breath. ‘Look, Bonnie, I’m sorry about this morning. I know I came across as difficult.’ He shook his head. ‘But that’s just me. It probably wasn’t the ideal first meeting.’ He held out his hands. ‘But there’s absolutely no way I’m letting you spend the next few days here with your daughter. Not while her health is at risk.’
It took a few seconds for the initial shocked expression on her face to disappear. Her tense shoulders gradually relaxed and she nodded slowly. Relief. That was what she was feeling now. It was palpable in the air all around them. The frown had disappeared from her brow and her blue eyes were focused clearly on him.
‘You really mean it?’ She seemed really hesitant.
It was clear she couldn’t believe it. ‘Freya and I can stay with you for a few days?’ She glanced around her. ‘We don’t need to stay in this mouldy motel room?’
‘Just until you find somewhere suitable.’ From the expression on her face any minute now she would jump for joy.
‘Of course.’ Parts of his insides were doing strange twisting things. Making him think the word no but not letting it come out. This was work. They’d found a new temporary ward sister who needed a short-term solution for accommodation. It was logical. That was all.
‘That’s such a weight off my mind. Thank you, Jacob. Will your wife or partner be okay with this? The last thing I want to do is foist myself and a five-year-old on someone unexpectedly.’
Jacob gave the tiniest shake of his head. ‘No wife. No partner.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘No time.’ He squirmed a little saying those words out loud. Most single guys would probably be delighted to declare their freedom to the world. But for some reason it made him sound so isolated.
‘And it won’t be too much of an inconvenience to you?’ Her voice rose a little at the end of the sentence, as if she were worried at any minute he might change his mind.
‘How much trouble can a five-year-old be?’ He was giving her a half smile as a whole surge of wariness swept over him. He had absolutely no experience with five-year-olds. He didn’t even know how to have a conversation with one. He tried to rationalise things out loud. ‘It makes sense. We need a ward sister to get on top of things in the labour ward. The last thing you need is for your daughter to be sick and to spend your time at work worrying about where you’re staying. It’s logical.’
She held out her hands. ‘You’ll need to give us a few minutes to pack. Thankfully we didn’t really have a chance to unpack last night.’
* * *
It was almost as if Bonnie went into automatic pilot. She started pushing things haphazardly into a large blue case, then sat on it to close it. Now he’d made the offer it was clear she couldn’t wait to get out of here—no matter how temporary the solution. And the truth was, he couldn’t wait to get out of here either.
‘Here,’ he said, gesturing her to move. ‘Let me. I’ll push down and you can snap it shut.’
It did only take her a few minutes. But by the time she was finished there were four bulging suitcases for the car as well as the car seat. He gave her a wink. ‘Just as well I brought my four-by-four and not my sports car. How on earth did you get down from the train with these?’
Something juddered through him. Had he just winked at her? What on earth was wrong with him? Since when did he do things like that?
This woman was having a strange effect on him.
But Bonnie didn’t seem to notice. She just looked a little sheepish. ‘It’s a bit hard trying to ram all your worldly goods into some suitcases. Particularly when your five-year-old wants to bring all twenty of her favourite cuddly toys.’ She sighed. ‘I’ve got some stuff in storage as well at my mum and dad’s. Once we find somewhere to stay I’ll send for it.’
He picked up the first two cases and carried them out to the car. All of a sudden he felt as if he’d put his foot in his mouth. He wasn’t trying to offend her. He’d spent the last year so focused on his treatment and keeping the department running that he hadn’t bothered much with social niceties. Maybe it was time to start paying attention again.
Bonnie went to pay her bill as he loaded the last two cases into the car. ‘You shouldn’t have paid anything. That place is a disgrace.’
She strapped Freya back in and climbed into the passenger seat. ‘Don’t. He wanted me to pay for the whole week because we’ve left early.’
‘I hope you refused.’
She gave him a wink. ‘Of course I did.’
He started the car with a smile. Just as well he hadn’t been driving. He’d have probably swerved off the road. She had seen the wink and had taken it as intended—in good humour. Thank goodness. He couldn’t afford to tiptoe around someone who would be staying in his house. He must have been crazy inviting her to stay. She must have been crazy to accept. Either that, or she was desperate.
And he already knew that she was.
He had to keep remembering that. Otherwise his mind might start to drift in other directions. He’d never shared his house with a woman before. Let alone a woman and child. He was used to his own space. This had disaster written all over it.
His stomach started to churn a little. This was the craziest thing he’d ever done. He knew that his house was tidy—Monday was the day his housekeeper came. He’d texted her earlier and asked her to pick up some food for him. His fridge was currently bare. It was hardly hospitable to invite a mother and child back with not even a drop of milk in the fridge.
There. That was better. A mother and child seemed a much safer thought than anything that involved the name Bonnie.
He pulled up outside his Victorian town house. It had just started to rain and Bonnie pressed her nose up against the glass. ‘Please tell me you only own part of that.’
He opened the car door. ‘Nope. It’s all mine. Including the ancient kennel in the back garden.’
He felt a little surge of pride in his heart that she liked his house. It was very traditional for Cambridge. Set in a residential area, in the middle of the city, the three-storey town house was just moments away from the river and college boathouses.
‘You have a dog?’
Freya. He’d almost forgotten she was there. She had that expression on her face again. The little frown line across her forehead. She was standing in the rain staring up at the bay window at the front of the house. He pulled her hood up over her head. ‘No. Sorry, I don’t. I just have a really old kennel.’
He popped the boot and lifted out the first two cases, then walked up the path and deposited them at the doorway while he fished for his keys. ‘Give me a sec,’ he said as he opened the door and turned off the alarm. ‘Go inside. I’ll get the other cases.’
The rain was getting heavier now and it only took a few seconds to wrestle the other cases from the back of the car and get inside. He closed the door behind him and breathed a sigh of relief.
Home was usually his sanctuary. The place he came back to after work or treatment, closed the blinds and ignored the world. Chances were, he wouldn’t get to do that any time soon. Thank goodness his treatment was over. Now he just had to wait for his results.
Bonnie had picked Freya up and carried her through the long corridor and turned left into the main lounge. He heard the little suck in of breath. What did that mean?
He dumped the cases at the door and followed her into the lounge. She spun around to face him. ‘Wow. This place is just yours? It’s gorgeous.’ She set Freya down on the floor and walked over to the fireplace. ‘This is just amazing. Does it work? Do you have a real fire on a winter’s night?’ She crouched down and touched the tile work around the fireplace.
He’d always been proud of his home, but for the first time he felt a little regretful. He