Читать книгу A Forever Family Collection - Коллектив авторов - Страница 53

WITHIN MINUTES OF Jade’s head resting back into the softness of the pillow in the bed next to Amber’s she fell into a deep sleep. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. It had been happy, exhausting and a little confronting. The happiness exuded by Amber’s grandparents was contagious. It was evident to anyone within a mile that Maureen and Arthur had fallen in love with Amber on sight.

Amber seemed to be enjoying the attention and being spoilt by the very kind people she had learned were her grandma and grandpa. Jade had often spoken of them over the years, and the cards and presents had arrived in the mail, but to the three-year-old they hadn’t become a reality until they’d been in the same room.

The long-haul flight had been the tiring element but to Amber’s credit she hadn’t complained, although flying first class had made it much more enjoyable, and Jade was extremely grateful for that.

Then there was Mitchell. Meeting him had been surprisingly unsettling. She had expected so much less than the dangerously attractive windsurfer. Her mind’s image of Amber’s uncle had been of a scruffy, sunburnt wanderer, not unlike the survivor of a shipwreck, with hair and beard that resembled an unkempt hedge. The reality was so far removed from that. He was gorgeous and as far as she could see he was under Amber’s innocent spell. But how long would that last? she wondered. Would the novelty of a niece fade as he realised that it brought with it responsibility? Although her anger was fading, her defences were still high. She accepted that he was equally irresponsible and compassionate. A walking contradiction. But no matter what, his irresponsible side would guarantee that there would be no fun excursions without her consent.

In the moments before sleep claimed her, she admitted to herself that she was suddenly experiencing emotions that she had long since packed away. Her head was spinning madly and she knew the old Jade would have stepped up and enjoyed life the way she’d known how—at full speed with no brakes and no questions. But she couldn’t. Not any more. She was Amber’s guardian and she knew that it required her to behave as a dependable and controlled adult, like her sister. Providing guidance and being a role model was the job description. The Jade of old had been neither. She would have been more of a warning than a role model to her niece.

Amber had to be her one and only focus. There was no room for a relationship and with a man like Mitchell a relationship would amount to one night of pleasure before he headed off to some remote location on a different continent for an indefinite period. But she dared not imagine what that night of pleasure would be like. His innocent touch sent her spiralling, so a night alone in his bed would no doubt be close to heaven.

But now she had to push those needs aside and think of someone else before herself. In her heart, Jade would always know she was the reason Amber didn’t have her parents raising her so she intended to spend her life making it up to Amber.

One day, when Amber was much older, they would have that conversation. Jade hoped Amber would forgive her for sending Ruby and David away on that fateful trip. Maureen and Arthur had pleaded with Jade not to hold on to any blame when they had attended the funeral but that didn’t abate the sadness and sense of responsibility she felt. She wondered if Mitchell knew the circumstances of the accident, not that she cared what he thought about her anyway. But judging by his behaviour he was not exactly strolling along any moral high road.

It didn’t please Jade that Mitchell’s handsome face was the last thing she pictured before she fell asleep and her first vision in the morning.

First vision?

It wasn’t a dream. Jade blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to focus. It was a reality. Mitchell was standing at the end of her bed with a beaming Amber already dressed in yet another yellow outfit, complete with a headband decorated with bumblebees and some strange blue flowers. Maureen had worked overtime in styling her granddaughter.

‘Hello, Aunty Jade,’ came the sweetest voice in the world. ‘Here’s breakfatht.’

Jade was so happy to see Amber’s smiling face but equally mortified to see Mitchell. She could only guess how dishevelled she looked. Quickly, her fingers ran through her hair to straighten the bed hair catastrophe.

‘Good morning, Jade,’ came the radio host voice. It wasn’t forced or put on. His velvet-smooth voice was God-given.

‘Good … good morning, you two. I must have slept in … What time is it?’ Horror still coloured her expression.

‘It’s barely ten,’ Mitchell said as his eyes involuntarily roamed her barely clothed body.

Pulling the bedclothes up to her chin, she sat up. She was wearing a strappy powder-blue camisole and she felt awkward and uncomfortable with Mitchell so close to her.

‘I really did sleep in,’ she conceded sheepishly. ‘Well, I’d better get up and shower and see what Grandpa and Grandma have in mind for us today.’

