‘Thank you, Nur
se Brand,’ she said, quietly enough he probably didn’t hear. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to. Reverting to calling him Nurse Brand underlined the fact he was bringing the worst out in her. He had her reacting to his charm as though it was something to be beaten into submission. Afraid? a niggly little voice in the back of her head taunted. Very. But she needed to remember that not every charmer was on a mission to hurt her as Darren had. They weren’t getting the chance.
‘Let’s take a break while we can,’ Cody said. ‘We’re late for lunch as it is.’
‘You go ahead. I’m not hungry yet.’
‘So that gurgling I’ve been hearing for the last thirty minutes is all in my imagination?’ Cody shrugged casually, but his eyes were full of disappointment. ‘It’s not going to be easy for you to keep your distance from me in here. Staff take breaks as they can, regardless of who they’re working with.’
‘I just think—’ What the blazes did she think? Before seeing Jarrod, she’d relaxed enough to be happy around Cody; now she wanted to avoid him. Yep. Definitely afraid. So, toughen up and deal with it, with him. First, he was right—staff went for a break with whoever else was going, regardless of their role in the department. Even George was happy to drink coffee with a porter or junior nurse, so what was her problem? ‘Let’s go. Canteen or the café over the road?’
Bewilderment shoved aside that disappointment in Cody’s eyes. Shaking his head at her, he managed, ‘Café,’ before heading for the staff room and his locker.
All too soon she was seated at a tiny table in a cosy corner of the café with Cody’s knees knocking up against hers in the cramped space. Trying to move her legs to avoid him proved awkward and made her feel stupid, so she stayed put. Enjoyed the moment. Plates of food sat on the table between them; steam rose from mugs of black coffee. She forgot to remain aloof. ‘You’re good with children. Jarrod would’ve done anything you asked.’
‘Kids don’t look past what you’re offering, just take you at face value. It’s kind of refreshing.’ As he bit into his pie, small flakes of pastry dropped onto his shirt.
It would be too easy to reach across and brush them off. One sandwich did not need two hands to hold it, but how else was she to keep them out of trouble? She bit into the bread and salad, chewing thoughtfully. When she’d swallowed the tasteless lump of what had been tomato and lettuce she told Cody, ‘You’re a lot like my brothers. Fun, and happy to act the clown if it gets you a laugh. You’ll make a great dad to those kids you want one day.’
Cody took another bite of his pie, obviously not in a hurry to carry on that conversation.
Suddenly everything he’d said on the beach yesterday came back to her. Not just the bit about him wanting a family. ‘You said having a family was unlikely for you. Why? Has someone hurt you so much you won’t contemplate another relationship?’
The shutters dropped over his usually friendly gaze so fast she shivered. ‘Eat your lunch, doctor. We’ve got a busy department awaiting us.’
She’d gone too far. All because Cody was getting to her and her only defence to that was that, by getting to know more about him, she could find reasons for not wanting to have anything else to do with him other than at work. Her sandwich suddenly seemed dry in her mouth. She’d upset him, and that was the last thing she wanted. Should’ve thought before putting her mouth into gear.
It came from being out of practice at small talk, she supposed. Having been through a lot with Cody in the last few days was no excuse. ‘I’m sorry. I expect people to mind their own business when it comes to my private life, and yet I’ve just overstepped the mark with you. I’m truly sorry,’ she repeated.
Pushing his chair back, he stood, looming over her, though she thought that was unintentional, merely an occupational hazard stemming from being so tall. ‘I’ve forgotten what you asked already. See you back at work. I’ve got a prescription to pick up for my mother.’
As he threaded his way through the lunchtime crowd, his broad shoulders tight, his head high, even through her irritation Harper felt her heart lurch.
See? This was why she had to stay clear of any involvement with Cody. The risk of being hurt frightened her. She’d heard Jason’s warning yesterday, knew he might even be right, but that didn’t make it any easier to take that first step off the tightrope she currently walked. Along with the fact she couldn’t have children, she’d lost the dream of a happy marriage, which was even more important to her. She’d put heart and soul into the one she’d had with Darren. She’d loved him completely and utterly, would’ve done anything for him, given him everything. Yet in the end all he’d asked of her was his freedom.
