…’
‘Like the old days, isn’t it?’ Lizzie smiled, handing him the coffee.
‘I was working.’
‘Hmm …’ Lizzie wasn’t convinced.
‘This time I actually was.’ Ethan almost smiled at her doubtful expression. ‘I had a conference call at three with a doctor in the Solomon Islands. I thought Leo’s office might be a better background than me at home …’ He watched as Lizzie turned on Leo’s desk lamp and checked all his investigation and prescription pads as Ethan took a grateful drink of his coffee. ‘How are you finding it?’ Ethan asked.
‘Interesting,’ Lizzie said. ‘I actually really enjoyed yesterday and the flat is amazing.’
‘Good.’
‘I really am grateful to you for putting me forward for the job.’
‘You don’t need to be grateful, Lizzie,’ Ethan said. ‘You deserve a break and after all you did for me I should be the one who’s grateful.’
‘I did nothing!’ Lizzie said. ‘Except dress your legs.’
‘And talk,’ Ethan said, and Lizzie paused, remembering how he had been so shell-shocked, so deep into himself, that she’d just wittered on about her family, her parents, what she was making for dinner. Just every little inane thing as it had come to mind and slowly he had started to converse.
‘You helped bring me back from hell.’
‘You’re still there, though,’ Lizzie said, and she turned her back and started pulling back the drapes so that Ethan couldn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. Yes, he had come a long way but there was still such a long way to go.
‘How come you’re in so early?’ Ethan asked.
‘Leo’s got surgery early. Marianna is coming in soon …’
‘Ah, the cloak-and-dagger stuff,’ Ethan said. ‘You might want to leave the curtains closed, then.’
Good point, Lizzie thought, turning around.
‘I think he keeps a red carpet in the cupboard in the hall,’ Ethan said, and Lizzie heard the slight trace of bitterness.
‘She’s lovely.’
‘I’m sure she is.’ Ethan shrugged. ‘Lizzie …’ Ethan was hesitant, he didn’t really know how to play this, but he had seen Leo yesterday, seen his fingers on Lizzie’s chin. As much as he had tried to deny it, Ethan had read the instant attraction, not just from Leo but Lizzie too. ‘I didn’t really tell you much about my brother …’
‘He’s been great,’ Lizzie said, taking a drink of her own coffee. ‘Of course, we didn’t get off to the best start …’
‘You soon get used to that sort of thing with Leo,’ Ethan said, and watched a dull blush spread on her cheeks as she resumed needlessly tidying Leo’s desk. ‘He’s a rake, Lizzie. He goes through women like …’ He glanced at the pad she held in her hands. ‘That new prescription pad will outlive his next conquest.’
‘That’s none of my business,’ Lizzie pointed out. ‘I’m here to run the clinic, not manage his sex life.’
‘I’m just letting you know. Leo is what he is …’ How did you describe a sun that burnt? ‘He’s an amazing surgeon, not that he uses it much …’
‘He explained all that.’
‘Leo likes the fast lane, there’s nothing more to him than that.’
Lizzie wasn’t so sure. Brilliant surgeon or not, you didn’t get to be where Leo was by chance and she was quite sure there was far more to Leo behind that very smooth exterior.
‘Lizzie …’ Ethan liked Lizzie and decided to get straight to the point. ‘He’s a bastard. Leo—’
‘Ethan,’ Lizzie broke in, ‘I don’t need a big brother looking out for me.’
‘Neither do I,’ Ethan said, and gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve told him the same thing many times.’ Yet she was right. He thought of Lizzie more like a brother would and he didn’t want her to get hurt. Ethan knew the damage Leo so easily wreaked and he could not stand that for Lizzie so he pressed on when, with anyone else, he wouldn’t have. ‘I’ve never known Leo serious about anyone …’ Ethan hesitated and then corrected his lie by omission. ‘Actually, there was one …’ Lizzie glanced up at the tentative note to his voice ‘… but they were never serious.’ God, Ethan hated talking about personal things and he certainly wasn’t going to tell Lizzie about Olivia. ‘All you need to know is that Leo—’
‘I get the message.’
‘Good,’ Ethan said. ‘So long as you do.’
They both fell silent as they heard a car pull up and a few moments later Leo stepped in.
His hair was damp and he smelt as fresh as if he’d just that second stepped from the shower and sprayed cologne on himself.
‘Bitching about me?’ he said, for his entrance.
‘It’s so very easy to do,’ Ethan responded.
‘Don’t believe a word,’ Leo quipped to Lizzie, but he was unusually rattled, a smidge jealous at the sight of Ethan and Lizzie gossiping over coffee, and not for the first time he wondered about the nature of their relationship.
‘I’ll get you a coffee.’ Lizzie headed off and Leo took off his heavy coat and hung it up.
‘Here again?’ he said to Ethan.
‘I had a conference call,’ Ethan said. ‘So you’ve got Marianna coming in for major surgery this morning?’
‘I do.’ Leo refused to be drawn; he knew how little Ethan thought of his work and that his skills could be far better utilised. Leo certainly wasn’t about to justify himself, especially not at this hour!
‘Have a look at this,’ Leo said, as Lizzie returned with coffee. ‘Hot off the press.’
‘Oh, my goodness!’ Lizzie smiled. There was a picture of Marianna wearing her eye patch and a white arrow pointing to the streak of fluorescein running down her cheek. There was an extraordinarily long piece about corneal scratches and how she would have to keep her eye covered and wear dark glasses. The Sirmontane royal spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the reports that Marianna had been scratched by the puppy Prince Ferdinand had bought her.
‘There’s even a photo of her puppy!’
She couldn’t help but laugh but a less than impressed Ethan limped off. He could hear them laughing and chatting through the empty clinic, hear their easy conversation as Lizzie set up for the surgery, and he wondered if he’d been clear enough in his warning.
No, he wasn’t overreacting and it wasn’t far too soon, he’d seen the way Leo had first responded to her.
They’d
