Annie Claydon - The Doctor's Diamond Proposal

‘Look, Leo. I think there’s something... We need to clear something up.’

‘What would that be?’

He gave so little. It was questions all the way with Leo, and she was starting to wonder whether he wasn’t hiding behind them.

‘Did you call me after the party?’ Alex wondered how he’d like a taste of his own medicine, and answered his question with one of her own.

He seemed surprised. ‘I’m not sure I remember.’

‘Why don’t you try?’ If this issue was getting in the way of the work she was committed to now, she wanted an answer.

‘I said I would.’ His slight shrug seemed designed to imply that it really didn’t matter all that much to him. ‘But that’s the way it works. It’s a lady’s privilege not to call back.’

He flashed her his most charming, roguish smile. That alone probably made the chances of any woman not calling him back extremely slim. Or maybe it was just Leo’s way of changing the subject.

‘Since you won’t give me a straight answer, I’ll assume that you did call. And I’ve been wanting to tell you that I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you, but I really couldn’t. Something happened on the way home and...it was impossible.’

She had his full attention now. Leo couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes. ‘What happened?’

‘I...’ Alex gulped. It was all such a long time ago now and it ought to be irrelevant, but it wasn’t. A rap sounded on the glass that separated them from the control room and she jumped.

‘I’m sorry.’ Leo snapped suddenly into professional mode. ‘The producer’s here, and I need to have a word with him. Would you mind waiting?’

Alex nodded and he swung to his feet, striding to the door and closing it behind him. He reappeared on the other side of the glass, where a man was waiting for him.

Leo’s back was turned to her but the man was glancing at her, even though Leo was obviously talking to him. Curiosity got the better of Alex and she reached for her headphones, flipping the switch that she now knew controlled the sound between the control room and the studio.

‘It’s not acceptable, Justin.’ Leo’s voice rang in her ears.

‘I really don’t see what the problem is...’ Alex saw Justin spread his hands in a gesture of puzzlement.

‘Well, there isn’t any problem because I’m not going to do it. I won’t introduce Alex Jackson as a disabled person. She has a disability, and she’s open about that, but I’m not going to read out an introduction that makes it seem as if it’s the most important thing about her. She’s here to talk about her charity, which, by the way, is all about encouraging young people to see past their disabilities. And educating others to do that too.’

Alex’s gaze moved to the screwed up ball of paper on the floor, which Leo had tossed at the glass. He’d moved past it so smoothly that she’d hardly realised he had a problem with it.

‘Okay...okay.’ Justin’s tone was conciliatory. ‘It was an error of emphasis, I’ll grant you that. No harm done, though...’

‘Only because I didn’t read the introduction out. I want to hear all the trailers for the show, because I don’t want Alex or her charity misrepresented.’

This was almost too much. Leo was fighting her corner without being asked, but just knowing how she’d feel. A thrill of warmth for him clutched at her heart and Alex wondered whether she should go and retrieve the paper, to see what had been written. But then she’d have to take the headphones off, and she wanted to hear this.

‘We’ll email the sound files through to you. Anything else?’

‘No. I’m grateful you’re addressing the issue with your customary effectiveness.’ Leo’s tone had relaxed into lazy charm. ‘Actually, there is one more thing. Thanks for all you did to help make this evening happen. It’s been a good night.’

Justin seemed to heave a sigh of relief. ‘Yep. Nice chemistry in there, Leo. And the caller rate went through the roof...’ Justin’s gaze flipped towards Alex and Leo turned. When he saw her, his lip curled imperceptibly.

She reddened and took off the headphones, putting them back onto the console. Perhaps he’d think she was just trying them on.

Leo had followed Justin out of the control room and when he appeared at the door of the studio again he was holding a manila envelope.

‘Your car’s waiting.’

And he thought he was going to slip away now? ‘No, Leo. I’m not going anywhere until we finish...what we were talking about.’

‘I thought I’d catch a lift with you. The car’s a lot more private.’ He walked across to the console and, too late, Alex realised that she’d forgotten to cut the sound in between the control room and the studio, and that voices were whispering out of the headphones.

He reached out, switching the sound off again. Then he turned, leaving Alex to grab her coat and handbag and follow him out of the studio.

* * *

Leo wondered whether letting sleeping dogs lie was the best option. It probably was, but he knew that wasn’t what he was going to do. Not many people questioned his decisions and, while it came as no surprise that Alex bucked that trend, it was unexpectedly like a breath of fresh air.

She settled herself on the wide leather seat in the back of the car, and Leo got in beside her. The driver confirmed the address with her and the car slid smoothly out onto the road.

‘This is nice.’ She stretched her legs out in front of her, smiling. Clearly she was attempting to disarm him before she started on the next onslaught. He wondered briefly if she knew how much damage her smile could do to a man.

The lights from the street outside were sliding across her face, giving it an almost ethereal quality and it was an effort to stop himself from staring at her. Alex was even more perfect than when he’d first met her. Or maybe he’d just become more of a connoisseur of perfection and learned how to appreciate it better.

He pressed the control button and the glass partition behind the driver’s seat slid upwards. Not that the driver probably cared two hoots about their conversation, but the gesture wasn’t lost on Alex and her cheeks reddened.

‘What happened?’ It was probably something stupid—she’d lost her phone or met an old boyfriend on the bus. But Leo had learned the hard way that hoping for the best didn’t always mean that the best was going to happen. He had to be sure.

She ignored the question. That usually annoyed him, but Alex did it so blatantly that the assertive twist of her mouth was enchanting.

‘I want to thank you. For standing up for me... I mean the charity. And our aims.’

‘That’s what a good host does.’

‘I know. But it doesn’t always happen, and... Thank you. You’re a very good host.’

People said that all the time, but on her lips the compliment warmed him. Despite that, he still hadn’t forgotten what he wanted to ask her...

‘What happened? On your way home.’

‘I had an accident. I lost my phone.’

‘What kind of accident?’ Something tingled at the back of Leo’s neck. That instinct, honed over years of listening to people, told him that whatever she was about to say next was important.

‘I got off the bus and crossed the road...’ She paused for a moment, as if the memory was a difficult one.

Leo was trying not to put two and two together and make four. Hoping that the almost inevitable conclusion wasn’t the right one, this time.

‘And...?’

‘I was knocked over by a car. Drunk driver. I woke up in hospital and my phone was... I don’t know where it was. It was gone.’

A great wave of horror seemed suspended above his head, just waiting to crash down on him. ‘This was...’ He couldn’t even say it. His finger twitched, gesturing towards her right leg.