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Mrs Incredible. Meg swallowed down the lump in her throat. ‘Well, you think it’s cool, but some people think it’s more important to know about the right shade of nail varnish than be able to rescue someone off a mountain in a blizzard.’ She stroked his head quickly and then stood up, too agitated to sit still a moment longer. She prowled around the tiny bedroom, picking up socks and more Batman toys, trying not to remember how hard she’d found it to fit in at school. She didn’t want her child to go through the same thing. She didn’t want him to feel that same sense of isolation. ‘It’s going to be OK, Jamie. Tomorrow I’m going to talk to your teacher and ask her what on earth she was thinking, having Dad’s Day at school. It just makes kids a target for bullying. We’ll sort it out, I promise. We’ll come up with a plan.’
Jamie was silent for a moment. ‘I sort of had a plan. I thought of something.’
‘Good. That’s what I like. A plan. It’s great that you sort things out by yourself. Tell me.’
‘I want to invite Dino.’
Meg froze. ‘To Dad’s Day?’
‘Why not? He lets me ride in his car, he’s always nice to me when we have to go the mountain rescue centre and that time at the hospital he let me wait in his office and got me a whole bunch of toys to play with. And he knows about cars and stuff. I like him. He’s nice.’
Nice? Meg thought about Dino Zinetti. Hair as dark as night, a mouth that was masculine and sexy and eyes that knew just how to look at a woman.
‘Nice isn’t the word I’d use.’
Jamie looked shocked. ‘You don’t think Dino is nice?’
‘I’m not saying he isn’t nice, honey.’ ‘Nice’ seemed like such an inappropriate word to describe a man as hotly sexual as Dino, but somehow Meg managed to get her tongue round it. ‘He is—er—nice, but, well…he’s just not the right person to take to Dad’s Day.’
‘It doesn’t have to be your dad. Just a man who is important in your life.’
And she didn’t let Jamie have a man who was important in his life, did she? This was all her fault. Torn apart by guilt, Meg stood still. ‘Jamie, listen, I—’
‘You work with him every day. Will you ask him, Mum? He just has to come for an hour and chat about what he does.’
Ask Dino to come to the school? Meg felt the Batman toy bite into her palm as she squeezed it tight. ‘He wouldn’t do that.’
‘He might. You didn’t think he’d let me sit in his car, and he did. You don’t know if you don’t ask.’
‘I can’t ask, Jamie.’
Jamie’s face fell. ‘OK. I’ll just go on my own. It’ll be fine.’
Meg felt like the worst mother in the world. ‘All right, I’ll ask him.’ The words were torn from her, dragged from inside her by the raw power of maternal guilt. ‘But he might be busy.’
‘I know. He’s a consultant in Emergency Medicine and he’s a member of the mountain rescue team and he won a gold medal in the men’s downhill at the winter Olympics when he was nineteen.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘He won a gold medal. Didn’t you know?’
‘No,’ Meg said faintly. ‘I didn’t. We don’t talk about personal stuff that much.’
‘You should. He’s really cool, Mum. Did you know that when he was my age he could eat six doughnuts in under a minute?’
Meg thought of Dino’s athletic physique, a result of his active, outdoor lifestyle. ‘No, I didn’t know that either. Presumably he gave that habit up before he won the men’s downhill. Go to sleep now.’ Why on earth had she allowed herself to say she would speak to Dino? She’d rather dig a hole and bury herself in it. ‘Jamie, listen to me—’
‘I’m so glad you’re going to ask him, Mum.’ Jamie pulled the duvet up to his neck, a blissful smile on his face. ‘I was dreading school this week, but now I’m really looking forward to it. Dino’s the best. If he comes and talks to my class, Freddie will never tease me again. Do you know it’s only fifteen more sleeps until Christmas? Isn’t that great? I’ve written my letter to Santa. I did it with Grandma. We put it in the fireplace. Do you think he’ll take it tonight?’
Meg opened her mouth to tell him that there was no way she could ask Dino to Dad’s Day. ‘I’m sure Santa will take it. Is it really only fifteen more sleeps?’ Her voice was croaky and somehow she just couldn’t form the right words. ‘That is great. I guess I’d better start doing some Christmas shopping.’
Hi, Dino, what are you doing on Thursday?
Hi, Dino, don’t take this the wrong way, but would you consider…?
Meg rehearsed various ways of asking him as she walked through the main entrance of the hospital the following morning. As if she didn’t have enough pressure from her mother, now she had it from her son, too.
Why did she have to find a man? It was just nonsense. Jamie’s life was full of men. Just not one special man. And that was a good thing. Relying on one man could leave you flat on your face, as she’d discovered to her cost.
Jamie had already had one man walk out of his short life. She wasn’t going to allow it to happen a second time by encouraging him to spend time with a man as notorious for his unwillingness to commit to relationships as Dino.
They were doing fine, the two of them. They were a great team. She was the one in control of their future.
But she couldn’t shift the heavy weight of guilt and she’d hovered for an extra five minutes at the school gates, fighting the temptation to seek out Freddie and tell him to stop torturing her child. She’d stood and watched Jamie, a tiny figure, swamped by his warm jacket. The only boy in his class who wasn’t bringing a Dad to Dad’s Day.
