Snowbound With The Single Dad

They sat down and Jess sipped her coffee. It was just as good as it was in every shop in the country. ‘I think it’s a great idea. I wonder if the hospital would consider it? The hospital kitchens are great, but the staff canteen is run by an outside firm. It’s nowhere near as good as this.’

‘I can give you some details if you want.’

‘That would be perfect.’ She leaned back in her chair. ‘You could quickly make me the most popular woman in the hospital.’

‘I’m sure you’re that already.’ His voice was low and he was looking up at her from over the top of his steaming cup of coffee.

She couldn’t help the little upturn at the corners of her lips. When had the last time been that she’d had a man flatter her? It had been so long ago she couldn’t remember.

Sure, there had been the odd unwanted leering comment, the kind that made your stomach turn—and not in a good way.

But this was different. It hadn’t been invited. Or expected.

It was just—well, a nice comment. The kind that sent a little rosy glow all through you. Something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

It was kind of weird how she felt about all this. That first glimpse of Callum on the riverbank had been a total shock. And the way her body had reacted—her natural instinct—had been even more of a shock.

Because her natural instinctive response to Callum had been very physical. It hadn’t helped that they’d been thrust together—in more ways than one—and parts of her body that had seemed dead had suddenly sparked into life.

It was taking time to get her head around all this.

And, to be frank, she was struggling.

In a way she wished she could be that naïve seventeen-year-old again, thinking that her heart was breaking as she left her first love behind.

If only she’d known then what she knew now.

That wasn’t the thing that broke your heart. Not even close.

But all her memories of Callum were good. They were safe. Even if they came with a heavy dose of passion and teenage angst.

She didn’t feel afraid around Callum. And she liked the way he was looking at her. It made her feel as if she was finally worth looking at again.

Pauline’s words echoed around her head. A world of possibilities.

‘Callum, I need to speak to you about something.’

The words jerked Jess out of her daydream. A well-stacked blonde was directly in her line of vision, her boobs inches from Callum’s nose. Were those real?

‘We need to talk about the meeting tomorrow at city headquarters. I need to give you a report to review before you go.’

Strange things were happening to Jess. The hackles had just gone up at the back of her neck and she felt an intense dislike for this extremely pretty and apparently efficient blonde. What on earth was wrong with her? She was never like this.

‘Hi, Lynn. I’m actually in the middle of something right now.’

‘What?’ She glanced over at Jessica—whom she’d completely ignored—with renewed interest. ‘Well, I’ll let you finish up. But I’ll need to see you in five.’

She turned to sweep away. Jess felt a smile sneak across her face as she realised Callum hadn’t stared once at the boobs on display.

‘Actually, I’ll be a bit longer than that.’ He gave a wave of his hand. ‘I’ll come and find you later.’

Lynn shot him a look of surprise, but Callum wasn’t even looking at her any more. His attention was completely on Jessica.

Jess’s heart gave a little flutter. She’d just recognised the sensation she’d felt a few seconds ago on Lynn’s approach. Jealousy.

It was almost as if she’d landed in the middle of the icy-cold Clyde again, with the freezing water sweeping over her skin.

There was something very strange about all this. Being around Callum was making her feel again, something she thought would never happen. She’d been switched off for so long that she wasn’t recognising everything straight away.

This was dangerous territory. She would have to take baby steps.

But all of a sudden it didn’t seem quite so scary.

She gave Callum a little smile. ‘So, tell me more about uni.’

She had to start somewhere and it was as good a place as any.

‘Daddy, I don’t feel good.’

Callum was sleeping but the little voice jerked him straight out of the weird dream that was circulating around his brain. Jessica dressed in a clown suit. Where did these things come from?

Yesterday had been fun. They’d spent most of the time together reminiscing. Talking about their past seemed to relax Jess. And he liked her like that.

He also liked the fact he was spending time with someone he trusted. Someone he didn’t need to feel wary around. Somebody who wouldn’t let him down.