‘It’s a pancake. I helped make it.’ Her little voice was insistent.

On cue, Mitchell walked around the bed and carefully placed the tray on her lap. He paused for a moment as he looked at her, his eyes intense as they traced the curves of her body, and his mouth curved into a smile.

‘Pancakes, juice and a beautiful flower too,’ Jade said as she leant forward to smell the rosebud. ‘I am spoilt.’

‘Grandma thed that you need a retht.’

Jade smiled the most beautiful smile. That’s how Mitchell saw it. In the morning light with her bed hair and skimpy nightdress he thought she looked stunning. Not prim at all. She looked naturally sexy in a girl-next-door way. He had recoiled the moment he’d put the tray on her lap. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her but he didn’t want her to know just how appealing he found her. He didn’t want to admit it to himself either. The previous night he had taken the time to really look at Jade and try to find the woman underneath the layers of drab clothing. Now there was nothing to look past. She was in bed in something skimpy and revealing. The messy hair was so much better than the neat, slick bob. He imagined that it would be just as untidy if they had taken a motorcycle ride through the narrow, winding back roads leading through the foothills and he had slipped the passenger helmet slowly from her head before he kissed her …

He shook his head and swallowed. He had no idea what had possessed him to be thinking about the American governess like that.

‘Okay, I think I’ll leave you to it,’ he called as he crossed the room to the doorway, quickly pulling his thoughts in line. ‘I’m off to catch some waves. I intend to make the most of my last day off before I’m back at the hospital for a week straight.’

He needed to bring the unexpected images to an end. He disappeared from her sight, knowing he couldn’t afford to think that way. She was off limits. Clearly, she was not his type and he was not hers. She was a sensible woman looking for a reliable nine-to-five accountant type. Not the fun-loving, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants sort of girl he needed. But damn, she looked so sexy all messed up in the morning.

Jade watched him leave the room, not knowing what he was thinking. But she definitely had unwanted thoughts about the man who had brought her breakfast in bed.

She enjoyed the wonderful spread as she listened to Amber’s adventures in the kitchen, cooking pancakes. She felt a little guilty that Amber had never enjoyed time with her extended family before now. But she conceded that it hadn’t been possible before. Amber’s health had had to take precedence. Maureen and Arthur had never said the trip would be too difficult emotionally for them but their lack of travel to Los Angeles spelt it out to Jade and she understood. Burying their son was the only memory they had of the city. And Jade had been busy trying to pay the bills and monitoring Amber’s medical issues while working part time, so a trip Down Under hadn’t been a priority, but she decided, as she was listening to her niece’s tales from the morning, that this trip should not be the last.

When her plate and glass were empty, Jade slipped on her long cotton dressing gown and the two of them made their way downstairs so Jade could say good morning and thank Maureen for a delicious breakfast. After a chat over a cup of coffee, Maureen and Arthur offered to take Amber for a stroll along the jetty to see if they could spot any dolphins, have lunch and give Jade some much-needed time to herself. Amber was excited by the idea so Jade agreed. Amber had taken to her grandparents and Jade was very happy.

‘I thought we might have a little birthday party dinner for Amber tonight,’ Maureen said softly so that Amber couldn’t hear.

‘But her birthday isn’t for three days.’

‘I know, but Mitchell will be working all week and he always works late, and I thought it would be lovely for him to be a part of the celebrations.’

‘Whatever you would like to do.’

‘We can have a little luncheon party on the day at the zoo perhaps but this is a pre-birthday party, and it means Amber will get two cakes this year!’

Again Jade wasn’t about to say no. It was Maureen’s decision; it made her happy and it appeared to have been made already. Jade was aware that this week would be particularly hard on all of them. It was the third anniversary of the accident. It had been a day that had changed everyone’s lives for ever. Those who’d died, the one who had been born and the ones who’d been robbed of loved ones. So a double celebration of Amber’s birthday would be a distraction that would be beneficial for everyone.

‘There’s lots of salad things in the refrigerator and some lovely fresh bread on the bench,’ Maureen announced on the way out the door. ‘Please, help yourself for lunch, unless, of course, you want to join us. You’re most welcome—we don’t want you to think we’ve kidnapped Amber but we do feel that you’ve being doing it alone for so long that you should have a break.’

