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‘We should call David.’ She couldn’t think about this any more. Not until she’d had some time to process it. ‘He said he’d come round at lunchtime.’
He nodded, easing himself up to a sitting position. ‘Yeah. I was thinking we could go to the office. Just to show willing...’
‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea. You’ll get there, and find something that you need to do, and then decide to just pop down to the clinic. Before I know it, I’ll be sitting in A and E with you again, trying to explain to the doctor why I didn’t make you do as he said.’
He gave her a look that was half-defiance, all humour. ‘Okay. Suppose I promise to take it easy. We’ll walk down there, and I’ll find a comfortable chair in David’s office and watch you both getting on with your work.’
‘And you won’t move.’ There wasn’t a lot of point in trying to be firm with him, he must know that he could get away with almost anything he liked when he gave her that look. She wasn’t going to let him think she was that much of a walkover, though. ‘Not a muscle.’
‘I might drink a cup of tea, if someone’s good enough to offer it. Tender the odd helpful comment here and there. If that’s allowed.’
She grinned at him. ‘Tea’s okay. I think I can do without the helpful comments.’ Right now, almost everything about Euan seemed indispensable.
‘Nah.’ He got slowly to his feet. ‘You have no idea how helpful I can be when I try.’
* * *
David growled threateningly at Euan when they arrived at the office, and then gave in to the inevitable. Sam went upstairs to change out of the borrowed T-shirt and put her own bloodstained blouse into the washing machine.
‘I’ve got something for you.’ David was grinning, like a magician who had just whipped a rabbit out of a hat, when she entered his office. ‘I was talking at an online conference the other day about some of the work you’d done here with us. One of the other delegates, from a small drugs charity up in London, asked for your details and I gave her your number.’
‘Thank you. That’s kind of you.’ Maybe this was where it started. One client made it easier to get a second. A second almost guaranteed a third. Excitement began to trickle down Sam’s spine. She wondered if it would be in order to ask the name of the charity, but decided not to sound too eager.
‘The CEO called me this morning. Said he’d tried to get in touch with you but he couldn’t get through, and he wanted to check he had the right number.’
‘My phone!’ The last time she’d had her phone had been last night, when she’d checked her emails. ‘It must be...’ The words dried in her throat. She’d checked her emails and then laid her phone down on the bed beside her. Her phone must still be there, in Euan’s bed.
‘I think I saw it in the kitchen.’ His slow, amused drawl came to her rescue.
‘Ah. Yes. By the toaster.’ Did he even have a toaster? He must have as she’d made toast that morning.
‘That’s right.’
Sam turned and shot him a grateful smile, aware that her ears were beginning to burn. ‘I’ll...um...phone them back from here, if that’s okay.’
‘Of course. He left a message. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the charity, it’s called The Centre.’ David looked around on his desk and located a slip of paper. ‘They’re talking to some other software providers on Thursday, and they’d like to see you as well if you can make it.’
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‘This week?’ Disappointment began to claw at her, but Sam knew what she had to do. She couldn’t break a promise to one client in order to try and land another. ‘That’s much too short notice. I’m afraid I’ll have to give that one a miss.’
‘Sam...’ Euan’s voice again, behind her back. She ignored him.
‘I have plenty to do here. One thing at a time.’
‘Sam, don’t be an idiot.’ Euan wasn’t going to let this drop. ‘You need to go and see them this week.’
‘I’ve committed myself here for the whole of this week. If they can see me next week, that’ll be wonderful. But I won’t go back on the commitments I’ve made here. It’s not the way I work.’
Euan’s gaze was making her tremble. Warm, sexy and currently uncompromising. ‘Tell her, David.’
‘What? Tell me what?’ There was obviously a silent understanding between the two men.
‘I’m busy on Thursday. I won’t have any time to spend with you.’ David was grinning.
‘And I’ll be resting. I’m under doctor’s orders, you know.’
‘Quite. And if you’re driving up to see them on Thursday, perhaps Euan can go with you if he’s up to it.’ David was brooking no arguments now. ‘This charity has a programme dedicated to steroid abuse. When I said that we were looking at setting something up ourselves, they offered to share their experience.’
