use bribery as a way in. I keep a box of child-friendly toys in my office for emergencies. Toy cars, colouring books, bubbles…I’ve even got a couple of hand puppets I break out when they’re too shy to speak directly to me. I find being a friend makes the whole experience less traumatic for them.’ He snagged a couple of fries from the plate and tossed them into his mouth, making short work of them too before she’d even taken her first bite.
‘Tried that. He’s got a room full of new toys at my place but apparently you can’t buy your way into a child’s heart. I think you’ve just got a knack with kids that apparently I don’t.’ It was something she’d assumed would happen naturally since she’d been in the system herself and could relate to the circumstances which would bring foster children to her.
Unfortunately, she was finding it took more than enthusiasm and a will for things to work out to make an impression on Simon. Not every child would fit seamlessly into family life the way she had. Not that it had been easy for her either when her adoptive father had decided he couldn’t hack it, but she’d had a special bond with her mother from the first time they’d met and they’d faced all the unexpected obstacles together. At least until she became an adult and decided she should venture out into the big wide world on her own. She wanted that same show of strength they’d had for her to enable her and Simon to work through the aftermath of the school fire but it wasn’t going to happen when he kept shutting her out.
Matt shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that but I’ve had a lot of practice.’
Quinn nearly choked on her tortilla wrap. ‘You have kids of your own?’
It would certainly explain how comfortable he was in that parenting role if there were a load of mini-Matts running around. The lack of wedding ring had blinded her to that possibility. Then again, marriage wasn’t always a precursor to fatherhood. He could also be an absentee father but he didn’t seem the type to have abandoned little Irish babies around the countryside either.
He spluttered into his glass. ‘Hell, no!’
The emphatic denial should’ve pleased her to know he wasn’t a feckless father but it was a stark reminder that the life she’d chosen wasn’t for everyone. At least he was upfront about it, unlike Darryl, who’d pretended to be on board with family life and bailed at the last minute.
‘You’re not going to tell me you actually hate kids or something, are you?’ Her heart sank in anticipation of more disappointment. She couldn’t bear to find out this affable surgeon had been nothing more than an act. If so, he deserved an Oscar for well and truly duping everyone who knew him from the Castle.
The sound of his deep chuckle buoyed her spirits back up again.
‘Not at all. They’re grand. As long as I’m not in charge of them outside work.’
‘Ah, you’re not the settling down type, then?’ It was blatant nosiness but he seemed such perfect husband and father material she couldn’t let it pass without comment. Not that she was actively looking for either when it hadn’t worked out so well the first time around. She’d clearly been out of the dating scene too long since she was sitting here thinking about playing happy families with the first man to show her any attention.
‘I’ve only just been released into the wild again. My dad died a while back, when I was in medical school. Cancer. I was left to raise my three sisters on my own. Bridget, the youngest, enrolled in college last year and moved away so I feel as though I’m finally starting my adult life. Child free.’ He took a short break from devouring his dinner, the subject interfering with his appetite too.
Both she and Matt’s siblings had been lucky they’d had someone special who’d been willing to sacrifice everything to provide for them. She wanted to do the same for Simon if he’d only let her.
‘That must’ve been tough.’ She was barely coping with one small boy and a part-time job. It was almost incomprehensible to imagine a young Matt raising and supporting a family while studying at the same time. Just when she thought this man couldn’t be any more perfect his halo shone that bit brighter.
It was a shame that no-kids rule put him firmly off-limits. Along with the whole medical ethics thing and the fact she’d chosen celibacy over trusting a man in her life again. As if she’d ever stand a chance anyway after he’d witnessed her puffy panda eyes and been drenched in her tears of self-pity. He’d probably endured a lot more as a single parent and cried a lot less.
‘Do you want some of my chips? Help yourself.’ He shoved his plate towards her and it took a second to figure out why he was trying to feed her.
‘Er…thanks.’ She helped herself to a couple to detract from the fact she’d probably been staring at him longingly.
Better for him to think she was greedy than love struck. She wasn’t too happy about the nature her thoughts had taken recently either.
‘It wasn’t easy but we survived and you will too. You figure this stuff out as you go along.’
It was good of him to share some of his personal details with her—he didn’t have to and she knew he’d only done it to make her feel better. It did. He was no longer an anonymous authority figure; he was human and he was opening up to her. A little knowledge of his private life made it easier to trust another kindred spirit. She supposed it was only fair she gave something of herself too, although he’d probably already heard more than enough about her for one day.
‘I thought with my background this would all be familiar territory. I was a foster kid myself. My birth parents were too young to handle parenthood and I bumped around the system until I was finally adopted. My mum never seemed to struggle the way I have, even when her husband walked out. I’m afraid history repeated itself. My ex left me too when I decided I wanted to foster.’ It was difficult not to take it personally that any important male figures in her life had abandoned her. From the emotional outbursts and irrational behaviour Matt had probably already figured out why no man wanted to face a future with her.
‘We’re all full of good intentions, but it’s not long before a cold dose of reality soon hits home, eh?’ He was smiling at her but Quinn was convinced there was a barbed comment in there. Perhaps he’d meant well by asking her to meet here but he’d found it tougher going than he’d imagined listening to her whining.
‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be lumbering you with all my problems. It’s not part of your job description and I’m putting you off your food.’
‘Not at all.’ He wedged the last bit of his burger into his mouth to prove her wrong.
‘I tutor from home so it’s been a while since I’ve had any adult company to vent with. Lucky you, you get to hear me offload first.’
‘It’s a hazard of the job. I’m a surgeon-cum-counsellor.’ His grin said he didn’t mind at all.
It was a relief to get off her chest how much these past two months had impacted on her and not be judged on it. She was doing enough of that herself by constantly comparing herself to her mother when the circumstances were so different. She’d been a young girl in the country, desperate for a family, and Simon, well, he wasn’t more than a baby and had already been through so much. He’d been passed around like an unwanted guest and now he was burned and traumatised by the fire, with no real idea of what was going to come of him.
Her mother had had an advantage simply by living in her rural surroundings. Fresh air and wide open spaces were
