Liv stared at him. Had she really spoken her thoughts aloud? ‘Nothing. Take the money.’ She pushed it into his hand and started to back away. ‘I really have to go. Anna needs me, and—’
‘Liv, stop it.’ His eyes were amused. ‘Why are you so jumpy? Last night over dinner you managed to relax and be yourself. For the first time I actually had a glimpse of the real you.’
Liv almost groaned. ‘Yes, I know,’ she muttered, ‘and I’m really, really sorry about that. I suppose it’s because I don’t often find myself in adult company, apart from with the patients and they don’t count. I was a little carried away talking about my life. No wonder you only ordered one course.’
Surprise flickered in his eyes and he watched her for a moment, his expression thoughtful. ‘I ordered one course because most of the women I take out to dinner don’t eat anything,’ he said softly and she gave a resigned smile.
If she’d needed a reminder that she bore no resemblance to the type of woman he usually dated, she had it now. ‘Well, you only have to look at me to know that I’m not in that category—but then you weren’t really taking me out to dinner, were you? It was more a question of me gatecrashing and—’ she broke off and studied his face. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Because you fascinate me. In Resus you are always cool and in control. You are fast, bright and confident. And then we leave Resus and you are a nervous wreck. Why is that, I wonder?’
The way he was looking at her made her feel hot and shivery at the same time.
‘I…really ought to go, because…’ horribly out of her depth, she waved a hand vaguely. ‘I…just really ought to go.’ Why was he talking to her, anyway? Why was he bothering?
‘Give me your car keys.’
‘My—’ She frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Because someone from my garage is coming to pick up your car in ten minutes.’
Liv stared at him in astonishment. ‘Your garage? But they fix Ferraris.’
‘They’re skilled mechanics.’ Stefano inclined his head as the neurology consultant wandered past and muttered a greeting. ‘They can fix anything with an engine.’
‘I’m not sure that mine even falls into that category,’ Liv joked weakly, incredibly touched that he’d offered. Why? Why had he offered? ‘I couldn’t possibly say yes. Even if they could fix it, they’d charge a fortune. Garages take one look at me and rip me off.’
‘All the more reason to let me sort this one out. Garages don’t rip me off.’ His tone was pleasant but there was a hard glint in his eyes that made her smile.
‘I imagine they wouldn’t dare.’ Panic fluttered inside her when she thought about all the demands on her meagre salary. ‘I suppose I could use the Christmas-tree money.’ She murmured those words to herself and Stefano raised an eyebrow in question.
‘The Christmas-tree money?’
Trying to work out how to find a Christmas tree that didn’t cost anything, Liv felt her head start to throb. ‘Look, I hadn’t expected my car to die three weeks before Christmas, which obviously wasn’t very sensible planning on my part, but there you are. I basically can’t afford to get it fixed yet.’ What was the point in pretending? It was obvious from the state of her car that she wasn’t rolling in money. ‘But thanks for offering.’
‘How much is your budget?’
‘A hundred pounds.’ Saying it aloud, it sounded so ridiculous that Liv started to laugh. ‘You see? It’s hopeless. I doubt they’d even tow it away for that.’
‘It might not be anything too serious. Let’s wait and see what they say. My mechanic is cheap and reliable.’ His eyes lingered on her face and she felt her insides heat.
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘You say yes.’
Faced with the tempting vision of a problem solved, Liv felt herself waver. ‘If it’s more than a hundred pounds—’
‘Then I’ll tell them not to do the work. Now give me the keys.’ He held out his hand. ‘Keys, Liv.’
She handed them over. ‘I don’t know why you’re helping me.’
‘I know you don’t.’ With that enigmatic comment, he strolled away from her, her car keys in his hand, leaving her staring after him in bemusement.
‘I don’t care how much it costs.’ Stefano trawled through his emails as he made the call. ‘I just want it fixed. Fast. And I want the bill to say £102.’ He listened for a moment as the mechanic outlined the dire state of Liv’s car. ‘Yes, I know all that. I have eyes… I don’t care about that, either… A new engine—yes, whatever, and there’s one other thing.’ He frowned as he scanned the email from the chief executive demanding his presence at a meeting on cost-cutting. ‘I want you to deliver a hire car here this afternoon. A new, safe hatchback, nothing too flashy.’ Having sorted out that problem, he terminated the call and turned to the pile of letters on his desk, but he was called to see a patient and then another and it was several hours before he was finally able to return to the mounting paperwork.
He was just trying to work up some enthusiasm for an extremely dry memo from the Department of Health when there was a tap on the door.
Liv stood there, a set of keys in her hand. ‘The garage delivered me a car,’ she gasped. ‘Did you arrange it?’
Stefano relaxed back in his chair, watching her. ‘They always give a complimentary car. Perhaps I forgot to mention that.’
‘When they’re servicing your Ferrari, maybe, but not when they’re given an ancient rust bucket to resuscitate.’
‘It’s Christmas. I told them that you have a child and that you work at the hospital. People are extra-kind to nurses and rightly so. Just accept it, Liv.’ His order was met by silence and she simply stared at him. Then she gave a little sob and suddenly burst into tears.
Appalled, Stefano rose to his feet. ‘Accidenti, who has upset you? Tell me and I will sort it out right now!’
‘No one. Nothing. I’m sorry.’ She rubbed the palm of her hand across one cheek and then the other, wiping away the tears, visibly struggling to pull herself together. ‘It’s just that I’m not used to—I usually have to sort out everything myself. I’m not used to people being kind and—I can’t believe you persuaded them to lend me a car.’ Her voice cracked. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’
Frozen to the spot, Stefano watched her, uncertain how to respond. Usually female tears left him cold, but he’d never encountered the genuine article before. Neither had he ever been so profusely thanked for so small a gesture. He’d once given Francine a diamond necklace, but even that extravagant gift had merited little more than a loud squeal and a comment that matching earrings would have been nice.
‘You’re welcome,’ he said softly and Liv gave him an embarrassed smile and pulled a tissue out of her pocket.
‘I seem to make a habit of making a fool of myself in front of you.’ She blew her nose hard. ‘You’re probably thinking I’m a complete psycho.’
He thought she was delightfully natural, refreshingly honest and achingly sexy. ‘I think you’re tired, and that is hardly surprising given how hard you work.’
‘I like my work.’
And in her time off, she read to her child. Books on cars and football.
He’d never met anyone as selfless as her. Sensing that she was struggling for control, Stefano shifted the subject away from the personal. ‘I just spoke to ICU. Michelle is stable.’
Liv’s face brightened. ‘That’s good news. How’s the baby?’
‘Taking