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Jennifer visibly bristled and squared her shoulders. ‘That is none of your business, Dr Edwards.’
‘I think it is, especially if I’ve been chosen as the guy to get you off the blocks.’ His good humour was beginning to reassert itself. A flush came to her cheeks at his words and he realised it caused her eyes to sparkle like the deep blue of the ocean. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and for a startling moment he wondered what she’d look like with it flowing loose and free around her shoulders.
‘Dr Edwards, all you need to know is that I don’t date my staff, even if I was ready to “get off the blocks”, as you so eloquently put it. End of discussion.’ With that, she turned and walked into the ward, her back firm as she put all thoughts of her new, sexy colleague out of her mind.
It was easier said than done and she was very aware of him as she undertook her first ward round. It was the one time she should be exhibiting total professionalism. She was the new boss. This was what she’d been waiting for for so long and now that it was here all she seemed conscious of was where Jasper Edwards was standing. Her body seemed to have tuned itself to him and even when he was out of sight, his fresh scent worked its way into her synapses and continued to tease her to distraction.
Twice she had an intern waiting patiently for her to answer a question. The whole entourage, which was made up of medical students, interns, registrars and her fellow consultants—including Jasper—watched her intently, waiting for her words of wisdom. The problem was she had no idea what the initial questions had been, all due to her awareness of ‘Eddie’.
Jennifer was cross with herself for not maintaining total control. She’d had to freeze out the world before and she could do it again, especially if it meant she avoided making a fool of herself in front of her staff. Sara may have thought Jasper Edwards up to the job of melting her hardened heart but Jennifer knew better. She’d been called the ice queen at her old hospital and she wasn’t at all perturbed about continuing that name here—especially if it meant colleagues like Jasper Edwards kept their distance.
After they’d completed the ward round, Jennifer was about to head back to her office to take another look at her schedule for the day when the clinical nurse consultant called her over.
‘There’s a call for you, Dr Thorngate.’
‘Thank you.’ Jennifer took the receiver to discover it was Martha.
‘Your morning heads of unit meeting has been cancelled. Professors Dorian and Fitzgibbon have flu and won’t be in.’
‘It seems to be chasing me,’ she murmured absent-mindedly.
‘Pardon?’ Martha asked.
‘It was going around in Melbourne and I managed to avoid it. It doesn’t matter. Does this mean I head to clinic?’
‘Yes. Eddie will show you around if you’re not sure where to go.’
‘Thank you.’ There was no point in telling her new secretary that she wasn’t about to rely on ‘Eddie’ for anything. If she got lost, she’d ask someone else for directions. After all, she was a woman and if there was one thing women knew how to do, it was to ask for directions.
‘I’ve rebooked you in to have your hospital identification photograph taken at one o’clock, which should give you enough time to finish in clinic,’ Martha continued. Jennifer listened to her secretary, pleased Martha was not only highly trained but communicative as well. It was sort of strange having a secretary all to herself, where as deputy head of unit at her last hospital she’d had to share secretarial support with three other consultants.
When she’d finished on the phone, Jennifer closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep, calming breath. Her eyes snapped open when that now familiar spicy scent wound itself about her senses once more.
Without turning around, she said, ‘Is there something I can help you with, Dr Edwards?’
‘How did you know I was here?’ he asked softly.
‘I’m good like that.’ She turned slightly to see him lounging in a chair, his hands fiddling with a pen he’d just picked up off the desk. He was handsome. She’d give him that. Those eyes of his, which were now watching her intently, were the most amazing colour and Jennifer had the feeling she could lose herself in them quite easily…But she was stronger than that. She could quite easily resist. Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin with a hint of defiance, she waited for him to continue.
‘Better than you were during ward round, I hope,’ he stated with a quirk of an eyebrow.
His words put her on the defensive and she crossed her arms, her tone crisp and concise. ‘Meaning?’
