Australian Affairs: Seduced: The Accidental Romeo

It did break the moment, though, a moment that neither usually minded breaking, but Harry soon got back behind her. ‘Where were we?’ he asked, nuzzling the back of her neck. The alarm going off the second time didn’t actually ruin things as she reached over and turned it off. It felt natural for Harry to pull her back to his warm body and slide himself in.

Marnie loved half waking to Harry. She loved this slow, lazy sex where she barely had to move, and she loved his breath in her ear.

‘I remember you now,’ Harry said. ‘I offered to buy you a drink.’

‘No,’ Marnie corrected, as he rocked deep inside her. ‘The drinks were free that night.’

‘I offered to get you a drink…’

‘No,’ Marnie corrected again, but she couldn’t really think straight. She was trying to turn her head to meet his mouth, trying to stop her own orgasm because she didn’t want it over just yet, or maybe she did because conversation was forgotten now as both surrendered to the bliss and then lay there for a few moments afterwards. Harry stroked her stomach; Marnie felt him soften and gradually slip away.

She didn’t want him to leave.

Harry didn’t particularly want to go home either. On a wretched, black day he’d glimpsed peace and it would be so incredibly easy to just drop all balls completely and close his eyes and sleep.

But he never would.

‘I’d better go soon.’

She turned to him and decided that, yes, he’d better because she was so comfortable, so warm, so enjoying being with him; it would be too easy to kiss him, or for them to both close their eyes and convince themselves they could wake up if they had just five minutes’ more sleep.

‘Go on.’ She disentangled herself and for Harry it was incredibly hard to haul himself out of bed.

‘When the twins are better…’

‘Harry…’ She shook her head, didn’t really want to spell out to him that a single father of two wasn’t quite the date she had in mind.

He picked up his shirt and held it up. ‘You couldn’t give this a quick iron, could you?’

‘Don’t even joke.’

As he did up his shirt, Harry caught sight of a blonde Marnie holding her son and, yes, he hadn’t been lying, he did remember her now.

‘I asked why you were leaving,’ Harry said. ‘You didn’t answer.’

‘Yes, well, you wouldn’t have liked it if I had,’ Marnie said. ‘I’d just found out I was pregnant.’

‘What went wrong?’ He wondered if he’d asked too much. There were so many no-go areas with Marnie—it would seem from her previous response that dinner and a bottle of wine was a no-no, yet, Harry realised as she started to answer him, she was prepared now to talk a little about her son.

‘Premature,’ Marnie said. ‘Poor little thing didn’t stand a chance—I had a placenta the size of an AA battery…’ It was a dark joke and Harry didn’t smile; he just picked up the photo and looked at them both as Marnie spoke on. ‘So not only was he premature, he was also small for dates. Then he got an HAI and was just too small to fight it.’

No wonder she was obsessive about hand-washing and curtains being changed, Harry thought—a hospital-acquired infection explained a lot of things but it was as if she’d read his thoughts.

‘I was always a clean-freak.’ Marnie smiled. ‘Even before Declan got so ill but, yes, I go a bit overboard at work.’

‘I don’t blame you.’

‘You’d better go,’ Marnie said. It felt strange to watch him holding her picture. It felt strange to be discussing that time with anyone other than Siobhan, who, even on the other side of the world, still nursed her through the yearly hell of birthdays and anniversaries and all the things you really needed a cuddle for, but a computer screen or telephone call had to suffice.

Harry didn’t want to go, not just because he wanted to climb back into bed and forget the world for a moment. It was more that there was so much to Marnie that he’d like to know, so much about today he was having trouble letting go of.

So many things that he didn’t want to end, and so he tried again.

‘Do you want to go out at the weekend?’

‘I’d imagine you’d have trouble getting a babysitter for twins with chickenpox.’

‘I guess…’ He felt strange walking off, as if he’d been using her, when for Harry it had been anything but. ‘Have you had chickenpox?’

‘I have.’

‘Maybe you could come over. I could cook.’

