Risk of a Lifetime

He grabbed the little mid-afternoon lull and went out of the door to call his grandmother. ‘Hi, Marnie. How are you doing?’

‘OK. What’s wrong? You don’t usually ring during the day.’

‘I wanted to ask you a favour. We’ve been given tickets to the theatre tonight by a patient. I just wondered if you could cope without me this evening if I went.’

‘Of course I can cope. You go and have a lovely time. Are you going with anyone nice?’

He laughed softly. ‘I’m going with a colleague. We were both working on the case.’

‘Well, have fun with her.’

Her? Damn her razor-sharp intuition. He could challenge her but that would draw attention to it, so he changed the subject. ‘How’s he been today? Are you sure you can get him to bed all right on your own? Mum and Dad should be around if not.’

‘Of course I can do it. As you said, your parents are around if I run into difficulties.’

Although they both knew she wouldn’t call them unless there was an out and out crisis. And he could see where they were coming from, how emotionally distressing his father found it, but—

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course I’m sure. You go out and have a lovely time, but I expect you to tell me all about it.’

He chuckled. ‘OK, will do. I’ll see you later. Call if you need me, I’ll have my phone on silent but I’ll feel it ring and I can always leave. It won’t be too late, anyway.’

‘I won’t need you. You go and have fun. Love you, darling.’

‘Love you, too. I’ll see you later.’

He hung up and turned round, to find Annie watching him thoughtfully.

‘I thought you said you were single?’

He blinked. ‘I am. That was my grandmother.’

‘Oh.’ She coloured slightly and waved a hand. ‘Sorry. I’m a bit, um...’

‘Suspicious?’

‘Sorry,’ she said again. ‘It’s a habit.’

He nodded, then said casually, ‘So did you get your babysitter sorted out?’

She stiffened, her eyes widening briefly with alarm, and then she frowned. ‘How...?’

‘Kate,’ he told her, although he didn’t tell her what else Kate had said in the process of eliminating the competition.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Of course. Silly me.’ She gave a wry laugh but she didn’t look pleased and so he didn’t pursue it. Her dependants were none of his business.

‘So—did you sort it?’ he asked again, and she nodded.

‘Yes. Yes, I did. It’s fine.’

‘Good. That means we’re both free. So, shall I pick you up at seven?’

Panic flared in her luminous blue eyes. ‘No. I’ll meet you there at a quarter past. It’s only a short walk from home and it’s a lovely day.’

And you don’t want to give me your address.

‘OK. I’ll be there at seven-fifteen, armed with the tickets. We can have a drink before the show. I’ll get them in ready. What would you like?’

‘Oh. Um—dry white wine?’

‘OK.’ He smiled at her, curious that she seemed suddenly flustered by the idea of the drink. ‘So—do you want me, or were you just eavesdropping?’

‘I want y—’ She broke off, and soft colour washed over her cheeks again as she registered what she was saying, but she held his eyes anyway and he suppressed a smile. ‘There’s a little girl I want you to look at,’ she amended.

‘OK. Lead me to her, and you can fill me in.’

* * *

This is not a date.

She stared blankly at the contents of her wardrobe, the words echoing in her head like a mantra.

So—what to wear, then? Jeans? Or smart-casual, which opened a whole new can of worms, because there was a huge range of options.

Who was she kidding? Her wardrobe was scanty, to say the least, and apart from work clothes she spent precious little on it because the budget just didn’t stretch to pretty stuff she never got to wear.

But there was one thing, a rich sapphire-blue maxi dress in soft jersey that she’d bought last summer that she could dress up or down, and she really, really didn’t want to wear jeans and a top again. She hardly ever went out. This was the first time in ages, and she knew it wasn’t a date, but there was no harm in looking nice, was there?

And at least it didn’t smell of coffee.

She put it on, ripped it off again and put a strappy white vest top on underneath, then pulled it on again and stood back. Better. Cleavage would send out a whole different message, one she wasn’t happy with—and just to be on the safe side, she was wearing a T-shirt bra with moulded cups so her nipples wouldn’t show if she got chilly. He’d seen quite enough of them today already.

She slid her feet into some pretty little flat pumps, pulled on a cardi, contemplated and dismissed a necklace and at the last minute spritzed herself with perfume.

It was evening, after all, and she couldn’t wear it at work, so why not? She checked her lippy, stood back for another look and then glanced at her watch.

Yikes. She was going to have to run.

‘Bye, Mum,’ she said, sticking her head round the door.

‘Bye, darling. You look lovely. Have a good time.’

