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‘Here.’ Warm, strong fingers gripped her elbow, directed her to a chair. ‘Take a seat. You must still be jet-lagged. It’s a long flight from Los Angeles.’ That voice was a balm to her stressed mind, tense muscles.
It also undermined her position as boss. But it was too late to argue. She already sat on the proffered chair. How had she got there so quickly, so effortlessly? Mario Forelli. That’s how.
‘Thank you. I’m fine, really.’ But she stayed seated and reached for the first file. ‘Tell me about Gemma Lewis.’
‘Gemma has spina bifida. Her family moved here nearly a year ago. Her father is a district court judge. When Gemma required surgery to realign her knees they came to see me rather than return to Wellington.’ Forelli’s confidence came through loud and clear.
Listening to Forelli explain the surgery he’d performed Alex tried to still the niggling sense of standing on the edge of a precipice. Of falling into a deep chasm she might never find her way back from. Who was Mario? Other than a paediatrician. In no time at all and with no knowledge of the man her thought processes had been hijacked in a totally distracting way. Not a good place to be. Especially, since he had a child, there was obviously a wife. Or a partner.
Or was he a widower? A million questions zapped around her skull, cranking up the throbbing behind her eyes. She should’ve taken a day at home to fully recover from her trip before facing all these changes.
‘Anything you want to ask me about Gemma, Miss Prendergast?’ Mario’s voice cut through her confusion, and focused her on the job.
‘I take it that you’re a paediatric surgeon, Mr Forelli.’
His mouth tightened, and she waited for an angry retort.
He didn’t disappoint. ‘I am, yes. Which is why Judge Lewis was comfortable with letting me look after his daughter.’
‘I see.’ He hadn’t really told her anything but this wasn’t the right arena to be asking with other staff hanging on to his every word like he was a god.
‘The next file is Tommy Jenkins’s. You know about him so we’ll move on.’ He lifted the third file from her fingers. ‘Amelia Saunders, ten years old, contracted dengue fever while on holiday in Fiji. Her liver took a pounding but with drugs her LFTs are slowly returning to normal and she’s starting to feel a little better. I’m thinking of letting her go home by the end of the week.’ The file slapped down on top of Tommy’s and another one was tugged from her light grip. ‘Andrew Frost. Fractured femur after falling off a horse.’ On and on went Mr Forelli. Completely in control. He answered all her questions without hesitation or referring to the patient notes. He knew his stuff. Very impressive.
Finally he said, ‘Let’s go and see these patients.’
‘Of course.’ Why was he in such a hurry? Did he want to get the upcoming conversation in her office done and dusted as much as she did? She pushed out of her chair. ‘If you’d like to accompany me, Mr Forelli.’ And she led the way out the door as Kay’s phone rang.
‘I’ll be right with you,’ Kay called after them.
Mario squashed down his annoyance with her. ‘Can’t you start by calling me Mario?’ He gave her a charming grin that defied her to disagree. ‘Everyone else does.’
‘I think you’ll find I’m not everyone else,’ she retorted, her proud eyes little warmer than a glacier.
‘How true.’ He huffed an annoyed breath. ‘You’re head of paediatrics with a reputation that’s the envy of all your peers.’ He stopped and leaned oh-so-nonchalantly against the closed doors of the lift access, easing another wide smile across his mouth as he assessed her. Again. What was wrong with him today? Taking all this time to suss out a woman? A woman who clearly didn’t want him here. Sure, he was tired after a sleepless night with Sophia but that was nothing new.
Then his mouth got further carried away with, ‘You dress superbly.’ Any woman would kill for that perfectly fitted navy blue suit and soft draping white blouse.
‘Thank you.’ Alexandra’s tone was still sharp but her eyes were warming. Just.
He started walking. ‘How long have you been working in Nelson?’ Where do you live? Who do you live with?
‘Three years.’
‘And before that?’ Have you got bambinos running around somewhere? Though if you do, then why aren’t you at home with them? And why did he want to know these things? This was his boss. Her private life was of no interest to him whatsoever. Just being friendly. And testing the temperature.
‘In San Francisco, specialising.’ Alexandra tilted her head so she could glare up at him more thoroughly. ‘I’m the one who should be asking questions. Such as, exactly how long have you been working here, Mr Forelli?’
So, not Mario, then. Not yet anyway. But give him time, he’d get there. ‘Almost four months.’
Her eyebrows did that imperious rising motion, disappearing under her fringe as the implication of that sunk in. ‘Four months?’
‘Yes. I started a week after you left for your sabbatical.’
CHAPTER THREE
MARIO STOPPED AT the first door and ushered Alexandra ahead of him. Again freesias teased his nostrils as she passed. A sweet, beautiful fragrance. Hell, he didn’t even like freesias.
Kay joined them, bringing Rochelle and Jackson with her. ‘Hey, Lucas, how’s your tummy now? All better?’
