Her Real Family Christmas. Kate Hardy

I don’t want her getting her hopes up, not until I know where this is going.’

      He laughed. ‘OK, this is just between you and me. What’s he like and where did you meet him? Did Karen finally talk you into doing that online dating thing?’

      ‘No, he’s a parent at the school—not the parent of anyone I teach,’ she added swiftly. ‘I met him at a school governor meeting.’

      So the man had a social conscience and was happy to do his bit for the community—unlike Harvey, who was the most selfish man Daniel had ever met. That was a good start. ‘You deserve someone nice—and you can tell him that your big brother—’

      ‘I’m telling him nothing of the kind,’ she cut in, ‘and, much as I love you, Dan, I don’t need you to fight my corner every second of the day. Just as you don’t need me there every second, fighting your corner.’ She softened her words with a smile. ‘But I’m glad we talked about this. Mum worries about you, and so do I. You need to do something for you, Dan. You’re more than just Mia’s dad and a busy doctor.’

      He didn’t quite see how he could fit anything else into his life. But he smiled at his sister, knowing that she meant well. ‘The same goes for you. You’re more than just a brilliant teacher and aunt.’

      She laughed. ‘I know. And I’m doing something about it. So maybe it’s time for you to do something about it, too. Ask her out, Dan. You’ll never know what she’d say unless you do.’

      He thought about it for the next couple of days, and decided that maybe his sister was right. The next time he saw Stephanie, he’d ask her out.

      But their shifts were clearly out of sync, because she didn’t attend any of the births where there were enough complications for the midwives to involve him and need a paediatrician on standby.

      He made the decision when she emailed him the report. He emailed back.

      Can we have a quick discussion? When’s good for you?

      The reply came.

      Lunch today or tomorrow, patients permitting?

      Sure. I’ll ring down and see if you’re free.

      He spent the rest of the morning doing the ward rounds, reassuring the nervous first-time mums and double-checking the obs for one of his mums with suspected pre-eclampsia before asking the midwives to step up the frequency and call him the minute anything changed. And then he called Stephanie’s extension.

      ‘Paediatrics, Stephanie Scott speaking,’ she said.

      ‘It’s Dan. Are OK for a lunch meeting about the project today?’ he asked.

      ‘Yes. I’ll meet you at the canteen. I think we’ll have to give the park a miss today.’

      He glanced out of the window and realised that it was absolutely bucketing down outside. It looked more like November than September outside. Definitely not the right weather for lunch outdoors. ‘OK. See you there.’

      Funny how his heart skipped a beat when he walked down the corridor and saw Stephanie waiting for him at the door to the canteen.

      He kept himself in check and steered the conversation over lunch to her report and his suggested amendments, agreeing them with her point by point. And then, at the end, he looked at her. ‘Stephanie, before you rush back to the department, are you free any evening this week?’

      She looked started. ‘Free?’

      Oh, help. How was he going to ask her without it sounding sleazy or needy? It had been ten years since he’d last asked someone out. He was way out of practice in the dating game. Then he remembered what Lucy had said. Just be himself. The worst that could happen was that she’d say no.

      ‘I, um, thought might be nice to have dinner together. If you’re not busy,’ he added swiftly.

      And he didn’t dare look at her. In case he saw disgust—or, worse, pity.

      Would she say yes?

      Or would she make a polite excuse and then be cool with him from here on after?

       CHAPTER FOUR

      STEPHANIE COULDN’T QUITE believe this. She hadn’t dated since she’d been a student—since she’d met Joe—and it really wasn’t something she was good at. She’d married the last man—ha, the first man—she’d dated; and that had turned out to be a complete disaster.

      She shook herself. Daniel was asking her out to dinner, not shoving an engagement ring at her and asking her to spend the rest of her life with him. But, even so, panic flooded through her. ‘If this is about me looking after Mia when she was ill, there’s really no need—I was just doing my job, the same as you do with your mums and babies.’

      ‘It’s not about Mia. It’s about you and me, and—’ He stopped. ‘Sorry, I’m hopeless at this. I haven’t asked anyone out for a long time.’

      Was she the first person he’d asked out since his wife had died? Oh, help. That was extra pressure she didn’t need. How could she be mean enough to knock him back, under those circumstances? Then again, how could she be mean enough to say yes, knowing that she was an emotional mess and totally hopeless when it came to relationships?

      ‘I really should’ve gone on one of those online dating site things and brushed up on how you ask someone out,’ Daniel said wryly.

      His candour made her feel a lot better and she smiled at him. He was obviously feeling as out of his depth as she was, right now; and he obviously wasn’t taking anything for granted. ‘That makes two of us. I mean, not that I ask people out. I just haven’t dated for a while and—oh, dear.’ She grimaced. ‘I think I’m digging a hole for both of us.’

      He smiled back at her. ‘I think we need to start this one again. My sister said I should just be myself and be honest.’