a paediatric surgeon, Mr Forelli.’
His mouth tightened, and she waited for an angry retort.
He didn’t disappoint. ‘I am, yes. Which is why Judge Lewis was comfortable with letting me look after his daughter.’
‘I see.’ He hadn’t really told her anything but this wasn’t the right arena to be asking with other staff hanging on to his every word like he was a god.
‘The next file is Tommy Jenkins’s. You know about him so we’ll move on.’ He lifted the third file from her fingers. ‘Amelia Saunders, ten years old, contracted dengue fever while on holiday in Fiji. Her liver took a pounding but with drugs her LFTs are slowly returning to normal and she’s starting to feel a little better. I’m thinking of letting her go home by the end of the week.’ The file slapped down on top of Tommy’s and another one was tugged from her light grip. ‘Andrew Frost. Fractured femur after falling off a horse.’ On and on went Mr Forelli. Completely in control. He answered all her questions without hesitation or referring to the patient notes. He knew his stuff. Very impressive.
Finally he said, ‘Let’s go and see these patients.’
‘Of course.’ Why was he in such a hurry? Did he want to get the upcoming conversation in her office done and dusted as much as she did? She pushed out of her chair. ‘If you’d like to accompany me, Mr Forelli.’ And she led the way out the door as Kay’s phone rang.
‘I’ll be right with you,’ Kay called after them.
Mario squashed down his annoyance with her. ‘Can’t you start by calling me Mario?’ He gave her a charming grin that defied her to disagree. ‘Everyone else does.’
‘I think you’ll find I’m not everyone else,’ she retorted, her proud eyes little warmer than a glacier.
‘How true.’ He huffed an annoyed breath. ‘You’re head of paediatrics with a reputation that’s the envy of all your peers.’ He stopped and leaned oh-so-nonchalantly against the closed doors of the lift access, easing another wide smile across his mouth as he assessed her. Again. What was wrong with him today? Taking all this time to suss out a woman? A woman who clearly didn’t want him here. Sure, he was tired after a sleepless night with Sophia but that was nothing new.
Then his mouth got further carried away with, ‘You dress superbly.’ Any woman would kill for that perfectly fitted navy blue suit and soft draping white blouse.
‘Thank you.’ Alexandra’s tone was still sharp but her eyes were warming. Just.
He started walking. ‘How long have you been working in Nelson?’ Where do you live? Who do you live with?
‘Three years.’
‘And before that?’ Have you got bambinos running around somewhere? Though if you do, then why aren’t you at home with them? And why did he want to know these things? This was his boss. Her private life was of no interest to him whatsoever. Just being friendly. And testing the temperature.
‘In San Francisco, specialising.’ Alexandra tilted her head so she could glare up at him more thoroughly. ‘I’m the one who should be asking questions. Such as, exactly how long have you been working here, Mr Forelli?’
So, not Mario, then. Not yet anyway. But give him time, he’d get there. ‘Almost four months.’
Her eyebrows did that imperious rising motion, disappearing under her fringe as the implication of that sunk in. ‘Four months?’
‘Yes. I started a week after you left for your sabbatical.’
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