‘It’s still sore.’ The boy barely lifted his head as he concentrated on the game on his console.
Mario tapped the eight-year-old on the knee. ‘What are you playing today?’
Lucas grinned. ‘I’m dragon-slaying, and I’m winning.’
‘Good for you.’ Mario turned to Alexandra and recalled the boy’s details for her. ‘Lucas presented with sudden severe abdominal pain three days ago. Peritonitis had set in, caused by his ruptured appendix.’
Kay held a thermometer up. ‘Open up, Mr Dragon Slayer. Can’t have you fighting dragons without making sure you’re fit for battle, can we?’
‘Mmm-mmm,’ Lucas murmured around the thermometer, his fingers never missing a move on the keys.
Alexandra chuckled. ‘You’re not going to get in the way of his game, Kay.’ She leaned around to watch the small screen. ‘Hey, watch out, there’s a dragon coming out from behind that tree. Yes, that’s it.’ She clapped her hands. ‘Well done. Oops, there’s another one.’
Mario gaped. This woman turned into marshmallow whenever she was around kids. As though she knew what kids liked. Did that mean she did have her own family? No one had mentioned one, but then he’d never thought to ask. Why would’ve he wanted to know? Perhaps he should borrow Lucas’s console and play a game during his meeting with her. If he let her slay more dragons she just might begin to thaw with him.
Then Alexandra straightened and stepped across to the next cubicle. ‘Hello, Amy. I hear you’ve been in for over a week this time.’
The twelve-year-old with nephrotic syndrome dropped the book she’d been pretending to read. ‘Yeah, it sucks.’
Alexandra picked up the notes from the end of the bed and perused them. ‘You’ve had more infections.’
‘The same old thing. I wanted to go home yesterday but Mario said I had to wait a few more days.’ She directed a conniving look at him from under her eyelashes.
‘Sorry about that. I’m such a mean monster.’ He grinned, totally unfazed by Amy’s wish to manipulate him.
‘But I can go tomorrow, can’t I?’ Amy asked.
He took the notes from Alexandra and scanned them. ‘Keep this up and I can’t see why not.’
‘Cool. Mum’s going to be happy about that. My uncle and aunt are coming to stay and she won’t want to be stuck in here with me.’ Her tone turned wistful. ‘I want to see them too.’
As they finished the ward round Alexandra turned to Kay. ‘Dr Forelli and I will be in my office. We’re not to be interrupted unless it’s an emergency.’
Kay grimaced, glanced at him, then back to Alexandra. ‘Of course.’ And then she gave their boss a gentle smile. ‘Welcome back to the real world.’ Kay widened her smile. ‘We’re glad you’re back, by the way.’
‘I’m very happy to be back.’ Alexandra returned the smile before turning away. That confusion had returned, lacing the glance she flicked him. Did she add ‘I think’ under her breath?
Alex sank down behind her desk and flicked through that small pile of paperwork she’d noted earlier. At the very bottom was an A4 envelope with ‘Mr Mario Forelli, Paediatric Surgeon’ typed across the middle. His credentials? She tapped the envelope corner against the desktop. Should she read it now? With Mario watching her?
Sitting opposite her, one long leg crossed over the other, his intent gaze disconcerted her, as if he saw right through all her carefully erected barriers. Yet at the same time he warmed her from the inside out, reminding her body of its sensuality.
Putting the envelope down Alex reached for the piping hot coffee Averill had just brought them. Then, pulling her shoulders back, she asked, ‘What happened to John Campbell? He was meant to be here until the end of this week.’
Mario’s mouth twisted left, then right. ‘He was a no-show. Apparently he got a better offer in Perth where he stopped over on his way out to New Zealand.’
‘The rotten so-and-so.’ Anger gripped Alex as she recalled that Skype interview and how convincing Campbell had been. ‘He sounded so excited to be coming here. Kept on about how New Zealand had been one of his dream destinations for most of his life and to work here would be wonderful.’ He’d played her for a fool. ‘Do you think he’d arranged an interview in Perth before leaving London?’
‘Who would know? But I suspect so. He’s never explained his actions to the board.’
Had she wanted the man to cover for her so badly that she’d overlooked something? It had been hectic back in those weeks leading up to her departure. The department had been undergoing renovations, patient numbers were way up. She’d been afraid she’d have to cancel her trip. Then Campbell made enquiries about a short-term position in Nelson. He had excellent credentials. It had been a no-brainer to take him on. ‘Guess I didn’t read him as well as I’d thought.’
Mario shrugged. ‘Fairly hard to do in one interview, especially when it’s done from opposite sides of the world.’
‘So how did you come on the scene?’ As she asked, more questions were popping up in her mind. Personal questions that had nothing to do with him working here. Nor were they any of her business. But for some inexplicable reason her interest was piqued.
