for that reason he’d have to keep her at arm’s length whilst they worked together. Keep everything brief and to the point.
‘You’ll have autonomy. And I’d like to observe for two weeks.’
We won’t get close.
‘Two weeks...’
‘Two weeks of me sitting in the corner and saying nothing. Unless you need me to, of course.’
She nodded. Smiled. ‘That’s okay by me.’
‘Good.’
He decided to shock her. See how she dealt with surprises.
‘When would you like to start?’
* * *
She stood outside in the bright morning sun, a little stunned.
I got the job!
Her first job application after a long break away!
Dr Brodie had seemed a very likeable man. Handsome, tall, broad-shouldered... A typical Scot, if there was one, with that beautiful head of red hair. And his eyes... Such a piercing blue against those dark shadows that lurked beneath them.
Clearly he had not been sleeping well recently. Or he was worried about something. Was it his decision to take a year off? Was he concerned about leaving his patients with someone he didn’t know? Perhaps there was something else. Something she didn’t know yet.
It’s none of my business.
What was her business, though, was the fact that she could start her new job next Monday! Cameron had said that Mondays were appointment days at the surgery. Tuesdays were for home visits, Wednesday was procedure day, when they’d perform small surgeries such as skin tag removal, wound care, that sort of thing, and Thursdays were for more appointments, as were Fridays.
Weekends and evenings were usually spent on call, but they shared the on-call with the practice over in the next village, so that they did actually get some time off on alternate weekends, and he’d said they didn’t often get lots of call-outs.
Gilloch was a small coastal village in the Highlands. She could smell the brine in the air from wherever she stood. No more than a thousand people lived here and they were of sturdy stock. And now she would be their doctor.
Smiling, she set off back to her nanna’s, to tell her the good news. She had no doubt at all that her grandmother would be suspicious about Cameron Brodie’s motives, but Bethan was determined not to be!
I’m going to make this work. I’m going to make Cameron Brodie see that I am a brilliant doctor and that I will be able to care for all his patients as if he were still doing it himself! If not better!
She needed this. Wanted this.
And now it was in her grasp.
Life was changing now that she was back.
Just as she’d hoped it would.
‘YOU’VE GOT YOUR phone in case I need you?’
‘Yes, Nanna.’
‘Your purse?’
‘Of course.’
‘You’ll call me if anything goes wrong?’
Bethan laughed at her nanna’s fussing. ‘Why would anything go wrong?’
Nanna fiddled with the pendant at her neck. ‘I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling about this.’
Bethan held out her arms and scooped her grandmother into a hug. She needed one. She’d been nervous these last few days as her starting day had got closer. And Nanna was still utterly convinced it was all a great big trick to humiliate her further.
‘It’ll be okay. Dr Brodie is a very nice man.’
‘Impossible! Brodie men are the worst.’
‘Not this one. He’s different.’
Nanna pulled back to look at her. ‘You believe that?’
She smiled. ‘I do. What happened between you and old Angus Brodie is ancient news.’
‘Maybe to you.’
Bethan picked up her briefcase. ‘You’re all right getting Grace to school?’
Nanna smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘And picking her up at three?’
‘Aye. I’ve a few orders to dye up today, but I’ll remember. I’m not senile, you know.’
‘I’ve told the school you’ll be picking her up from now on.’
Nanna leaned against the kitchen sink. ‘You’re stalling.’
‘I’m nervous.’
‘You’ll be absolutely fine. You’re a wonderful doctor, lassie. The people here in Gilloch are lucky to have you.’ She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box tied with ribbon. ‘I want you to have this.’
‘What is it?’
‘They were your mother’s.’
Bethan opened the lid of the box and found inside a small pair of diamond earrings, sitting on a bed of red velvet. ‘They’re beautiful!’
‘Your father gave them to your mother after she had you. I should have given them to you long ago, after you had Grace, but they’re yours now.’
Bethan was touched. Such a wonderful gesture! She put them in and went to look in the mirror. Perfect.
‘Thank you, Nanna.’
Mhairi smiled. ‘Now, you go and show that Brodie boy who’s boss!’
* * *
Bethan felt a little odd, knowing that she was in his seat and he was in a smaller chair right next to her as he showed her the ins and outs of the computer system.
She’d not said much to her nanna over the weekend, but Dr Brodie had been in her thoughts more than she’d let on.
Nanna was right. He was a handsome man, and when she’d first walked into that interview room she’d almost stalled, her mouth drying upon her first sight of him—this tall Scottish hunk, unfolding his long, rangy figure from behind the desk and stretching out a hand for her to shake. She’d felt sure he would notice the tremble that had begun in her body in response to him.
And
