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‘You look pale,’ he said gruffly, his heavy, dark brows locked in a frown. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s going on?’
Holly blushed. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Ian hesitated and thrust his hands in his pockets, his eyes gentle. ‘Holly, why do you need the day off on Thursday?’
Holly hesitated. How could she not tell him the truth? He was the senior partner. ‘I’m sorry to do this to you but I’m going for an interview.’
‘I see.’ Ian rubbed his chin. ‘And does Mark know?’
Holly shook her head. ‘No. Not yet.’
‘Have the two of you got problems? I didn’t want to interfere, but I’ve noticed things have been strained between you for a while now.’
Holly took a deep breath and nodded, not trusting herself to speak in case she burst into tears.
Ian sighed. ‘Do you still love him?’
‘With all my heart,’ Holly said simply, her voice choked and her eyes brimming despite her efforts to control her emotions.
‘And when did you last tell him that?’ Ian’s voice was soft and she stared at him, blinking back the tears.
The answer was never, of course, but, then, Ian didn’t know the whole story.
‘Holly, I don’t know what’s happened between the two of you,’ Ian said quietly, ‘but one thing I do know, by virtue of my age, is that nothing is ever gained by running away. Whatever is wrong, tell Mark how you feel. Tell him exactly how you feel. That way there can be no misunderstandings between you. If things can’t be mended then so be it, but at least you will both be clear about how each of you feels.’
Holly stared at him. Tell Mark how she felt?
To tell Mark how she felt would mean admitting that she loved him—something that she’d been hiding from him from the first day he’d kissed her.
But why shouldn’t she tell him? She’d been protecting their friendship, but their friendship was history now, so maybe honesty on her part would at least clear the air between them.
What did she have to lose?
* * *
Holly knew something was wrong the moment Mark walked into the house that evening.
For a start he was early, and since the night they’d spent together Mark had never been home before she was in bed. And if that hadn’t been enough of a clue, the look on his face when he walked through the door would have been.
‘What the hell is going on?’ He strode onto the deck, his dark eyes so stormy that Holly took a step backwards.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh, come on, Holly!’ He lifted his hands in an impatient gesture. ‘Ian tells me you’re leaving. You’ve got an interview at another practice!’
‘Oh.’ Holly’s chin lifted and she frowned slightly. ‘Ian had no right to tell you that.’
‘Holly, you’re supposed to be my fiancée,’ Mark reminded her grimly. ‘He had every right.’
‘Well, I thought the time had come to end the pretence,’ Holly said quietly, and he gave a humourless laugh.
‘Ironic, isn’t it?’ He paced across the deck, his broad shoulders tense. ‘We were so convincing that they’re all but sending us to marriage guidance. Ian’s reading me the Riot Act, asking how I can let a girl like you slip through my fingers. So why are you doing it? Why are you taking another job?’
Holly swallowed and gave him what she hoped was a casual smile. ‘I thought I was making it easier for you. You don’t need a fiancée any more.’ She shrugged slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. ‘As you said, we were convincing. But we achieved what we set out to achieve. It’s over now.’
There was a long silence and he stopped pacing, a muscle working in his dark jaw.
‘We still need a practice nurse.’ His tone was flat and she turned to stare out across the bay, catching her hair in her palm as the wind tossed it against her face.