But right now his paternal radar was instantly on alert. Drew was standing in the doorway, his eyes heavy with sleep and his hand rubbing his stomach. This was the second day he hadn’t felt great. The second night Callum had put his dinner untouched into the bin.

Over the last two weeks Drew’s symptoms seemed to flare up and then die down again.

He lifted up the corner of his duvet. ‘Come over here so I can see you.’

Drew scuttled across the room and straight under the cover next to his dad. Callum pressed his hand to his head. He didn’t feel warm—no obvious temperature. ‘What’s wrong, big guy? Do you feel sick?’

According to Drew’s primary teacher half the class were off with a sickness bug. Maybe some of them had even ended up in Jessica’s hospital. Rumours were circulating that it was norovirus.

Just what he needed. He still had the accident report to complete and there had been another incident at work today that would need to be followed up.

‘Not sick, Daddy. Just a rumbly tummy.’

‘Are you hungry? Is your tummy rumbling because you didn’t eat any dinner?’ He glanced at the clock. Two a.m. ‘Do you want Dad to make you some toast?’ It wasn’t an ideal situation but if it settled Drew and got him back to sleep quickly, he could live with it.

Drew lay back against the pillows. ‘No. Not hungry.’ He moved a little closer. ‘Just rub my tummy, Daddy, that will make it better.’

‘You’re sure? Do want a little drink of water?’

Drew shook his head and closed his heavy eyes.

Callum’s hand automatically moved into position, very gently rubbing Drew’s tummy in little circles. What could be wrong?

He hated to overreact. He hated to be an over-anxious father. But the truth was he had very few people he could bounce things like this off.

His friends Julie and Blair were the obvious choice but he wasn’t going to call them at this time of night.

He glanced at the clock again. Maybe he would take Drew back to the GP in the morning. The trouble was, he hated going to the GP with a list of vague symptoms. A list of not much but maybe it could be.

It made him feel paranoid. It made him feel as if he wasn’t coping. And that was the last thing he wanted anyone to think.

Did single mothers feel like this too?

Drew was the most precious thing in the world to him. He couldn’t live with himself if he brushed something off and it turned out to be serious.

Maybe he should have asked Jessica yesterday. She was a paediatrician, she knew everything there was to know about kids.

But he hadn’t thought about it and that made him feel a little guilty. He hadn’t even told her about Drew yet. Should he have? Theirs was a professional relationship. Nothing more, nothing less. But a tiny little part of his brain was nagging away at him, thinking that maybe it could be something else.

He still hadn’t got to the bottom of her words. Things just didn’t work out for me.

She’d been really careful today to keep steering the conversation back to him—or work, whenever he’d asked anything vaguely personal. She’d mentioned her mum and dad, a few old friends they’d known years ago. But nothing about herself.

Maybe he should wait until he found out what that meant before he gave it another thought.

He cuddled up with his little boy. Drew was his top priority right now.

The first person he looked at in the morning and the last person he looked at at night.

And that’s the way it would stay.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE WARD WAS quiet and he’d no idea where Jessica was. The nurse had just pointed down in this general direction.

He walked past a few windows, seeing children lying in beds with anxious parents next to them.

His heart clenched slightly. He would hate to be in that position. Thank goodness Drew usually kept in good health. He still hadn’t got to the bottom of that stomach ache. The GP had basically fobbed him off and Callum didn’t blame him because when they’d finally got an appointment, Drew had been full of beans and jumping around the place.

It was always the same with kids.

The ward sister he’d met a few times was standing next to one of the doors. ‘Hi, Pauline.’

She gave him a knowing smile. ‘Hi, there, Callum. And who might you be looking for?’

He sighed. He’d known from the first time he’d met her that Pauline could read everyone instantly. Why even pretend it was anything else? He still hadn’t seen Jess, so this might work in his favour.

He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms. ‘Let’s just say I’m looking for our favourite doc.’ He lifted his eyebrows. ‘All work-related, of course.’

Pauline nodded. ‘Of course.’ But the smile was spreading further across her face. She lowered her voice. ‘I think our mutual friend will be very pleased to see you.’

