Sarah Morgan Summer Collection

‘There are often no symptoms in early childhood. But in Helen’s case I’m fairly sure that her breathlessness, the chest infections and the fact that her weight is below the tenth percentile …’ He shrugged. ‘I could be wrong.’

‘You’re not usually wrong, Logan,’ Evanna murmured, and he studied her for a long moment.

‘Are you leading my fan club?’

‘You’re a good doctor. You don’t need me to tell you that. So what will they do? Surgery? Or did I read somewhere that they sometimes close on their own?’

‘It’s unlikely that Helen’s will close on its own. By the time a child has reached the age of three it’s extremely unlikely that it will sort itself out, and she’s five and a half.’

‘Which means surgery, then.’

‘Not necessarily. There are some new techniques that can be done by an interventional cardiologist, rather than a surgeon. Basically they attach a device to a catheter and they can put it in place without having to stop the heart.’

Evanna pulled a face. ‘Which still sounds scary when it’s a child. Poor Jenny. And her husband away, too. How quickly can you get her an appointment?’

‘I’m going to call him now.’ Logan opened a file on the computer and scrolled down a list of phone numbers. ‘We worked together in London and he’s a really bright guy. I’m hoping he can fit her in this week. Did you call the hospital about Sonia?’

‘Yes. They’re very happy with her. Baby is a bit jaundiced so they’re going to keep her in for a few days but they hope she’ll be home by the middle of the week.’

‘A good outcome, then.’ Logan reached for the phone and then looked at her. ‘You asked me about the beach barbecue, but what about you? Are you going?’

Did she want to spend the evening watching him with another woman? The answer was very definitely no, but to not go would draw attention to herself. And anyway she lived on an island. No matter how she felt about Logan, she had to get on with her life. ‘I’m going.’

The beach was big enough, she reassured herself. There would be volleyball and football and a barbecue going, not to mention swimming. It should be easy enough not to have to stand staring at him.

CHAPTER NINE

EVANNA spent Saturday afternoon getting ready for the beach barbecue in her new bathroom. She opened the windows and lay in a deep bubble bath, soaking away the stresses of the week and enjoying the view of the sea. There couldn’t be many people lucky enough to have a view of the sea from their bathroom, she thought to herself when she finally eased herself out of the suds and reached for a towel.

She dried her hair and put on her bikini, knowing that the evening usually began with a swim. The she pulled on a halter-neck sundress in a deep shade of blue and slid her feet into pretty flip-flops. There was no point in considering elaborate footwear when she knew from experience that she’d be spending most of the evening barefoot.

Her doorbell rang just as she was pushing a towel into a raffia bag.

It was Kyla. ‘Ethan and I thought we’d give you a lift.’

Evanna picked up her key and pulled the door closed. ‘How many people are coming, do you know?’

‘Everyone. How’s Sonia—have you heard?’

They walked to the car and Evanna smiled at Ethan who was lounging in the driver’s seat, a pair of dark glasses shielding his eyes. ‘Sonia is doing very well.’ She squashed into the back seat of Ethan’s sports car. ‘She came out on Wednesday and I’ve already seen her in Meg’s, chatting to Lucy and feeding the baby.’

‘Those two will have a lot in common. Quite nice, really.’ Kyla checked her lipstick in the mirror. ‘A sort of ready-made support group. And how was Logan? I expected him to be traumatised but he’s actually seemed quite buoyant all week.’

Evanna fastened her seat belt. And she knew why that was. He was thinking about a woman. ‘He seems fine. He looked pretty grey to start with but then he seemed to pull himself together and he was fine during the delivery.’

‘Really?’

‘He’s fine,’ Ethan drawled, pulling up in a vacant parking space. ‘You girls worry too much.’

They arrived at the beach, parked in the car park and then made their way down the steps to the sand. A delicious smell of charcoal and cooking floated through the air and a group of teenagers were playing an extremely noisy game of volleyball on the sand.

Automatically, Evanna wandered over to help with the food.

‘We’re all under control,’ Meg said firmly, giving her a gentle push. ‘You go and have a swim, dear. It’s so hot, I’m sure you need it.’

‘I must admit, I do fancy a swim. Are you sure you can manage here?’

‘Absolutely. If I need help, I’ll yell. Kyla and Ethan are already in, look.’ She adjusted her sunglasses. ‘Go and join them.’

Deciding that it was too hot to argue, Evanna wriggled out of her dress, folded it neatly and placed it on top of her bag and then sprinted towards the water’s edge to join the others.

Kyla and Ethan were fooling around, splashing and ducking each other, and she waded cautiously into the water, shivering slightly as it surged above her knees. ‘I don’t know how you two can be so brave. It’s freezing.’

‘Fresh is the word you’re looking for,’ Kyla yelled, splashing Ethan and finding herself ducked as a result.

Smiling at the two of them, Evanna gingerly eased herself into the water.

She swam with them for about ten minutes and the cold water was deliciously refreshing against her hot skin. Despite the fact that it was late afternoon, the heat of the sun was relentless.

‘All right. That’s quite enough exercise. I’m starving.’ Kyla rubbed a hand over her face to clear her vision and squinted towards the shore. ‘Do you think the food is ready yet?’

‘I expect there will be sausages because they always feed the children first.’ Evanna dived under the water again, enjoying the cool rush of water through her hair. When she emerged, dripping, Logan was standing in front of her.

Instantly her legs weakened. ‘Logan!’ Her voice was a shocked squeak. She hadn’t expected to see him. Not yet.

More beach bum than doctor, she thought to herself, trying to catch her breath. He was wearing a pair of blue surf shorts and his shoulders were bare.

‘Hi, Evanna.’ His voice sounded unusually strained and she wiped the water from her eyes and studied him closely.

Something was wrong, she could sense it.

‘I—Is everything all right? Where’s Kirsty?’

‘One of the cousins offered to babysit. I decided to take your advice and have a night out.’

‘Oh. Great idea.’ He was staring at her. Why was he staring at her? Feeling self-conscious under his steady blue gaze, Evanna lifted a hand and squeezed the water out of her hair. It trailed over her shoulder in a thick, wet rope. ‘I tried to call you this morning.’

‘You did?’ His eyes were on her hair. ‘Why?’

She felt hideously flustered, not least because Kyla gave her a wink and started to swim towards shore, leaving her alone with Logan. ‘Why did I call you?’ She turned away from Kyla, found herself looking at his chest and backed away, flustered. ‘Because I wanted to ask about Helen Price. Do you know if she saw the cardiologist?’

‘Yes. He confirmed my suspicions. She has an atrial septal defect.’

‘Oh, poor thing.’ Evanna took another step backwards. ‘So what happens now? Open-heart surgery?’

He shook his head. ‘They’re going to have her in as a day case and operate using a catheter. It should be relatively straightforward.’

‘Well, that’s progress for you,’ Evanna croaked.