The mug of coffee shook in her hands. She needed something big to distract her from all this so that one morning she could wake up and say, ‘Yes, I am truly happy with my lot.’ Something that had nothing to do with Cody Brand. Because like it or not he seemed to have taken over her mind, her feelings, her body.
Patchwork and tennis hadn’t worked. What should she try next? Abseiling? She shuddered. Not likely. Time to stop trying out all these different hobbies. She didn’t need a hobby. She needed to make the most of what she already had. Which was a lot. Between doctoring and family there wasn’t much spare time anyway. Even if she wanted to get bored and sew together all those pieces of fabric she’d painstakingly cut up in the first place there just wasn’t enough time.
Which reminded her—she needed to cancel the order for a paddle-board. As if she was going to go out in the harbour with only a board and a paddle to get around…
*
Cody strode down the road, intent on reaching the pharmacy and putting distance between himself and Harper so as to clear his head of her, as a woman he had the hots for, before he had to go back and work alongside her as a doctor.
He could’ve used the hospital dispensary to get his mother’s tablets but the air in there was stifling. Nothing to do with the hot summer’s day either. This might be turning out to be the hottest summer on record but his discomfort came from being close to a fiery woman with a delicious mouth and beautiful eyes. A woman who kissed like an angel. And who asked far too many questions that probed places best left alone. The risk to his heart had increased tenfold since yesterday. Huh? Try since Friday, and that monster. Time to get some control back, tighten the hatches and keep her out.
Harper. Doctor. Adored aunt. Beloved sister and sister-in-law. Fun and amusing. Sad and unhappy.
For the life of him, he didn’t fully understand her sadness. Sure, there was that baby thing. He got it. Really got it. If he couldn’t have a family, he’d be gutted. But he’d swear there was more going on with her. He should just ask her outright. Like she asked him things he didn’t want to answer? Have her stalking off in a huff? Exasperation trickled over his lips. He’d done wrong. Shouldn’t have walked away from Harper’s questions. He wasn’t playing fair. Not with her. He was looking out for himself.
‘Ten minutes,’ the pharmacist’s assistant told him as she read the script.
‘Fine.’ He headed outside to look at paint and wallpaper in the decorating shop next door.
‘Can I help you?’ asked a young, over-enthusiastic woman from behind the counter.
‘Just looking,’ he replied and suffered a flat smile in return, which made him feel bad. ‘I’m still deciding what colours I want to use inside my house.’ Now, there was a joke.
‘Are you going to do every room the same? Or have different shades for bedrooms and the living areas?’
The problem with playing nice was it became difficult to get away without upsetting someone. As Harper had just found out. ‘Maybe one colour, with different shades of it for different areas.’
He’d really upset Harper. There’d been annoyance on her face when he’d walked away at the café, which ramped up his guilt. They’d talked about her personal life quite a lot since he’d first taken her home to her apartment on Friday. Today’s conversation was only a continuation of getting to know each other
better. But he didn’t do talking about his life, past or present. People read too much into things.
‘Here’re some paint charts to take home.’ The girl shoved a small bundle at him and hurried off to talk to another man coming in the door.
‘Thanks,’ he called as he passed her on his way out. Hope you have better luck with him than you did with me—on all counts.
‘What are you up to?’ The voice of the person he’d been avoiding caught up with him as he reached the hospital entrance. ‘Are those colour charts you’ve got there?’
Damn. ‘Thinking of painting my bedroom,’ he grunted, which was true. There was also the rest of the five-bedroomed house that was in serious need of fresh paint, amongst other things.
‘You’ve got a lot of charts for one small room.’ Harper’s laugh was strained.
‘It’s a big decision.’ He managed to smile back.
‘How is your sense of colour?’
Crap. ‘I’m colour-blind. Like, completely colour-blind.’ He swore under his breath. That opened the door—wide.
Sure enough, Harper walked right in. ‘Want some input? I managed to choose the colours for my apartment without making a botch-up.’
He’d already walked away from her questions once today. He really didn’t feel up to doing it again, even if it meant disclosing more about himself than he was prepared to do. He tried for tactful. ‘You’re too busy. Anyway, it’s only a room. The colour’s not a major problem.’ That wasn’t really true. The whole house would look a disaster if he ended up painting it bright orange or another equally appalling colour. At least, he’d assumed from other people’s reaction to his previous attempts at decorating that orange was a bad choice if he wanted soft and subtle.
‘Of course.’ Her tone was flat.