Читать книгу Snowbound With The Single Dad - Laura Iding - Страница 17

THE WARD WAS quiet and he’d no idea where Jessica was. The nurse had just pointed down in this general direction.

He walked past a few windows, seeing children lying in beds with anxious parents next to them.

His heart clenched slightly. He would hate to be in that position. Thank goodness Drew usually kept in good health. He still hadn’t got to the bottom of that stomach ache. The GP had basically fobbed him off and Callum didn’t blame him because when they’d finally got an appointment, Drew had been full of beans and jumping around the place.

It was always the same with kids.

The ward sister he’d met a few times was standing next to one of the doors. ‘Hi, Pauline.’

She gave him a knowing smile. ‘Hi, there, Callum. And who might you be looking for?’

He sighed. He’d known from the first time he’d met her that Pauline could read everyone instantly. Why even pretend it was anything else? He still hadn’t seen Jess, so this might work in his favour.

He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms. ‘Let’s just say I’m looking for our favourite doc.’ He lifted his eyebrows. ‘All work-related, of course.’

Pauline nodded. ‘Of course.’ But the smile was spreading further across her face. She lowered her voice. ‘I think our mutual friend will be very pleased to see you.’

He felt something flare inside him. That acknowledgement—no matter how brief—reassured him. Pauline and Jess were good friends. If Jess was talking to anyone it would be Pauline. It gave him a little hope. It also gave him the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing away at him.

He hesitated for a second. ‘Pauline—about Jess.’

She raised her eyebrows, as if he was about to say something she didn’t want to hear. She was protective of Jess and that was nice.

‘Jess told me that things didn’t work out for her. And I know she’s reverted to her maiden name.’ He unfolded his arms and held out his hand towards her. ‘I wonder if you could tell me what happened. I get the feeling I’m treading on difficult ground.’

Pauline bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes met his. ‘You’re right, Callum, it is difficult ground but I think that it’s something Jess really needs to tell you herself.’ Her eyes looked down, as if she was hesitant to say any more. ‘Life hasn’t turned out the way she expected. Jess should be married with a family to love and I’m hoping that’s what she’ll get. Just give her a little time.’

She pointed to the next set of doors. ‘She’s down there. Go and say hello.’

Was this better or worse?

His curiosity had just scaled up about ten notches.

He wanted to give Jess time to tell him—he really did. There was just that little edge of wariness. That lingering feeling left by a previous experience.

Jess was nothing like Kirsten, Drew’s mother. They weren’t even in the same ballpark. But it didn’t stop his slightest sense of unease as he walked down the corridor.

He pushed the feelings to one side. He’d already made up his mind about what he wanted to do next. He wanted to see how Jess would react. And he wouldn’t know unless he tried.

Finally he caught sight of Jess’s caramel-coloured hair. She was sitting talking to a little girl with curly hair with her leg in a bright pink fibreglass cast. It was Rosie, from the minibus accident.

He stuck his head around the door. ‘Knock, knock.’

Jess looked surprised to see him. ‘Callum, what are you doing here?’

‘I phoned and left you a message. Didn’t you get it?’

She shook her head then turned to the woman sitting next to her. ‘Carol, this is Callum Ferguson. He’s one of the fire rescue crew who were at the accident. He helped get Rosie out of the bus.’

‘It’s him, Mummy! It’s him!’ Having a cast on hadn’t seemed to limit Rosie’s movements. She wiggled over to the edge of the bed. ‘The one I told you about.’

Rosie’s mum stood up and held out her hand. ‘Callum, my daughter has been talking about you non-stop. She seems to think you’re a superhero. She saw you abseil down the side of the riverbank.’

Callum felt a little rush of blood to his cheeks. This was the last thing he had been expecting. He shook his head and knelt down beside the bed. ‘You’re much braver than me, Rosie. You tumbled down the bank in the minibus. That must have been really scary. The way I got down wasn’t scary at all.’

Rosie held out her hands and reached round Callum’s neck, giving him a big hug.

Jessica was watching. Watching—and trying to keep the smile from her face at his appearance. Callum seemed totally at ease, not in the least fazed by the little girl’s action. Thank goodness. She had him on some sort of pedestal.

But it was kind of nice. Almost as if he was used to being in contact with kids.

Callum leaned back and tapped the pink cast. ‘How is your leg? I love the colour of your cast.’

Rosie smiled. ‘Thank you. Dr Rae and I have the same favourite colour. That’s why I picked pink.’

‘Well, I think it looks great. Your leg will be all better soon.’