‘I think I will stay in, but thank you for the invitation. Salad sounds great.’

Alone in the house, Jade decided to enjoy a swim in the pool. The only ‘old Jade’ outfit she had packed was a nude-coloured string bikini. She never had time to go swimming back home between work and Amber so it was the one piece of clothing she hadn’t bothered to replace with something a little more sensible. A little more suitable for her role as Amber’s guardian. Knowing that the house was hers, she slipped on the tiny swimsuit and, feeling a little self-conscious, wrapped a towel around herself and made her way to the pool, where she planned on doing laps of the crystal water in solitude.

The solar heating had taken the chill off, rendering it refreshing but not cold. Jade swam the length of the pool on her back, looking at the clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight. The morning sun was warm and the breeze had dropped. It was a perfect day and she was enjoying the feeling of the water against her near-naked body.

The last time she had felt so uninhibited had been on a holiday in Cabo San Lucas almost four years before. It seemed a lifetime ago. Not that she would trade her life or anyone in it but she was relishing a few minutes to herself. She climbed out of the water and, still wet, lay down on the sun lounge. Her skin was a light golden colour courtesy of one of her nurse friends who had insisted on giving Jade a spray tan in her home before she’d left for Australia.

‘Don’t want the Aussies to tread on you ‘cos you match the white sand,’ her friend had said with a laugh as she’d refilled the airbrushing machine while Amber had sat giggling as she’d watched. They had covered the room with plastic bags to protect the white tiles from the brown stain. It had been a fun afternoon, and Amber thought they’d been quite silly and very messy.

Mitchell let himself into the house. With the car gone, he assumed his parents and the house guests had headed off somewhere for the day. The beach had been great, not yet hot and with just enough of a breeze for him to enjoy an hour’s windsurfing before he dropped his gear back at his house. It had cooled his libido as well.

Seeing Jade in bed, looking so dishevelled, had made him view her differently and that was wrong. He knew when she was put back together the way she apparently liked to dress, she would not be his type. He liked to spend his time with fun-loving, easygoing women who knew the rules. No strings attached and definitely no schoolmarm attire. He just wanted a good time and he never misled a woman about it. He called it as it was and the women he dated knew he was not husband material.

There was no chance of Mitchell Forrester being tied down. Long-term relationships always brought responsibility in buckets and he knew he was certain to fail if he was pushed to travel that road again. There was nothing that would convince him otherwise. He was burnt out on that level. He had been bolting at the first sign of responsibility or commitment in his personal life for more than a decade and he had no intention of changing now. And Jade had commitment written all over her conservative self.

Walking in the front door in his now dry board shorts and sans a top, the house was quiet, just as he’d imagined it would be. Amber was as cute as could be but her high-pitched chatter with a distinct American accent would probably not let him concentrate on the task at hand. He loved children and that was why he had specialised in neonatology and paediatrics but he liked to keep his private life and his professional life separate. He never planned on having children of his own. The title of father did not factor into his future. Uncle was fine but that would be his limit.

He spied the new sound system that Arthur had purchased lying unopened in the box in the living room. Arthur had no idea of how to actually make it work, and Mitchell had offered to connect it. With an empty house, he knew he would have the job finished quickly. With Maureen around, any job he did for them resembled an instructional video on replay as she asked a barrage of questions with each step he took and then asked him to repeat it again later. So this chore would be a pleasant change. He would have it all done and be gone before they came home, and that sat well with him.

Leaving before they pulled into the driveway would be best. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Amber, it was more that he didn’t know if he wanted to see Jade. She was a conundrum. The morning before he’d felt positive that he could be around her and not feel at all attracted. But that morning when she’d lain in her crumpled bed, all fresh-faced and messy, she’d suddenly inched a little closer to being his type. And that was a bad thing.

Maybe that was the real Jade. He wondered if the new Jade was an attempt to be more like Ruby. A woman invented to be what Ruby and David would have wanted.

But lying in bed she had been exactly what he wanted. He pushed the image from his mind. There was work to do and daydreaming about Jade would not progress anything except his desire to a level requiring a cold shower.

Mitchell cut open the box and removed the first speaker. All he needed to start was the tool kit from the shed by the pool.

