldn’t come,’ Hayley continued.
He’d come across those kinds of fractures before. ‘Your friend’s a runner, then?’
Hayley nodded. ‘She was training for a charity run. Obviously she can’t do that now, so we talked the organisers into letting me run in her place.’
‘You’re a runner, too?’
She grimaced. ‘No. Actually, I loathe running. But the only way to keep her sponsorship money is if I run for her.’
‘That’s good of you.’
‘She’s my best friend, and she’s been through a lot. And doing that for her helps me feel less guilty about coming here while she’s missing out.’ Hayley wrinkled her nose. ‘Though I’m pretty sure she could’ve done the whale-watching—and if we’d asked at the tourist place, they could’ve found us some wheelchair-accessible trips.’
‘But you would both have missed out on a lot. Not all the paths around the waterfalls and the geysers are wheelchair-friendly,’ he said, ‘and some of the slopes would make it seriously tricky going downhill.’
‘That’s what Dani said.’
He should shut up right now. What he ought to do was to suggest a couple of reliable tour operators and let her find her own way round the island. But the pull he felt towards her was too strong, and he found himself asking, ‘How long are you staying?’
‘Until Friday.’
Shut up, shut up, shut up.
But his mouth wasn’t listening to his common sense. ‘Then why don’t you rebook your whale trip for tomorrow morning?’ he suggested. ‘And if you like, I’ll take you on a personalised tour.’
She blinked. ‘But aren’t you helping your brother?’
It was the perfect get-out. He knew he ought to take it. But his mouth was on a roll. ‘He’s had a couple of cancellations,’ Sam said, ‘so I wasn’t doing much this week. I’m free if you’d like to come with me.’
* * *
Hayley could practically hear Dani yelling in her ear, ‘Say yes! It’s the Year of Saying Yes.’
But Sam Price was a total stranger.
Even if he was a doctor and they’d just worked together to help a patient.
And, with that dark hair brushed back from his face and soulful hazel eyes, he was also the most attractive man she’d met since Evan, the first who’d even made her look at him, which made her feel guilty. It was only just over a year since Evan had died. Was she rushing into this?
She ought to be cautious. She was in a country where she didn’t speak the language; even though everyone in Iceland spoke perfect English, this still wasn’t England. She was a three-and-a-half-hour flight away from home. The sensible thing to do would be to say no.
But this was the Year of Saying Yes.
And maybe putting caution aside was something she needed to do for once. To help her move on.
‘Yes,’ she said.
THEY REBOOKED THE whale-watching tour for the following morning, then headed to a café in the centre of the city.
‘I love the ambience here,’ Hayley said when they were settled at a table.
‘Reykjavik lives up to your expectations, then?’
