That sounded promising. Alex had drawn the line between professional and personal, and if he could take the kiss out of the equation then so could she.
‘Next?’
Marie squeezed her eyes closed and recited the next question. ‘That Christmas, at medical school, when we all went home for the holidays, what did you do?’
He was silent for so long that Marie began to wonder whether he’d hung up on her. She wondered if he knew how much this mattered, and why.
‘Okay. I’ll play. I stayed in my flat and watched TV all day.’
Marie caught her breath. He knew, and he’d answered honestly. ‘You could have come to ours. You just had to say you were on your own.’
‘You’re really going to take that route, Marie? You’d have been too proud to let me bring as much as a box of mince pies with me. And you’re wondering why I was too proud to admit that I was going to be on my own?’
Marie could understand that, even if she was sorry that he’d felt that way.
‘Next question. And tell me you’re not going to let me down by making this an easy one.’
Marie felt her ears start to burn. But that was Alex all over. He could be confrontational, but there was always that note of self-deprecatory laughter in his tone that made it all right.
‘Do you think the clinic’s going to save you, Alex?’
He was silent for a moment.
‘Nice one. Those aren’t the words I’d have used… But the inheritance is a responsibility, and I know from bitter experience that it’s the kind of thing that can subsume a person. I want to hold on to who I am. So, yes, I guess I am hoping that the clinic will save me.’
These were the answers she’d wanted. And there was only one thing more to say.
‘It’s a great project, Alex. And, yes, I’d really like to take the job.’
THE MONTH’S NOTICE Marie had given at her old job had seemed like an age. She’d received daily email updates about what was going on at the clinic, and she’d spent many evenings and most of her weekends replying to Alex. If their exchanges seemed more businesslike than friendly, then that was all good. They needed to start as they meant to go on, and Marie was ready to begin work in earnest.
She knew what had been done, but that didn’t match the effect of seeing it for herself. The facade of the building had been cleaned, exposing the soft yellow of the brick and the red terracotta detailing around the windows and door. The railings had been sanded and painted, and the old Tarmac playground was now a paved area, dotted with saplings that would soften the space as they grew. The main door had been stripped and varnished, and the dents from being kicked a thousand times as pupils had passed this way only added to its character.
The bell was new as well, and when she pressed it Alex appeared at the door, looking far less formal than his emails had been, and suspiciously like the man she’d dared to kiss. Maybe seeing him every day would quash that reaction.
Marie smiled nervously as he led her through the glass lobby doors. ‘This is amazing!’
Everything was neat and tidy, with cream-painted walls and comfortable seating. Marie knew that the large curved barrier between the receptionist and the public space had been designed to protect the staff by stopping anyone from climbing across, but the sloping front looked like a thing of beauty and not a defence mechanism.
‘I’m pleased with the way it’s turned out.’ Alex looked around as if this was the first time he’d seen the space. ‘You didn’t have to start until Monday, you know. How was your leaving party last night?’
Marie rolled her eyes. ‘Long. We had too much cake, and then we went to the pub. I cried. I need something to do today to work off all the calories and the emotion.’
‘You’re not regretting this, are you?’ He frowned.
‘No. Looking forward to what’s next doesn’t mean I can’t miss my old job a bit as well.’
He quirked his lips down, as if missing the past was something he’d been struggling with, and then smiled suddenly in an indication that he wasn’t about to dwell on that.
‘You want to see your new office?’
‘Yes, please.’
Alex had suggested that she take the office next to his, but Marie wanted to be close to the two practice nurses and the health visitor who comprised their medical support team, and who would be located on the first floor. The problem had been solved by giving her an office that was directly above his and connected by a narrow private staircase.
‘What do you think?’
Cream walls, lots of light and plenty of space. That was standard issue here, but no doubt she could inject a little colour of her own. Marie had chosen a light-framed wooden desk, and behind it was an identical chair to Alex’s.
‘You got me one of these!’ Marie had wanted one, but hadn’t wanted to ask.
‘Yes. Call it an investment. I don’t want you taking any time off sick with a bad back.’
Marie grinned at him and sat down, feeling the chair respond to her weight. ‘I’ll just take two days off to adjust it, shall I?’
‘Mine took a week. The instructions are in your top drawer. Would you like to offer me some coffee?’
‘Have I got any?’
Actually, Marie could do with some coffee. The combination of cake and beer last night had left her feeling a little fuzzy this morning.
‘Behind you.’
He indicated a door at the far end of the cupboards that lined one wall, and sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. Marie went to look and found that the door concealed a neat worktop with a coffee machine and supplies. A splash of colour next to the line of cream mugs caught her eye.
‘You got me a mug!’ She took the bright pink mug down from the shelf and examined it. ‘With a flying pig! You remembered!’
‘You always used to say that you wanted an office with a sofa, and time to sit and talk with your patients.’
The informal seating area in his office contained four easy chairs, covered in a chocolate-coloured fabric, but for Marie he had chosen a sofa and two chairs in a lighter cappuccino colour.
‘And when you said that nothing was impossible, I told you that pigs might fly…’ It had been a joke between them. ‘Thank you, Alex.’
He seemed pleased with her reaction, but there was still a hint of reticence about his manner. The man Marie knew would have seen only exciting new opportunities, but Alex seemed burdened by his responsibilities.
He’d