‘Thanks, I will. Call if you need me, I’ve got my phone on silent. Got to dash.’

She grabbed her bag, debated a jacket and then went without it. No time to dither, no time to stroll there in a leisurely fashion, just a rapid walk that brought her up the steps to the Yoxburgh Playhouse at a hair past seven-fifteen.

She walked in, went up to the bar and he was standing there waiting for her, looking good enough to eat in a casual linen blazer, jeans and a blinding white shirt open at the neck to reveal that oh-so-masculine throat. He hadn’t shaved, and the dark shadow on his jaw just added to the tantalising aura of danger that surrounded him.

His smile made her heart trip faster.

‘Hi. Sorry I’m late.’

‘You’re not—well, only a few seconds. Here, have a drink.’

She took the glass, conscious of the fact that she was windswept, breathing hard and would probably start to glow like a beacon in a moment. ‘Thank you.’

‘My pleasure. You look lovely, by the way. Pretty dress.’

‘Thanks. I don’t really have a lot of choice, and it’s nice to have a chance to wear it.’

‘It suits you. That colour really works with your eyes.’

‘What, the shadows underneath?’

He chuckled. ‘You really need to learn to take a compliment, Annie.’

Well, no, she didn’t. She’d had compliments, bucketloads of them, but they’d all been lies and frankly she didn’t care if she never heard another one. As she’d pointed out to him, being suspicious was a habit.

‘Sorry. I don’t trust compliments.’

He frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something and then shut it again, but his eyes were frank and assessing, and she got the feeling there wasn’t much he didn’t see.

And that made her uneasy. She didn’t want to be the object of his scrutiny, so she changed the subject fast.

‘So—remind me of the plot?’

One of those strong, dark eyebrows quirked, but he let her get away with it.

‘Oh, it’s crazy. Two daffy old sisters who poison their lodgers and bury them in the cellar in graves dug by a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and he’s digging the Panama Canal, and another brother who’s in love with the preacher’s daughter. I haven’t seen it for years but it’s very, very funny.’

‘It sounds chaotic. I was trying to remember if I’d ever seen it, but I don’t think I have. What a shame about Elizabeth’s fall.’

‘Mmm. They were really looking forward to it. She’s doing OK, by the way. I rang a little while ago and she was out of surgery and back on the ward and it all went well.’

‘Good. Well, here’s to them.’

She raised her glass, and he clinked his against it and held her eyes with his as he took the first sip.

They smouldered slightly—or was it just her imagination? She looked away, suddenly conscious of his nearness in the now-crowded bar, and she felt the warmth from her brisk walk beginning to make itself felt.

‘Gosh, it’s getting hot in here,’ she said, peeling off her cardi and slinging it over her arm.

‘It’ll be warm in the auditorium, too. We’d better drink up and go and find our seats.’

‘Good idea.’ She drained her glass, felt the wine hit her system and wished she’d had a little more to eat before she’d come out. All she needed was to trip over the steps and fall flat on her face.

But she didn’t fall, and he held her elbow and ushered her politely to her seat, folding it down for her and then sitting after she was settled.

Bone-deep good manners.

And suddenly she felt safer, less threatened, because for all he was gorgeous, he’d said and done nothing to make her feel uncomfortable. It was just her own reaction to him, and she could manage that. It was under her control.

It would be fine.

And it was, right up until the time the lights dimmed, the audience went quiet and her arm brushed against his in the narrow seats.

He’d taken off his jacket, turned back his sleeves and the soft hairs on his forearm teased her skin, making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention.

Heat shot through her, and she shifted subtly, moving slightly out of his way, but there was someone on the other side who was taking the whole armrest, so she shifted back again, right into the warm, fragrant air that surrounded him, the scent of cologne drifting over her and making her want to lean closer and breathe him in.

She resisted the urge, just folded her hands in her lap to keep her elbows out of mischief, and then the action on stage caught her attention and she made herself forget about him and let the experience take over.

* * *

‘That was so, so funny.’

‘Wasn’t it? Utterly hilarious. Very physical. I’m surprised some of the cast haven’t been in to see us before now. They did Alan Ayckbourn’s Noises Off when I was in Nottingham, and someone came in with a broken leg from falling down the stairs one too many times.’

‘Ouch. The things they do for their art.’ Annie tugged her cardi closer round her shoulders as they headed for the street. ‘Gosh, it’s cooled off. I am an idiot, I nearly brought a jacket but I was running late and it seemed quite warm at seven.’

‘Here.’