Jade had finished applying the sunscreen to her body. The mid-morning sun probably wouldn’t burn but she knew that underneath her man-made tan she was still naturally pale and was aware the Australian sun was quite intense. With her skin now glistening from the lotion, she lay back on the sun lounge to enjoy the warm rays. Her oversized sunglasses protected her eyes and her earphones were plugged in. She didn’t have to listen out for Amber for a few hours, so she listened to her favourite southern rock as she lay in the warm sun. She didn’t have to hide as there was no one to see her in the private pool area. Her bikini was still wet and her skin tone was now a perfect match. She was completely unaware that from twenty or more feet away she appeared to be completely naked.

Mitchell spied Jade from the corner of his eye and dropped the entire contents of the tool kit on the ground. His chiselled jaw fell and his eyes widened as he saw the most stunning vision lying naked beside the pool.

Jade?

It couldn’t be her … or could it?

He hadn’t seen her when he’d walked to the shed and rifled through the contents, looking for a screwdriver and small wrenches. It had been as he’d closed the shed door that he’d seen her body draped across the sun lounge. He had never seen a woman so perfect. And she was naked. That made the vision doubly perfect to him.

He struggled to pull his eyes away. The desire to admire her stunning body was fighting with the shreds of decency that had survived the shock of seeing her like that. Falling to his knees and not allowing himself to look in her direction, he began gathering the tools now strewn across the pavers leading back to the house. It was obvious she hadn’t seen him so he decided to exit the back yard and go inside without causing her any embarrassment. She had obviously decided to skinny-dip while the family were out, he realised as he fumbled to collect the last tool that had rolled onto the lawn.

But Jade skinny-dipping?

That was not in keeping with the persona she was portraying to everyone. She had gone from looking like a missionary to a centrefold. Maybe this was the real Jade. The woman his brother had called the rebel sister was lying naked under the Australian sun. He liked this Jade so much more.

His heart was pulsing blood around his body at an alarming rate. His mind was spinning with the image that he didn’t want to blink away. The idea that Jade was prim and uptight no longer had any grounds for existence. Jade was so far from what she hid beneath her dowdy clothing. Clothing that he now suspected was a shield from the world or a reaction to what had happened. When his brother had died, he had run further from responsibility and Jade, he now assumed, had stepped up, left the fun behind and donned the sensible clothing. She had morphed into her sensible sister, Ruby.

Without making another sound or looking back, he left. He had stumbled upon the most beautiful vision but he wasn’t about to take advantage of the situation. Jade thought she was alone and he would respect that assumption and leave the house. There was no need for him to let her know that he had accidentally seen what she hid from the rest of the world. The sound system had to wait until another day. Mitchell needed to take a plunge in the ocean to cool off.

Jade lowered her sunglasses. Over the music, she thought she heard a noise. It was like a door was being slammed. She pulled the earphones free, wrapped the towel around her damp bikini and headed inside.

‘Anyone home?’

No response came back so, surmising it had probably been a neighbour’s door, she headed upstairs for a warm shower. The swim and the sun had been wonderful beyond belief, but she had calls to make. She needed to let the nursing agency know she had arrived and was ready for work as she needed an income while she was in Adelaide. It was obvious that Amber loved being with her grandparents and they adored being with her, so a weight had lifted from her, and Jade knew she wouldn’t be putting anyone out by working some shifts at a local hospital.

She was waiting for jet-lag to hit but it hadn’t so she suspected she might be one of the few who didn’t suffer the effects from long-haul flights. So she was ready to start working whenever they called. Her papers were in order, she had been approved by the statutory body and she was ready to take on whatever temporary nursing was available.

Mitchell dived into the cool waves and intended on swimming until the image of Jade lying naked on the sun lounge began to fade. Around two hundred strokes into his swim he realised that it would never disappear. It was burnt into his memory. And he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to erase it. It was much too stunning a visual to give up that easily. He would just try very hard not to recall it too often.

And particularly not when she was near him.

Jade put her damp swimsuit in the laundry to dry and dressed in a calf-length grey-and-white striped skirt and grey knit top then put a call in to the nursing agency. While she was waiting to hear back, she towel-dried her hair as she wandered around the stunning home. There were pictures of David and Mitchell everywhere. As children, teenagers and also their graduation photos complete with caps, gowns and scrolled parchment.