Mario’s gaze dropped briefly to the envelope on her desk before he answered. ‘I walked into the department to speak to the HOD about the possibility of getting a position in the near future. Liz literally grabbed my arm and dragged me up to see the board chairman who all but locked me up until I signed a contract covering your leave.’ He gave a wry laugh. ‘He was frantic. I could’ve come with a kindergarten pass and got the job.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Sure. I’m supposed to believe that?’
Mario grinned with all the confidence of a man who knows his worth, then turned serious. ‘About Liz.’
‘How’s she keeping? Her baby bump must be getting quite big now. Nearly seven months along, isn’t she?’ Lucky girl. A wee flare of envy twisted through her. The older she got, the harder her decision never to have a family was to accept. Her body clock ticking louder than her common sense? But one reminder of what had happened nine years earlier and the clock quietened.
‘She’s having problems with her pregnancy.’
‘Ouch.’ Alex winced. Guilt at her brief moment of envy was pushed aside by concern for Liz. ‘That’s so unfair after all the trouble it took for her to get pregnant.’ Liz and her husband had taken more than a year for her to conceive. ‘She must be really worried.’
Mario cleared his throat. ‘She’s beside herself with worry, which isn’t helping. Her blood pressure is far too high, especially for twenty-nine weeks. And she’s got mild oedema. Three weeks ago she was ordered to take complete bed rest for the remainder of her term.’
Alex felt her jaw drop. ‘Is the baby going to be all right? How’s Liz dealing with this? Why wasn’t I told about this straightaway? It’s not as though Kay and others didn’t regularly keep in touch with me.’
‘It was deliberate that you weren’t told. When Liz first started having difficulties she didn’t want you told, believing you’d be on the first plane home. Then when she had to stop working I had a talk with Jackson, Mathew and Linley. We agreed we could manage for three weeks. I’m sorry if you feel left out of the loop but we were backed by all the staff. Everyone said you should finish your time away. It might be hard to accept but your staff thinks the world of you and wanted to do the right thing by you, even if you’d have wished to be here.’
The understanding gleaming out at her from those pewter eyes stopped any retort she may have uttered. ‘It must’ve been hard, one person down.’
‘We coped,’ he said, covering a yawn with one large hand.
‘I can imagine how hard that was.’ Studying him while trying to grapple with Liz’s news she suddenly noticed dark shadows below his eyes, strain lines at the corners of that beautiful mouth. Exhaustion came off him in waves. ‘Looks like you’ve worn yourself out.’
‘Ahh, I can’t blame Liz for that. I have a four-year-old who doesn’t know the meaning of sleeping at night.’ Worry clouded his eyes, darkened the pewter to charcoal. ‘Too many shadows in the night even for me to vanquish.’
Alex felt her heart squeeze for this unknown little girl. To be afraid of anything was awful, and sad, especially for such a young child. ‘Kiddy monsters.’
‘Something like that, yes.’ Uncrossing his legs he sat up straighter. End of that line of talk.
That was okay. She still had plenty of other questions. ‘Where have you been working before turning up on our doorstep? Did you train in New Zealand?’
Around another yawn he told her, ‘I did my medical degree in Christchurch, specialised in London with paediatric surgery being my area of expertise. After that I moved to Florence where I ran the paediatric department in one of their hospitals for four years.’
‘Florence?’ Mario was Italian? ‘That explains the cadence in your voice.’ When his eyes widened heat shimmered in her cheeks. She’d just given herself away. Big-time. So what? The guy had a sexy accent. She wouldn’t have been the first to notice or comment. It didn’t mean she wanted to climb into bed with him. Did it? Shifting in her chair she looked everywhere but at the disturbing Mario, waiting impatiently for the colour to fade from her face.
Thankfully he chose not to pick up on her blunder, instead explaining, ‘I’m a born and bred Kiwi, went to the boys’ college across the road.’ He nodded towards her window. ‘My parents grew tomatoes in the Wood, along with other Italian families in the district.’
‘So why Italy?’ As long as he wanted to talk about himself she was ready to listen.
‘My grandparents came out here from Florence when they were first married. All my life I’ve wanted to know my relatives over there so the job was perfectly placed.’
‘You’ve still got family here?’ Italians had large families, didn’t they? Lots of siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, to have fun with, to support one another, to share life’s ups and downs. Family. The one thing lacking in her life. The one huge thing. But she didn’t deserve family, especially children. No, even her dogs were fictitious, bounding across the pages of the children’s books she wrote and illustrated. She focused on Mario, away from her own problems.
That appealing grin was back. ‘Sort of. Mamma and Babbo went over to Italy at the beginning of the year and don’t look like coming home any time soon. Two of my sisters are married to Italian nationals, and one sister lives here.’
‘Is your wife Italian?’
