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Oh, lord. He really hadn’t been expecting this. Even if he hadn’t been involved with Madison, he wouldn’t have accepted Nita’s offer—but at the same time he wasn’t going to be rude and obnoxious about it and make the girl feel embarrassed or hurt. ‘It’s very sweet of you to ask—thank you very much. But I’m afraid I already have plans for tonight.’ Important plans. As in cooking dinner for Madison and her cousin.
‘How about tomorrow?’ she suggested.
She looked so full of hope and he felt horrible, stamping on her dreams like this, but he had to be honest to be kind. ‘Nita, I’m very flattered that a clever and beautiful girl like you would ask me to dinner—particularly as I must be nearly fifteen years older than you are—but I’m sorry, I can’t.’
She didn’t say it, but it was written in her eyes. Why?
Well, he was going honest. May as well tell her the truth—just enough of it not to make life difficult for Madison. ‘I’m seeing someone,’ he explained.
‘But…’ She blinked. ‘We never see you with anyone. Everyone thought you were single.’
He shrugged. ‘My partner and I—’ ha, what a way to describe Madison ‘—both hate gossip, so we keep it low key.’
‘It sounds pretty serious.’
He nodded. It was. Which was why he was having such a hard time right now. He wanted her, and yet he couldn’t give her what she wanted from life—so he ought to do the noble thing and end it, give her a chance to find someone who wanted the same things she wanted.
Nita looked embarrassed. ‘I’m so sorry. I would never have asked you if I’d had any idea that you were involved with someone. I just…’ Her voice faded.
Relief flooded through him. This wasn’t going to be difficult, after all. ‘It’s not a problem, Nita. And it’s not going to make any difference to the fact that we’re colleagues. Come and have a coffee and you can tell me what you know about antiphospholipid syndrome and how to manage lupus in pregnancy—let’s see how much you learned from Mrs Hanson.’
‘Are you sure…? I mean, your gir—’ She stopped abruptly. ‘I mean, your partner…’
Remembering the way Madison had teased him on the very same subject, he chuckled. ‘You were right first time. My partner’s female. And she has coffee with colleagues all the time. It makes case conferences and teaching so much more civilised, don’t you think?’
‘Thank you. For being nice, when I’ve made a fool of myself.’
‘You haven’t made a fool of yourself,’ he reassured her, and shepherded her down to the hospital café.
He only saw Madison in passing during the afternoon, and when he arrived home he was relieved that he’d suggested cooking dinner rather than going out somewhere. At least it meant he had something to do rather than just pace the house and wait for the time to pass until he met them. Something to do other than think about the fact that he really wanted Katrina to approve of him…and at the same time he really wanted her to disapprove of him, to tell Madison that he was completely wrong for her.
How could you want something so much and yet not want it at the same time?
He busied himself finishing the starters he’d begun making the previous evening, then took the pork from its marinade and began cooking the main course. Everything was bubbling away nicely when the doorbell rang, and Theo’s heart skipped a beat.
He opened the door and Madison was there, smiling, holding a huge bunch of flowers.
Yet again she’d managed to surprise him.
‘Flowers? For me?’ he asked as she handed them to him.
‘Not quite as spectacular as the ones you gave me the other day,’ she said. Flowers that had made her eyes widen in delight. She smiled at him. ‘I brought you some wine as well, but it’s traditional to give your host flowers.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Including male hosts?’
Her eyes were filled with amusement. ‘Don’t be so sexist, Kyrios Petrakis.’
‘Signomi, Madison. I should remember my manners and thank you properly.’ He swept into a low bow. ‘I deeply honoured by your gift, Despinida Madison,’ he said, making the English words sound heavily accented. ‘Please to come into house and sit down.’ Enjoying himself, he hammed it up even more. ‘I with you soon. I check dinner. Me no want burn food like Despinida Madison does.’
Madison cuffed his arm. ‘Behave, Theo.’
‘You started it,’ he reminded her with a grin, then turned to the woman beside her. ‘Hello, Katrina. Pleased to meet you, and I apologise for my poor manners. Do come in.’
