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)
Jacob.
I was almost naked a meter away from the very man I was trying to stay distracted from.
He pushed his goggles up onto his head and stood, the defined muscles of his chest covered in droplets of water not helping my heartrate. “Hey. I didn’t realize it was you.”
I stopped swimming but kept crouched so I was still neck-deep in water. “Hey. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”
“Yeah.” He pushed his hand over his head and his goggles fell off. I caught them and tossed them back at him. “Thanks.”
“I thought you preferred outdoor swimming?”
He grinned, a smile I’d only ever seen outside the hospital. “I like the Heath, but the temperature here is much better.”
“I haven’t swum for the longest time. Before I started studying.”
“Before?” He looked at me as if I’d misspoken. “Did you ever stop?” Because we’d sworn off medicine as a topic of conversation at dinner, he wouldn’t have known, unless he’d looked carefully at my CV, that I’d come up an unconventional route. It gave me some comfort that the rest of the consultants at the Royal Free might not have checked my CV either. Maybe I really would be able to stay under the radar.
“Yeah, I left school at sixteen. Went into hairdressing before I decided to change route.”
He nodded. “That actually explains a lot.”
My heart sank at his cruel comment but I gave a one-shouldered shrug, trying to act like it didn’t cut bone deep. I looked away and down the length of the pool, wondering whether it would be rude to swim off before he could see how upset I was.
“I mean you were really impressive out there,” he said, then he glanced away too. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just you stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and I couldn’t figure out whether it was just because of . . . you know, us. But it makes sense that you didn’t come straight through. You have a wisdom, a practicality, an empathy that these other FY1s don’t have.”
Now I had to fight to cover my blush. “Would you like a blow dry with your appendectomy?”
Jacob didn’t smile at my joke. “Don’t do that. Don’t give people ammunition because you don’t want them to use it first.”
“Why not?” I was resigned to the inevitable jokes and sneers I’d get from my peers once they found out, but it wouldn’t break me. I’d survived a lot worse from my mother. “It is what it is.”
He stepped closer. “The way you handle yourself in the hospital is impressive. The way you logically think through every situation shows maturity. It shows life experience. You’re a good doctor.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I think after four months being taught by you, I’m definitely going to be a better one.” I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather learn from. Jacob was patient but firm, clever and kind and respected by all his colleagues. Was there a better teacher?
“It’s my job,” he said. “But thank you.”
I skimmed my arms across the surface of the water in a circle around me.
“You want to race?” he asked, grinning.
“With you?” I frowned. “Are you kidding? I’ve seen your body, remember.”
He laughed. “How could I forget?” We locked eyes and it felt like I’d taken a seat in a chair that had been made for me. His gaze was comfortable, easy and just right, even though it was oh-so-wrong.
“I try and avoid you,” I blurted, like he’d pressed an honesty button on the side of the pool.
“I try and avoid you too,” he replied. “It’s not working so well, is it?”
“First rotation, first shift and now this? I mean . . .” I looked up to the ceiling. “Whoever’s up there took the month off.”
“Or maybe not,” he said. His lips curved in a deliciously sexy way. I tried to remember if I’d noticed that about him at the restaurant, or whether I’d been in sensory overload being seated next to him. There was so much else to notice.
“You think God just doesn’t like me?” I asked.
Jacob groaned. “No, it’s not that. We just . . . keep getting thrown together. I wasn’t even supposed to be your date that night and now we work together and we’re here together and we’re almost naked in the water together. That’s a lot of coincidences.”
“Oh, you think God has a plan,” I said.
“I have a plan,” he mumbled.
“What?”
He shook his head. “I just don’t know how strong my self-control is. You might have to be strong for both of us soon.”
“Oh no,” I said. “You can’t rely on me. I’m here, trying to avoid you in case anyone can see how much I—” I stopped myself before I could say too much. I sank back up to my neck in water again.
“How much you . . .?”