Jess stood up and gave Carol and Rosie a smile. ‘I’ll leave you two. You can give me a call if you need me.’ She nodded her head towards the door. ‘Callum?’

She could smell his aftershave. It wasn’t familiar. It was different from the one he’d used the day they’d abseiled back up the slope. It was more spicy, with richer tones. She liked it.

They walked along the corridor. Callum waved his hand, in which he had a big brown envelope. ‘I’ve typed up the statement from the other day. I need you to read over it and sign it.’

She felt a flutter of disappointment. Business. Purely business. That’s why Callum was here. Not for any other reason. A strange lump was forming in her throat. Once she’d signed the statement she would have no reason to ever see Callum again.

Her heart had leapt when he’d appeared. She hated it when it did that. She kept telling herself over and over again that this was nothing. This meant nothing. Just some wild, crazy coincidence that their paths had crossed again. This was work-related.

He turned to face her and she tried hard not to stare at his chest, which was instantly in her view.

She raised her eyes to meet his bright green ones. It was one of the first things she’d ever noticed about Callum, his startling green eyes.

‘I can read the statement now, it will only take a couple of minutes.’ There was no point turning this into something it wasn’t. She saw him glancing at his watch, it was nearly six o’clock in the evening. He would be finished for the day—just the way she should be. Was he worried about being late? Did he have a date? Maybe that blonde from the fire station?

She hated the way that thought made her stomach curl.

‘Have you finished for the day?’

‘What?’

He’d moved a little closer and was towering over her, an impatient edge to his voice.

‘I mean have you finished? You can’t be on call again. I want you to come somewhere with me.’

She pulled back a little. There was something a little weird about him. Was he nervous?

She looked around her. The ward had quietened down. All patients had been seen, all prescriptions and instructions written. ‘Yes, yes, I’m finished.’ She was feeling a bit bewildered. A few seconds ago she had been sure everything was business as usual. He needed a signature to get the job finished so he could be on his way. And that had made her sad.

Now what?

A smile broke across Callum’s face. ‘Then get your coat.’ She was turning towards her office when she heard him mutter something under his breath. ‘You’ve pulled.’

She let out a burst of laughter and spun back around. ‘Did you just say what I think you did?’

It had been a joke between them. A daft teenage saying that both had used years before. But it came totally out of the blue and instantly took her back thirteen years.

Callum’s shoulders were shaking. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.’

Jessica stuck her hand around the office door and pulled out her woollen coat. There was a flash of bright pink. ‘Think you can cope?’ she asked as she wound her purple scarf around her neck and fastened the buttons on the bright coat.

He just nodded. ‘You did warn me about the bright pink coat, and knowing you I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Do you have gloves?’

She stuck her hands in the coat pocket and pulled out a pair of purple leather gloves. ‘Sure. Why?’

‘It’s a nice night out there. Just a little dusting of snow. I’d like to walk instead of drive. Are you okay with that?’

She pulled out a woolly hat and stuck it on her head. ‘I’m game if you are. But you’ve got me curious now. Where are we going?’

He gestured towards the door. ‘Let’s find out.’

They walked quickly through the lightly falling snow. It was pitch dark already—darkness fell quickly in winter in Scotland. The streetlights cast a bright orange glow across the wet pavements.

‘So where are you taking me?’

Callum drew in a breath. He was still getting over the fact he’d asked her. It had been totally instinctive. He’d only made the decision once he’d set foot on the ward—particularly after what Pauline had said to him. The words had come out before he’d even had a chance to think about them. A signature would have meant he’d have no excuse to see Jesssica again. And he wasn’t quite ready for that.

Drew was at mini-kicker football tonight. He went every week with Julie and Blair’s son. One week Callum gave them dinner and took them, the next week Julie and Blair took them. Drew wouldn’t be home until after eight o’clock.

‘That would be a surprise.’

‘Hmm…a surprise. How do you know I still like surprises?’

He gave her a little smile. ‘It’s an educated guess. Some things are just part of us—like our DNA. I’m working on the premise that the fundamentals haven’t changed.’

They turned a corner and started walking along one of the main roads. It was busier now, the crowds jostling along all seeming to be headed in one direction.

The strains of Christmas music could be heard above the buzz of the crowds around them. Jess stopped a few times to look at the Christmas displays in some of the shop windows. Finally, he placed his hand in the small of her back as he guided her around the corner and into George Square.

‘Oh.’ He heard the little bit of shock in her voice as the recognition of where they were sank in. The square was bustling, packed with people here to see the annual switching on of the Christmas lights. A huge tree stood in the middle of the square, already decorated and just waiting for the lights to be lit. The Lord Provost already stood on the stage, talking into a microphone and trying to entertain the crowds.

