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‘Who is it?’ Georgie asked. ‘Anyone I know?’
‘Jules Littlemore.’
Georgie gaped at her. ‘Jules?’
‘Why are you so surprised? He’s a really decent man. I know he’s a couple of years younger than me but I’ve always liked him and when he kissed me I sort of … fell in love with him.’
‘I’m really glad for you, Rhiannon,’ Georgie said. ‘Jules is a great guy and perfect for you when I think about it.’
‘So you’re not angry at me?’
‘No,’ she said, smiling at her flatmate. ‘It was a stupid bet in the first place.’
‘So this relationship you’re having with Ben Blackwood is serious?’ Rhiannon asked.
Georgie had to wait until her belly stopped quivering in reaction to the very mention of his name. ‘We’re taking it one day at a time,’ she said. ‘We’re going to keep it quiet at the hospital for as long as we can. It will be difficult but we want to enjoy getting to know one another before we announce it to all and sundry.’
‘You’ve got that look on your face.’
‘What look?’
‘That dreamy I’m-in-love sort of look.’
‘I am in love,’ Georgie answered. ‘But this time I know it’s for real.’
Rhiannon frowned. ‘But he’s not blond.’
Georgie rolled her eyes. ‘That’s a truckload of nonsense, and you know it.’
‘It’s not!’ Rhiannon insisted. ‘Madame Celestia told me I would fall in love with someone I had known for years. She said I wouldn’t recognise him until Jupiter was in Venus … or was it Mars? I can’t quite remember. All I know is she has—’
‘Totally ripped you off,’ Georgie said, taking the money off the table.
‘Mock me all you like but I think she’s onto something,’ Rhiannon said with a little pout.
Georgie glanced at her watch. ‘I’ve got to fly,’ she said. ‘I’m meeting Ben in his office before I go to Theatre with Mr Vinay, one of the other neurosurgeons.’
The traffic was like a clogged artery all the way to the hospital. Georgie sat drumming her fingers on the steering-wheel impatiently as she waited for the traffic lights to go through yet another change without a single car moving forward. She hated the thought of wasting a minute when she could be in Ben’s arms again. He had made her feel so wonderful last night, so feminine and desirable. He had held her so tenderly, his breath feathering through her hair as he’d talked to her of his plans for the future. She had snuggled up close, breathing in the scent of their love-making, wondering if he felt even a fraction of what she felt for him. She certainly hoped so. He was so perfect for her in spite of what Rhiannon’s clairvoyant said, she thought with a wry smile.
His office door was closed when she finally got there and her hand stopped mid-air as she went to knock when she heard voices inside.
Male and female voices.
‘I love you, Ben,’ the female voice was saying. ‘I’ve always loved you. I made a terrible mistake in betraying you with my stupid little affair with Cain Osborne. You were so busy all the time and I felt neglected. I only got involved with him because he was so insistent and available and you were so distant. I know it was wrong but I felt so lonely waiting for you night after night.’
‘Leila, please—’
‘No,’ Leila said. ‘You have to listen to me, darling. Cain left me. It’s over, well and truly. I don’t love him like I love you. I never did. I want us to try again.’
Georgie felt her heart come to a clunking stop in her chest. She broke out in a cold sweat as the silence in the room lengthened.
Why was Ben taking so long to answer?
‘We were great together, Ben,’ Leila went on. ‘Surely you can’t deny it? Let’s start again but this time let’s do it properly.’
Another too-long silence.
‘So what you’re saying is you want to get married?’ Ben finally asked.