Maureen was obviously very proud of her sons and their achievements and Arthur was an equally proud stepfather. Jade didn’t know what had happened to their biological father but she did recall David saying that he had been quite young when his parents had divorced and Arthur had married Maureen quite a few years later. Then she spied Maureen and Arthur’s wedding photograph. Maureen looked to be in her early forties and Arthur perhaps in his late forties. They were dressed quite simply, both in suits, and the photograph had been taken in a park rotunda with a marriage celebrant.

A photo at the back, almost hidden from view, then took her attention. It was of a very young Mitchell dressed in a work uniform. He looked barely old enough to be in high school but he was in what appeared to be a large warehouse. He appeared far too young to be working. Perhaps it had been work experience, she thought as she put down the photograph.

She noticed there were a few photographs of Mitchell, resembling Tarzan, on his travels, although none with women, as there had been in the photos he had sent David. Instead, they were all solo shots in the wilderness. He had hidden his array of girlfriends from his mother, which did hint at a level of good taste. She quickly blinked away thoughts of his very active love life and continued admiring the collections of photographs.

There were pictures from the beach wedding of David and Ruby. Jade reached down and picked up one of the silver-framed photographs. The happy couple were beaming and the beach at sunset in the background was spectacular. She ran her finger absent-mindedly over the image of her sister. Her long blonde hair was braided with fresh flowers and the hemline of her stunning white lace wedding gown disappeared into the sand. Ruby was a beautiful bride and they looked such a happy couple. Jade put the frame down with a tear threatening to spill onto her cheek.

She noticed pictures of Amber on the sideboard and the sight of them all lifted her mood. So many of the photographs that Jade had sent to them were on display, and each had its own frame.

Maureen and Arthur were doting grandparents.

Jade’s mobile phone suddenly rang in the pocket of her skirt.

‘Hello, Jade Grant,’ she answered, after pulling it free.

‘Hi, Jade, this is Susy from the ANR agency. We spoke earlier and I wanted to see if you would consider a three-week placement, starting tomorrow.’

‘That’s quick, but, yes, I’m sure it will be fine,’ Jade responded, immediately recognising the acronym for the Australian Nursing Recruitment Agency. She had thought it would be a few days till she heard anything from them.

‘With your experience and your qualifications in neonatal ICU and midwifery, you were snapped up. I only wish you could stay longer. There would never be a shortage of work for you,’ Susy told her. ‘I know you only want to work part time during your stay in Adelaide so this placement is three shifts per week. It’s to cover holidays and I have another temp neonatal nurse who can job-share with you. What do you think?’

‘I think it sounds great. Where will I be working?’

‘You’ll be at the Eastern Memorial right in the heart of Adelaide, working across paediatrics and neonatal as I know you have experience in both. I think you’ll like working there. The nursing staff are second to none, the facilities state of the art.’

‘It sounds wonderful.’

After Jade ended the call she turned away from the photos of the family and breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard to admit it, but she had to concede that Mitchell was beyond attractive and he had stirred some feelings she’d forgotten she had ever felt, but now this would not be an issue: she would be busy working three days a week so would not see much of him during her stay.

Despite his obvious masculine appeal, and the way he was making her feel, she tried to convince herself that Mitchell Forrester would not be a threat to her. He was wayward and reckless if his postcards were anything to go by, she told herself just in case her hormones were making their own plans. Reliable, steadfast and sensible would be the prerequisites for any man to be in Amber’s life, just the way Ruby had liked her men. And it wouldn’t happen for a very long time, if ever. She needed to focus on being the best caregiver to Amber. That was the role she had been given and she intended on doing the very best job.

She had sat Amber down a few months before the trip and tried to explain why her life was different.

‘I know that most of your friends at playgroup have mommies and daddies but you have an aunty instead,’ Jade began to explain. ‘Your mommy and daddy look down from heaven and watch over you every day to make sure you are happy and safe. And I think that I am the luckiest aunty in the world to have you.’

Jade had become Amber’s legal guardian with Maureen and Arthur’s blessing as they had wanted what was best for their granddaughter. Mitchell had never contested the role, and Jade wasn’t surprised. Jade had seen from the moment she’d arrived in Adelaide that nothing had changed. Maureen and Arthur were so supportive and Mitchell was just there for the fun times.

