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‘Jennifer is that doctor,’ Jasper said, proudly and Jennifer smiled at him, warmed by the look in his eyes. He wanted to talk to her, to seriously talk about the attraction between them. Even the thought of having that conversation was enough to set the butterflies churning in her stomach. Excited by the prospect, she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Should she agree to see him tonight? Wouldn’t it be dangerous for him to come over in the evening when the girls were asleep? Would they be able to control the desires that were building every moment they spent together?
It was a big step and she wasn’t sure she had the courage to take it.
‘Hello?’ Megan waved her hand and snapped her fingers between the two of them, a happy smile on her face. Jennifer was amazed at how it changed her appearance, how it made the dark circles beneath her eyes disappear, made her blue eyes sparkle and her straight, white teeth show. She looked for similarities between the siblings but only found it in the nose and ears. ‘Gee. You two are worse than me and Calvin. That’s my fiancé,’ she clarified for Jennifer’s sake. ‘He’s also good at admin and medicine. He’s head of Cardiothoracic at Sydney General.’
‘Oh. OK.’ Jennifer watched as Megan frowned a little as she spoke. The light went out of her eyes, her face took on a dark scowl and a moment later she excused herself. ‘Is she all right?’ Jennifer was genuinely concerned.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘You said she’s doing most of the planning herself?’
‘Most? Try all.’
‘Why doesn’t she hire a wedding consultant?’
‘Megan? Megan only asks for help as a last resort. It’s one of her biggest faults.’
‘And her fiancé isn’t helping at all?’
‘No. He doesn’t want anything to do with it. Just told her to tell him where and when he should turn up, but from what she said earlier he’s even having second thoughts about doing that.’
‘A lot of people get cold feet.’
‘Would you have been one?’
‘No.’ She wasn’t hurt by the question. They’d been open and honest with each other about their pasts. ‘How about you?’
‘Nope. Unfortunately, though, my darling sister is a bit of a control freak, in the nicest sense of the word. She’s not domineering. She just likes things done her way, especially when it comes to things like her wedding.’
‘Well, most girls start to plan their wedding at about age twelve.’
‘Did you?’
‘Of course.’
‘Has it changed over the years?’
Jennifer thought for a moment. ‘Here and there, but I think that’s because I’ve changed.’
‘Megan hasn’t. Even as a child, she would over-think, over-plan, over-research. I guess that’s part of the down side to having such a high IQ.’
‘Possibly.’
‘She’s even making the wedding cake.’
‘What? Why is she putting so much pressure on herself?’
‘Because she doesn’t believe anyone else could do it exactly the way it needs to be done. Besides, cooking, baking, decorating cakes—that sort of thing—relaxes her.’
‘Is she doing it by herself?’
‘Mum’s going to help. She’ll make sure Megan doesn’t burn herself out too much.’
‘At least your sister has someone strong to lean on.’
Jasper smiled. ‘Sounds as though you like my mother.’
‘I do. You’re really lucky, Jasper. Many adults don’t have close relationships with their parents.’
‘True.’
‘And she’s really made me feel welcome. That’s a nice feeling to have.’ Jennifer smiled. ‘The other day when she brought the girls round, we had a difficult time getting them out of the empty packing boxes. Isn’t it amazing how much fun kids can have with an empty box?’
‘The girls said they had a great time. They keep asking to come over again.’
‘Oh, good. I’ll let Iris know when my next day off is.’
‘Unfair.’
‘What?’
‘I said it’s unfair.’
‘What is?’
‘That my daughters and my mother get to spend more time with you than me.’
‘That’s silly. I’m with you at work all day long.’
‘Yeah, on a ward round, or in theatre, or at clinic. That’s hardly spending quality time together, Jen.’ He raked a hand through his hair.
‘We went to a concert just last night. Or did I dream that?’
‘No. You most definitely didn’t dream that, and neither did I.’
