words were out of her mouth she realised how abrupt she sounded. ‘I’m sorry, that didn’t come out the way I intended.’
‘That’s okay,’ He gave her a puzzled look. He was probably wondering why she was so prickly. She wasn’t sure herself. Ever since he’d stepped on board, she’d felt flustered.
She picked up her magazine again, making it obvious she preferred to read than chat.
Fabio gave her a long look before settling himself back in his seat and closing his eyes. He opened one briefly to look at Katie. ‘Give me a nudge when we’re about to land, would you? It was a hell of a late night last night.’
Before Katie could reply, the rhythm of his breathing changed and within seconds he was sound asleep.
CHAPTER TWO
AS SOON as the plane touched down, the co-pilot returned to open the door and release the stairs. As they left the plane, Katie saw the statuesque blonde slip a piece of paper to Fabio. Her contact details, no doubt.
Lucy let out a squeal of delight and almost ran down the steep steps towards a slim, elegant woman and a stocky man, who had to be her parents from the delighted expressions on their faces.
Lucy’s father swung her into his arms and held her tight, whilst her mother smothered her with kisses.
Katie hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, reluctant to intrude. Tears clogged her throat as she watched their emotional family reunion, suddenly stricken by a sense of loneliness and longing.
But she couldn’t let her personal feelings overwhelm her—she was here to do a job—and perform it professionally. Forcing herself to breathe slowly and evenly, Katie regained her composure. Besides, what would it be like to have a child not knowing how long she’d be with you? Unbearable. As bad as having a son or brother or any loved one in a war zone. Life had taught her one thing. Happiness wasn’t guaranteed and even this couple, for all their fame and fortune, weren’t immune to the roll of the dice. Katie prayed Lucy’s parents would have their daughter for a long, long time to come.
‘Fabio.’ Amelia walked towards them, hand held outstretched. She seemed pleased, even relieved to see him. He bent to let her kiss him on both cheeks. ‘How lovely to see you again,’ Amelia said. ‘We can’t thank you enough for coming.’
Amelia looked elegantly cool in a vanilla-white trouser suit with just the merest pink lace of her camisole peeking out. She was made up but no amount of make-up could hide the fear and sadness in her eyes. She turned to Katie and held out her hand. ‘Miss Simpson, I can’t tell you how delighted I am that you could come too. Lucy has been dy …’ she bit her lip ‘… longing to see her daddy race, but we couldn’t bring her. Until now. I’m told that you are an expert in the field of physio for CF.’
‘I’m happy to be here too, Mrs Hargreaves. I gave Lucy her physio on the plane. Didn’t I, Luce?’
‘Please, do call me Amelia.’ She knelt beside her daughter. ‘Did you sleep on the plane, sweet pea?’
‘Yes. A little.’
‘Hey, Fabio!’ Mark called out. ‘Great to see you again.’
Katie watched as the two men greeted each other warmly, hugging and slapping each other on the back. Fabio clearly had a stronger relationship with the family than most doctors did with patients and their families.
After introductions all round, Mark gathered Lucy up into his arms again. ‘Sorry I have to leave you straight away, sweetie, but there’s a team meeting I have to attend.’ Giving his wife a lingering kiss, Mark sketched a wave and jumped into a low-slung sports car, then roared away.
‘I’ll take you to the yacht,’ Amelia said. ‘The firm my husband races for has given us sole use of it for however long we need, whenever we need it. There’s plenty of room. I hope you’ll be comfortable.’
They all piled into the back of a stretch limo. The limo was another first for Katie and she sank back in the leather seat.
As Lucy chatted away to her mother, Katie stared out of the darkened rear windows of the car. She had heard about Monaco. With its international reputation for being the playground of the rich and famous, who hadn’t?
It was like being on a film set. Sleek sports cars purred around. She didn’t know the names of most of them, but they could have come straight out of a James Bond movie. Most of them were open to the sunshine and were driven by men and women who looked as if they’d just stepped out of the pages of a glossy magazine or starred in that same movie.
Fabio found himself tuning out from Lucy’s excited chatter, watching Katie instead. Every now and again, her eyes would light up and then just as quickly she would bite her lip and look anxious. It was extraordinary—and curiously refreshing—to see every reaction reflected in her face. Most women he knew thought it gauche to show emotion, especially to reveal that they were anything but bored by their surroundings. Katie Simpson intrigued him.
Not that she was his cup of tea. She was prim and serious in her buttoned-up suit, and there was that disconcerting shadow in her eyes. He liked his women sophisticated and, well, to put it frankly, not too deep.
And there were definitely deep layers to Katie Simpson. He had yet to meet someone who didn’t enjoy talking about themselves but it was obvious that she was the exception to the rule. There were times on the plane when he could have sworn she was hiding something. Back there on the tarmac, he’d seen sadness wash over her face as she’d witnessed the Hargreaves’ reunion. Was she recovering from a broken heart? A jilted lover, perhaps? It was a possibility. So that sealed it. Even if she had been his type, he would never have an affair with a vulnerable woman who was on the rebound. That was a complication he could do without. And he didn’t do complicated.
Despite the evidence of wealth everywhere, nothing could have prepared Katie for the actual size of the yacht.
Moored alongside several others, it wasn’t the biggest in the bay, but it was still larger than anything Katie had ever seen. More like a small cruise ship than a pleasure boat.
‘I’ll show you to your cabins,’ Amelia said as she led them up the gangway. ‘Then, if you think Lucy’s up to it, I promised I’d take her to the track. Mark is due to start a practice session in an hour.’ Her anxious eyes found Fabio’s. ‘If you think it would be okay for Lucy to be there? You will come too, won’t you?’
Fabio touched her on the shoulder. ‘Lucy’s doing really well at the moment and of course we’ll come to the track. That’s what we’re here for.’
‘You’re such a worry-wart, Mummy,’ Lucy said. ‘I keep telling you I’m okay. There’s no way I’m not going to watch Daddy.’ The little girl’s mouth was set in a firm line. This was the determined side to Lucy Dr Cavendish had told her about. Determination was good.
‘I guess all mothers and fathers worry about their children,’ Amelia said lightly. ‘Even when they’re all grown up. It’s part of loving someone very much.’
It was true, Katie thought, her heart twisting. Unfortunately all the worrying in the world didn’t stop bad things from happening.
Amelia hooked her arm through Fabio’s, leaving Katie to follow in their wake. To her surprise she felt a small hand slip into hers. She looked down to find Lucy looking up at her.
‘Don’t be sad,’ she said. ‘I’ll look after you.’
Katie squeezed Lucy’s hand. No doubt the little girl was used to seeing the hurt in adults’ eyes. Katie gave herself a mental shake and forced a smile. For as long as she was there, she would make certain Lucy had one less adult to worry about.
‘Sure,’ Katie replied. She dropped her voice and bent to whisper in the little girl’s ear. ‘This is a bit bigger than the boat I was on as a little girl, you know.’
Lucy giggled.