She’d wanted to go into the school and yell at them for being insensitive, but Jamie had begged her not to. Now she was wishing she’d overruled him.
Should she have rung the school? Freddie’s mother? She worried about it all the way to work and was still worrying when she visited Harry in the observation ward. He was in a corner bed on his own. ‘Hey, layabout. I thought I’d say hi before I start work.’
His face brightened when he saw her. ‘Wolf-girl!’
‘Better not call me that. They’re funny about animals in hospital—they might throw me out. Here…’ Meg handed him a book she’d bought from the hospital shop, ‘I’ve no idea if you’ve read it, but I thought it had an interesting cover. Monsters ripping people apart. Perfect teenage reading.’
‘Thanks. Cool.’ Harry put it on his lap and reached for some chocolate from his locker. ‘Want some?’
‘At nine in the morning? No, thanks. I don’t mind being wolf-girl, but I draw the line at elephant-girl, and if I start eating chocolate for breakfast that’s what I’ll be. How’s your head?’
‘Hurts.’ Harry chewed. ‘But they did that scan thing and said my brain is all right.’
‘I know. No skull fracture. I rang last night to check up on you.’ She looked at his bedside table. ‘Who bought you the torch and the whistle? Your mum?’
‘Are you kidding? Mum’s never going to let me out of her sight again.’ He looked gloomy. ‘No, the torch and whistle were from Dr Zinetti. He dropped them off before he went off duty last night. Or it might have been this morning—it was definitely after midnight.’
He’d been at the hospital that late? Meg’s tummy gave a little lurch. ‘I suppose your mum was upset.’
‘She freaked out. I’m grounded. No more walks on my own. Dad went totally mental.’ He looked so forlorn that Meg took pity on him.
‘When you’ve healed, you can walk with Rambo and me.’
‘And me.’ The deep, male voice came from right behind her and Meg felt her heart bump against her chest. Was it the Italian accent? Or the fact that last night he’d got too close for comfort? Or was it just her mother’s fault for mentioning sex?
She closed her eyes briefly, feeling sick at the thought of telling him Jamie’s request. Imagining how he would interpret such an invitation, Meg slid lower in her chair. Could anything be more embarrassing?
‘Hi, Dr Zinetti,’ Harry grinned. ‘Thanks again for the torch and the whistle.’
‘Basic walking equipment.’ Dino sat down on the chair on the opposite side of Harry’s bed and helped himself to chocolate. ‘I’m going to run a survival course in the New Year. I’ve booked you on it, no charge.’
Harry sank back against the pillows. ‘No way will Mum let me go to that.’
‘Meg will speak to her.’ Dino winked at her. ‘Put in a good word. She’s going to be taking a session on training a search dog.’
Meg recoiled. ‘No, I’m not. No way am I standing up in front of a bunch of strangers and—’
‘You’re an important part of the MRT. We want you there.’ Railroading over her objections, he ate another piece of chocolate. ‘And you’re an expert at what you do.’
‘Yes, well, just because you’re good at something it doesn’t mean you can talk about it. I’m useless at speaking in public.’ She hated being looked at. Hated being the focus of attention. ‘My tongue ties itself in a knot.’
‘Does it, now?’ his gaze slid to her mouth and lingered. ‘I’m a doctor. I could look into that for you if you like.’
Was he flirting with her?
Meg felt her cheeks turn a fiery red. No, he wasn’t. Men didn’t flirt with her. They slapped her on the shoulders and offered to buy her a drink. She was one of the lads. Hating herself for feeling flustered, she scowled. ‘I can’t speak to large groups.’
‘That’s fine, because I’m thinking a maximum of ten. And then we’re going to do some practical sessions outside. How to survive a night in the mountains, that sort of thing. We need you and Rambo for that. The work of the search-and-rescue dog is important.’
Meg wanted to tell him that anything other than one on one was a large group in her book, but she didn’t want to look like a wimp. Although with strangers she definitely was a wimp. ‘I’d be rubbish. I wouldn’t have a clue what to say.’
‘We’ll work it out together.’ Something in his frank, appraising gaze made it hard to breathe and Meg forgot about Harry, who was happily munching his way through a chocolate bar in the bed right next to them. She forgot that she’d been awake all night worrying about Jamie and Dad’s Day. Because of the way Dino was looking at her, she forgot everything.
A warmth spread through her limbs and Meg was aware of every beat of her heart. And then he smiled.
At her.
Her insides melted.
The corners of her mouth flickered and she was about to smile back at him when a soft, feminine voice came from behind her.
‘Dr Zinetti. It’s so good to see you again—is there anything I can do for you?’
Meg turned to find the ward sister smiling at Dino. She knew her vaguely. Melissa someone or other. Always giggling with the crowd of girls from Radiography.
Staring at the woman’s freshly glossed mouth and smooth hair, the feeling of excitement left her. A cold feeling spread through her body. Turning away quickly, Meg dipped her head, feeling really awkward and furious with herself for being so stupid.
