‘Jake Clemson, but everyone calls me Clem.’
Olivia blushed, fumbling with the catch. ‘Please, come in.’ He was her new boss and she was treating him like some madman from the bush.
‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’ He shook her hand firmly. ‘Welcome to Kirrijong.’
Olivia smiled, taken aback not only by the unexpected friendliness but also by his appearance. Why had she assumed he’d be older? The man standing before her must only be in his thirties. She had imagined some austere, elderly doctor in tweeds. Jake Clemson, standing well over six feet, with battered jeans and an equally well-worn denim shirt, certainly didn’t fit the image she’d had of him. His dark curly hair needed a good cut—he looked more like an overgrown medical student than a GP.
‘I had hoped to meet you myself, but something came up.’
Olivia shrugged. If she had been expecting an apology or even an explanation she obviously wasn’t going to get one. ‘No problem. Mr Kendall was very helpful.’
‘Dougie’s a great bloke. I knew he’d take care of you.’ He peered over her shoulder into the living room. ‘Time for a quick chat?’
Olivia blushed again, suddenly feeling very rude. ‘Of course. Come through—this way.’ It was his house. As if he wouldn’t know where the lounge was she thought feeling silly, but he just smiled.
‘If I know Dougie and Ruby, there’ll be a few stubbies in the fridge. Do you fancy one?’
Nodding, she followed him into the kitchen as he casually opened the fridge and helped himself to the beer. Opening two stubbies, he made his way back to the living room. Obviously, if she wanted a glass she’d better get it herself!
‘So how do you feel about coming to work here?’ he asked in a deep, confident voice with only a hint of an Australian accent.
Olivia busied herself pouring the beer and managing to spill most of it. ‘I’m really looking forward to it,’ she lied. She could hardly tell him she was having a full-on panic attack and wondering what on earth had possessed her. ‘The agency gave me quite an extensive brief. It all sounds very interesting, though I wish I had a bit more midwifery experience.’
He stared at her, taking in her slender frame and long red hair. The cheerful, confident voice belied her body language. Those huge green eyes were looking everywhere but at him, and her long hands were clutching that glass so tightly he half expected it to shatter. ‘Ms’ Morrell obviously wasn’t as confident as she would have him believe.
‘There is a lot of obstetrics here, but don’t worry about that for now. I’ll hold your hand, so to speak, for the first few weeks, and if I’m not around for some reason you can always call on Iris Sawyer. She used to be the practice nurse up until a couple of years ago. Iris is retired now, and happily so, but she doesn’t mind missing a game of bowls to help out now and then, and her experience with the locals is invaluable.’
Olivia nodded, reassured by the confidence in his voice.
‘Your résumé is rather impressive. I see you worked under Tony Dean in your last job. He gave you a glowing reference. I know him well. We’re old friends.’
‘You are?’ Just the fact that this huge, daunting man was a friend of her beloved Mr Dean, the senior consultant in her former casualty department, made him somehow seem much less intimidating.
‘Yes. Tony Dean was a junior consultant in Sydney when I was a mere intern. Later, our paths crossed again when I went back as a paediatric registrar. That would be five or six years ago. He moved on to Melbourne and I came here, but we still keep in touch. He’s an amazing man as well as a fine doctor, but you don’t need me to tell you that. Many times I’ve rung him for advice about a patient, or had them flown there by the air ambulance. I’ve probably spoken to you on the phone at some time.’
He smiled. It was a nice smile, genuine. Olivia managed to sneak a proper look. Judging by his qualifications, he’d have to be at least in his mid-thirties, but he appeared younger. He was undeniably handsome in a rugged sort of way. Unruly dark curls framed a tanned face with just a smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose. She had been right first time—he really did look like an overgrown medical student.
‘How long did you work there? I know it’s in your résumé, but I can’t remember offhand.’
‘Five years, three as Unit Manager. I’d just left all my family behind in England, so I was feeling horribly homesick and foreign.’
‘Had you been to Australia before?’
Olivia nodded. ‘Yes but just on a working holiday, which is when I met my...’ Olivia hesitated. ‘My ex-fiancé. He was an intern then. Anyway,’ Olivia added hastily, because the last thing she wanted to talk about was Jeremy, ‘Mr Dean started within a couple of weeks of me. We were the “new kids on the block” together.’
‘Why did you leave?’ His question was direct and he watched as her shoulders stiffened, her hands yet again tightening convulsively around the glass.
‘Personal reasons,’ she answered stiffly.
Thankfully, he thought better than to push it—there would be time for that later. Instead, he explained her new position.
‘A contrast to Casualty, but there are a lot of similarities. As well as the usual coughs, colds and blood pressures, we’re up against whatever they present themselves with at any hour of the day or night. From heart attacks to major farming accidents, we’re the front line. You need to keep your wits about you. They breed them tough out here and they don’t like a fuss. It takes a lot of skill to read between the lines. What may appear quite trivial can often be far more serious. Most tend to play down their symptoms.’ He noticed her suppress a yawn.
‘I’m not boring you, I hope?’ he asked sharply.
Olivia sat upright, taken back by the first glimpse of him being anything other than friendly. ‘Of course not.’
Clem stood up, and Olivia reluctantly admired his athletic build. ‘You must be tired. You’ve had a long journey and it’s almost midnight. I seem to think everyone else keeps my ridiculous hours. I’ll let you get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning, Livvy.’
‘It’s Olivia, not Livvy,’ she corrected him, following him to the door. ‘And thank you for coming over, Dr Clemson. I’m looking forward to getting started.’
‘Good. Hopefully you’ll enjoy working here. And it’s Clem, remember?’
Olivia suddenly felt embarrassed at how prudish she must have sounded, but she hated her name being shortened.
She watched him depart in long deliberate strides.
‘Watch out for Betty and Ruby. Don’t believe a word they say about me,’ he shouted jokingly over his shoulder as he disappeared into the night.
As Olivia closed the door and firmly locked it, Clem rolled his eyes heavenwards. She wouldn’t last five minutes. She was obviously well qualified and extremely intelligent, but she was as jumpy as a cat, and he somehow couldn’t imagine her on a search and rescue. Sure, she looked stunning, he thought reluctantly then checked himself. She was
