swallowed unevenly. Running into him like this had been unexpected. And now it all seemed a bit surreal. And why on earth were they standing here? It was freezing. ‘What are you going to do about some food?’
‘I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to get a takeaway if I look hard enough.’
Lindsey bit the edge of her bottom lip. She had the sudden vision of him going back to his place, sitting alone, eating alone. After the kind of brutal day he’d appeared to have had, the mental picture was awful. The fact that it bothered her so much took her by surprise. She lived only a few minutes away. She could offer to feed him. An invitation hovered on the tip of her tongue...
‘Do you have the weekend off?’ Dan asked.
Lindsey snapped her thoughts back to reality. ‘Yes. You?’
‘Back on an early tomorrow.’
Lindsey made a face. ‘Make sure you eat, then.’ She cringed inwardly. She’d sounded like his grandmother.
‘Thanks for caring.’ His eyes held a penetratingly blue honesty.
‘Mmm...’ Lindsey’s mouth went dry.
‘I haven’t exactly been fun to work with.’ Half turning, he dragged a hand through his hair, leaving a few dark strands drifting across his forehead. It gave him a faintly dissolute air.
Lindsey scrunched her fingers through the folds of her scarf, suddenly shaken by the intensity of emotion that just standing next to Dan generated throughout her entire body. ‘Maybe we should appoint a laughter coach for the ED.’
Dan felt disconcerted for a second. Her mouth was smiling. Just. More a tiny upward flick at the corners. He smiled back and, for just a moment, a blink of time, there was a connection of shared awareness. Sharp. Intense. And then it was gone, retracting like the sun under cloud. ‘Take that idea to the board.’
‘Would I have your backing?’
Was she serious? ‘You bet. Laughter in the ED sounds...remedial.’ And ridiculous. In fact, the whole conversation was verging on the ridiculous. Which only went to prove how out of touch he was with the ordinary stuff, like social interaction. Especially with beautiful women. The atmosphere was fraught again.
‘If you’re looking for a takeaway, the Chinese should still be open,’ Lindsey offered.
He gave a one-shouldered shrug, moving restively as though he wanted to be away. ‘Maybe I won’t bother after all. I’ve food at home. I can whip up something.’ Or I could ask you to come and have a coffee with me. His thoughts churned with indecision. He took the easy way out and said, ‘You’re OK getting home, then?’
‘I’m parked just over there.’ Lindsey indicated the small sedan the same make as a dozen others in the car park. ‘Where are you?’
‘Near the exit.’
Lindsey burrowed her chin more deeply into the roll collar of her fleece. This was bordering on crazy, standing here like two puppets waiting for someone to pull their strings and activate their mouths. She felt like chucking all her doubts and insisting he come home with her for a meal. Instead, she lowered her head and began fishing for her car keys in her bag.
Dan’s jaw tightened as her hair fell forward in a shimmering curtain and it was all he could do not to reach out and draw it back and hold it while he pressed a slow, lingering kiss on her mouth...
‘Got them.’ Lindsey held up the keys triumphantly. Her gaze held his for a long moment. Expectant. Something... ‘I guess I’ll see you at work, then.’
Dan managed a nod. Whatever chance he’d had to further their...friendship outside the hospital had gone now. He’d stuffed it. ‘Guess so.’
‘Make sure you eat,’ she reinforced, and they both took off in different directions.
‘Hey, Lindsey!’
She turned. He was walking backwards and smiling. ‘In case you were wondering, I can cook.’
‘Never doubted it.’ Lindsey’s own smile carried her all the way home.
Wednesday, the following week...
‘Told you he’d shape up.’ Vanessa’s voice held vindication, as they completed handover for the late shift.
‘Andrew?’ Lindsey feigned mild interest.
Vanessa gave an eye-roll. ‘Our Dr Rossi. He’s been exceptionally co-operative and I detected quite a nice sense of humour lurking somewhere there.’
‘I’ve hardly seen him this week.’ Lindsey made a pretence of checking the list of patients waiting in cubicles. ‘His shifts have obviously been all over the place.’ And she’d noticed his absence. Oh, boy, had she noticed.
‘Well, if you’re happy with everything, I’m out of here.’ Vanessa hauled off her lanyard and scattered a handful of pens into a nearby tray. ‘Andrew and I are going to a movie.’
‘Well, fancy that...’ Lindsey drawled. ‘He’s finally asked you out on a date.’
‘Well, actually, I asked him. But he was all for it,’ Vanessa added quickly.
‘Good for you, Van.’
‘Well, the opportunity kind of just presented itself,’ Vanessa said modestly. ‘But it just goes to show, doesn’t it? Some men merely need a shove in the right direction.’
Was there a message somewhere in there for her? Lindsey’s eyes were thoughtful as she set about triaging the patients on her list.
LINDSEY TURNED UP the music and did a rhythmic little rock with her shoulders as she drove. It was Friday at last and she was on leave. Going home. It was a good feeling. And perhaps back among the vines and the majestic blue hills she’d be able to sort out her feelings about a certain doctor. Was she wasting her time, though? Maybe. Maybe not.
She shut her music off. It was time to concentrate on her driving. Even though the country road was bitumen and usually well maintained, it was narrow. And it was just on dusk, visibility questionable to say the least, but she hadn’t wanted to hang about in Hopeton. With the thought of home beckoning, she’d just wanted to be on her way.
Automatically, she concentrated her vision on the road ahead. The headlights of an approaching car were illuminating the horizon. Lindsey adjusted her own headlights in preparation. She noticed there was a vehicle behind her as well. But so far it was obeying the road rules and keeping a safe distance.
* * *
Dan’s thoughts were very mixed as he drove. He hadn’t managed to catch Lindsey much over the past week. And that had been a frustration. He’d wanted to reinforce the little progress he’d made in getting to know her. But his hours at work had been manic, only because he’d made himself available so as to accumulate a few days’ leave after the wedding. The wedding was tomorrow. He hadn’t