‘Harry, don’t spoil it.’ She was incredibly direct.

She made no excuses, Harry noticed as he dressed, and he should be glad of it. Glad for a woman who knew what she wanted—and a single dad to twins wasn’t high on her list.

She was just moving to the top of his.

Marnie was lying in bed, watching him as he did up his tie but then, as he came over and sat down to kiss her goodbye, she suddenly found a solution.

This too will pass.

She could almost hear Dr Vermont say the words.

‘Thank God we don’t work together…’ Harry gave a rueful smile as she reached for his tie and, as Marnie so loved to do, straightened it.

‘About that,’ Marnie said.

‘About what?’

‘Do you have a bath?’

‘Yes.’

‘How about I move in for a week?’

Harry grinned. ‘This from a woman who doesn’t even want to come out with me for dinner.’

‘I’m not talking about dating or romance,’ Marnie said. ‘I’m talking about me moving in and, between us, taking care of the children. Harry, you’re in the eye of the storm at the moment but in a week’s time you’ll have your lady back to help with the children, Juan will be working…If by then you still want to take yourself off and become hand surgeon of the year…’ She made a little joke and then stopped because actually she was completely serious. ‘My moving in for a week would give you a pause.’

‘Why would you do that?’

‘Because, I don’t want the department that I’ve just started running to fall apart.’

‘I can’t drag you from your home.’

‘It’s hardly a home,’ Marnie said. ‘I’ve only been here five minutes!’

She simply didn’t get attached to anything, Harry realised, but it would be so very easy to get attached to her, and he wasn’t just thinking about himself when he spoke.

‘It would be too confusing for the children,’ he said, because, for all his faults, he had managed to keeps his flings well away from them, and Marnie in his bed for a week…He shook his head but then realised that for Marnie this was strictly business.

She really could separate the two.

‘I’m not going to be sleeping with you, Harry, especially if there’s a chance we are going to continue working together. There’ll be no confusion.’ Marnie smiled. ‘I only want you professionally, Harry. It will be a working arrangement.’

‘I can’t ask you to take time off work to look after my kids.’

‘Who said anything about that? I have the weekend off already, a day off in lieu of nights on Monday, and I’ll take a management day on Tuesday and sort out those bloody rosters once and for all from home.’

His mind was turning faster. It was maybe, possibly doable.

‘I could do a couple of nights on the days you’re working. If I can sit down with Helen and work out some shifts…’

‘We can work it,’ Marnie said. ‘It’s just one week. I need a doctor for my department, Harry. I have no intention of failing.’

He looked at Marnie, sitting on the bed, the tiniest yet strongest woman he had ever met, and the most determined too. ‘I doubt you could.’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘I FEEL LIKE Mary Poppins,’ Marnie said as Harry opened his front door.

‘Oh, you’re no Mary Poppins.’ Harry grinned, taking her case. He was looking more rumpled than usual and that clean-shaven look of yesterday was fading. ‘Come in. Charlotte’s just starting to realise that chickenpox isn’t so much fun after all.’

No, Marnie was no Mary Poppins. Mary was a good girl who didn’t notice things like Harry’s bum as she followed him through to the lounge, but, then, she’d never seen Harry in just a T-shirt and jeans and barefoot too. Oh, she’d seen him in a suit, in scrubs and stark naked, but there was something very attractive about him in a T-shirt because it showed off his very flat stomach and in jeans his legs just looked longer.

No, she was no Mary Poppins, but Marnie was still a good girl because she didn’t give that bottom a pinch as they walked and she kept her thoughts well to herself too—butter wouldn’t have melted in her mouth as she gave his children a smile.

‘This is Marnie,’ Harry introduced her. ‘You both met her at the hospital.’

Adam looked up and smiled and said hello, but Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. ‘A nurse isn’t a nanny.’

‘I’m not a nanny,’ Marnie said. ‘I’m here to help look after you so that Daddy can work.’

‘Have you looked after children before?’

‘Charlotte,’ Harry warned.

