of days he’d found that if he spent too much time in the same space as her it was becoming increasingly difficult to resist the pull of attraction. It was difficult to be around her and not touch her. All he wanted to do when she was around him was to explore their attraction but he had promised not to push her.
Once again his boat was his sanctuary but this time he didn’t need it to help him over his heartbreak. This time it was to keep his mind off his desire rather than his despair. The physical work was a good antidote for the desire. He was so knackered by the end of the day that he would fall straight to sleep when he went to bed. That was a fourth benefit of the demolition work.
He’d had several brief affairs over the past three years but he had been very careful to avoid meaningful relationships. If Luci was willing there was nothing stopping them from having some fun, as her time in Sydney was limited anyway, but he realised she might still be working through her own issues. It would probably be wise to spend some time working out whether her issues were major or minor. He wasn’t prepared to get involved in anything too emotional—a physical relationship was fine but he didn’t want anything more serious than that.
There were all sorts of reasons why he should avoid Luci and he knew them all, he’d been running over them constantly.
She had led a sheltered life. A very sheltered life.
They had to work together.
They had to live together.
It was all a little bit too close.
But that didn’t alter the fact that he was excited by Luci and it had been a long time since he’d been excited by anything.
Although he knew it still might be better to avoid her he couldn’t avoid her completely. They had to work together and on Friday afternoon she knocked on his consulting-room door. He could smell her before he saw her. She smelt of frangipani.
‘Hi,’ he said as he looked up. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Good.’
She smiled at him and her blue-grey eyes sparkled. She looked happy. She glowed and he had the sense that she was filled with light that then spilled out to brighten everyone else’s day. At least, that’s how he felt when she was around.
‘Melanie Parsons is in the clinic today,’ Luci told him. ‘She has an appointment with the psychologist and then I’m going to do the health check on her four-year-old. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see her.’
‘Good idea. What time is she booked in with you?’ he asked as he looked at his diary.
‘She’s next. I’m just going to grab a coffee and by then she should be done with the psych consult. Give me ten minutes to get started on the toddler check and then come in.’
Luci was just helping Harper down from the exam table when Seb knocked on the door. She took Harper out of the room to the play area where Harper’s two-year-old brother was busy with the building blocks while Seb caught up with Melanie. When she returned Seb had been given the update on the two psychologist appointments Melanie had already had.
‘We are working on my responses so that I can try to manage the situation,’ Melanie told him. ‘And then we’re going to tackle the best way to get Brad in for a session as well.’
Milo was strapped into his pram in the corner of the room. He started to grizzle.
‘Sorry,’ Melanie apologised, ‘He’s due for a feed.’
Seb thought it was interesting that Melanie felt she needed to apologise for something that was perfectly understandable. She started to get out of her chair to attend to the baby when Luci offered her help.
‘Don’t worry about him. I’ll see if I can settle him for a bit, let you finish with Dr Hollingsworth.’ Luci lifted Milo out of the stroller. She blew a raspberry on his foot and his grizzles stopped, becoming happy chortling instead. She laid him on the exam table and distracted him with a mirror and a game of peek-a-boo, allowing Melanie to continue.
The young mother was watching Luci play with Milo while she spoke to Seb. ‘And I think I need to make an appointment to discuss a more reliable form of contraception. After this next one I reckon I’m done. Some days I feel like I’m not even managing with the three I already have.’
Seb’s antennae went up. ‘I’ll speak to the psychologist and recommend that you continue with regular visits until a few months after this next baby is born.’ He didn’t want to let Melanie slip through the cracks in the system. If she needed help and support he wanted to make sure she got it. For her sake and for her children’s sake.
‘Thank you,’ she replied with a nod as she stood up, preparing to leave. She picked Milo up from the exam table to put him back into his stroller. ‘Do you have kids, Luci?’ she asked.
Melanie was bending over, strapping Milo into his pram, and she missed Luci’s expression. But Seb didn’t. She looked like someone had slapped her.
‘No, I don’t,’ Luci replied.
‘You should. You’re a natural.’
‘Mmm-hmm.’ Luci turned away and Seb wasn’t able to see her face. He couldn’t tell if her expression had changed or not.
‘I don’t seem to have the energy,’ Melanie remarked.
‘I imagine managing them twenty-four-seven is very different from seeing them for ten minutes at a time,’ Luci said. ‘I’m not surprised you’re tired.’
‘Exhausted is the word, I think. But I’ll get through it. What other choice do I have?’ she remarked as she pushed the pram towards the door.
‘Are you okay?’ Seb asked Luci the moment Melanie left the room.
‘I’m fine.’
She didn’t look fine.
‘I’m concerned about Melanie, though,’ she said, changing the subject. ‘Do you still think the kids are safe?’
‘How was Harper’s health check?’ he asked, letting her change of topic go—for now. ‘Were there any red flags with her weight or teeth or any unexplained bruises?’
Luci shook her head. ‘Everything was within normal ranges.’
‘I’ve never seen any signs of neglect or abuse. The kids are clean and well fed. I think she’s coping. Maybe just, at times, but I don’t think the kids are in any danger.’ If he thought the children were in any danger he wouldn’t sit on his hands. ‘Her kids’ welfare comes before her own, which is part of the problem, but also why I’ll insist that she continue with regular psych reviews. If anything changes, hopefully we’ll pick up on it.’
Luci was nodding but she still looked upset. He felt that he’d learned to read her expressions in just a few days and he was still worried about her. He wanted to find out why she’d looked so shocked. He ignored his self-imposed ban. He wanted to spend time with her. ‘Have you got plans tonight?’ he asked.
‘Only to cook up a stir-fry.’
‘Would there be enough for two?’
‘You’ll be home?’
So she’d noticed that he’d been MIA. He wondered if she had missed him. He nodded and offered, ‘I’ll bring wine.’
‘Sure.’
* * *
‘Dinner smells good.’
Seb’s voice startled her and made Luci jump. She had her head over the wok and the sizzle as she fried the garlic and crushed chilli had blocked out all other sounds.
‘It’s just chicken and noodles,’ she said as she scraped the marinated chicken strips into the pan. The aroma of fried garlic always smelt good but she hadn’t really thought about the practicalities of serving up a dish laden with garlic. Oh, well, she supposed it was one way