Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Standing in a cupboard drinking warm ginger beer?” Wanda asked.
Gerry ignored her and raised his glass. “To a wonderful union. May you both have a marriage that lasts as long as this hospital stands.”
I slipped my free hand into Sutton’s as we sipped on our drinks. The look on her face told me she hadn’t figured out what was going on.
“Thank you,” Sutton said. “We thought we’d been discreet.”
“You were,” Wanda said. “I never heard the slightest word—apart from this one.” She nodded at Gerry. “But you know how he’s always matchmaking.” Wanda turned to Sutton. “Yes, he’s a Cove, but that doesn’t mean your career has to take a back seat to his. You’re clever and capable. All you lack is a little confidence.”
Sutton squeezed my hand as if to say Can you believe she’s saying this stuff to me? “Thanks, Wanda.”
Wanda took a mouthful of ginger beer and winced. “That’s disgusting, Gerry. And if you don’t mind, I’m going to excuse myself. It’s the end of my shift and I’m going home to have dinner with my husband.”
“Husband?” Gerry exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were married.”
Wanda winked at Gerry. “You might know a lot of things, my friend. But you don’t know everything.” She excused herself and left, leaving behind a stumped-looking Gerry.
“I must have them over for dinner,” he mumbled to himself.
“We should leave you to arrange that,” I said.
“Yes, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about you two, either. Margo’s been dying to meet you, Sutton, since I told her about you and Jacob.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Sutton said.
“Understanding? I’m delighted. Now off with you two. I’m going to fill Margo in.”
I ushered us out of the office and shut the door behind us.
“Well that didn’t go as I expected,” Sutton said.
I chuckled. “You probably expected Gerry to morph into a fire-breathing dragon, so no wonder it wasn’t as bad.”
“Just got to find Veronica and tell her, and then I’m going home. Parker is coming over and we’re going to day drink.”
“Good to know,” I said. “I’ll look forward to seeing you both sprawled on the sofa later.”
She grinned and I wanted to pull her toward me and kiss her, but we’d agreed to keep things strictly professional at the hospital.
“What are you doing here?” Veronica appeared from out of nowhere and glanced between Sutton and me.
“Actually, I was looking for you,” Sutton said. “Free for a coffee?”
“Yeah, I’m just heading to lunch and—what’s that on your left hand?” She glanced at Sutton’s ring finger.
“See you at home,” I said to Sutton. Veronica started to squeal.
“You have to tell me everything,” I heard Veronica whisper as I peeled off and headed back to my office. It was clear that telling Veronica wasn’t going to lead to any awkward or difficult conversations for my fiancée. Sooner or later, she’d learn that our life together could be smooth sailing.
The next day
Sutton
I lifted the suitcase out of the boot of Jacob’s car and it landed with a slam on his driveway. I glanced at my left hand, just to check my ring. I’d only been wearing it for twenty-four hours and I was scared stiff the enormous stone would fall out of its setting or the entire thing would just slip off.
But there it was, glistening in the London sunshine, firmly fixed to my left ring finger.
“Sutton?” a woman called from across the road. “Is that you?”
I looked up to see Gilly coming toward me, a salacious grin spread wide across her face. Somehow news about Jacob and me hadn’t spread through the hospital as fast as I thought it would. Maybe people didn’t care as much as I had expected them to. Gerry and Wanda certainly hadn’t. Or maybe Gilly just hadn’t found out yet. I should have closed the gates to the drive. We were going back to my place for the rest of my stuff as soon as we unloaded, so it hadn’t seemed worth it. I sighed at the inevitable conversation we would now be forced to have.
“You can’t tell me you’re dropping off another book for Jacob?” She glanced down at my suitcase.
“Nope,” I said, hauling the suitcase upright.
“Hi, Gilly,” Jacob said, coming back from the house to collect some more stuff. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just passing,” she said.
“Do you live around here?” Jacob asked.
Gilly blushed and shook her head. “No, just like to take a walk on the Heath in the mornings sometimes.”
Jacob and I exchanged a glance. She’d either been hoping to catch me here again or she’d been hoping to run into Jacob for her own reasons.
“Let me take that,” Jacob said, taking the suitcase from me. “You don’t want to catch your ring.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure who liked the ring more—me or Jacob. Dexter, a friend of Tristan’s, was a jeweler, and we’d got to go to his Knightsbridge store after hours to pick it out. The place was like a diamond cave—the most expensive jewelry I’d ever laid eyes on everywhere I looked.