Читать книгу Snowbound With The Single Dad - Laura Iding - Страница 16

CALLUM WAS BORED. Bored rigid.

He usually liked coming to study days. There was always something new to learn in his job and some networking to be done. But this guy had been droning on for what seemed like hours. It felt like he was saying the same sentence over and over again. It didn’t matter that the clock had only moved on ninety minutes, it felt like groundhog day.

The door at the back of the auditorium opened and he heard a little murmur around him, accompanied by the sound of over a hundred firefighters straightening up all at once. He turned sideways, trying to see what had caused that effect. Had the chief officer just come into the room?

No. It wasn’t the chief officer. It was a woman with caramel-coloured hair and a sway to her step. His mouth fell open. Jess?

All of a sudden he was paying attention to what the man at the front of the room was saying. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to welcome Dr Jessica Rae. She’s a paediatrician at Parkhill, the children’s hospital in Glasgow.’

Callum tore his eyes away from Jessica for a moment—something none of the other men in the room were doing—to look at his programme. It had someone else’s name on it for the next lecture.

‘Dr Rae is filling in for Dr Shepherd, who had an unexpected family emergency today. We’re very grateful that she could find the time to step in for us. Dr Rae will be talking to us about paediatric smoke inhalation and immediate treatment.’

Callum watched as Jessica walked to the front of the room. Her hair was shining and resting in curls on her shoulders. And she was dressed cleverly in layers to hide how thin she was, and in bright colours to complement her skin tone.

‘Hey, Callum, isn’t that the lady doc from the minibus accident?’ the firefighter sitting next to him whispered.

‘Yes, it is.’ He still hadn’t taken his eyes from her. She was wearing a bright blue dress that was draped and gathered at the front. She looked good. She had more colour about her face today and was wearing bright lipstick.

‘Wow. She looks gorgeous.’ He turned and squinted at Callum, in the way only a friend could. ‘Didn’t you say you knew her from years gone by?’

Callum shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew exactly what was going on in Frank’s head. ‘Yeah. She’s an old friend.’

Frank let out the lowest of whistles. ‘Wish my old friends looked like that.’

The hackles at the back of Callum’s neck immediately rose. Frank was only voicing what every appreciative man in the room was thinking. But that didn’t mean that he liked it. He wanted to put a cocoon around Jess and protect her. Hide her away from the leering glances.

He hadn’t seen her in more than a week and, boy, was she a sight for sore eyes. The fact that thought had sprung into his mind alarmed him. Why, all of a sudden, was he annoyed by the fact that other men found her attractive? What right did he have to feel like that?

More than once this week his hand had hovered over the phone, thinking of a reason to phone Jess again. Looking for any excuse just to speak to her.

But then his rational side had kicked in and brought him back into reality.

Too bad reality was looking kind of blurry right now.

Jess stood up at the podium and looked around the room. When her eyes rested on Callum he saw her give a little start, before she gave him a nervous smile.

‘Hi, folks. I recognise some of the faces in here today because unfortunately, in our lines of business, our paths frequently cross.’ She pressed a button and the presentation appeared on the wall behind her. ‘I’m going to give you some up-to-date information on the best things you can do for a child with smoke inhalation.’ She lifted her hand and gestured around the auditorium. ‘I’m sure it’s something you’ve all had to deal with.’

Jessica was confident at work. She was in control. That much was clearly evident. She could probably have done this presentation with her eyes shut. And it was nice to see her that way.

Her voice was steady and clear. ‘We don’t expect any of you to do anything more than the most basic first aid. I’m sure you’re all aware that the paramedics and ambulances aren’t always on scene immediately, so my job today is to give you enough information to feel confident in your first responses.’

She lifted her hand, pressed a button on the remote and the screen behind her changed. Then she turned back and gave the room a dazzling smile. ‘Now, let’s begin.’

It was officially the quickest thirty minutes of her life. She hadn’t hesitated that morning when a colleague had asked her to cover for him. As a paediatric consultant at a teaching hospital she was often asked to give lectures to medical students and people in other disciplines. This was a walk in the park for her.

If only there wasn’t a great big distraction right in the middle of the room.

Callum was definitely the proverbial elephant in the room today.

She spent the whole thirty minutes trying to avoid looking at him. She was sure that if she caught a glimpse of his green eyes she wouldn’t be able to concentrate at all.

It was strange. She should have felt happy that there was a friend in the room, but instead she felt almost like a student undergoing an examination. It was just as well the firefighters went easy on her and there were only a few questions at the end. That was the beauty of talking just before the coffee break—no one wanted to hang around for long.

As soon as she’d finished the room emptied quickly. Her heart started to thud. Would Callum leave without speaking to her? Maybe he had to network with some of his colleagues and wouldn’t have time.

‘Hey, Jess. That was a nice surprise.’ She started at his voice and turned around quickly as someone jostled him from behind and pushed them even closer together. It looked as if it was a stampede towards the strong smell of coffee.

