His wife and kid.

  It would be sweet if it wasn’t so wrapped up in a big ball of messy emotional angst in the pit of her stomach. Her phone was on charge, sitting on the dresser. Pulling out the cord, she brought up the message screen and started typing.

  It’s me. Don’t be mad... *delete*

  I’m not going out with him... *delete*

  Come home... *delete*

  She picked up one of her pillows and threw it at the far wall.

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ she said out loud. ‘What am I doing?’ She looked at the photo of Harriet and Ronnie on her dresser. ‘You two have a lot to answer for.’

  Turning in for the night. I’ll take Zoe to nursery tomorrow. Let you sleep in and enjoy your day off. Lucy

  It read a bit cold. She added a letter to soften the words.

  X *delete*

  Should she?

  X *delete*

  She hit Send before she could debate the kiss any longer. Shoving the phone, the business card and the curt note in her top drawer, and turning off the lamp, she tried to fall asleep.

  * * *

  When she left the house the next morning, Zoe and her backpack in tow, Jackson’s bedroom door was closed. He’d read her message but not replied.

  Fine, she thought to herself. Awkward it is.

  It wasn’t as though they’d never played that game before. This morning, she found the whole thing silly. Yeah, they’d been getting closer, but it was just the bubble they’d been in. They’d both said as much: Zoe needed stability.

  It was lust, that was all. Sure, there were feelings too, but wife and kid kept haunting her. She tried to tell herself it was just her libido talking for the millionth time. She hadn’t been near a man in, oh...for ever...and now she was living with an extra tall version of a near-perfect specimen who was good with kids, saved lives while rocking a set of scrubs and wasn’t a total player. Any woman would have looked, she reasoned, and it would pass. The hand-holding tingle would stop. She’d get over the loss of her perfect night, the one where he’d held her tight and told her ‘for ever’. ‘For ever’ was a fantasy—nothing lasted; people didn’t stay. Perhaps she should say yes to the date with Josh just to put paid to this nonsense. It was easier somehow when he hated her.

  ‘Tell me what to do, Zoe love,’ she said to her niece as they pulled up to the nursery. ‘Auntie Lucy is floundering here.’

  ‘Jack-Jack,’ she said with a toothy smile, and Lucy laughed.

  ‘Well, you’re a big help. Another female totally under his spell, eh?’ She turned off the engine, checking her phone again. She’d texted him again that morning—for a valid co-parenting reason, of course, telling him they were low on milk and she’d pick some up after her shift. A nothing message. Still, she was sad to see that he’d not read it. Perhaps he was still asleep. She’d told him to lie in. Or maybe he was ignoring his phone because he was still mad. She’d not heard him come in the night before. Stuffing the phone back into her bag, she tried to focus on her day.

  ‘Morning, Zoe!’ an exuberant redhead said the second Zoe toddled through the secure doors.

  Maddison? Melanie? Something beginning with an M.

  She looked to see Lucy at her heels and the disappointment was evident. ‘Oh.’ She smiled, recovering too slowly to make it look realistic. ‘Hi, Lucy! I thought you were Jackson. He dropped her off last week.’

  ‘Mmm-hmm.’ Lucy passed her Zoe’s backpack. ‘Different shifts every week. Just me today, sorry; Jackson’s got the day off.’

  ‘Aww.’ She simpered, taking the bag. ‘He deserves it, working so hard.’ Lucy bent to give Zoe a kiss.

  ‘Bye, darling, have fun.’

  The redhead opened the interior doors and Zoe sped off to join the other kids on the carpet. One of the newer nursery staff members was reading a story to the other kids, and Zoe was a sucker for being read to. Once the door was closed, Lucy turned to leave.

  ‘So, what’s he doing today with his day off? Out with his girlfriend or something, I bet.’ Lucy met her eye. Her name tag said ‘Maddy’.

  One mystery solved—another person who didn’t know their urgent situation either.

  Perhaps she should correct that on Zoe’s records. They were still listed as aunt and uncle, though the manager was aware.