He felt something flare inside him. That acknowledgement—no matter how brief—reassured him. Pauline and Jess were good friends. If Jess was talking to anyone it would be Pauline. It gave him a little hope. It also gave him the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing away at him.

He hesitated for a second. ‘Pauline—about Jess.’

She raised her eyebrows, as if he was about to say something she didn’t want to hear. She was protective of Jess and that was nice.

‘Jess told me that things didn’t work out for her. And I know she’s reverted to her maiden name.’ He unfolded his arms and held out his hand towards her. ‘I wonder if you could tell me what happened. I get the feeling I’m treading on difficult ground.’

Pauline bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes met his. ‘You’re right, Callum, it is difficult ground but I think that it’s something Jess really needs to tell you herself.’ Her eyes looked down, as if she was hesitant to say any more. ‘Life hasn’t turned out the way she expected. Jess should be married with a family to love and I’m hoping that’s what she’ll get. Just give her a little time.’

She pointed to the next set of doors. ‘She’s down there. Go and say hello.’

Was this better or worse?

His curiosity had just scaled up about ten notches.

He wanted to give Jess time to tell him—he really did. There was just that little edge of wariness. That lingering feeling left by a previous experience.

Jess was nothing like Kirsten, Drew’s mother. They weren’t even in the same ballpark. But it didn’t stop his slightest sense of unease as he walked down the corridor.

He pushed the feelings to one side. He’d already made up his mind about what he wanted to do next. He wanted to see how Jess would react. And he wouldn’t know unless he tried.

Finally he caught sight of Jess’s caramel-coloured hair. She was sitting talking to a little girl with curly hair with her leg in a bright pink fibreglass cast. It was Rosie, from the minibus accident.

He stuck his head around the door. ‘Knock, knock.’

Jess looked surprised to see him. ‘Callum, what are you doing here?’

‘I phoned and left you a message. Didn’t you get it?’

She shook her head then turned to the woman sitting next to her. ‘Carol, this is Callum Ferguson. He’s one of the fire rescue crew who were at the accident. He helped get Rosie out of the bus.’

‘It’s him, Mummy! It’s him!’ Having a cast on hadn’t seemed to limit Rosie’s movements. She wiggled over to the edge of the bed. ‘The one I told you about.’

Rosie’s mum stood up and held out her hand. ‘Callum, my daughter has been talking about you non-stop. She seems to think you’re a superhero. She saw you abseil down the side of the riverbank.’

Callum felt a little rush of blood to his cheeks. This was the last thing he had been expecting. He shook his head and knelt down beside the bed. ‘You’re much braver than me, Rosie. You tumbled down the bank in the minibus. That must have been really scary. The way I got down wasn’t scary at all.’

Rosie held out her hands and reached round Callum’s neck, giving him a big hug.

Jessica was watching. Watching—and trying to keep the smile from her face at his appearance. Callum seemed totally at ease, not in the least fazed by the little girl’s action. Thank goodness. She had him on some sort of pedestal.

But it was kind of nice. Almost as if he was used to being in contact with kids.

Callum leaned back and tapped the pink cast. ‘How is your leg? I love the colour of your cast.’

Rosie smiled. ‘Thank you. Dr Rae and I have the same favourite colour. That’s why I picked pink.’

‘Well, I think it looks great. Your leg will be all better soon.’

Jess stood up and gave Carol and Rosie a smile. ‘I’ll leave you two. You can give me a call if you need me.’ She nodded her head towards the door. ‘Callum?’

She could smell his aftershave. It wasn’t familiar. It was different from the one he’d used the day they’d abseiled back up the slope. It was more spicy, with richer tones. She liked it.

They walked along the corridor. Callum waved his hand, in which he had a big brown envelope. ‘I’ve typed up the statement from the other day. I need you to read over it and sign it.’

She felt a flutter of disappointment. Business. Purely business. That’s why Callum was here. Not for any other reason. A strange lump was forming in her throat. Once she’d signed the statement she would have no reason to ever see Callum again.

