* * *
Back in her office, she sat down behind her desk and let out a jagged breath.
Her hands were trembling and she felt hot and dizzy.
Leaning back in her chair, she picked up her notebook and a pencil. She knew it was anachronistic for a techie like herself to use pen and paper, but her mother had always used a notebook. Besides, it helped her clear her mind and unwind—and right now, with Ram Walker’s goading words running on a loop round her head, she needed all the help she could get.
But she had barely flipped open her notebook when her phone buzzed. She hesitated before picking it up. If it was Ram, she was going to let it ring out. Her nerves were still jangling from their last encounter, and she couldn’t face another head-to-head right now. But glancing at the screen, she felt a warm rush of happiness.
It was Anna.
A chat with her best friend would be the perfect antidote to that showdown with Ram.
‘Hey, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Why are you calling me? This is your honeymoon. Shouldn’t you be gazing into Robbie’s eyes, or writhing about with him on some idyllic beach?’
Hearing Anna’s snort of laughter, she realised just how much she was missing her easy-going friend and business partner.
‘I promise you, sex on the beach is overrated! Sand gets everywhere. And I mean everywhere.’
‘Okay, too much information, Mrs Harris.’ She began to doodle at the edges of the paper.
‘Oh, Noles, you have no idea how weird it is to be Mrs Somebody, let alone Mrs Harris.’
‘No idea at all! And planning to stay that way,’ she said lightly.
Marriage had never been high on her to-do list. She was happy for Anna, of course. But her parents’ divorce had left her wary of making vows and promises. And her disastrous relationship with Connor had only reinforced her instinctive distrust of the sort of trust and intimacy that marriage required.
Anna giggled. ‘Every time anyone calls me that I keep thinking my mother-in-law’s here. It’s terrifying!’
She and Nola both burst out laughing.
‘So why are you ringing me?’ Nola said finally, when she could speak again.
‘Well, we were at the pool, and Robbie got talking to this guy, and guess what? He’s a neurosurgeon too. So you can imagine what happened next.’
Nola nodded. Anna’s husband had recently been appointed as a consultant at one of Edinburgh’s top teaching hospitals. He was as passionate about his work as he was about his new wife.
‘Anyway, I left them yapping on about central core function and some new scanner, and that made me think of you, slogging away in Sydney all on your own. So I thought I’d give you a call and see how everything’s going...’
Tucking the phone against her shoulder, Nola rolled her eyes. ‘Everything’s fine. There was a bit of a problem this morning, but nothing I couldn’t handle.’
She paused, felt a betraying flush of colour spreading over her cheeks, and was grateful that Anna was on the end of a phone and not in the same room.
There was a short silence. Then, ‘So, you and Ramsay Walker are getting on okay?’
Nola frowned.
‘Yes...’ She hesitated. ‘Well, no. Not really. It’s complicated. But it’s okay,’ she said quickly, as Anna made a noise somewhere between a wail and groan.
‘I knew I should have postponed the honeymoon! Please tell me you haven’t done anything stupid.’
Nola swallowed. She had—but thankfully only in the safe zone of her imagination.
‘We had a few words about the budget, but I handled it and it’s fine. I promise.’
‘That’s good.’ She heard Anna breathe out. ‘Look, Noles, I know you think he’s arrogant and demanding—’
‘It’s not a matter of opinion, Anna. It’s a fact. He is arrogant and demanding.’