  ‘Er...no,’ Lucy replied, reaching for the high door handle.

  ‘Fiancée, then?’ Maddy pressed.

  ‘Nope, not that either.’ She let go of the handle, turning back to face the woman who was seriously starting to tick her off. She was too...perky.

  Was everyone in heat these days?

  ‘Can I pass on a message or something?’

  Maddy’s sculpted brows raised in surprise. ‘Er...well, it’s not exactly professional, but...’

  Lucy smiled, cutting her off. ‘Of course—you’re right, it’s not. I’ll let you get on, then, Mary.’ Maddy nodded, dumbstruck. Reaching for the door, she pushed it open and felt the morning air hit her flustered face. ‘Have a good day!’

  ‘Er...you too, Lucy,’ Maddy called out weakly.

  ‘Always do,’ she trilled, heading back to her car. By the time she got to work after enduring the thick morning traffic, her mood was murderous.

  * * *

  ‘Hi!’

  The second she walked through the hospital doors, she came face to face with Josh.

  ‘Oh, hi, what are you doing here?’

  Idiot.

  Josh laughed awkwardly, pointing to his scrubs. ‘Well, I work here.’

  Lucy’s cheeks exploded. ‘Sorry, sorry! Of course you do!’ She slapped her forehead with a palm. ‘I haven’t had my coffee yet; it’s been a bit of a morning.’

  ‘No problem,’ he said with a sparkle. ‘Perhaps you should have that drink with me, tell me all about it.’

  She bit her lip. She was still mad at perky Maddy, but it clicked when she saw Josh—now she understood Jackson’s mood. She’d felt that way, knowing that someone was angling for a date with him. It was exactly how he’d felt at lunch the day before. She didn’t like the feeling one bit.

  ‘Listen...’ She steeled herself for yet another awkward conversation. ‘I’m flattered, but the reason why I’m frazzled this morning is because I had to take my...er...little girl to nursery. A little girl I share with Jackson.’

  Josh’s jaw dropped, his pallor at least two shades lighter. ‘Oh, my God. I had no idea you were his wife.’ He swore under his breath. ‘Gosh, no wonder he was so moody yesterday. Why didn’t he say something?’

  Lucy put a hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s fine. You did nothing wrong. We’re not married...or even together.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Jackson’s brother, Ronnie—the other Dr Denning—he was married to my sister. She died when he did, and Zoe’s their daughter.’

  ‘Oh, my god.’ Josh’s face was a picture. ‘I wondered why people were so weird about talking about him. Jackson’s closed off, but I just thought he’d lost a brother...so it made sense. I reckoned the staff weren’t talking about it out of respect for his grief, or because they were grieving too. I didn’t know he even had a daughter. When I saw a photo of Zoe, he never corrected me.’

  ‘Well, they were grieving,’ she agreed. ‘And it’s my fault Jackson didn’t say anything. He was trying to respect my wishes. But also, I’m... Trigger...and also Medusa, around here. Actually, only Jackson calls me Trigger, which annoys the ever-living hell out of me, but I’m a bit of a dragon here.’ She laughed, realising that was no longer a hard fact. ‘Well, I was. They call me Medusa because I’m a hard-faced tyrant—or I was.’

  Josh shook his head, his cheeks reddening. ‘So many things make sense now. I thought people just didn’t like me or something.’

  She waved him off. ‘No. No, it’s just a weird time. Jackson and I were sort of family, and very much work enemies. Then our siblings went and died and left their daughter for us to raise together.’ She tried to wrap it up. ‘So, in short—’ she pointed at herself ‘—Medusa, Trigger. Not wife—co-carer. We live together and raise a kid.

  ‘Listen, it’s a long, very confusing story, but I’m just not dating anyone at the moment. I just needed to set the record straight. I don’t want you to feel awkward at work because Jackson and I can’t communicate. I’m really sorry for word-vomiting all over you, but I think it’s about time people know the truth instead of skirting around me.’

