Second Thoughts

She jumped slightly. Big as he was, she hadn’t heard him approach. ‘Yes, he’s fine. Where did you get that wonderful bed?’

‘The bed? It used to be mine when I was a child. I couldn’t bear to part with it when my parents died. Obviously I couldn’t keep everything, but that I refused to get rid of.’ He pushed open a door. ‘I’ve put you in here next to him,’ Andrew told her, ushering her in.

It was a delightful room, with high twin beds and pretty lace bedspreads. Her suitcase was lying on one of the beds, and on the table between them was a small vase of roses.

‘Oh, Andrew…’ She reached out and touched the blooms with her finger. ‘You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble for me ——’

‘Pampered, you said. How can you pamper a woman without roses?’ His voice was husky and much too close.

The room seemed suddenly very small, his presence filling it, and for the first time she was shockingly, intensely aware of him.

‘Thank you,’ she murmured a little breathlessly, and after a second’s hesitation he turned and ducked under the doorway.

‘Coffee’s ready when you are. I’ll see you downstairs,’ he told her, and she wasn’t sure if his voice was a little strained or if she had imagined it.

When she went back down, though, she decided she had imagined it because he was all quiet courtesy and the perfect host. The pregnant black and white cat made herself at home on his lap for a while, and he sat and absently fiddled with her ears while they talked about the children they had seen in the clinic that afternoon.

‘We shouldn’t be talking shop — you’re supposed to be getting away from it all,’ he said after a while.

‘Do you ever truly get away? Especially with paediatrics. It’s rather like being a vet, all those great big trusting eyes. They do something to your insides.’

He laughed. ‘And you accused me of getting attached to the Robinsons!’

‘Well, they are delicious,’ she said with a forgiving smile.

‘Mmm. They’re very lucky people. And unlike most parents, they realise it. Probably because they had such a struggle before IVF finally gave them their family. Most people just take their children for granted.’

Jennifer nodded and sighed. ‘It’s easy, though, isn’t it? I just wish Tim meant more to his father.’

‘Why did you get divorced?’ Andrew asked quietly.

She shrugged. ‘Who knows? Nick decided one day that he couldn’t handle the responsibility any more, and he went. Crazy, really. We’d got through his house years when he was never at home — perhaps that was it? Perhaps once he reached the point where he was at home more, he realised we weren’t what he wanted. Whatever, he left. He’s always been very good about helping financially, though. Whatever his other failings, he’s always been meticulous about that. Well, he is meticulous. Everything always has to be just so. He’d rip this room apart and re-do it all, because it’s not perfect.’

Andrew glanced round, and shrugged. ‘I know it’s not up to much, but I like it.’

She flushed, mortified. ‘Sorry, that was unbelievably tactless, but I really didn’t mean it like it sounded. It’s just that Nick’s taste is — well, let’s say clinical, shall we? And I became so indoctrinated that now I can’t seem to make our flat homely, but this house — I think it’s charming, restful, cosy … everything a home should be. I don’t know quite how you’ve done it, but I love it and I think it would be a great shame to change it.’

‘Thank you.’ They exchanged smiles, and he tipped the cat off his lap and stood up. ‘Nightcap?’

‘No, thanks. Actually, I’m ready for bed.’

She stood up and went over to him, reaching up to kiss him lightly on the cheek. ‘Thank you for spoiling us. You’re a good man.’

He flushed slightly and squeezed her shoulders. ‘You deserve it. You’re a lovely girl, you should have someone spoiling you all the time.’

She laughed. ‘Oh, no, I’d get fat and lazy. I’m better off as I am. Goodnight.’

For a second she thought he was going to kiss her, but then his hands slid down her arms and he stepped back. ‘See you in the morning.’

She climbed the picture-lined staircase and checked Tim, then washed and climbed into bed, snuggling down against the freshly scented linen with a contented sigh. She was asleep in seconds.

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_c707bda9-c6d9-50aa-8650-4dc831a56e6e)

JENNIFER woke to the sounds of the countryside — birdsong, barking dogs, the rusty squawk of a pheasant, and in the distance the drone of a tractor. She smiled to herself. In a strange way it was noisier than the town!

She stretched lazily and glanced at her watch, then threw back the covers, horrified. Ten to nine! What on earth would Andrew think of her, lying in this late?

She pushed her feet into slippers and was reaching for her dressing-gown when there was a tap on the door.

‘Jennifer?’

She pushed her arms hastily into the robe and opened the door, overwhelmingly conscious of her tousled hair and flushed cheeks.

Andrew was standing there, dressed in soft old cords and a plaid shirt open at the neck, balancing a tray on one large hand. His hair was still damp from the shower, and one unruly lock had fallen forwards over his brow. She clenched her fists, shocked at the sudden urge to smooth it back.

‘Morning,’ she mumbled.

‘Morning. Did you sleep all right?’

She ran a hand through her hair, tousling it further. ‘Wonderfully, thank you…’

He grinned. ‘I’ve brought you breakfast. Tim said you only ever have tea and toast, but I thought maybe I could tempt you with a boiled egg from one of the little bantams.’

He set the tray down on the bedside table. There was a cup of tea, a slice of wholemeal toast and a tiny, perfect little brown egg in a miniature eggcup. And a yellow rosebud, just on the point of opening.

‘You really are taking this to extremes, aren’t you?’ she said shakily.

Of course. You deserve it — I’ve been working you too hard. In you get.’

He held the bedclothes so that she had no choice but to kick off her slippers and get back into bed. She felt incredibly foolish and terribly spoilt.

‘Relax and enjoy,’ he advised, and set the tray down on her lap. ‘We’ll be in the garden when you’re ready. Why don’t you have another little sleep?’

‘Oh, I couldn’t,’ she protested, but after she had eaten the little egg and the slice of toast and drunk the delicately flavoured tea, she found she had no urge to get up. ‘Just a few minutes,’ she said to herself, and setting the tray down, she snuggled back under the covers and fell instantly asleep.

The next time she woke it was to the sound of a motor much closer than before, and much higher pitched. Throwing back the bedclothes, she crossed over to the window and looked out, to see Tim sitting on a tiny red tractor, going up and down the garden with Andrew striding beside him, occasionally reaching across to turn the steering-wheel slightly. They both looked perfectly content, so she took her time washing and dressing before she went downstairs, intending to clear up the kitchen and look around for something for lunch.

She found the kitchen immaculate, a quiche browning gently in the oven, and a pile of washing folded on the table.

She did a mild double-take. Her clothes? And Tim’s?

She sat down slowly, gratitude warring with embarrassment. The thought of anyone else — especially a man, and particularly her boss! — going through her washing was enough to bring her out in a rash. All that ancient underwear …

She gave a low moan and put her face in her hands. How was she ever going to face him again?

‘Jennifer? Are you feeling all right?’

‘Yes — no,’ she mumbled, and forced herself to look up at him. ‘You shouldn’t have done my washing,’ she said firmly.