wonder how many hearts he’ll break in that time, with his hard and fast rules. And don’t forget the never meet his son rule. There was another one too, but I can’t think of it now.’
‘I think it’s to leave before the sun comes up.’
‘That’s right. Pity he’s so damned gorgeous—if he wasn’t he’d never get away with it.’
They both slammed shut their lockers. ‘But despite all that he doesn’t hide the rules. I hear he’s upfront with all the women he intends to bed. They all know what they’re getting into and not one has ever met his precious son. Dr Rollins is a player, but he’s an honest one.’
Almost two hours later there was a knock on Phoebe’s front door.
Thank God, she thought as she sprayed a light fragrance on her neck and wrists, that this wasn’t really a date. It had the makings of a date, and to others observing it might even look like a date, but to Phoebe it most certainly wasn’t a date. She wasn’t ready for anything close to a date. And after what she’d heard in the locker room she never would be. They would only ever be friends—because she had already met his son, so clearly he wasn’t thinking about bedding her.
Deep in thought, she smoothed her hands over her long white summer dress as she made her way from her room. The halter-style dress, cinched at the waist by a thin gold belt, was made of soft cotton that flowed as she moved. She wore simple flat gold sandals to match. Her hair fell in silky curls around her bare shoulders.
‘Hi, Phoebe,’ Heath greeted her as she opened the door.
‘Hi, Heath. Let me grab my bag and I’ll be right with you.’ She picked up her purse and keys and locked the door behind her as they left.
‘It’s a little cooler this evening, like I predicted, so I’ve left the top down to enjoy the fresh air on the drive but if you’d prefer I can put it up again.’
Phoebe looked past him to see his silver convertible sports car parked by her front gate. Then her gaze quickly returned to him. His white T-shirt was snug across his toned chest and he wore khaki trousers. A single, handsome medic with a sports car would be every woman’s dream. But not hers—not after what she’d heard.
She reached into her purse for a hair tie. ‘You can leave the top down,’ she said and she pulled her hair into a high ponytail.
Heath had to remind himself that he was doing the right thing and providing dinner for a colleague who had done a great job in Theatre that afternoon. And not that she was a woman whose company he was very much beginning to enjoy.
‘So, I thought we’d head up to Hahndorf for dinner. It’s a German town in the Adelaide Hills.’
‘Sounds lovely,’ she said as they walked to his car.
Heath held open the car door and, after lifting the flowing hem of her dress safely inside, closed and patted it, as if he had secured precious cargo. It did not go unnoticed by Phoebe and it made her feel torn—almost like jumping back out and telling him that it was a mistake and she wasn’t hungry.
The car suddenly felt a little like a sports version of a fairytale carriage, and she was not looking for Prince Charming—and by reputation he was far from that gallant. But he was in the car and the engine was running before she could muster an excuse.
‘Hahndorf—is that how you say it?’
‘Yes,’ he said, and moments later had pulled away from the kerb and into the traffic. ‘It’s about twenty minutes up the freeway. Something different—I hope you like it.’
As he said this he turned momentarily to see Phoebe look back at him with her warm brown eyes. She was a conundrum. He sensed so many layers to the woman who sat beside him, and one layer appeared to be a lack of trust. He wondered why. What had caused Phoebe to be outwardly happy and yet as distant as himself on a personal level?
Except around his son. She seemed to let her guard down around him very easily.
Had her heart been broken? he wondered as he entered the freeway and picked up speed.
The drive in the warm evening air was wonderful and their chatter was intermittent as Phoebe admired the scenery of the foothills.
‘It was a pity you didn’t bring our work to Tilly’s the other morning. We could have gone over the patient notes by the pool,’ Phoebe suddenly announced as he slowed a little to take the turn-off to Hahndorf.
Guilt slammed into Heath. ‘I thought it would be easier at the office,’ he said, clearing his throat. He had to keep it simple, when in fact it was so far from that.
Phoebe surveyed the scenery, dotted with massive gum trees that enveloped them as they drove into the quaint town. This evening would be a no-strings-attached walk in the park—or in this case a walk in a German town.
‘I’m looking forward to visiting this town and to eating authentic German cuisine. I’ve never had the opportunity to travel to Germany—or the time, to be honest—so this is my chance to sample it.’
Heath pulled into a restaurant car park. The breeze had picked up but there were no rain clouds, so he left the top of his car down. ‘There are great reviews about the food here, although I’ve not been. Tilly says it’s very nice.’
Heath looked down at his watch. Their dinner reservation was not until seven forty-five, so they had fifteen minutes to spare.
‘Would you like to walk for a few minutes? Take in the sights of the town? It’s not quite the size of New York, so fifteen minutes should have it covered.’
Phoebe turned to catch what she thought was a smile from Heath.
They walked along the narrow footpath and stepped inside the small antiquity shops still open for the tourist trade and window-shopped at those that had closed.
Heath was enjoying the time with Phoebe.
‘I think we can head back to the restaurant, if you’re ready,’ he told her as they stepped from a bric-a-brac shop where Phoebe had been admiring the vintage hand-embroidered tablecloths and runners. ‘The sauerkraut is probably primed to go.’
Phoebe laughed and followed his lead to the casual eatery, where the maître d’ showed them to a table outside and provided them with menus. There were lights strung up high across the alfresco dining area, and their small table had a lovely street view. She felt more relaxed the more she thought of Heath as a colleague. A very handsome colleague, who bedded other women but would never bed her.
‘I love that all the speciality dishes are served with creamy mustard potato bake, sauerkraut, red wine sauce and German mustard. It seems so authentic. Hahndorf really is Adelaide’s little Germany,’ Phoebe said as she looked over the menu.
Heath ordered a crisp white wine and some iced water while Phoebe tried to focus on the menu. It all looked wonderful, and there was a varied selection within the list of traditional German fare. Her mouth twisted a little from side to side as she carefully considered her options. Her finger softly tapped her bottom lip as she weighed up her decision.
Heath fell a little further under the spell she didn’t know she was casting—one he was finding it almost futile to ignore.