‘Ith it my birthday?’ Amber squealed her question when she saw her grandfather blowing up balloons and her grandmother putting out pink and yellow napkins and a small stack of brightly wrapped gifts on the table.

‘Not for a few days, but this is an early birthday party so that Uncle Mitchell can say happy birthday and watch you blow out the candles,’ Maureen told her. ‘He has to go to work for the rest of the week so he will miss your real birthday. So you’ll have two parties.’

Amber’s eyes grew wider. ‘Two parties?’

‘Yes, Amber,’ Jade answered. ‘Grandma is spoiling you and you’ll be having two parties this year.’

Amber was clapping her hands and laughing as she sat beside her grandfather while he blew up the last of the balloons.

‘Don’t tell me I’m doing this again in a few days?’

‘Darling,’ Maureen began, ‘there’s only a handful of balloons so please just tie the ribbons onto each one and we can put them up before Mitchell arrives.’

‘Too late, I’m here.’

Mitchell had initially hesitated to accept the dinner invitation when his mother had called but when he’d discovered it was to celebrate Amber’s birthday he agreed immediately. The vision of Jade by the pool had haunted him all day and was the reason he’d hesitated. Something made him want to stay away from Jade but something stronger made him want to spend time with her.

He wanted to find out more about her, and if he was right about her motives. Did she really think that wearing clothes so dour that they were suited to a retired prison warden would make her a better guardian? A blind man could see her devotion and success raising Amber. She didn’t need to dress in costume to achieve anything. He would never understand why she covered the body he knew for a fact was amazing. And why she seemed so averse to his light-hearted remarks about life.

It was as if she had nominated herself for the position of moral compass of the family, if not the world. But as he looked at her he had to admit something about her was growing on him. She was cute, a good and devoted woman, and now that he had seen so much more she had also become desirable woman in his eyes. Common sense told him to limit his time around her but something else told him the opposite.

Jade turned around to see Mitchell standing in the doorway with a large white bear in a yellow spotted dress and a very small white box with a silver bow. He was wearing black jeans, black boots and a tight plain white T-shirt that didn’t hide his ample chest. She felt her temperature start to rise and her heart flutter. Then she noticed he was avoiding eye contact with her.

She prayed he had not seen her watching him from her balcony as he’d walked to the beach that morning. The swagger in his step and his lean, tanned body barely dressed had had a mind-numbing effect on her the moment she’d seen him and the image was still close to doing the same now. She felt her skin heat up and threaten to flush and she was bewildered by what was happening to her.

Over the past three years on her own she must have seen hundreds of good-looking men walking the streets, having coffee in the hospital cafeteria, in the twenty-four-hour supermarket when she called in after a late shift, but none of them had stirred any interest. Nothing. She’d walked past them as if they’d been store mannequins. But now, looking at Mitchell, she was very aware of the unsettling attraction she was feeling.

With difficulty, she attempted to drag her thoughts back to where they belonged and where they needed to remain for the next few weeks.

‘This is for the birthday girl,’ Mitchell said, his hands outstretched to Amber.

Jade could see Amber’s face light up as Arthur led her by the hand over to Mitchell and the presents.

‘The teddy is for now,’ he began, as he put the bear into her arms. ‘And this present is for when you are older.’ He carefully handed her the small present.

Jade noted the colour of the dress. Mitchell had remembered Amber’s favourite colour. Amber took the presents and gave Mitchell a hug before she returned to the chair and unwrapped the white bow on the box, her teddy firmly planted on her little lap.

‘It-th’s pretty!’ she exclaimed, as she pulled a silver heart-shaped locket from the box. ‘Look, Aunty Jade, it-th’s pretty.’

‘You can put photos inside so one day when you are off travelling the world you will always have your family travelling with you,’ Mitchell added.

Amber had no idea what he was talking about but Jade was taken aback and the expression on her face did not hide it. The teddy was cute and the locket was lovely but the message behind it didn’t sit well with her. Was this Mitchell’s advice to her? Head off, put family in a locket and live your life somewhere else? She hadn’t pictured Amber ever leaving to see the world. She felt sick at the thought of not being there to protect her. And upset that Mitchell was using Amber’s birthday to impart his set of values on niece when she was only three years old.

‘That is very pretty’ she said, as she sat down and opened the delicate locket. ‘It will be lovely to wear to very special parties.’ Not a trip around the world away from family, she continued in her mind.

