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'We all know what you assumed, sweetheart, but we'd rather you kept it to yourself,' Sean said gently, topping up her glass and giving her a smile. 'Now, buck up and eat your dinner before it gets cold.'
Ally ignored him, her eyes on Zach. 'I really hoped that—'
'Ally!' This time Sean's voice was sharp and Ally seemed to pull herself together.
'Sorry.' She turned her attention to her dinner. 'Cardiology. You must be a very clever girl, Keely.'
Keely shook her head, embarrassed by the sudden attention. She didn't feel clever. She felt confused. More confused than she'd ever felt in her whole life.
'We went sledging last week.' Zach picked up his wineglass and changed the subject neatly. 'The snow was fantastic.'
'Where did you go?' Sean topped up the rest of the glasses and they chatted about the snow for a while, swapping stories and anecdotes.
'I must admit it's the first time I've had a snowball thrown at me since I was about ten years old,' Zach said dryly, smiling across at Keely who stared at him, outraged.
'At least mine just hit you on the outside You stuffed yours down my jacket! I nearly had frostbite.'
Ally glanced up, her face brightening. 'So, do you do lots of things together with Phoebe?' she asked casually, and Zach sighed.
'No, Ally. Generally we don't. The whole point of Keely living with me is that she's there to cover when I'm working so it's very rare that we're at home at the same time.'
Ally cleared her plate and put her knife and fork down thoughtfully. 'But Phoebe doesn't go to people very easily, does she, Zach? So she must really have taken to Keely.'
'She has taken to Keely,' Zach said, his smile exasperated. 'Now, drop it Ally. You're like a dog with a bone.'
'She's worse than that. She's embarrassing,' Sean growled, glaring at his wife. 'I'd buy her a bow and arrow for Christmas so that she can play Cupid full time, but her aim is so lousy I dread to think what it would do for our workload in A and E.'
They all laughed and after that the evening improved and Keely found herself relaxing in their company.
By the time they scooped a sleeping Phoebe up from the bed and transferred her to the car, she was sorry to leave. The Nicholsons were a lovely family. And Ally was a lucky woman. Sean was drop-dead gorgeous and clearly very much in love with his pretty, if rather indiscreet wife.
'Thanks for coming.' Ally gave her a warm hug and then turned to Zach and lowered her voice. 'You should marry her, Zach. Snap her up quickly before she goes to London. She'd make a lovely mother for Phoebe.'
Keely sank into the driver's seat, mortified, relieved that she hadn't been able to hear Zach's reply. She could guess what it probably would have been
.
He slid in next to her and she drove carefully out of the drive and into the tiny lane that led to the main road.
'I'm sorry about Ally.' Zach settled himself into his seat and closed his eyes. 'I did warn you that she was rather obsessed with pairing me up.'
'Yes.' Keely stared at the road, not daring to look at him. 'It doesn't matter.'
'Did she spoil the evening for you?'
She could feel his gaze on her and her hands tightened on the wheel. 'No. Not at all. I thought she was lovely.'
'She is, actually,' Zach agreed softly, 'just rather meddling.'
And very astute. Keely suspected that the other woman had had no trouble guessing exactly how she felt about Zach.
'Does she always try and pair you up with whoever you take there to dinner?'
'Well, I don't usually take women there to dinner,' he admitted with a wry smile, 'so I suppose in a way it was my fault. Taking you and admitting that you're living in my house is tantamount to putting an ad in The Times as far as Ally is concerned.'
'But she's tried matchmaking before?'
'On countless occasions.' He gave a short laugh. 'At one time or another I've been introduced to every one of Sean and Ally's single female friends.'
