said, as they finished breakfast and began clearing the table. ‘Including those for your vehicle.’
‘Thanks.’ He bent and began stacking the dishwasher.
Darcie blinked a bit. Heavens, he really was house-trained. ‘Natalie Britten will be the RN on duty and with a bit of luck a couple of our ancillary staff should turn up as well. There’s a list of numbers to call if there are any staffing problems.’
‘You like all your ducks in a row, don’t you?’
Darcie’s chin came up. ‘We’re running a hospital,’ she countered. ‘We have to make some effort for things to be orderly.’
‘That wasn’t my first impression.’ He smiled then, a little half-smile that seemed to flicker on one side of his lips before settling into place.
‘A tiny glitch.’ Darcie shrugged away his comment. ‘I think you enjoyed surprising us.’
‘Perhaps I did.’ He considered her for a long moment. ‘Will you be home tonight?’ Oh, good grief! He squirmed inwardly. He’d sounded like her father!
Darcie looked up warily. Was he enquiring whether she had a boyfriend who might be wanting to keep her out all night? Well, let him wonder about that. ‘Yes, I’ll be home. But I may be late.’
Jack closed the door on the dishwasher and stood against it. ‘Have a good day, then.’
‘I shall.’ She hovered for a moment, pushing her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. ‘Thanks for this, Jack. The day off, I mean.’
He shrugged. ‘You’re probably owed a zillion.’
‘If there’s an emergency...’
He sent her a dry look. ‘If I need you, I’ll call you. Now scoot.’ He flicked his fingers in a shooing motion. ‘Before I reassign you.’
She scooted.
Jack wandered out onto the veranda, the better to take in the vibe of his new surroundings. Leaning on the timber railings, he looked down at the wildly flowering red bottlebrush. The hardiest of the natives, it simply produced more and more blossoms, regardless of the vagaries of the seasons.
Raising his gaze, he looked out towards the horizon. There was a ribbon of smoke-laden cloud along the ridge tops. So far it obviously wasn’t a cause for concern. He hoped it stayed that way...
The clip of Darcie’s footsteps along the veranda interrupted his train of thought. He swung round, a muscle tightening in his jaw, an instinct purely male sharpening every one of his senses. She’d gathered up her hair and tied it into a ponytail and she’d outlined her mouth with a sexy red lipstick.
His heart did a U-turn. His male antennae switched to high alert. Hell. This was right out of left field.
He fancied her.
Darcie stopped beside him, dangling her Akubra hat loosely between her fingers. ‘Taking in the scenery?’ Her quick smile sparkled white against the red lipstick.
‘Just getting acquainted with the possibilities.’ And wasn’t that the truth.
‘Good,’ she said lightly, and proceeded down the steps. At the bottom she turned and looked back. ‘Don’t wait up.’
Cheeky monkey. Jack dipped his head to hide a burgeoning grin and countered, ‘Don’t fall off.’
Then, with something like wistfulness in his gaze, he watched as she reversed out of the driveway and took off.
His hands tightened their grip on the railings, some part of him wanting to rush after her, flag her down.
And spend the entire day with her.
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