Her heart had leapt when he’d appeared. She hated it when it did that. She kept telling herself over and over again that this was nothing. This meant nothing. Just some wild, crazy coincidence that their paths had crossed again. This was work-related.

He turned to face her and she tried hard not to stare at his chest, which was instantly in her view.

She raised her eyes to meet his bright green ones. It was one of the first things she’d ever noticed about Callum, his startling green eyes.

‘I can read the statement now, it will only take a couple of minutes.’ There was no point turning this into something it wasn’t. She saw him glancing at his watch, it was nearly six o’clock in the evening. He would be finished for the day—just the way she should be. Was he worried about being late? Did he have a date? Maybe that blonde from the fire station?

She hated the way that thought made her stomach curl.

‘Have you finished for the day?’

‘What?’

He’d moved a little closer and was towering over her, an impatient edge to his voice.

‘I mean have you finished? You can’t be on call again. I want you to come somewhere with me.’

She pulled back a little. There was something a little weird about him. Was he nervous?

She looked around her. The ward had quietened down. All patients had been seen, all prescriptions and instructions written. ‘Yes, yes, I’m finished.’ She was feeling a bit bewildered. A few seconds ago she had been sure everything was business as usual. He needed a signature to get the job finished so he could be on his way. And that had made her sad.

Now what?

A smile broke across Callum’s face. ‘Then get your coat.’ She was turning towards her office when she heard him mutter something under his breath. ‘You’ve pulled.’

She let out a burst of laughter and spun back around. ‘Did you just say what I think you did?’

It had been a joke between them. A daft teenage saying that both had used years before. But it came totally out of the blue and instantly took her back thirteen years.

Callum’s shoulders were shaking. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.’

Jessica stuck her hand around the office door and pulled out her woollen coat. There was a flash of bright pink. ‘Think you can cope?’ she asked as she wound her purple scarf around her neck and fastened the buttons on the bright coat.

He just nodded. ‘You did warn me about the bright pink coat, and knowing you I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Do you have gloves?’

She stuck her hands in the coat pocket and pulled out a pair of purple leather gloves. ‘Sure. Why?’

‘It’s a nice night out there. Just a little dusting of snow. I’d like to walk instead of drive. Are you okay with that?’

She pulled out a woolly hat and stuck it on her head. ‘I’m game if you are. But you’ve got me curious now. Where are we going?’

He gestured towards the door. ‘Let’s find out.’

They walked quickly through the lightly falling snow. It was pitch dark already—darkness fell quickly in winter in Scotland. The streetlights cast a bright orange glow across the wet pavements.

‘So where are you taking me?’

Callum drew in a breath. He was still getting over the fact he’d asked her. It had been totally instinctive. He’d only made the decision once he’d set foot on the ward—particularly after what Pauline had said to him. The words had come out before he’d even had a chance to think about them. A signature would have meant he’d have no excuse to see Jesssica again. And he wasn’t quite ready for that.

Drew was at mini-kicker football tonight. He went every week with Julie and Blair’s son. One week Callum gave them dinner and took them, the next week Julie and Blair took them. Drew wouldn’t be home until after eight o’clock.

‘That would be a surprise.’

‘Hmm…a surprise. How do you know I still like surprises?’

He gave her a little smile. ‘It’s an educated guess. Some things are just part of us—like our DNA. I’m working on the premise that the fundamentals haven’t changed.’

They turned a corner and started walking along one of the main roads. It was busier now, the crowds jostling along all seeming to be headed in one direction.

The strains of Christmas music could be heard above the buzz of the crowds around them. Jess stopped a few times to look at the Christmas displays in some of the shop windows. Finally, he placed his hand in the small of her back as he guided her around the corner and into George Square.

‘Oh.’ He heard the little bit of shock in her voice as the recognition of where they were sank in. The square was bustling, packed with people here to see the annual switching on of the Christmas lights. A huge tree stood in the middle of the square, already decorated and just waiting for the lights to be lit. The Lord Provost already stood on the stage, talking into a microphone and trying to entertain the crowds.

