this it?’ He waved the handpiece.
‘Yes. All you have to do now is press the down arrow button and the platform is programmed to slide out and down to the ground. Simply strap the chair in and press the up button.
‘Ah, yes, I can see it.’
A few seconds later he was at her side. ‘Is there anything else I can do?’
‘Thanks, but I can manage now.’
Tara felt her jaw tighten, and her words did little to disguise her feelings, which were churning around like a newspaper caught in a whirlwind. She’d had no idea being in close proximity to Ryan—alone—would have such an unsettling effect on her. She’d programmed herself to keep him at a distance and now he was sitting a handspan away from her.
At that moment she wondered if she’d made a mistake. She wished she could drive straight home.
But she couldn’t.
Though Ryan was grateful for Tara’s offer to help him out, he got the impression she wished she was anywhere but sitting next to him in her car.
What could he do to help her relax? After all it wasn’t his fault his car had broken down and she’d offered him the lift. She might be taking him back to his motel, but it wasn’t as if he then expected her to sleep with him.
Where had that come from?
The thought did hold some attraction, though. He glanced in her direction and dismissed the idea from his mind. The scowl on Tara’s face suggested she’d more likely suffer being thrown into a pit of deadly snakes than have the slightest physical contact with him.
But why?
He’d been pleasant and polite without being over-friendly. He’d made no demands on her, and he hoped he’d dealt with his ex-wife in a non-confrontational way.
But she’d changed. The openness they’d always shared in their relationship had been replaced by a cautious hesitancy; the love of life she’d had in bucketloads seemed to have dried up; taking risks and trying new things had been supplanted by the rigid routine enforced by her disability. And she certainly wasn’t to blame. No one was to blame. Ryan repeated the words that had become a mantra in the months following the accident.
No one was to blame.
Did Tara believe that?
He truly wanted to find out and, if the barriers were still up, shielding the intimacy they’d had in the past, then maybe he should just try for friendship. Now he had seen her again he knew he at least needed to talk to her. And perhaps he had the ideal opportunity tonight. After all, the worst that could happen was that she’d simply refuse, and he could live with that.
They were pulling into the driveway of the motel so he didn’t have much time.
‘I really appreciate you helping me out, Tara. Can I repay you for the lift?’
‘Pardon?’ She glanced briefly in his direction before bringing the car to a halt in front of the office.
‘I want to repay you.’
‘What do you mean?’ Her stare was ice-cool.
‘Liz gave me some leftovers from lunch and I have way too much to eat myself. Would you like to share them with me?’
The stare turned into a frown and then she looked straight ahead, moving the gearstick from ‘Park’ to ‘Reverse’.
‘Which unit is yours?’
Any kind of thaw seemed a long way away, and Ryan accepted the fact he’d just been handed a refusal. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
But then her expression changed. Still cool but the ice was melting.
‘Okay. I have that patient I mentioned earlier I wanted to discuss with you. Would you mind—?’
‘Of course not.’ Ryan had the feeling he had nudged a little closer to first base.
And what could be more innocent than two colleagues discussing a patient over a bite to eat? Tara shouldn’t feel threatened by that. Ryan’s face broke into a smile as he realised what he’d thought was going to be a gloomy end to his long day had the potential to shine.
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