  ‘That’s a lot,’ he said when she’d finally stopped to draw breath. ‘Well, thanks for telling me. I’m sorry for your loss, too.’

  ‘Thanks. And sorry again for dragging you into our drama.’ She went to leave, turning back to him when something occurred to her. ‘Thanks, though,’ she said, meaning it. ‘You helped me realise a few things. I’ll see you around.’

  ‘Does he know?’ he called after her.

  ‘Does he know what?’ she asked, frowning at him.

  ‘That you’re not together,’ he said, his voice low to avoid attention. ‘I don’t know what the deal is with you two, but I’m not sure he has the same way of looking at things you do. The way he spoke about you, that didn’t sound like just a co-carer to me.’ He dipped his head by way of goodbye and strode away.

  She watched him leave, but didn’t feel a pang of regret. His words turned over and over in her head. Lucy thought of Jackson’s mood, of him being at home, all huffy. Thought of her behaviour earlier, bristling at Maddy for daring to ask about her housemate. Pulling out her phone, she rang Sheila.

  ‘Hi, Sheila, sorry for ringing early. I’m just going on shift. Yes, yes, everything’s great. Zoe’s at nursery. Listen, I hate to ask, but is there any chance you and Walt could possibly do me a favour and collect her for me tonight and let her sleep over?’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LUCY FELT EVERY step her aching feet made towards her car. Her whole body was singing with both exhaustion and nervous energy. She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or vomit. Seeing Jackson leaning against the back of her car, she didn’t get a chance to choose.

  What is he doing here?

  She’d planned to go home and ask him if they could talk. Tell him Zoe was away for the night to give them both time to hash this out once and for all. She’d banked on the extra time driving home to gather the bravery she needed to get her words out. Spewing words all over Josh earlier wasn’t something she wanted to repeat, not when these next few hours would change their dynamic again, no matter what his reaction was when she finally managed to get her words into the order she needed them.

  Her heart leapt even as her steps faltered. She had to make a conscious effort to put one foot in front of the other. He looked gorgeous, which made it worse. He was wearing the soft dove-grey sweater she loved on him, the one with the V-neck that showed off his chest. The muscles in his broad back flexed noticeably beneath the wool when he moved. She’d thought about that chest so many times that she could draw it from memory. His long, thick legs were encased in a pair of midnight-black jeans, the ones that showed off his tight behind. The first time she’d seen him leaning over the dishwasher in them, she’d had to leave the room before he clocked her ogling.

  He was looking in the other direction, checking his watch, ruffling his thick, dark locks between the fingers of one hand. Seeing the tension in his gait, she braced herself for what was about to happen.

  ‘Hey, you.’

  He pushed off the car, levelling her with one look.

  He’s absolutely stunning. How the heck have I ever been around you and not been a gooey mess?

  ‘Hey. Hi.’ He stepped forward, making her feel smaller as he stood close.

  Not smaller—dainty.

  He reached for her work bag, and she gave him it to him readily. ‘Good shift?’

  ‘Not bad.’ She breathed, willing her body to stop feeling as if it was on fire. Her heart was thudding in her chest cavity, so loud she felt he must hear it. ‘What are you doing here?’

  He pointed to his car a few spaces away. She’d not even noticed it.

  ‘I thought we could take a drive. Talk.’

  ‘What about my car?’

  ‘Leave it here. I can bring you back after.’

  Well, this is not my plan, she thought, but he obviously had things to say too. It wasn’t as if she’d expected anything different.

  ‘Luce,’ he mumbled, so close to her now she could have reached out and touched that legendary chest. ‘You trust me, right?’

  She almost laughed at him. It was such a daft question now. She trusted him more than anyone else in the world. ‘Of course,’ she said instead.

  ‘Then come with me,’ he urged, his voice deep, pleading. He held out a huge palm and she put her hand straight into its grasp.

  * * *

  He pulled out of the car park and headed away from the direction of Zoe’s nursery.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked, looking at the buildings going past as he drove in the opposite direction from the city centre.

