Читать книгу Rising Stars & It Started With… Collections - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 53

AT FIRST it was great. Out had come the silver dress, and he had taught her the flamenco—not that he knew how, but they’d had fun working it out.

In fact, with Courtney and Harry away, it had been Dominic who had found himself the one with scheduling problems.

‘I’ll get back to you within the hour.’ There was a small curse of frustration as Dominic put down the phone and pulled out his laptop.

‘Problem?’ Bridgette asked.

‘Mark Evans wants me to cover him till eleven a.m. I’m supposed to be picking up Chris from the airport then.’ He pulled the airline page up. Chris had been missing his brother, and with Dominic unable to get away for a while, a compromise had been reached and Chris was coming down to Melbourne for the night. ‘I’d say no to Mark except he’s done me a lot of favours. I’ll see if I can change his flight.’

‘You could just ask me,’ Bridgette said, unable to see the problem. ‘Surely if Chris can fly on his own, he won’t mind being met by a friend of his brother’s.’

‘You sure?’

‘It’s no big deal.’

To Dominic it was a big deal. Arabella would, he realised, have simply had Chris change his flight, which was maybe a bit unfair on her, because Arabella would have been at work too. Bridgette was, after all, not starting till later. ‘What if the flight’s delayed? It doesn’t leave you much time to get to your shift as it is…’

‘Then I’ll ring work and explain that I’m delayed. What?’ She misread his curious expression. ‘You don’t think I’d just leave him stranded?’

Chris’s flight wasn’t delayed. In fact, it landed a full ten minutes early and he had hand luggage only, which left plenty of time for a drink and something to eat at an airport café before she started her late shift. He told her all about his first time flying alone and then they drove back to Dominic’s, getting there just as he arrived. There was no denying that the two brothers were pleased to see each other. ‘Come over tonight if you want,’ Dominic said, ‘after your shift. We’re just seeing an early movie so we could go out for something to eat if you like?’

‘I’ll give it a miss, thanks,’ Bridgette said. ‘I don’t want to spoil your party and anyway I’m on an early shift tomorrow.’ And he was always defensive around his brother yet not once did he think it was a snub. He knew Bridgette better than that—well, the part of Bridgette that she let him know. And he knew that she wouldn’t even try to win points by hanging around to prove she was nothing like Arabella.

She was nothing like Arabella.

‘See you, Chris.’ She gave him a wave. ‘Have a great night.’

‘See you, Bridgette,’ he said. ‘Thanks for the cake.

‘We went to a café,’ Chris explained, when she had gone. ‘Is that your girlfriend?’

‘She’s a friend,’ Dominic said.

‘Your girlfriend.’ Chris grinned.

‘Yeah, maybe,’ Dominic admitted, ‘but it’s not as simple as that.’ It wasn’t and it was too hard to explain to himself let alone Chris.

There was a reason why holidays rarely lasted more than a few weeks—because any longer than that, you can’t pretend there are no problems. You can’t keep the real world on hold. Perhaps selfishly Dominic had wanted Courtney to leave, wanted to get to know a bit better the woman he had enjoyed dating, but once Chris had gone home, he realised that it wasn’t the same Bridgette when Harry wasn’t around. Over the next few days she couldn’t get hold of Courtney and they were back to the morning after he’d met her—Bridgette constantly checking her phone. There was an anxiety to her that wasn’t right.

He wanted the woman he’d found.

But Bridgette had that bright smile on, the one he had seen when they’d first met. She gave it to him the next Friday afternoon at work as she dropped off a new mum for a cuddle with her baby and he gave her his brief work nod back. Then she stopped by the incubator, as she often did, to speak with Carla.

‘How are you?’ she asked.

‘Good today!’ Carla smiled. ‘Though it all depends on how Francesca is as to how I’m feeling at any moment, but today’s been a good day. Do you want a peek?’ There were drapes over the incubator and when she peeled them back Bridgette was thrilled by the change in the baby. She was still tiny, but her face was visible now, with far fewer tubes. It had been a precarious journey, it still was, but Francesca was still there, fighting.

‘She gave us a fright last week,’ Carla said. ‘They thought she might need surgery on the Friday, but she settled over the weekend. Every day’s a blessing still. I’m getting to hold her now—it’s fantastic. Frank and I are fighting to take turns for a cuddle.’