‘I’m surprised you didn’t buy one in green to go with her camouflage outfit for her trip down the Amazon for her sixth birthday,’ she said to Mitchell in a lowered voice as she made her way past him to the kitchen. ‘Really, a trip around the world? She’s three years old and maybe there’s the chance she’ll be like her father and she won’t want to run away from her family.’

Mitchell was stunned into silence. He thought her rebuke was an overreaction. It was a present of his choice with his sentiment. Not everyone saw the world the way Jade obviously did. He noted her dress sense had returned to that of elderly maiden aunt.

‘Like me? Is that what you mean? Actually, the message was about the importance of family,’ he said in the same low voice with a scowl as he followed her into the kitchen. ‘Pity you couldn’t see past your own agenda to see I didn’t have one.’

‘My agenda?’

‘Yes. It’s pretty obvious you’re planning on wrapping Amber in cotton wool for her entire life. Let her build sandcastles but avoid the water. Like a bystander who can watch but not experience life. That’s what this is about. It’s not healthy to bring up a child with no sense of adventure.’

‘How lovely to see you two getting to chat finally,’ Maureen said as she entered the kitchen to collect some plates. ‘Arthur is putting some prawns on the barbeque to go with the potato bake and salad.’

‘That sounds delicious,’ Jade said through gritted teeth. She was so angry with Mitchell. She was just protecting her niece the best way she knew how. She suddenly prayed that Mitchell wasn’t right. She didn’t want to cocoon Amber and not let her take her place in the world or have fun as she grew up. She bit her lip as her eyes darted nervously around the room. His words made her question herself. Was she at risk of smothering Amber?

‘I’ll see what I can do to help outside,’ Mitchell said, his eyes narrowing in Jade’s direction before he disappeared onto the balcony to help Arthur put up the balloons.

‘Such a pretty locket and so sweet of Mitchell to think of something like that. I thought you’d approve of something so delicate and timeless,’ Maureen said as she collected the salad from the refrigerator, added some home-made dressing and headed back outside.

‘Very pretty,’ Jade returned. She couldn’t agree with the rest of Maureen’s words. She wasn’t sure what she thought about Mitchell or herself any more.

Mitchell and Jade chose to sit at opposite ends of the table for dinner. They said nothing to each other and neither made eye contact with the other. Amber didn’t appear to have much of an appetite and just played with her food, then lay down on the sofa with her new teddy.

‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ Jade asked with a little frown of concern.

‘I’m full.’

Maureen looked over at Amber and lowered her voice. ‘She didn’t want much for lunch today either. I think jet-lag has hit her. It was a long trip for a little girl. And you too, Jade.’

‘I’ll keep an eye on it,’ Jade said. ‘You’re probably right but if she doesn’t pick up I’ll take her for a check-up.’

‘Do you want me to make an appointment with the nephrologist just for peace of mind?’ Arthur asked. ‘It’s probably not related but it will put your mind at rest.’

‘Let’s see how she goes,’ Jade replied, as she watched Amber play with her yet-to-be named bear. ‘The flight probably exhausted her. In a day or so she should pick up.’

‘Teddy wants to lie down, he’th tired.’ Amber said softly.

The adults all smiled and returned to their dinner, each of them not wanting to appear concerned but still keeping an eye on Amber.

‘And what did you get up to today while Amber was showing us the dolphins, Jade?’ Maureen finally asked to lift the conversation.

‘Nothing much … I just relaxed by the pool.’

Mitchell choked loudly on hearing the words. His drink threatened to spill from his lips and his eyes watered as he valiantly fought to not splutter. Nothing much didn’t just describe her day … it did, however, describe her outfit, or lack thereof, perfectly. She had been lying naked by the pool. And had looked amazing doing so.

‘Are you all right, dear?’

‘Uh-huh,’ he responded, his lips forming a rueful slant as he tried not to make eye contact with Jade. He wasn’t all right. He wanted to be honest and tell her that he had seen her that morning lying sans clothing by the water’s edge but he would never embarrass her that way. Also peeping Tom came to mind to describe him and he didn’t want that label. It had been an accidental sighting but a very pleasant one.

