coffee and smoothies.’
Flick turned back when she noticed that his voice seemed a little unsure. She was surprised by both the invitation and the tone. Before today, the man asking her to share a coffee had never even spoken to her. He had acknowledged her with little more than a nod in the corridor and now he wanted them to spend additional time together. She didn’t want to refuse but she also didn’t want to sit in the café in her shorts and bikini top and bare feet. She was happy to be on the beach dressed that way but would feel self-conscious in a restaurant filled with the lunch crowd while she was so scantily clad and shoeless.
‘I make a pretty good coffee too, I’m not even close to barista standard, but I can promise it won’t be instant either,’ she called back to him. ‘Would you like to come up to my place and I can make us both a cup.’
‘I don’t want to impose … or cut short your walk.’
‘You wouldn’t be doing either,’ she reassured him, feeling a warmth rush over her. She wanted to be near him. ‘I was heading back anyway and I don’t have any plans for the next hour or so and I’d feel more comfortable at home dressed like this.’
‘I suppose my gear’s not really befitting a restaurant,’ he remarked, looking down at his shorts and sports shoes as he caught up to her. ‘Although you look sensational, so there wouldn’t be any complaints from patrons or management if you waltzed in dressed like that.’
Flick smiled nervously. ‘Follow me,’ she said, half-wondering why she had suggested they head to her place. She barely knew Tristan but something about him made her feel safe. It was crazy, she knew, but her intuition was pushing her in a direction that reason would never normally have chosen. ‘And by the way,’ she said, ‘if we’re ditching protocol, my friends call me Flick.’
They talked for more than an hour, sitting on the narrow balcony of Flick’s apartment. She wasn’t fussed that she hadn’t finished cleaning. She was too relaxed to care. More than once, she joked it was more like a wide ledge than an actual balcony. The weather-beaten outdoor furniture had seen better days, but it served its purpose and allowed them to enjoy both their coffee and an uninterrupted view of the beach. Sharing the tiny, sunny space was a three-tiered planter box filled with herbs that Flick used for cooking. Basil, she told him, was her go-to herb that turned average into sensational. And oregano was her landlord’s favourite, so she would give him a small bunch every Friday morning when she paid the rent.
‘I can see you have a love of cooking and walks on the beach, but what is it that you love about being a midwife?’
Flick didn’t have to think about her reply. ‘Everything. It’s a privilege to travel the journey with a woman to the birth of her baby and then a little beyond that and see how the new family member is adapting to life. And how quickly everyone falls in love with the little person.’
Tristan noticed her face become animated as she spoke. Her love of her work was palpable.
‘Do you prefer attending home or hospital births?’
Again her answer was spontaneous. No debate needed. ‘Home births. I love working in MMU, but for me being out in the community and assisting with home births, that’s what makes it all worthwhile. It’s all about continuity of care,’ she said. ‘The mother feels safe that she knows us, and we’re like part of the family from around sixteen weeks into her pregnancy until six weeks after the birth. It’s an amazing time and I feel so blessed to be a part of such a beautiful experience.’
Tristan watched her face continue to light up as she spoke. It was definitely her calling and she’d needed no prompting as to why she’d chosen that career. They continued to chat about the hospital, their careers and the gala ball that they discovered they were both attending that night. Tristan became aware of how much of Flick’s time he had taken up and reluctantly he knew he had to leave. He didn’t want to outstay his welcome and he suspected she would want to get ready for the evening’s event.
‘Can I drive you to the gala tonight?’ he asked as he stood. ‘I could swing by and pick you up if you haven’t arranged transport.’
Tristan seldom went out socially and even less often accepted an invitation to a woman’s apartment so the day was by no means a regular in any way for him. He had met a gorgeous young woman on the beach, who he knew a little about from the hospital, he had accepted her suggestion of coffee at her apartment and now he wanted to take her out. He wasn’t sure what was happening. Logic reminded him that it wasn’t a date, she already had a ticket and he was merely offering to be a friendly chauffeur, but his heart was warming in a way that he hadn’t expected.
He’d already known before they’d shared a chat over coffee that Flick was naturally gorgeous and now he added fun, intelligent and passionate about her career as a midwife. The hour had passed like a few minutes, and he didn’t want their time together to end. He wanted more. He felt as if he had just touched the tip of a beautiful iceberg and although he had always kept his personal life very separate from the hospital, he suddenly wanted to throw that rule away and to know everything he could about her.
And his libido had also joined the debate.
‘That’s very kind of you but I’ve made plans with my friend Sophia, she’s a caseload midwife, and I’m shadowing her during my placement. I couldn’t let her down, she’s hired a limousine to take us there.’
‘I completely understand. My car, nice as it is, couldn’t compete with a limousine.’
Flick’s lips curved to a smile. ‘That’s not the way I meant it to sound.’
Tristan returned a friendly smile but his body was imagining what it would be like to kiss her. It took all of his self-control not to pull her to him and feel the softness of her mouth on his. He had no doubt her kiss would be as sweet as she was, but he sensed there would also be passion in her lips … and her body.
Reaching for the chilled water on the table beside him, he gulped the entire glass in the hope of bringing himself to his senses. He watched her walk barefoot inside her apartment and put her glass and cup in the sink. She was so naturally sexy, just watching her silhouette made him want to feel her body against his, and thinking that way was out of character for him.
Swallowing hard, he followed her lead and placed his glass in the sink on the way to the front door. He was fascinated by her. He had never felt this way in such a short amount of time. The midwife dressed like a beach bunny had definitely crept under his skin.
He walked down the outside steps that led to the road below, leaving Flick at the top of the steps, but he couldn’t resist turning back for a second. ‘Maybe I’ll convince you to dance with me before the night is over.’
Flick smiled back at him in silence. She knew it wouldn’t take much convincing.
Flick stepped from the limousine and onto the red carpet, wearing a strapless floor-length gown of midnight blue satin with a crystal-beaded bodice. The price tag had made her gasp, but she had decided that the dress she wore to her first ball would be one she would remember for ever, so she bought it anyway. Her hair was down and in loose curls that skimmed her bare shoulders. She wore kitten-heel slingbacks and small crystal stud earrings, and carried an evening purse that she had bought to match her dress. If she had already blown her budget, she decided she may as well have the accessories. She was generally careful with her money, something she had learnt to do during her studies, so she could afford to splurge once in a while.
‘Ooh, red carpet, very nice,’ Sophia