‘It’s fine,’ Marnie said. ‘I don’t mind being interviewed—I’d want to know who was looking after me too.’ She turned to Charlotte. ‘I’ve looked after plenty of children and I have lots of nieces and nephews and many younger brothers, so I’ve have a bit more of a head start than most.’

Harry showed her around—it was a lovely old home, though the stairs creaked terribly as Harry lifted her case upstairs.

‘It’s a beautiful home.’

‘It’s needs a demolition ball,’ Harry said. ‘It looks nice but everything needs fixing, apart from this…’

He opened a door and Marnie almost whimpered at the sight of a beautiful bathroom—it was completely white except for a few dots of dark tiles on the floor. ‘It’s the one thing that has been renovated,’ Harry said. ‘I think they gave up after that. I can’t wait to see the back of it.’

Marnie was surprised. Surely this home would be filled with memories and the last thing he would want was to let it go, but he must have read her confusion.

‘Oh, no…’ Harry shook his head. ‘We’d just sold our house and were looking for somewhere when Jill died…It was hell—the buyers had sold too and there was no getting out of it. I didn’t want the upheaval for the children.’

‘Poor things.’ It just poured out of her mouth. ‘I hated moving, more than anything, I hated leaving Ireland and then when we had to leave Perth…’ Marnie stopped. She didn’t really like talking about herself but she was just trying to say that she understood how hard it must have been for the children to move so close to losing their mum.

‘It wasn’t exactly great timing,’ Harry said when Marnie went quiet, ‘but there was no real choice, so I rented this. Your friend Dave put me onto it.’

‘Ah, Dave!’ Marnie gave a bitter smile.

‘It was supposed to be for six months…’ He turned round and there was Charlotte, standing at the top of the stairs watching them.

‘I’m itchy,’ she said.

‘I’ll just show Marnie her room and then I’ll come and put some cream on.’

They walked down the hall and he opened a door and put Marnie’s case inside. ‘I hope this is okay.’

‘It’s lovely.’ It was, a large room with an iron bed dressed in white linen and lovely wooden furnishings that mismatched perfectly.

Charlotte, who had followed them, stood in the doorway and watched as Harry showed Marnie how the dodgy windows worked. ‘Do you want to come in and help me put some things away?’ Marnie offered.

‘We’re not allowed in the nanny’s room,’ Charlotte said, and huffed off.

‘Fair enough,’ Marnie said.

‘She’s normally much more friendly.’

‘She’s normally not covered in spots,’ Marnie pointed out, as Harry, a touch awkward now, headed for the door. ‘Do you want to go through our diaries?’ Marnie suggested. ‘Get it out of the way?’

‘Sure.’

‘I’ll just unpack and I’ll be down.’

Marnie unpacked her case—it only took a moment. She put her clothes in the wardrobe and hung her dressing gown up on the door and sorted out her toiletries. She put Declan’s photo in the drawer of the bedside table. She didn’t want questions if the children came peeking, but she couldn’t bear to leave him at home, then she headed downstairs.

It was a working arrangement.

They sat at a large table and drank tea as they tried to sort out the upcoming week. ‘I phoned Helen and I’ve got the shifts she can do, as well as Lazlo, he’s on now and I’m going in tomorrow.’

‘Who’s Lazlo?’

‘He used to work there and said that he can come in for a couple of shifts…’

Marnie looked at the schedule and saw Harry pencilled in for a shift on Friday night.

‘I’m out that night,’ Marnie said, and didn’t elaborate, but Harry’s jaw did tighten just a fraction as he recalled that she was going to the ballet.

With Matthew.

‘Not a problem.’ Harry cleared his throat before continuing. ‘Okay, if I can get Helen to cover that night I can, if it’s okay with you, be on call for the rest of the weekend and then Juan’s back.’

It was a working arrangement.

She made that very clear.

When Harry opened a bottle of wine once the kids had gone to bed, Marnie politely declined.

‘I’m going to have that bath.’

‘Sure.’