But the sighting even now, many hours later, was causing his heart to beat a little faster despite his opinion of her. It was an image at total odds with the role she was playing. Perhaps being the only one at the table who knew the real Jade drew him to her. He had seen the version she was hiding from the world and his parents. And he liked what he’d seen. He suspected why she was behaving that way but he didn’t agree with it. Just as she had over-reacted about the locket, Jade was trying to protect her niece from the world and even the real Jade. He just had to find a way to convince her that she didn’t need to be anything other than herself.

‘I just got a bit of sun …’

‘Oh, I’d say you got a whole lot of sun,’ he muttered under his breath.

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked with a curious frown.

‘Yes, fine, I’m just saying that you must have enjoyed sunbathing while everyone was out. I guess you just really like the sun.’

‘What a peculiar thing to say, Mitchell,’ Maureen said as she took another mouthful of salad.

Jade shot him a confused glance as she collected the plates.

‘Never mind,’ Mitchell returned as he stood to take the stack of plates from Jade’s hands. His warm skin brushed against hers and the electricity surged despite her anger towards him.

‘Forget I said anything. It’s just my warped Aussie humour. I’m sorry if the present upset you. There was nothing meant by it. Amber can put anything she wants in the locket. By the time she’s sixteen she will probably have a crush on a pop star who can’t sing a note but he’ll have great hair and perfect teeth and she will put his picture in the locket.’

Jade stepped into the kitchen. ‘More than likely.’ Her tone was cool but pleasant.

‘What about a truce?’ he whispered as he followed her. ‘For Amber’s sake?’

Jade met his glance but wasn’t convinced.

‘I was out of line,’ he apologised. ‘I understand you want to keep Amber safe. With what happened to Ruby and David, you have every right. But please trust me, I would never let anything happen to Amber.’

Jade squinted a little as she took his words on board. They did seem heartfelt and she didn’t want any animosity ruining what little time they had with Maureen and Arthur.

‘Truce.’

‘Happy birthday, dear Amber, happy birthday to you.’

Amber was happy to sit back at the table for the arrival of her two-tier princess birthday cake. Her eyes lit up when she saw the iced strawberry sponge cake with tiny wax figurines of her favourite storybook princesses sitting on the top, with three candles burning brightly.

To the sounds of Hip, hip, hooray, she blew out the candles, ate half of the slice of cake on her plate and then went back to the sofa with her new teddy and rag doll. The trip had taken its toll, and Jade wasn’t surprised that Amber wanted to go to bed early.

On seeing how tired she was, Mitchell scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom, where Jade brushed her teeth then slipped her into her pyjamas before he helped to tuck her into bed.

His assistance with the bedtime preparations was his effort to show he was serious about the truce and helping out, but he was surprised how much he enjoyed being a part of it all. Something deep inside felt good about being able to kiss Amber on the forehead and hear her say goodnight to him. It was a long way from his handshake two days previously. He had never experienced that unconditional affection.

He spent all of his working hours saving the lives of children but he never saw them tucked into their own beds. He experienced gratitude in buckets from the parents, although he never expected it. Ensuring these little patients had the best possible opportunity for healthy, happy lives was just what he did. But as he stood watching Amber drift off to sleep he felt a tug at his heart. Perhaps he was missing out on something after all.

He wondered for a moment if his self-imposed exile from family and commitment was worth it.

Then he shook his head and realised that he was fooling himself.

Despite his feelings towards his niece, he would never be ready for children and a family full time, it wasn’t in his genes.

‘Are you okay to sleep in here by yourself for a little while?’ Jade asked softly. ‘I’ll leave the door open and you can hear us on the balcony.’

Amber nodded and she went to sleep with her bear and rag doll. She was so tired she didn’t need a story. Jade couldn’t help but notice the shift in Mitchell and how his face had lit up when Amber had said goodnight to him.

‘I’ve been asked to start tomorrow for the temp agency,’ Jade announced on their way back to the dinner table. ‘I have a three-week placement.’

‘That’s great. Which hospital?’ Mitchell asked as he tried to process the feelings that still lingered after being a part of Amber’s bedtime ritual.

‘The Eastern Memorial,’ she said, then added, ‘Arthur told me it was his old workplace.’

‘Yes, it was,’ Mitchell replied with a rueful look. But he didn’t tell her that it was also his workplace and that he was a consultant neonatologist there.

And that fate had just decreed that he would be her very temporary boss.