department to be in a position to give advice.’ Her tone was light-hearted enough to make Roger grin.
‘So…you’ve got a reputation, have you, Dr Fletcher? How come Kelly knows and we don’t?’
‘There’s nothing to know.’ Fletch managed to sound convincingly surprised.
‘Oh, come on.’ Roger was still grinning. ‘What was it, Kelly? A past filled with wine, women and wild parties?’
‘Something like that,’ Kelly agreed.
‘How do you know?’ Wendy looked curious. ‘You weren’t one of the women, were you?’
Joe was also looking at Kelly. His raised eyebrow expressed surprise that she’d got herself into this verbal corner. His shrug suggested that he couldn’t think of any way to help extricate his colleague.
‘I’m sure she was.’ Roger’s glance was appreciative. ‘If Fletch had any taste, that is.’
‘Taste was never one of my strongest points.’ Fletch’s grin made the comment a joke to everyone other than Kelly. ‘Except for beer,’ he added. ‘I’ll come with you if you’re heading for the bar, Rog.’ He stood up.
‘Sure.’ But Roger wasn’t ready to move quite yet. He was still looking at Kelly, his curiosity unsatisfied. Fletch noticed the unspoken question as he waited. He shrugged offhandedly.
‘Kelly and I knew each other,’ he said casually. ‘It was a long time ago. Before she went to Australia. And it was no big deal, was it, Kelly?’
‘No.’ Kelly’s smile felt tight but she held Fletch’s gaze as steadily as she could. ‘It was no big deal.’
But it had been. Kelly had to force herself to break the eye contact with Fletch. It felt like a physical connection and it was suddenly unbearable. Their time together had certainly been a long time ago and maybe it hadn’t been a big deal for Fletch, but it had been big for her. As big as it got. Kelly tried to shake off the dismay that threatened to overwhelm her as Fletch turned to walk away.
Maybe it still was.
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