Joanna Neil - Her Boss and Protector

‘It’s not a problem,’ he said. ‘I realise that you’re having trouble keeping it all together, but I guess you’re not alone. A lot of single parents seem to find it difficult to manage.’

He signed her chart while she was still staring at him open-mouthed, and he didn’t give her the opportunity to set things straight. He didn’t stay around to talk any longer, but strode away to treat a patient who was being rushed into the emergency room.

Jade was kept busy for the rest of the afternoon. She was a bit out of her depth, but she tried to get by without asking for help as far as she was able, because she didn’t want to give Callum any more reasons for regretting that she was on his team.

Despite her anxieties, for the most part things went well. She even managed to have a laugh with the paramedic, Sam, who came in to see how little Dean was doing.

‘Hi,’ he said, coming across the room to her just as she finished a coffee-break. ‘How is the little fellow? Did he pull through all right?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, he’s doing much better now. We’re going to keep him in hospital for a day or so, but it’s more of a precaution than anything else. I think he’ll be fine from now on.’

‘That’s good.’ Sam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he studied her. ‘I expect we’ll run into each other quite a lot if you’re going to be working here from now on. It seems as though my visits to the hospital are suddenly going to be much brighter than I could have hoped for.’ He looked her over. ‘Things are definitely looking up. You’re by far the best-looking doctor I’ve seen around here in a long while.’

Jade gave him an answering smile. ‘And you’re a smooth-tongued Casanova if ever I heard one,’ she said. ‘I bet you’ve had plenty of practice charming the girls.’ He was a good-looking young man, with dark hair that fell softly over his forehead and grey eyes that were full of dancing lights.

‘Not nearly as much as you’d think.’ He moved a little closer to her. ‘I’d really like to get to know you better. How about we take off from here when you finish work and go and get ourselves something to eat? I know a good place not too far from here.’

‘Sorry, but I can’t,’ she said. Even if she had wanted to, there were two small reasons why assignations of any kind were out of the question right now. Rebeccah and Connor would be taking up most of her free time for the foreseeable future.

Sam frowned, but just as she thought of trying to soften the blow, a shadow came between them.

‘Perhaps you two should continue your cosy little chat later,’ Callum said. ‘There are patients waiting to be seen.’ He looked at Jade, his jaw set in a firm line. ‘I think it would be a good idea if you were to go and attend to them.’ Then he turned a fraction, his gaze shooting warning sparks in Sam’s direction.

Sam took the warning on board and began to make a strategic exit, but he managed to mouth, ‘Be seeing you,’ to Jade as he went.

Jade sent Callum a guarded look. ‘I was on my way back from a break,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I was being remiss in any way. I was just about to head for the treatment room.’

‘I hope you were,’ he said. ‘Break’s over.’ He moved off in the direction of the reception desk, and Jade stared after him.

She sighed inwardly. It wasn’t going to be easy working with Callum Beresford, that was for sure, and the fact that he was her neighbour and landlord only served to make things doubly difficult.

Was she going to be able to find a way to get along with him? At the moment, that seemed highly unlikely.

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