Dino hadn’t been smiling at her.
He’d been smiling at Melissa, standing behind her. And it didn’t take a genius to see why.
Melissa was the sort of woman who men found interesting. She was someone who took the trouble to straighten her hair before an early shift and apply lip gloss whenever a good-looking doctor walked onto the ward. Her uniform was slightly shorter than regulation, but not quite short enough to draw comment.
She was exactly like gorgeous Georgina.
Feeling the past rushing forwards to mock her, Meg suddenly wanted nothing more than to escape. The world was full of women like Melissa, she knew that all too well, just as she knew that the world was full of men who salivated over smooth hair, perfect nails and glossy lips.
Suddenly she felt grubby and unkempt. She was wearing the scrub suit she always wore for work in the emergency department—no doubt Dino was making several unflattering comparisons.
Her palms damp and her heart thudding, she shot to her feet and gave Harry a quick smile. ‘I’m off. Be good.’ She didn’t look at Dino. He was probably occupied ogling Melissa’s glossy mouth and, for some reason she didn’t want to examine too closely, she didn’t want to witness that.
‘I heard about your heroic rescue, Dino,’ Melissa was saying, and Meg quickened her pace as she walked towards the door. Within minutes they’d blatantly be arranging where and when to meet. Then Melissa would be giggling with her colleagues, planning what to wear.
Feeling as though she belonged to a different species, Meg hurried along the corridor towards the emergency department.
What had possessed her to promise Jamie she’d invite Dino to Dad’s Day?
It was a totally ridiculous idea. And it wasn’t going to happen.
No way. There were a million easier ways to make a complete fool of yourself.
She was going to have to find a different solution to
Jamie’s problem.
‘Meg, wait—’ Wondering what had caused her to run this time, Dino strode after her as she sped towards the door. He caught up with her easily and grabbed her arm. ‘Wait! I want to talk to you.’
‘I have to get to work.’ Without looking at him, she shrugged him off and carried on walking. Her mouth was tight and she looked as if she was going into battle.
With a soft curse he caught up with her again and this time spun her round to face him, his hands hard on her shoulders.
Forced to stop, she made an impatient sound in her throat. ‘What?’ Her eyes were darkened by anger. It was like looking at the sea before a storm and Dino racked his brains to think what he could have done to whip up such a response from her. He’d always unsettled her, of course. He knew that, and he’d been biding his time. Treading carefully. Letting her get used to being around him.
For a moment he was tempted to tell her in blunt phrases exactly what it was he wanted from her, but his experience with women had taught him when to speak and when to go slow. With Meg Miller he was moving so slowly he was virtually standing still. One step forwards, two steps back. ‘Why did you run off?’
‘I didn’t “run” anywhere. I have to get to work, so I left.’
In the middle of a conversation. In the middle of the first intimate exchange they’d ever shared. She’d been about to smile at him. For the first time since he’d met her eight months earlier, she’d almost acknowledged the connection between them. And then it had snapped. She’d snapped it.
It was like trying to tame a wild animal, he thought. You just had to be patient and let them come to you.
Shame that he wasn’t that patient.
‘Your Jamie is a great boy.’ He stuck to a safe subject. ‘He loves cars so much. I was the same at his age.’ He’d expected her to relax, but instead the mention of her son seemed to increase her tension.
‘Thanks for indulging his interest and letting him sit in your Lamborghini.’ She was stiff and polite. ‘That was kind of you when you must have had a million better things to do with your time.’
What was it about him that scared her? ‘I wasn’t being kind. I like his company. He’s a great kid. You’re a great mum. He’s lucky.’
She stared at him for a moment and suddenly, out of nowhere, a sheen of tears veiled her eyes. Without saying anything, she jerked her shoulder away from his grasp and started walking again.
Cursing in Italian, Dino followed her. ‘Accidenti, will you stand still for one moment? Mi dispiace, if I upset you, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how. Jamie is a great kid and you are a great mum.’ He blocked her path and she wrapped her arms around herself and stared past him, not meeting his eyes.
‘Thanks.’ She was all rigid formality. ‘Is that what you wanted to say? Because I have to—’
‘No.’ He ignored the fact that they were standing in a busy corridor with half the hospital staff hurrying past. ‘Why do you always run from me, Meg? I know you’re not a coward. You were out there last night in howling winds, staring down at a vertiginous drop and you didn’t even quiver.’ He was still stunned by how well she’d handled the conditions on the mountain the previous night. But now there was no sign of the guts and bravery she’d shown in a blizzard. She looked jumpy and distracted, as if she had a thousand problems on her mind and no idea how to handle any of them. ‘If we’re talking about work or mountains, you have plenty to say, but when I change it to something more social, you clam up. Why?’
‘Sorry. I’ll try to be more sociable.’ Her smile was false. ‘It looks like we might have more snow. I do hope that won’t make your drive to work difficult, Dr Zinetti.’
Curbing his exasperation, Dino stared down at her, studying the smooth skin of her cheek and the way her lips curved. ‘I don’t want to talk about the weather.’
‘Sorry. We’ll talk about something else. How did you like my mother’s soup?’