Her hand went up automatically and rested on his chest. She could feel the heat of his body through his thin black shirt. ‘Hey, you too. I didn’t expect to be here. Just filling in for a friend.’

‘What happened?’

‘Mark Shepherd’s wife has cancer. She had a bad reaction to her chemo, so he wanted to stay home with her.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that. How are the kids from the accident doing?’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘You mean you haven’t already phoned today?’

He squirmed. ‘Okay, I admit it. I’m a bit of a stalker.’

She laid her hand on his arm. ‘But only in a good way. We’ve got four still in, but they’re all improving. With kids we just take things one day at a time.’

Callum nodded slowly. He held his elbow out towards her. ‘Have you time for some refreshments before you leave?’

‘Hmm, firefighter coffee. Is it as bad as I think it will be?’

‘Scandalous! We’re very serious about our coffee, and we’re even more serious about our cakes. I can guarantee you a fruit scone.’

‘Something does smell pretty good around here.’ She put her hand through his crooked elbow. ‘Why do I get the impression that you’re trying to fatten me up, Callum?’

He rolled his eyes and pressed his other hand to his chest. ‘Tragedy, you’ve caught me out.’ His face broke into a wide grin. ‘Let’s call it looking out for a friend.’

Her heart gave a little flutter. ‘Friends? Is that what we are again, Callum?’

‘I certainly hope so.’ There was something so nice about the way he’d said those words. Not a moment’s hesitation. He didn’t even need to think about it for a second.

Friends. She liked that word. It felt safe.

They walked across the corridor to the coffee room. The queue had died down a little and she had a little time to peruse the cakes in the glass cabinet. The firefighters certainly did take their coffee seriously. This was an outlet of a popular coffee house, with all their famous tempting products on display.

He placed his arm on the counter and slid a tray in front of her. ‘What can I tempt you with?’

Now, there was a question.

The thoughts that flooded her mind almost made her blush.

‘I’ll have a light caramel latte with two shots and a piece of the banana and nut loaf, please.’ The words were automatic. She was used to ordering in one of these coffee shops—she didn’t need to think twice.

He seemed pleased. Pleased that she didn’t spend forever fretting over what to eat and drink. Patience had never been Callum’s strong point.

They waited a few minutes while the barista made their coffee. ‘How did you manage to wangle a franchise in here?’ she said. ‘I didn’t think it would be allowed.’

He pointed to a sign near the door. ‘Neither did we, but the coffee was getting worse and worse and tempers were fraying. They asked what we wanted and we told them. The profits from this franchise don’t go back into the overall company. We have a ballot every year to decide which charity to support.’

He gave a little shrug. ‘It works in our favour and in theirs. We get to support the charity of our choice, and they get to put us on their website talking about their contributions to charity. It’s good publicity for them.’ She smiled at the poster supporting research into Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Why did you pick that one?’

He picked up the tray and carried it over to a vacant table. ‘We get lots of accidental house fires started by older people with memory problems—putting things in the oven or on the hob and forgetting about them. Some have early signs of Alzheimer’s. We often go out and do community safety visits and fit fire alarms for anyone referred to us. It seemed a natural pick.’ His voice lowered and she could sense the sadness in it. ‘It caused us three fatalities last year.’

They sat down and Jess sipped her coffee. It was just as good as it was in every shop in the country. ‘I think it’s a great idea. I wonder if the hospital would consider it? The hospital kitchens are great, but the staff canteen is run by an outside firm. It’s nowhere near as good as this.’

‘I can give you some details if you want.’

‘That would be perfect.’ She leaned back in her chair. ‘You could quickly make me the most popular woman in the hospital.’

‘I’m sure you’re that already.’ His voice was low and he was looking up at her from over the top of his steaming cup of coffee.

She couldn’t help the little upturn at the corners of her lips. When had the last time been that she’d had a man flatter her? It had been so long ago she couldn’t remember.

Sure, there had been the odd unwanted leering comment, the kind that made your stomach turn—and not in a good way.

But this was different. It hadn’t been invited. Or expected.

It was just—well, a nice comment. The kind that sent a little rosy glow all through you. Something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

It was kind of weird how she felt about all this. That first glimpse of Callum on the riverbank had been a total shock. And the way her body had reacted—her natural instinct—had been even more of a shock.

Because her natural instinctive response to Callum had been very physical. It hadn’t helped that they’d been thrust together—in more ways than one—and parts of her body that had seemed dead had suddenly sparked into life.

It was taking time to get her head around all this.

And, to be frank, she was struggling.

In a way she wished she could be that naïve seventeen-year-old again, thinking that her heart was breaking as she left her first love behind.

If only she’d known then what she knew now.

That wasn’t the thing that broke your heart. Not even close.

But all her memories of Callum were good. They were safe. Even if they came with a heavy dose of passion and teenage angst.

She didn’t feel afraid around Callum. And she liked the way he was looking at her. It made her feel as if she was finally worth looking at again.

Pauline’s words echoed around her head. A world of possibilities.

‘Callum, I need to speak to you about something.’

