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A few heads turned as they walked in. Lisa with her bright red dress. And hand in hand with the new doc. She could practically hear phones ringing all round town.
Cameron behind the bar gave her a little nod. “Looking good, Lisa,” he said casually. “What’ll it be?”
“How about one of those cocktails you were drinking the other night?” Adam gave her a cheeky wink. “It might match your dress?”
The beer from earlier was beginning to kick in. Another cocktail and she might finally stop thinking that everyone was staring at her. She’d much prefer it if they just stared at Adam.
She gave a nervous smile to Cameron. “I’ll have the strawberry daiquiri.” She glanced around. “What’s with this place tonight? It’s practically buzzing.”
He gave a wave of his hand. “Oh, that guy was in earlier.”
“What guy?”
“Jared somebody. The guy that Nancylynn Pruitt’s going to marry. I think half the locals just came in to celeb spot. Not that I’m complaining.”
Lisa looked around. “Well, I don’t see him. He must have left already. I heard that he and Nancy are practically attached at the hip.”
Cameron opened his mouth as if to say something, then gave a little shake of his head. He put the drinks down on the bar. “Enjoy.”
Adam carried their drinks over to one of the booths. Adam had opted for a beer and decided just to leave his car parked in the high street.
As a few heads turned in their direction Lisa started to pick at the hem of her dress. “Leave it,” said Adam huskily. “The dress is beautiful. The color suits you. Let people stare. You’re just living up to your nickname.”
She rolled her eyes. “What one is that?”
“Luscious Lisa.”
She choked on her drink. “What? Where on earth did you hear that one?”
“From some of the guys. They have nicknames for everyone. You were lucky. They were mostly complimentary.”
“Luscious Lisa is complimentary?”
“I think so.” He leaned towards her. “Whereabouts in Marietta do you stay? Now I’ve decided to have a beer I’ll need to walk you home.”
“I think I can find my own way home. Marietta’s not that big a place to get lost in.”
There was a glint in his eye. “You’ve already tagged me as a gentleman. There’s no way I’m letting you walk home alone. Not with that dress on anyway.”
She shook her head. “Where do you live?”
“Bramble Lane. I just bought the house. I like it. The kitchen and bathrooms need a little work but the bedrooms and sitting room are perfect. All I had to do was move my furniture in.”
“Bramble Lane is nice. But it’s a big house for a single guy. What made you buy a house there?” She tilted her head. “Do you have a secret family to move in?”
He shook his head. “I don’t even have a dog. But that’s in my plans too. To tell you the truth I don’t actually have enough furniture to fill the house. Two of the bedrooms are empty and I still need to buy a dining set. I think the word you would use to describe my décor right now would be sparse.”
She laughed. “Well, I stay on Front Avenue above the bridal salon. My apartment has hardly any space. Certainly no room for a dog. Although I’d love one. I think the word you would use to describe it is compact.”
“Ever think of moving?”
Lisa shifted uncomfortably. “Not really.”
“So, how do you like your new job? It must be a big change from Washington.”
“It is. But it’s exactly why I came here. I didn’t want to just specialize in one area. And I didn’t really want to be a family doctor. So, working in a hospital like Marietta General is perfect for me.”
“What’s your favorite ward?”
“It depends. Sometimes I love general medicine, other times it’s peds.” He paused for a second. “It must be the same for you. I’ve seen you in different wards.”
She gave a careful smile. “I move about the place. The staff know me. I’ve been around for a while. They know they can rely on me.”
“And the fairy tales?”
It seemed as if she was thinking about how to respond. “Everyone remembers fairy tales from their childhood. Most kids love them – even older ones who like to pretend they don’t. With the elderly patients? Sometimes it’s just someone sitting telling them a story, or they feel a familiarity about it. Whatever it is, it seems to help. So that’s why I do it.”
It was noisy in the pub and they were leaning close together to hear each other talk. Adam reached over and brushed her hair back from her face, resting his hand behind her ear. “And that’s why I like you,” he whispered in her ear. “Now,” his eyes glanced dangerously downwards again, “How about I get us another drink?”
It was dark by the time they’d emerged from Grey’s. Lisa was feeling much more relaxed now. She was enjoying Adam’s company. He was easy to be around. And the sexy smile was making her stomach flip in more ways than one.
Another few drinks and a few compliments on her dress were making her feel a lot more confident. After Joe and Melody had left it had seemed so easy just to default into wearing black all the time. It was professional. On fat days it was slimming.
It also helped her fade into the background. And that’s pretty much what she’d been doing. She didn’t want to be noticed. She didn’t want people to ask difficult questions. She was happy to try and help other people achieve their dreams without even thinking that she should find some of her own.
And the children’s ward was the best place of all to hide. At least there she felt as if she were really achieving something. Strange as it might seem, there was comfort on being on the children’s ward – even when there was sadness. Someone always needed a cuddle, someone always wanted a story read. She didn’t really care what she did, as long as she felt as though she was help
ing. It was the little things that made the difference. Having a sister who’d died of cancer had taught her that. If she could be the person to make things easier for another family, then that was what she’d do.
As they walked along the street she gave a little shiver. The temperature had dropped now and she hadn’t thought to bring a coat. Adam noticed and slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He made it seem like the most natural thing in the world. And it almost felt as if she fitted.
The street lights cast up orange shadows that reflected off the shop windows.
Although the street seemed empty there was the echo of low voices. Adam looked around and shrugged. A few seconds later someone let out a laugh.
As they walked it became obvious there was someone in one of the alleyways off Main Street. More than someone.
A woman’s laughter rang out too. The outline of two interlocked bodies came into view. Adam pulled back a little. “Oops,” he whispered as he turned his head.
Lisa didn’t want to stare. She really didn’t. It was obvious the couple were drunk and were fumbling around. The guy laughed and threw his head back as a security light on one of the doorways flickered on. Lisa sucked in a breath. Jared? He was easily recognizable.
But the woman he was with wasn’t. She was a brunette – not blonde like Nancy.
Adam noticed the change in Lisa instantly. She sucked in a deep breath and tensed under his arm. He followed her gaze. “What’s wrong?” It was pretty obvious what was happening amongst the fumbling down the lane. He cringed. Hardly the thing you wanted to see when walking a date home. It was obvious that both of them were drunk. Being loud and indiscreet wasn’t really helping. “Do you know him?”
Lisa stared at him. “You don’t?”
He shook his head. Although he could see the guy’s face he didn’t recognize him at all. As for the woman, her head was down in places where there was no light.
Lisa’s eyes were wide. She looked in shock. He tried to remember what he’d heard about her. There was no recent ex. No skeletons he was aware of.
He turned his back towards the couple. It just seemed too voyeuristic to keep staring. And anyway, he was far more concerned about Lisa.