‘You brought me here? I can’t believe you remembered.’ Her voice had gone quiet, almost whispered.

This had been one of their first dates, coming to see the annual switching on of the Christmas lights in George Square. He hadn’t planned this. He hadn’t even thought about it. But as he’d driven to the hospital tonight he’d heard the announcement on the radio about the switch-on. It had almost seemed like a sign—a message. He’d had to ask her to come along. If only to try and take a little of the sadness out of her eyes.

‘There’s so many families,’ she said as she looked around, dodging out of the way of a little girl with long blonde hair running straight for them.

‘Yeah, there always are.’ Lots of people brought their families to the turning on of the lights. It was entirely normal. But he couldn’t help catch the little edge of something else in her voice.

‘Over here.’ Callum put his hand on her back again and guided her over to one of the street-vendor stalls. The smells of cloves, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts were all around them. Callum bought two cups and handed one over to her.

‘Want to take a guess at what colour the tree lights will be this year?’

Jessica leaned against one of the barriers, sipping her mulled wine and watching the people around them. It was obvious that her brain was trying to take in their surroundings. ‘They were purple the first year that we came here.’

‘And they were silver the year after.’ He kept his voice steady.

‘And red the year after that.’

It was clear that they both remembered and for some reason it was really important to him that it was imprinted on Jess’s brain just as much as it was on his. Half of him had been sure she would know why he’d brought her here, while the other half had been in a mad panic in case she’d turned around with a blank expression on her face.

‘They were blue last year,’ he murmured, not really thinking.

Jess spun round, the mulled wine sloshing wildly in her cup. ‘You were here last year?’

Yes. He’d been here with Drew. But it had turned out Drew didn’t really like the turning on of the lights. It was almost as if there was a little flare of panic in Jess’s eyes. Did she think he’d been here with another woman?

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was time to tell her about Drew. It seemed natural. It was a reasonable explanation for what he’d just said. But the look in her eyes, that and the wistful tone in her voice when she’d remarked on the families, made him think twice.

‘I was here with some friends.’

‘Oh.’ She seemed satisfied with that answer and rested her forearms back on the barrier.

The crowd thickened around them, pushing them a little closer together as people jostled to get a better place at the barrier. Callum wound his arm around her waist, holding her firmly against him, to stop anyone coming between them. The countdown around them started. Ten, nine…

It was the smallest of movements. Jess rested her head on his shoulder then a few seconds later he felt her relax a little more and felt some of the weight of her body lean against him.

A grin spread across his face. It wasn’t like anyone could see it but it had been automatic and was plastered there for the world to see. Three, two, one.

‘Woah!’ The noise went around the crowd as the lights flickered on the tree, lighting up the square in a deluge of pink and silver.

‘Pink! It’s pink!’ Jess yelped, as the wine sloshed out of the cup and she turned to face him. Her eyes were sparkling, her excitement evident. It was the first time since he’d seen her again that she looked totally carefree. Totally back to normal.

Her face was right in front of his, her brown eyes darker than ever before and their noses almost touching. He could see the steam from her breath in the cold night air. He placed his cup on the barrier and brought his hand to her hip, matching the hold of his other hand, and pulled her a little closer. He gave her a smile.

‘My plan worked. I told them that pink was your favourite colour and that you’d be here.’

She let out a laugh and placed her hands on his shoulders. She didn’t seem annoyed by him holding her. She didn’t seem annoyed at all. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was edging even closer.

Her dark eyes were still sparkling, reflecting the twinkling lights around them, ‘Oh, you did, did you? I bet that took a bit of planning, especially as you didn’t even know if I’d agree to come on a walk with you.’

He pulled her even closer. ‘Oh, I knew. I was absolutely sure you’d come with me.’

He could turn back the clock. He could flick a little switch right now and this could be thirteen years ago. Standing almost in this exact spot.

She tilted her head to the side. ‘Well, that was a bit presumptuous, wasn’t it?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. But this might be.’