  ‘That trust thing didn’t last long.’ He smirked. ‘I spoke to my mum, by the way.’

  ‘Oh, really?’ she said nonchalantly. Her squeaky voice didn’t get with the program. ‘Is she okay?’

  ‘Thrilled to have Zoe for the night, yeah, which is why I didn’t drive to the nursery earlier to get her.’ He turned to look at her as they hit the motorway turnoff. ‘You didn’t say why you wanted the night off, though.’

  Zoe felt her cheeks get hot. ‘Is that why you came to work—to check up on me?’ Something else occurred to her. ‘Did you think I might be going out with Josh?’

  ‘It crossed my mind.’ She didn’t miss the clench of his jaw. ‘But I spoke with Josh. He called me about a patient, mentioned he was going out with some of the team.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I might have suggested some of the work lads take him out for a drink—welcome him properly. You don’t have any plans, do you.’ It was a statement.

  ‘No,’ she replied.

  ‘Thought so. I thought you might want to talk too, so I came to get you.’

  ‘So you did all that and came to stalk me in the parking lot. Nice.’ He laughed when he saw her knowing smirk.

  ‘Well, I didn’t want to risk the chance some other doctor asked you for a date before you got home. I didn’t want to wait to see you.’

  He took the next turnoff. They were on the outskirts of Leeds, she noticed, where a large retail park and some industrial units stood. ‘And now you’re taking me to the warehouse district. I know we sorted the joint life insurance, but I’m pretty sure murder voids the policy.’

  ‘Hah-di-hah!’ He headed to the bottom of the main industrial park, turning off just after a bathroom wholesaler. ‘I just wanted to talk to you. We’ve not spoken since yesterday, I wanted to clear the air.’

  ‘You weren’t talking, actually. I sent you messages.’

  ‘I got them.’

  ‘I know.’

  He pulled into the car park of a grey warehouse. Neon lights lit up signage on top of a large set of double doors. ‘I was mad.’

  ‘Yeah, and you’re weren’t the only one, Jack.’ She looked at the name of the place: Axe Me Another. ‘Where are we, anyway?’

  He turned off the engine, pinning her with a grin so cheeky and so sexy she wanted to slap him, then pull him in and snog his face off.

  ‘Well, since you bagged us a night off, I thought that we should do something about being mad with each other once and for all.’

  * * *

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

  Jackson was positively gleeful as he passed her a set of overalls. She looked up into his eyes and they were bright with excitement.

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘You’re an A&E doctor. You put people back together after dumb accidents like this.’ They were in a side room, having just signed a bunch of disclaimers and been shown where to change. Jackson shrugged, pulling off his sweater without warning. Lucy squeaked, turning to face the lockers on the other wall. ‘Jackson! What are you doing?’

  ‘Getting changed! Come on, don’t be a priss. It’s nothing you haven’t had hold of before, remember?’

  Remember? Ha! It’s etched onto my grey matter.

  ‘How could I forget?’ She sighed, looking again at the bright-orange jumpsuit and goggles in her hands. ‘Fine. If we must dress up like hardened convicts, at least turn around.’

  She heard him behind her, closer than before. ‘I promise not to peek.’ He half growled; his voice sounded strained. She looked over her shoulder; he was standing with his back to her and his stance was taut. She turned round and got changed as quickly as she could. Then she tapped him on the shoulder and he turned round, goggles on the top of his head like a pair of shades.

  ‘I look ridiculous,’ she told him. ‘Orange is definitely not the new black.’

  He laughed with that low rumble that did things to her insides.

  ‘I like that laugh.’

  His brows raised in surprise. ‘Thanks.’ His smile was genuine, bashful even. She went to push a lock of hair away from her face and he beat her to it, curling it round his finger before sweeping it behind her ear. ‘You look cute in orange.’ He paused, and she stood there, looking up at him and prompting herself to breathe. ‘Come on,’ he muttered, breaking the spell. ‘Let’s go get that rage out.’