‘You brought me here? I can’t believe you remembered.’ Her voice had gone quiet, almost whispered.

This had been one of their first dates, coming to see the annual switching on of the Christmas lights in George Square. He hadn’t planned this. He hadn’t even thought about it. But as he’d driven to the hospital tonight he’d heard the announcement on the radio about the switch-on. It had almost seemed like a sign—a message. He’d had to ask her to come along. If only to try and take a little of the sadness out of her eyes.

‘There’s so many families,’ she said as she looked around, dodging out of the way of a little girl with long blonde hair running straight for them.

‘Yeah, there always are.’ Lots of people brought their families to the turning on of the lights. It was entirely normal. But he couldn’t help catch the little edge of something else in her voice.

‘Over here.’ Callum put his hand on her back again and guided her over to one of the street-vendor stalls. The smells of cloves, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts were all around them. Callum bought two cups and handed one over to her.

‘Want to take a guess at what colour the tree lights will be this year?’

Jessica leaned against one of the barriers, sipping her mulled wine and watching the people around them. It was obvious that her brain was trying to take in their surroundings. ‘They were purple the first year that we came here.’

‘And they were silver the year after.’ He kept his voice steady.

‘And red the year after that.’

It was clear that they both remembered and for some reason it was really important to him that it was imprinted on Jess’s brain just as much as it was on his. Half of him had been sure she would know why he’d brought her here, while the other half had been in a mad panic in case she’d turned around with a blank expression on her face.

‘They were blue last year,’ he murmured, not really thinking.

Jess spun round, the mulled wine sloshing wildly in her cup. ‘You were here last year?’

Yes. He’d been here with Drew. But it had turned out Drew didn’t really like the turning on of the lights. It was almost as if there was a little flare of panic in Jess’s eyes. Did she think he’d been here with another woman?

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was time to tell her about Drew. It seemed natural. It was a reasonable explanation for what he’d just said. But the look in her eyes, that and the wistful tone in her voice when she’d remarked on the families, made him think twice.

‘I was here with some friends.’

‘Oh.’ She seemed satisfied with that answer and rested her forearms back on the barrier.

The crowd thickened around them, pushing them a little closer together as people jostled to get a better place at the barrier. Callum wound his arm around her waist, holding her firmly against him, to stop anyone coming between them. The countdown around them started. Ten, nine…

It was the smallest of movements. Jess rested her head on his shoulder then a few seconds later he felt her relax a little more and felt some of the weight of her body lean against him.

A grin spread across his face. It wasn’t like anyone could see it but it had been automatic and was plastered there for the world to see. Three, two, one.

‘Woah!’ The noise went around the crowd as the lights flickered on the tree, lighting up the square in a deluge of pink and silver.

‘Pink! It’s pink!’ Jess yelped, as the wine sloshed out of the cup and she turned to face him. Her eyes were sparkling, her excitement evident. It was the first time since he’d seen her again that she looked totally carefree. Totally back to normal.

Her face was right in front of his, her brown eyes darker than ever before and their noses almost touching. He could see the steam from her breath in the cold night air. He placed his cup on the barrier and brought his hand to her hip, matching the hold of his other hand, and pulled her a little closer. He gave her a smile.

‘My plan worked. I told them that pink was your favourite colour and that you’d be here.’

She let out a laugh and placed her hands on his shoulders. She didn’t seem annoyed by him holding her. She didn’t seem annoyed at all. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was edging even closer.

Her dark eyes were still sparkling, reflecting the twinkling lights around them, ‘Oh, you did, did you? I bet that took a bit of planning, especially as you didn’t even know if I’d agree to come on a walk with you.’

He pulled her even closer. ‘Oh, I knew. I was absolutely sure you’d come with me.’

He could turn back the clock. He could flick a little switch right now and this could be thirteen years ago. Standing almost in this exact spot.

She tilted her head to the side. ‘Well, that was a bit presumptuous, wasn’t it?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. But this might be.’

He bent forward. People around them were still cheering about the Christmas lights, breaking into song as the music got louder in the amplifiers next to them.

But Callum wasn’t noticing any of that. The only thing he was focused on was Jess’s lips.

And everything was just like he remembered. Almost as perfect.

The last time round Jess had tasted of strawberry lip gloss, and this time she tasted of mulled wine. He could sense the tiniest bit of hesitation as he kissed her, so he took it slowly, gently kissing her lips, teasing at the edges until she moved her hands from his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck, kissing him right back.

And then everything was perfect.