She was a strange person, Harry thought—Marnie didn’t even come down and say goodnight. But, ages later, when he headed for bed himself, he could hear her chatting away in her room and it took a moment for it to click that she was on the computer.

‘You’re living with him?’ Siobhan checked, and Marnie was very glad for her headphones. ‘You’ve slept with him and you’ve moved in but there’s nothing going on?’

‘You’re making this more complicated than it is,’ Marnie said.

‘What does Matthew have to say about it?’

‘I don’t discuss things like that with Matthew,’ Marnie said, but she did worry for a moment. ‘Matthew and I…’ She looked at Siobhan, who’d been married for nine years now and just loved hearing about friends with benefits and her best friend’s rather glamorous life. ‘I don’t know,’ Marnie admitted.

‘What would Harry have to say about Matthew?’

‘Nothing!’ Marnie said. ‘Because he’s not going to find out.’

Except Harry had been there when Matthew had invited her to the ballet.

Marnie’s conscience was pricking as she turned off the computer and tried to get to sleep.

She and Harry had been a one-off, an indulgence, safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be working together again.

See what happens when you take your eye off the ball, Marnie scolded herself.

It certainly wouldn’t be happening again.

No, there was no hint of anything. The next morning she was up and dressed and even had lipstick on as Harry held up the kettle and asked if she wanted tea.

‘Leave the tea bag in this time,’ Marnie said.

‘You’re sure you don’t mind doing this?’ Harry checked. ‘Charlotte’s been up half the night crying. It’s hardly a great day off for you.’

‘Harry, I’m just relieved to know that the place is being looked after. It’s been nothing but a headache trying to get the department covered.’ She turned as Adam came down. ‘Good morning.’

‘Morning, Marnie.’

She was lovely to Adam. She chatted away and found out that he’d like cornflakes and juice and yet, Harry couldn’t put his finger on it, she still held back. Then Charlotte appeared.

‘Do you want babies?’ Charlotte asked as Marnie sorted out her breakfast.

‘Charlotte,’ Harry scolded.

‘It’s fine.’ Marnie smiled. ‘No, Charlotte, I don’t want babies.’

‘Why?’

‘Because…’ Marnie filled a bowl with cornflakes as she spoke ‘…I like my work, I like my holidays, I like lots of things. And,’ Marnie added, ‘as I told you, I had lots of younger brothers. I’ve changed more nappies than most!’

‘Don’t scratch,’ Harry warned, as Charlotte started to.

‘I keep forgetting.’

‘I’ll paint your nails red later,’ Marnie said. ‘That will remind you.’

After Harry had gone, she did paint Charlotte’s nails red and then she went about opening the windows and stripping the beds between putting on anti-itch cream at various times throughout the day.

‘Do you like our house?’ Charlotte asked as she showed her the cupboard at the top of the stairs where the fresh sheets were kept.

‘I think it’s lovely,’ Marnie said, as she pulled out some sheets. ‘Right! Which ones are yours, Adam?’

‘The blue ones, silly,’ said Charlotte. ‘Mine are pink.’

Harry could not have done it without her.

The children could not have been better looked after and a wary Charlotte had quickly warmed to Marnie’s chatter and rather offbeat humour. Despite refusing to iron a thing for Harry, Marnie hauled out the ironing board on the Tuesday evening and made a major dint in the piles of children’s bedding and clothing.

‘Do you ever stop?’ Charlotte asked. She was helping Marnie to fold things as a distraction from scratching.

‘Not till the work’s done,’ Marnie said.

Only Harry noticed that Charlotte’s smile wavered.

CHAPTER TWELVE

‘YOU’VE DONE WELL during an extremely difficult time.’

She was sitting in a management meeting. Lillian had blinked a bit at the budget report, and there had been a couple of explosions. The maintenance hours had trebled and there had been fines for the department for twice being on bypass. That had been nothing to do with lack of beds or waiting times, though—in fact, waiting times were down as Marnie was very clued up about the wards hiding beds and had threatened a few times to go up and make a bed herself unless the patient was accepted soon.

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