contract?’ James asked. ‘If things are going well?’
‘I’ll speak with you after a month.’ Zack conceded the smallest fraction. ‘If I can commit for another three months, I’ll let you know then. If I can’t commit to more than that it will give you time to start looking. I am, though, going to Australia for a couple of weeks in April.’
‘To visit family?’ James asked, and Freya blinked as Zack simply didn’t answer the question.
Yes, they were being told that what Zack did in his own time was his concern only.
And then Freya glimpsed again the joy of anonymity and the pain of it going wrong. Zack had told her in bed this very morning that he was running from stuff. Their gazes met briefly and then Zack flicked his away and she saw his neck stretch in slight discomfort.
Oh, she wanted to know this man.
‘So, when could you start?’ James asked.
‘I just have to sort a couple of details out and then I can let you know.’
Freya’s phone buzzed and James tensed. He loathed texts and Freya rolled her eyes at his familiar response. ‘It’s mine.’
She glanced in her bag and saw that it was Mila.
‘Sorry about that,’ Freya said.
‘Do you have any questions for Freya?’ Jack asked.
‘I do but I’ll speak with her later,’ Zack said.
‘I...’ Freya was about to say she couldn’t hang around but she knew she was just putting off the inevitable. ‘Sure.’
‘I’ll send Zack through to you when we’re done.’
‘Thanks,’ Freya said. ‘It was nice meeting you, Zack.’
Her voice was pleasant and her lips smiled, but her eyes told him what a bastard he was.
She went into her office and her skin was crawling with embarrassment and she pressed her fingers into her eyes.
This was, very possibly, going to be the longest three months of her life.
‘Freya?’
She turned at the sound of Stephanie’s voice.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Just...’ Freya took a breath. ‘A bit dizzy,’ she explained. ‘It was a big night last night.’
‘Sure,’ Stephanie said and handed over some files and then left.
Great, Freya thought. Stephanie just loved to have her nose in everyones business.
No doubt, that Freya was dizzy, would soon work its way back to James.
Freya made the call she had just missed.
‘How are you?’ Mila asked.
‘You really don’t want to know,’ Freya said.
‘Oh, but I do.’ They both laughed. ‘I’ll have to prise it out of you later.’
She’d better not! Freya thought.
‘I just wondered if there was any news about that surgeon for Paulo? I’ve got Geoff, his cardiologist, here now and he’s concerned.’
‘He’s in with James now. Let me...’ Freya glanced up as James and Zack came to the door. ‘I have to go,’ Freya said hurriedly. ‘I’ll call you back.’
Zack noticed her cheeks redden and that Freya was flustered as she quickly ended the call.
‘All okay?’ James checked, because Freya was usually completely together, or did everything to appear to be.
She was behaving very oddly today.
‘Of course it is,’ Freya said. ‘I thought you were giving Zack a tour.’
‘We’re going to do that at eleven. I’ve just got a patient that needs a quick review. If you can get started on the paperwork, and a head shot so that everything is in order, that would be great. We’ll also need you to write up a press release and let the world know we’ve got Zack on board.’
‘Sure.’
‘Oh, and I’ll ring the Bright Hope Clinic and see about getting the child looked at by Zack today,’ James said.
‘I can do that,’ Freya offered.
‘Do what?’
‘Arrange his transfer.’
‘Zack has to see the patient first.’ James frowned. ‘Since when did you start acting as a receptionist? I’ll leave Zack with you.’
He walked out and Zack stood and watched as Freya picked up the phone.
‘Could you give me a moment, please?’ Freya asked.
‘Sure,’ Zack said, and stood there.
‘I meant I’d like a moment of privacy, please,’ she snapped, and Zack stared at her for a second before exiting her office, closing the door behind him.
God, this morning was a disaster, she thought as she frantically called Mila back.
‘You haven’t told James about me yet,’ Mila said. ‘Have you?’
‘No,’ Freya admitted. ‘And he’s just about to call the clinic.’
‘It’s fine,’ Mila said. ‘I don’t generally man the phones. I’ll have him put through to Geoff, but, Freya, he needs to know that the Bright Hope Clinic is mine.’
‘I know he does and I am going to tell him.’
‘If you can’t do it face to face, just text him.’
‘He hates texts.’
‘Well, he’s going to hate finding out that we’re going to be working together a whole lot more.’
‘Leave it with me.’
Freya ended the call, took a breath and opened the door on her currently more overwhelming problem. Zack was leaning up against a wall outside and not looking very impressed to have been asked to step outside. ‘Sorry about that! Come on through,’ Freya said, and put on her bright corporate smile and stepped back to let him in. She waited till the door was safely closed for the smile to go and then she let him have it.
‘You knew...’
‘No.’ He gave a small shake of his head.
‘You weren’t even surprised when you walked in. It was supposed to be one night, no names...’
‘I thought you looked vaguely familiar but it only clicked this morning when I was in the shower,’ Zack said. ‘I just looked you up, and you were quite a wild child, it would seem.’
He thought of the photos of her collapsed and being carried out of a nightclub that he had seen, and he thought of the article he had read that spoke of drugs and alcohol and a lengthy stint in rehab.
‘I’m not discussing this here,’ Freya said. ‘I don’t bring my private life to work.’
‘And neither do I,’ Zack said. ‘So go and get some blood work done and then tell me when I can start work.’
Where were the green eyes that had locked with hers last night? Oh, he was looking right at her but his expression was serious.
Grim.
‘I’m a cardiac surgeon and this morning we had unprotected sex and it would appear you’ve had a habit. I’d like a little more than your word that you’re not using.’
And she could only find a grudging admiration that he had the guts to address it directly.
‘I’ve never done drugs.’ She looked at him. ‘I did have some tests last