she had stopped listening. The truth was that she had served her purpose and he’d had no further use for her.
She had ordered him to leave and that had been the last she’d seen of him until she’d arrived in Sardinia. Now, as the newly appointed head of clinical care at the Santa Margherita Ospedale, a hospital devoted to the care of sick children on Sardinia’s northern coast, Luca must be more determined than ever that she wasn’t going to stand in his way.
‘So, Kelly, have you decided what you intend to do?’
Luca pulled out a chair and sat down. Kelly took a deep breath as she blanked out the unhappy memories. Luca had given her twenty-four hours to decide if she wanted to continue working at the hospital and he wouldn’t allow her a second more. She opened her mouth to tell him that she had decided to leave when he interrupted her.
‘Before you say anything, I believe I owe you an apology.’
‘An apology?’ she repeated uncertainly.
‘Si.’ He leant back in his chair and studied her across the width of the desk. ‘It was wrong of me to speak to you that way in front of the team. I apologise for it.’
‘Oh! I see.’
Kelly bit her lip, hoping he couldn’t tell how emotional she felt. She’d been bitterly upset by what had happened yesterday. Luca had been extremely abrupt with her when she had suggested a change of treatment for one of the children. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had taken the time to consider her idea, but he had dismissed it out of hand. She had been furious about the way he had spoken to her and had told him so in no uncertain terms. If he hadn’t been called away, she knew that a full-scale row would have erupted and that would have been reprehensible. It was bad enough that Luca had felt it necessary to advise her to consider her position at the hospital before he had left. Maybe Luca wasn’t the only one who needed to apologise?
‘I think I owe you an apology too. I should have accepted what you said and not argued with you.’
‘Then we were both at fault, it seems.’
He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly beneath his suit jacket. He was always impeccably dressed and the black suit he was wearing fitted him like a glove, moulding itself to the lean lines of his body. He had chosen a plain white shirt to go with it and the colour was the perfect foil for the olive tan of his skin. With those deep grey eyes and that lustrous black hair, he looked more like a film star than a doctor, yet it hadn’t just been his looks that had attracted her when they had met. It had been everything about him: his vitality; his commitment; his intelligence. Luca Ferrero had seemed like the embodiment of all her dreams and it was little wonder that she had fallen in love with him. The hardest thing of all had been discovering that her idol had clay feet.
It was painful to recall again what had happened so she pushed the memory to the back of her mind. It wasn’t relevant now, anyway. The days when she and Luca had been lovers were long gone and a lot had happened since, her move to Sardinia to work at the Santa Margherita hospital being one of the major events.
Moving abroad had been a big step for her and her twin sister, Katie. When she had moved to Sardinia, Katie had gone to live in Cyprus. Kelly had been worried in case things didn’t work out for her twin but, after speaking to Katie the previous night, and discovering that she was getting married, Kelly was confident the move had been a success for one of them at least. It was one less thing to worry about if she had to give up her job here.
Kelly frowned when she realised that an element of doubt had crept into her mind. She had decided that she must leave and that should have been the end of it. However, part of her was still reluctant to give up the job and life she had dreamed about for so long.
‘So, Kelly, you were about to tell me what you have decided to do.’
Kelly felt panic well up inside her again as Luca prompted her for an answer. All of a sudden she wasn’t sure what she was going to tell him. Should she hand in her notice, or should she stay? But if she stayed, she was going to have to work with him on a daily basis. Could she treat him as just another colleague, or would the memory of the past always affect her judgement, as it had done yesterday? She had never argued with someone senior to her before, yet she’d had no compunction when it had come to squaring up to Luca.
‘I know how difficult this is for you, Kelly. It’s not easy for me, either.’
Luca’s tone had softened, stroking along her raw nerves like a velvet-gloved hand, and she shivered. She had always been highly responsive to him. Just a word or a touch and she’d been like putty in his hands. That was another reason why she should leave—she didn’t want to feel like that again. Luca was a married man now and he was strictly off limits. However, even though she knew that, she couldn’t help the feelings that were trickling through her, hot little shivers which she hated yet couldn’t control.
‘I can’t see why it should upset you, Luca,’ she said sharply, trying to quell the treacherous response of her body. ‘You forgot all about me the moment you left England. After all, you had other things on your mind, didn’t you?’
‘If you mean that my life changed dramatically after I returned to Italy, I won’t deny it,’ he said quietly. ‘However, it doesn’t mean that I forgot what we shared while I was in England. You played a very important role in my life during the time I was there, Kelly, so this situation is just as difficult for me as it is for you. However, we’re both adults and I honestly believe that we can find a way to work together if we put our minds to it.’
‘Does that mean you want me to stay on here?’ she asked in surprise because she had never expected him to make such an admission. Luca had been cool to the point of indifference since she’d arrived. He’d given no hint that he remembered the time they had spent together. Although it shouldn’t have made a scrap of difference to discover that he considered her an important part of his past, she knew that it did.
‘Yes. But only if it’s what you want, too.’ He leant forward and his eyes were very intent all of a sudden. ‘I won’t try to persuade you to do something you don’t feel is right for you, Kelly. I have too much respect for you both as a person and as a doctor.’
‘Thank you.’ Kelly took a quick breath when she felt her emotions see-saw once more. ‘I would like to stay. It’s always been my dream to work in a children’s hospital. I couldn’t believe it when I was told that I had the job.’
‘Me, too.’ A sudden smile curled his sensual mouth as he leant back in his chair. ‘I knew there were dozens of candidates for the post and that they came from all over the world, too. I could scarcely believe my good fortune when the board offered me the job of clinical director.’
‘Stop being so modest.’ Kelly smiled back, feeling some of her tension ease when she saw the laughter on his face. This was the Luca she remembered best, the warm, caring man who took such delight in even the smallest success. No wonder everyone had adored him when he’d worked in Manchester. He could have had his pick of all the single women in the hospital, but he’d chosen her.
The thought sent a frisson scudding through her but she ignored it. She laughed, wanting to keep the mood light because it was safer. ‘You know very well there are few paediatricians who can match you, Luca.’
‘Hmm, I think I should hire you to do my PR. You are very good for my ego, Kelly.’
He returned her smile before he abruptly sobered. She had the impression that he was deliberately drawing back and couldn’t help feeling disappointed before she realised how stupid it was. She should be glad that he was keen to keep their relationship on a strictly platonic footing.
‘You are an excellent doctor, Kelly. The proof of that is the fact that the board offered you this job. Whilst I hadn’t taken up my own post when you were interviewed, I wouldn’t have had any hesitation about endorsing your application if I’d been consulted.’
‘Thank you. That means a lot to me. I thought…Well, you can probably guess what I thought.’
‘That