Before she could protest, she felt the weight of his blazer draped around her shoulders, warm from his body and carrying the scent of his cologne. It was like wearing him, and she breathed in slowly and drew the heady essence of him deep into her lungs.

‘Better?’

‘Much. Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome. I could make a wisecrack about you not dressing adequately, but I’m not that mean.’

‘No, of course not. Just for that, I won’t offer it back.’

‘Pride wouldn’t let me take it. And anyway, as I’ve already pointed out, you look lovely so it’s a small sacrifice.’

‘I’m sure you’ll live.’

‘I’m sure I will. But it does mean I have to walk you home to repossess it.’

He grinned at her with that little-boy grin, and she smiled back, her eyes softening. ‘That’s fine, I’ll let you. I don’t think you’re about to turn into a stalker. Thank you for taking me this evening, by the way.’

‘You’re welcome. Thank you for coming. You do realise if you hadn’t been able to, I would have been obliged to ask Kate.’

She laughed softly at his shudder. ‘Why didn’t you ask her in the first place? I can’t believe you’re really scared of her.’

He chuckled. ‘No contest. It was you or Kate, and you were the obvious choice. Apart from the fact that Jerry gave us the tickets and not Kate, I’d far rather be with you. I think we have the same sense of humour.’

‘And Kate doesn’t?’

His mouth quirked. ‘Kate isn’t interested in humour. She just wants my body.’

Annie spluttered and clapped her hand over her mouth to suppress the laugh. ‘That’s outrageous!’

‘It’s true. She as good as said so. I told her I wasn’t interested.’

‘She’ll be gutted. She fell in love with you yesterday when she saw you through the glass.’

He chuckled, but there was a tinge of colour on his neck and it made her smile.

‘So—just out of curiosity,’ she asked after a moment of companionable silence, ‘and feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but who was your grandmother putting to bed?’

‘Ah. My grandfather. He’s—’ Ed broke off, and his face looked troubled.

‘Sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.’

‘That’s OK. He’s in a wheelchair and he’s a bit difficult to deal with sometimes.’

She nodded slowly. ‘Is that why you’re here? To help with caring for him?’

He looked down at her, surprised by her intuition, but maybe he shouldn’t have been because she seemed to be able to read him easily.

‘Yes,’ he told her, because it was the truth, if not the whole truth. ‘He’s going downhill fast now, and Marnie really can’t manage any longer, but she’s determined to look after him herself. I don’t know how long he’s got, but I promised her I’d be around for her until he’s gone.’

‘And then?’

He shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

‘So do you live with them?’

He shook his head, surprising her. ‘No. I’ve got my own place closer to the hospital. I’m renting it from the Walkers. He’s an obstetrician. James put me in touch with them when he offered me the job.’

‘And does she mind? Your grandmother?’

‘No,’ he said, but he wasn’t sure it was true. ‘She would probably rather have had the company, but I told her I needed to be nearer the hospital and she was OK with it.’

‘So where do they live?’

‘On the clifftop near the golf club.’

She frowned. ‘But—that’s only about a mile or so away from the hospital.’

‘I know, but mine is closer, and that’s five minutes in an emergency, and she hasn’t questioned it. And I needed my own space.’

‘And you couldn’t say so.’

He smiled wryly. ‘No. Not directly. Not like that.’

Annie nodded slowly. ‘Families are tricky things. Juggling all the obligations. The guilt.’

‘Tell me about it.’ He looked down at her again as they strolled slowly along the pavement. ‘So where does your mother live?’

‘With me. Or, rather, we live with her. I’ve got two daughters. Twins. Chloe and Grace. They’re nearly three. She took early retirement and moved down to London to help me when I went back to work, and we lived in my rented flat, but then my grandmother needed more support so we moved back up here to Mum’s bungalow when a job came up last summer. I’ve been here nearly a year and it’s been brilliant, but we couldn’t afford a big enough house for all of us so we’re living in Mum’s for now until I’ve cleared my debts from my maternity leave. It’s a bit crowded, though, and sometimes I just long for my own space.’

He nodded. ‘I can understand that. Even if it’s just for a short while every day, it’s important, and I imagine that’s even more true with twins. That’s pretty hard-core parenting, I should imagine, especially in the early days.’ He hesitated for a minute, then went on, ‘And their father?’

‘Not part of our lives,’ she said firmly, and he heard the door slam firmly closed.

That was fine. He had enough no-go areas in his own life to understand she had hers, but it didn’t stop him despising a man who could abandon his own children. Some people didn’t know how lucky they were.

She’d come to a halt, pausing in front of a small detached bungalow in a leafy avenue just around the corner from his rented house.

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