‘Didn’t know it was gonna beherwhen I made the fecking appointment with Haze,’ Finn said moodily. ‘But… she was professional. And sweet. Bit of a blow to the ego, seeing the woman that rejected me, but—’
‘And me,’ cut in Conor.
‘Eh? What?’ asked Finn, looking round at him.
‘She rejected both of us, remember?’
Finn nodded gravely. ‘Oh, I remember. Believe me. Been impossible to forget it all these years.’
Conor nodded too.
Not knowing what else to do, Shay nodded. But his nerves were shot to pieces. How in god’s name had Tammy ended up here? Had she somehow followed them? Was young Tammy really a certified medical practitioner now? In his mind, she was still the sixteen-year-old he’d lusted after while his brothers had stuck their tongues down her throat.
Damn. He couldn’t handle her being back. It was too much.
He stood up, immediately stubbing his toe on the table leg.
‘Is that it?’ Conor asked Shay. ‘That all you have to say on the matter?’
‘I, uh… I’m sure she’s a good doctor,’ Shay mumbled. ‘And we’re all grown-ups. It’ll be… fine.’
He grabbed his sack of foraged foods and walked into the back with it, setting it down on the kitchen counter, his hands shaking.
She’s back.
She’s back.
She’s back.
He could barely think. Could barely breathe.
Do some work. That normally calms you down.
He took the herbs and mushrooms out his sack and gave them all a good rinse, ready to prep them for tomorrow. He’d just chop a small piece of each of them, make sure they were all fresh.
He took his beloved, sharp kitchen knife and began to slice at double-speed. He was only about three cuts in when he realized what he’d done. Cut right into his finger, deep and painful. Quickly, he grabbed a dishcloth and wrapped it around his finger. He’d never been good with blood and didn’t even want to look at it.
But he knew what his dumbass knife action meant. It meant he was gonna have to take a trip to the doctor.
Well, that was just feckin’ great.
CHAPTER 3
Tammy put on her nightie. It was anAladdin-themed one, with genie lamps dotted all over it. It was so old and bobbly now. She’d had it since she was thirteen, and it didn’t fit like it used to. It was slightly too short and too tight. But it was cute and comfortable.
Tammy had always had a bit of a thing forAladdin. The idea of a genie suddenly appearing in your life one day, turning everything upside down… it had appealed to Tammy as a girl. She kind of identified with Princess Jasmine too. Forced to marry a prince, and unable to marry for love. It wasn’t her exact situation, granted, but she’d always felt like her father wanted her to be married to her job. It didn’t matter whether she loved it or not. All that mattered was that she was following in his footsteps, taking on the family role. It was like following a prescription. She had to do as she was told. No ifs or buts.
Luckily, Tammy didn’t hate her job. Far from it. It’s just… she’d never had time to find out anything else she loved. There was more to life than just work, wasn’t there?
She climbed under the blankets, cuddling up to Goldie for warmth. She started humming some of the songs inAladdin, trying not to let the coldness and loneliness of her new house get to her. But all of a sudden, she was interrupted by a sound.
It was a knock at the front door.
‘What the heck?’ she said to Goldie. ‘It’s gone nine. Who’s calling at this hour?’
She got out of bed, sliding her bare feet into her bunny rabbit slippers. Still clutching Goldie, she walked downstairs.
Unfortunately, the old-fashioned front door didn’t have a peephole in it so she had no way of knowing who was standing outside.