The grin slowly disappeared and he studied his hands with intensity, a frown creasing his brow. ‘Sophia’s mother was a Kiwi. Unfortunately she died in a diving accident two years ago.’
Gasp. No wonder the little girl had trouble sleeping at night. She’d be missing her mother. Hard to understand at that age why Mummy wasn’t there for her. This also explained the moments of sadness she saw in Mario’s face when he didn’t think anyone was looking. ‘I’m very sorry to hear that. It must be very hard for you bringing up your daughter on your own.’ And working long hours, often six and seven days a week.
Suddenly he looked up and clashed gazes with her, a huge ‘don’t go there’ flashing out at her. ‘We’re getting off track. With Liz on indefinite leave I’ve been given a permanent position in your department.’ His eyes burned into hers, daring her to argue with the situation.
How could she? She might be miffed that the board hadn’t waited to talk the situation over with her but she wasn’t stupid. With Liz gone the department was down to two full-time paediatricians and one trainee. Highly qualified paediatricians didn’t regularly waltz in the door looking for work. ‘I’m glad you came along. As you’ve already learned we put in some long hours as it is without being short of staff.’
Relief poured into those piercing eyes and he relaxed back in his chair. ‘Jackson is shaping up to be a good paediatrician.’
‘Yes, he is.’
How did Mario juggle work and a child? She couldn’t begin to imagine what that was like for him. Why hadn’t he stayed in Italy if that’s where his parents were? His sisters too. Families. They never seemed to work out the way anyone expected. Look at hers. A stepfather who resented her for loving her dad; a mother who couldn’t care two cents about her. She’d had a lonely, solitary upbringing after Dad died. Sent to boarding school so that Mum and George could swan off all over the world where the inclination took them. When she married and became pregnant she’d really thought that she’d found her own family. Talk about a misconception. Jonty couldn’t wait to leave her after everything went horribly wrong. Don’t go there. Not now when she was being scrutinised from the other side of her desk. Mario had already proved how good he was at mind-reading.
She reached for the envelope, slid her finger under the flap.
And Mario stood. ‘I’ll leave you to read that while I go and check up on Tommy again.’
She stared at the closing door. Now what brought about that hurried departure? The CV in her hand? Unfolding the pages she read quickly. Wow, the guy was a megastar of paediatrics. Warmth stole through her. They could make an awesome team if they worked well together.
But this was her domain, the place she felt in control—of herself and of everything around her. Would Mario try to take away her security by insisting on making changes? Only one way to find out—spend as much time on the ward with him. Without smothering him. He didn’t need her hanging over his shoulder watching everything he did.
Excitement trickled along her veins. This could turn out to be fun having a colleague as experienced as Mario. They’d be able to bounce ideas off each other, discuss new treatments.
Her smile slowly disappeared. That was fun? It might be the best she’d had in a long time but it wasn’t up to scratch in the enjoyment stakes. Real fun would be being held in those strong arms and kissed by that beautiful mouth. Fun would be a walk on the beach out at her cottage in Ruby Bay, hand in hand with Mario, kicking the sand, watching the gulls swooping and soaring, laughing over silly, pointless things.
Yeah, right. She’d better get a full night’s sleep tonight. Otherwise sign up for the loony bin. Because something was desperately wrong with her mind, tossing up crazy dreams like holding hands with a man whom until first thing that morning she hadn’t known existed.
Mario shivered when icy wind whipped under his jacket and got through to his skin as he crossed the staff car park at the end of the day. June was the pits. Winter was the pits. Though if he had to live through winter Nelson was the best place to be. The forecast for later on in the week hinted at snow. Maybe on Saturday he’d take Sophia and Gina’s boys up to Mount Arthur car park so they could build a snowman and throw snowballs.
Sliding in behind the steering wheel of his family wagon Mario slammed the door and leaned his head back on the headrest to stare up at the dark interior. ‘What a horrendous day. Thankfully Tommy survived his cardiac arrest, but he’s got problems racing towards him, for sure.’
And then there was Miss Alexandra Prendergast. Annoying, intriguing, worrying. Especially worrying. She’d sparked his libido into life big-time. The last complication he needed right now. Not that he’d turn down an evening in bed with a stunning-looking woman—if he had a babysitter on hand. But a quick romp with his boss was not on. Somehow he doubted Alexandra would be into one-night flings. She was deep, thoughtful and not quite into fun. He cracked his knuckles. So suck it up and forget all about getting naked with the woman. Keep everything strictly professional; ignore the wary looks she gave him when she thought he wasn’t looking. Forget that you don’t have a private life apart from one messed-up daughter. Sophia is your life now, and she’s not getting enough of your attention as it is.
The car rocked as another blast of wind slammed against it. Mario looked around the car park, his gaze following a paper cup as it flew through the air to bang into the sports car parked two slots away. Obviously owned by someone who didn’t have a brood of kids to run around the place.
