flirting thing was going to end in disaster unless she got her hormones under control.
Ben was talking to Juliet now, the consultation under way, leaving Maggie time to settle her nerves. ‘A good C-cup will suit you perfectly Juliet, as we’ve discussed. That’s assuming the tissue expander stretches enough over the next few weeks to allow me to put C-cup implants in. Have you had any soreness or noticed any redness over the past few days?’
‘No, everything’s settled down well.’
‘Excellent. If you’re ready to get started I’ll get you to go behind the screen, slip your shirt off and lie down on the bed. There’s a sheet there to put over you.’
Juliet disappeared behind the privacy screen, and Ben went to the sink to wash his hands before pulling on a pair of disposable gloves.
Maggie could hear him explaining the process to Juliet as he worked. She listened to him while she studied his office.
‘Everything looks good. I’m planning to inject about ninety millilitres of saline into the tissue expander today if I can. Remember, the whole process will take six to eight weeks as each injection stretches the expander a little more until we can replace it with the implants. How many weeks exactly will depend on how easily your skin stretches.’
Maggie scanned the artwork on the walls. There had been a definite African theme to the pictures in the waiting room and that continued in Ben’s office where several stunning photographs were displayed on the walls. She told herself she was interested in the photos for art’s sake but she knew the truth. The truth was she was looking for clues about Ben, about his life outside of work. She was snooping. But the artwork told her nothing except that he seemed to have an interest in Africa.
‘I’ll do the left side first. It won’t hurt—there are no nerve endings so you won’t feel the saline going in. It goes straight into the expander through the skin valve. You might feel a little stretching but that should be about it.’
Maggie’s gaze travelled to the desk. There were a few pieces of African art—sculptures and the like on his desk and bookshelf—but no photos, particularly no photos that could be of a wife, or ex-wife, and children.
So Juliet was right…Ben was single?
‘OK, almost done. You might find it gets a little uncomfortable over the next twenty-four hours or so as the muscles stretch. Take some mild analgesics if you need to.’
Maggie heard Ben snap his gloves off and then he reappeared from behind the privacy screen.
‘Are you able to help Juliet for the next twenty-four hours, Maggie? I’d like her to avoid driving, heavy lifting and raising her arms above chest height for the next day, just to help prevent any additional soreness.’
‘Yes, I’m still staying at her house.’
‘Great,’ he said as Juliet joined them in front of the screen. ‘I’ll see you both next Friday, then?’
‘Definitely,’ Juliet said, jumping in before Maggie had a chance to reply.
Ben opened the door for them but didn’t follow them out.
‘There you go—that wasn’t so hard, was it?’ Juliet asked as they returned to the reception desk to confirm her remaining appointments. ‘And he sounds like he’s looking forward to seeing you next week too.’
‘I’m sure he’s just making polite conversation.’
‘Time will tell,’ Juliet said with a grin.
Maggie sensed she had more to add but fortunately they were now back in the waiting area and Juliet seemed to decide not to share her opinion with the rest of Ben’s patients, or his staff. But Juliet’s comment got Maggie thinking as she waited for the receptionist to confirm the next appointment—did she want Ben’s remark to be genuine? She was sure it had been said with sincerity—she didn’t doubt that—but did she want him to be looking forward to seeing her again specifically? That thought made her equally nervous and excited and she found herself replaying his words many times over the course of the evening before finally deciding it was what it was—a polite comment with no hidden agenda! As much as she hated to admit it, disappointment accompanied that realisation.
Chapter Three
IT WAS a busy Saturday morning in Hawthorn and Maggie was feeling a little frazzled after trying to find a car park around Glenferrie Oval, where vacant spots were as rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth.
‘OK, champ, let’s get in the line to hand in your registration,’ she said to Edward as they joined the queue stretching around the perimeter of the oval.
It was her nephew’s first football-coaching clinic and Maggie had offered to bring him as Juliet was still feeling tender and sore following the tissue expander procedure the day before.
There seemed to be hundreds of six-year-olds running amok all over the oval and dozens of footballs were whizzing through the air in all directions. The grass was a mass of brown and gold as most children were wearing miniature versions of the local football team’s tops.
‘Can you do it, Auntie Maggie? My friends are over there kicking the footy.’ Edward pointed across the oval and looked up at her with his best pleading expression.
What should she do? If it were her own child she’d say yes in a flash but Maggie didn’t know Edward’s friends and didn’t really know what today’s procedure was.
‘Please?’ he begged.
‘Which friends?’
‘Jake and Rory.’ He pointed at a group of children, all in brown-and-yellow football jerseys. Maggie couldn’t tell one from the other, but she remembered meeting one of Juliet’s friends, Anna, who had a son called Jake. She could only assume that was who Edward was talking about.
The oval was fenced and Edward didn’t seem bothered. In fact, he seemed rather keen to run off. Maggie shrugged. ‘I guess that’s all right but just listen when they call you in for the start of the session, OK? I’ll sit in the grandstand and watch.’
Edward nodded his head and disappeared, leaving Maggie to stand in line to register before she could make her way to the old grandstand.
‘Morning, Maggie.’
She had just sat down in the front row of the grandstand where she could bask in the autumn sun when she heard the greeting. She hadn’t expected anyone to recognise her here. She certainly hadn’t expected to know anyone herself, but that voice was instantly recognisable.
‘Ben! What are you doing here?’ A thousand questions raced through Maggie’s mind in the space of a few short seconds. The questions seemed to be keeping time with her heartbeat. And as quickly as her heart had begun racing it stopped and sank in her chest as she realised why he was here. ‘Do you have children here?’
He shook his head. ‘A nephew. You?’
Her heart leapt back up to its rightful spot. ‘Same. I brought Juliet’s son.’
‘Are you staying to watch the session?’ he asked and when Maggie nodded he continued. ‘Can I get you a coffee? I was just on my way for one.’
A warm glow spread through her. She wouldn’t say no to Ben’s company. Juliet’s plan sprang to mind and while she certainly couldn’t call this a date it did involve striking up a conversation. Who knew, maybe she could flirt with him. And let’s face it, she told herself, if she couldn’t flirt with someone who literally made her toes curl with desire there wasn’t much hope for her, was there?
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
‘Cappuccino, latte, flat white?’
‘You don’t suppose they’d make a hot chocolate?’ she asked.
He smiled at her—yep,