well away.
A pale-faced, red-eyed Lizzie did her best to avoid him as he threw himself back into work and his social life, got straight back on the horse and asked a favourite blonde who knew the rules to join him on Saturday.
And Lizzie did the same.
Or rather she checked herself into the bed and breakfast and spent a weekend trying to assuage the guilt that she’d rather be with Leo than with her parents.
She walked on the beach and remembered getting a text from him, recalling all the thrill and excitement that had been there then, and, instead of crying, she lugged her broken heart into a wheelbarrow and left it sitting there for a little while as she thought about Leo without pain in the mix. She walked and thought of dancing and dressing up and the bliss of that night and every night she had spent with Leo.
With her heart on hold she could examine it without pain. Their time together had been amazing, for the first time she’d had a glimpse of freedom, had tasted exhilaration—how could she possibly regret that?
So she fetched the wheelbarrow and replaced her heart and, yes, she was still better for her time with him.
One big cry, Lizzie decided.
Tonight, after she’d had birthday cake with her parents, she’d head to the shops and get supplies. With chocolate and wine and her favourite movie, she’d lie on nylon sheets and howl, but on Monday, if she valued her job, she’d better work out rather quickly how to face him better.
‘I’ll be up on Friday.’ Lizzie kissed her father goodbye.
‘We’ll look forward to it, won’t we, Faye?’ Thomas said to his wife. ‘Lizzie’s coming up early next weekend. We’ll have three days of her.’
‘No.’ Lizzie’s face was on fire. ‘I’ll be going home on Saturday morning. I’m just coming up for the procedure.’
‘I just thought …’ Thomas huffed. ‘We haven’t been seeing so much of you lately.’
‘I’ve got a new job, Dad,’ Lizzie said. ‘Sometimes I have to go to work functions …’ And she just stopped making excuses to her father for actually having a life. ‘I need to catch up with some of my friends too.’ She gave him a kiss. ‘I’ll see you on Friday.’
No, she would not be a martyr, Lizzie told herself on Monday as she walked past Leo’s office. The door was open and there he was, looking a little seedy.
‘Busy weekend?’ Lizzie smiled.
‘Er, a bit.’ He was caught unawares. She’d been busily avoiding him late last week and Leo had been only too happy with that, but it was a very together Lizzie who greeted him now.
She saw his slightly guarded expression as she unbuttoned her coat. ‘It’s okay, Leo, I’m not going to do a Flora.’
He was surprised at how easily she still made him smile and he bit back his response because he’d been about to say, ‘Pity.’
‘You’re okay?’ Leo settled for instead.
‘I’m fine.’
‘I mean …’ Leo wasn’t brilliant at apologies. ‘I was a bit harsh,’ he admitted. ‘The things I said about your parents …’
‘Were spot on.’ Lizzie rolled her eyes. ‘I just want to be clear about one thing—you won’t get a better head nurse than me.’
‘I know that,’ Leo said. ‘Ethan’s worried I’ve upset you.’
‘You can tell Ethan to call off the firing squad. I just needed a few days to lick my wounds.’
‘And you’re really okay?’ Leo checked, not sure if he was actually pleased that she seemed to be.
‘Of course,’ Lizzie said. ‘I know it sounds like a line, but it really was good while it lasted.’
‘I hate it that it ended in a row,’ Leo admitted.
‘It didn’t.’ Lizzie did the hardest, bravest thing she had ever done. She went over to Leo and with a smile she bent over and gave him a very brief kiss.
‘That’s how it ended,’ Lizzie said.
‘How?’ Leo frowned. ‘Show me again.’
‘Nope.’ Lizzie stood straight and then headed to her office and breathed out loudly. Yes, it had been amongst the hardest things she had ever done but it had been necessary.
Very necessary to appear completely fine, but it was terribly hard at times.
The chocolates for the patients were delivered on Wednesday, the scent of them driving her crazy, and, of course, Leo had to catch her when she caved in.
‘What’s behind your hand?’ Leo asked as he knocked and without waiting walked into her office.
‘Nothing!’ But it didn’t come out very well with a mouth that was full.
Leo actually had to stop himself from going over and having a little wrestle to get to the chocolates or prising her mouth open with his tongue to get a taste.
Instead, he remembered what he had come in for. ‘I need a new prescription pad.’
Not even chocolate on her tongue could disguise the bitter taste as she went and replaced the pad she’d outlived only marginally.
Ethan had almost been right.
Valentine’s Day dawned and Lizzie had to get there early and watch as the florist and her assistant carried bucket after bucket of red roses through the clinic.
It hurt.
She just couldn’t let it show.
Though Leo made her laugh when he saw all the roses. ‘God, I hope no one’s got hay fever.’
‘You’d better check the expiry date on the adrenaline shots,’ Declan said, and then asked Lizzie what she was up to for Valentine’s Day.
‘I’m visiting my mum,’ Lizzie said. ‘So it’s not exactly a romantic one for me.’
‘Oh, well, you can always do Valentine’s tomorrow,’ Declan said. ‘Free and single in London is a very nice place to be.’
‘It is.’ Lizzie smiled and Leo felt his back straighten a touch. She was trying to make him jealous was his first thought, but, then, Lizzie didn’t have to try, he already was.
‘You’re staying the weekend in Brighton?’ Leo asked.
‘Nope.’ Lizzie kept that smile on. ‘Just tonight. I’ve been a bit absent of late with my friends …’
Leo loathed the thought of Lizzie let loose in London and paced his office floor, stopping as she popped her head in to say goodbye before leaving early for the weekend.
‘You’ve got Francesca at two,’ Lizzie reminded