The words jerked Jess out of her daydream. A well-stacked blonde was directly in her line of vision, her boobs inches from Callum’s nose. Were those real?

‘We need to talk about the meeting tomorrow at city headquarters. I need to give you a report to review before you go.’

Strange things were happening to Jess. The hackles had just gone up at the back of her neck and she felt an intense dislike for this extremely pretty and apparently efficient blonde. What on earth was wrong with her? She was never like this.

‘Hi, Lynn. I’m actually in the middle of something right now.’

‘What?’ She glanced over at Jessica—whom she’d completely ignored—with renewed interest. ‘Well, I’ll let you finish up. But I’ll need to see you in five.’

She turned to sweep away. Jess felt a smile sneak across her face as she realised Callum hadn’t stared once at the boobs on display.

‘Actually, I’ll be a bit longer than that.’ He gave a wave of his hand. ‘I’ll come and find you later.’

Lynn shot him a look of surprise, but Callum wasn’t even looking at her any more. His attention was completely on Jessica.

Jess’s heart gave a little flutter. She’d just recognised the sensation she’d felt a few seconds ago on Lynn’s approach. Jealousy.

It was almost as if she’d landed in the middle of the icy-cold Clyde again, with the freezing water sweeping over her skin.

There was something very strange about all this. Being around Callum was making her feel again, something she thought would never happen. She’d been switched off for so long that she wasn’t recognising everything straight away.

This was dangerous territory. She would have to take baby steps.

But all of a sudden it didn’t seem quite so scary.

She gave Callum a little smile. ‘So, tell me more about uni.’

She had to start somewhere and it was as good a place as any.

‘Daddy, I don’t feel good.’

Callum was sleeping but the little voice jerked him straight out of the weird dream that was circulating around his brain. Jessica dressed in a clown suit. Where did these things come from?

Yesterday had been fun. They’d spent most of the time together reminiscing. Talking about their past seemed to relax Jess. And he liked her like that.

He also liked the fact he was spending time with someone he trusted. Someone he didn’t need to feel wary around. Somebody who wouldn’t let him down.

But right now his paternal radar was instantly on alert. Drew was standing in the doorway, his eyes heavy with sleep and his hand rubbing his stomach. This was the second day he hadn’t felt great. The second night Callum had put his dinner untouched into the bin.

Over the last two weeks Drew’s symptoms seemed to flare up and then die down again.

He lifted up the corner of his duvet. ‘Come over here so I can see you.’

Drew scuttled across the room and straight under the cover next to his dad. Callum pressed his hand to his head. He didn’t feel warm—no obvious temperature. ‘What’s wrong, big guy? Do you feel sick?’

According to Drew’s primary teacher half the class were off with a sickness bug. Maybe some of them had even ended up in Jessica’s hospital. Rumours were circulating that it was norovirus.

Just what he needed. He still had the accident report to complete and there had been another incident at work today that would need to be followed up.

‘Not sick, Daddy. Just a rumbly tummy.’

‘Are you hungry? Is your tummy rumbling because you didn’t eat any dinner?’ He glanced at the clock. Two a.m. ‘Do you want Dad to make you some toast?’ It wasn’t an ideal situation but if it settled Drew and got him back to sleep quickly, he could live with it.

Drew lay back against the pillows. ‘No. Not hungry.’ He moved a little closer. ‘Just rub my tummy, Daddy, that will make it better.’

‘You’re sure? Do want a little drink of water?’

Drew shook his head and closed his heavy eyes.

Callum’s hand automatically moved into position, very gently rubbing Drew’s tummy in little circles. What could be wrong?

He hated to overreact. He hated to be an over-anxious father. But the truth was he had very few people he could bounce things like this off.

His friends Julie and Blair were the obvious choice but he wasn’t going to call them at this time of night.

He glanced at the clock again. Maybe he would take Drew back to the GP in the morning. The trouble was, he hated going to the GP with a list of vague symptoms. A list of not much but maybe it could be.

It made him feel paranoid. It made him feel as if he wasn’t coping. And that was the last thing he wanted anyone to think.

Did single mothers feel like this too?

Drew was the most precious thing in the world to him. He couldn’t live with himself if he brushed something off and it turned out to be serious.

Maybe he should have asked Jessica yesterday. She was a paediatrician, she knew everything there was to know about kids.

But he hadn’t thought about it and that made him feel a little guilty. He hadn’t even told her about Drew yet. Should he have? Theirs was a professional relationship. Nothing more, nothing less. But a tiny little part of his brain was nagging away at him, thinking that maybe it could be something else.

He still hadn’t got to the bottom of her words. Things just didn’t work out for me.

She’d been really careful today to keep steering the conversation back to him—or work, whenever he’d asked anything vaguely personal. She’d mentioned her mum and dad, a few old friends they’d known years ago. But nothing about herself.

Maybe he should wait until he found out what that meant before he gave it another thought.

He cuddled up with his little boy. Drew was his top priority right now.

The first person he looked at in the morning and the last person he looked at at night.

And that’s the way it would stay.