long were you in Milan?’
‘Two years. And then I won a consultancy position six months ago. In Edinburgh.’
‘No way...’
Luke blinked. ‘What’s so surprising about that? Did you think I was going to stay a registrar for ever?’
Kate shook her head. ‘It’s not that. I’m a consultant too. In Glasgow.’
Luke laughed. ‘You mean we’ve been living fifty miles from each other and we had to travel halfway across Europe to catch up?’
‘Not even fifty miles. Georgia and I live in Brackenburn—halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I work in the Eastern Infirmary in Glasgow and Georgie’s a paramedic at a rescue base in Edinburgh.’
‘Do you have helicopters?’ Matteo asked Georgia.
‘Yes. Two. I don’t get to go up in them very often, though. Only when they’re short of staff. You?’
‘I’ve been a flight paramedic for eight years now. I love it...’
Kate and Luke weren’t listening to the conversation between their partners. People around them were starting to move, which meant that the time for finding out exactly what tomorrow would bring was getting close.
But they were both sitting very still. So much had happened in the years since they’d last seen each other. Kate wanted to know more and she was saddened by more than a hint of bitterness in Luke’s tone when he’d confirmed that his marriage was over. How could that have happened to one of the nicest people she had ever known?
Maybe something of what she was thinking was showing in her face.
‘What about you, Katy?’ Luke asked quietly. ‘You happily married now? Got a couple of kids at home? That was the plan, wasn’t it?’
Kate dropped her gaze. There was something a little shameful about admitting that she had failed to achieve her most important personal goals. She didn’t say anything, simply shaking her head as she reached for her glass to finish her drink.
‘We’d better get going,’ Matteo said. ‘It’s time...’
Kate stood up, more than happy to leave this conversation behind for the moment.
But Luke stayed where he was for a moment, staring up at Kate.
‘It was your birthday in March,’ he said.
‘It always is.’ Kate grinned. ‘Two weeks after yours, in fact.’
‘Yeah...so we both turned thirty-five.’
Was he trying to rub in the fact that she was still single? That parenthood was probably still years away? That she might get into her forties and get past the point where it might be even possible?
She could feel defensive hackles begin to rise. Maybe, thanks to his own unfortunate experience, Luke had changed from being the nicest person in the world.
But he was grinning. And he didn’t have to say a word for Kate to realise that he hadn’t been trying to remind her that time was ticking on.
He was reminding her of something else. Something they’d agreed on after that legendary night of celebrating their final results as they’d graduated as fully fledged doctors. Something she hadn’t thought about in at least five years.
Because it had become redundant the moment that Luke had got married.
Surely he didn’t think it could be reinstated because he was single again?
No. Kate turned away with a dismissive shake of her head.
‘The pact’ was no longer in existence.
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