It was lovely to see Francesca doing so well, but Bridgette’s mind was on other things as she walked back to the ward, and she didn’t hear Dominic till he was at her side.

‘Hi.’ He fell into step beside her. Not exactly chatty, he never was at work, but today neither was she. ‘How’s your shift?’

‘Long,’ she admitted. ‘Everything’s really quiet—I’m waiting for a baby boom.’ She smiled when she saw Mary walking towards them.

‘We’re missing that little man of yours,’ Mary said. ‘How is he doing?’

‘He’s fine,’ Bridgette said, expecting Dominic to walk on when she stopped to talk to Mary, but instead he stood there with them. ‘I am sorry to have given you such short notice.’

‘Hardly your fault.’ Mary gave her a smile. ‘You’d be missing him too?’

Bridgette gave a nod. ‘A bit,’ she admitted, ‘but they should be home soon for a visit.’

‘That’s good.’ Mary bustled off and Bridgette stood, suddenly awkward.

‘Have you heard from her?’

Bridgette shook her head. ‘I tried to ring but couldn’t get through—I think she’s out of credit for her phone. Right.’ She gave a tight smile. ‘I’m going to head for home.’

‘I should be finished soon,’ Dominic said. ‘And then I’m back here tomorrow for the weekend.’ He gave her a wry grin. ‘Some holiday romance.’

‘We can go out tonight,’ Bridgette offered. ‘Or sleep.’

‘Nope,’ Dominic said, ‘we can go out and then…’ He gave her that nice private smile. ‘Why don’t you head over to mine?’ he asked, because there were cafés a stone’s throw away, unlike Bridgette’s flat.

‘Sure,’ Bridgette said, because she couldn’t face pizza again and the flat still hadn’t been tidied. The cot was down, but stood taking up half the wall in her spare bedroom, which made it an obstacle course to get to the computer.

Next weekend she was off for four days and she was going to sort it.

Bridgette let herself into his flat, and wondered how someone who worked his ridiculous hours managed to keep the place so tidy. Yes, he’d told her he had someone who came in once a week, and she knew he did, but it wasn’t just the cleaner, Bridgette knew. He was a tidy person, an ordered person.

Knew what he wanted, where his life was going.

She had a little snoop, to verify her findings. Yes, the dishes were done and stacked in the dishwasher; the lid was on the toothpaste and it was back in its little glass. She peered into the bedroom—okay, it wasn’t exactly hospital corners, but the cover had been pulled back up. She wandered back to his lounge and over to his desk.

There was a pile of mail waiting for him, one a very thick envelope, from that exclusive hospital where he wanted to work, but it was too much to think about and she had a shower instead. Then she pulled on a black skirt with a pale grey top, because an awful lot of her clothes seemed to live here now. The outfit would look okay with ballet pumps or high heels—wherever the night might lead.

It was a holiday romance, Bridgette kept telling herself to make sense of it, and summer was coming to an end. The clock would change soon and in a couple of weeks it would be dark by now. She felt as if she were chasing the last fingers of the sun, just knew things were changing. Oh, she’d been blasé with Mary, didn’t want to tell anyone what was in the bottom of her heart, that things were building, that at any moment now the phone would ring and it would all have gone to pot.

‘Sorry about that…’ He came in through the door much later than expected and gave her a very haphazard kiss as he looked at his watch and picked up his mail. He didn’t want her to ask what the hold-up had been, didn’t want her to know the scare little Francesca had given him just a short while before. He had twelve hours off before a weekend on call and he needed every moment of it, but first…‘I’ve got to take a phone call.’

‘No problem.’

‘Hey,’ Dominic said when his phone rang promptly at seven-thirty. ‘How are you?’

‘Good,’ Chris said, and got straight to the point. ‘When are you coming back to Sydney?’ Chris was growing impatient. ‘It’s been ages since you were here.’

And Dominic took a deep breath and told him the news he hadn’t really had time to think about, let alone share with Bridgette. ‘I got a phone call today, an—’ he didn’t want to say too much at this early stage ‘—I’m coming home for a few days next weekend. We’ll go out then.’

‘It’s been ages.’

‘I know,’ Dominic said, and he knew how much his brother missed him, but he tried to talk him around, to move the conversation to other things. ‘What are you doing tonight?’

‘A party,’ Chris said, and normally he’d have given him details as to who was going, the music that would be played, what they were eating, but instead he had a question. ‘Bridgette is your girlfriend, isn’t she?’

And normally Dominic would have laughed, would have made Chris laugh with an answer like ‘One of them’, but instead he hesitated. ‘Yes.’

And usually they would have chatted for a bit—until Chris’s Friday night kicked off and he was called out to come and join the party, but instead Chris was far from happy and told Dominic that he had to go and then asked another question.

‘When are you properly coming back?’

‘I’ve told you—I’m coming back soon for a few days,’ Dominic said.

It wasn’t, from Chris’s gruff farewell, a very good answer.

‘Right.’ He came out of his room and saw that Bridgette was writing a note. ‘Finally…Let’s go and get something to eat. I’ve still got the sound of babies crying ringing in my ears.’

‘Actually—’ she turned ‘—my sister just called.’ Back on went that smile. ‘Things didn’t work out in Bendigo and she’s back. She’s a bit upset and she’s asked if I can have Harry tonight. I called and asked my parents, but they’re out.’

‘Oh.’ He tried to be logical. After all, apart from one time in the corridor he’d never even seen Harry, and if her sister was upset, well, she needed to go. And even if more children was the last thing he needed tonight, she really had helped out with Chris and, yes, he did want to see her. ‘We can take him out with us.’

‘It’s nearly eight o’clock,’ Bridgette said, though when Harry was with her sister his bedtime was erratic at best.

‘It’s the Spaniard in me,’ Dominic said.

Courtney, Dominic thought as he sat in the passenger seat while Bridgette collected Harry, didn’t look that upset. But he said nothing as Bridgette drove. They’d gone out in her car because of baby seats and things, but they drove along to the area near his house and parked. It was cool but still light as they walked. She felt more than a little awkward. Walking along, pushing a stroller on a Friday night with Dominic felt terribly strange.

They sat out in a nice pavement café. They were spoiled for choice, but settled for Spanish and ate tapas. It was a lovely evening, but it was cool, even for summer. For Bridgette it was made extra bearable by one of Dominic’s black turtlenecks and a big gas heater blazing above them. It was nice to sit outside and Harry seemed content, especially as Bridgette fed him crema catalana. Dominic had suggested it, a sort of cold custard with a caramel top, and Harry was loving his first Spanish dessert, but the mood wasn’t as relaxed as it usually was. Dominic was lovely to Harry, there was no question about that, but Bridgette knew this wasn’t quite the night he’d had planned.

‘So, what’s Courtney upset about?’ He finally broached the subject

‘I didn’t really ask.’

‘Does she do this a lot?’

Bridgette shot him a glance. ‘It’s one night, Dominic. I’m sorry for the invasion.’ She was brittle in her defence and he assumed she was comparing him with Paul. She changed the subject. ‘Have you been to Spain?’

‘We used to go there in the summer holidays,’ Dominic said. ‘Well, their winter,’ he clarified, because in Australia summer meant Christmas time. ‘My father had a lot of social things on at that time, you know, what with work, so Chris and I would stay with Abuela.’

‘And your mum?’ Bridgette asked.

Dominic gave her an old-fashioned look, then a wry grin. ‘Nope, she stayed here, looking stunning next to Dad. And I spent a year there when I finished school. I still want to go back, maybe work there for a couple of years at some point. It’s an amazing place.’

And there were two conversations going on, as she ate thick black olives and fried baby squid, and he dipped bread in the most delicious lime hummus, and Harry, full up on the custard, fell asleep.

‘I’d better get him back.’

They walked back along the beach road, a crowded beach full of Friday night fun, except Dominic was pensive. He was trying to remember the world before Chris had come along and Bridgette was for once quiet too.

She drove him back to his place. Harry was still asleep, and she didn’t want to wake him up by coming in. Dominic had to be at work tomorrow, so there was no way really he could stay at hers.

And they kissed in the car, but it was different this time.

‘Not your usual Friday night,’ she said. ‘Home by ten, alone!’

He didn’t argue—she was, after all, speaking the truth.