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‘Steele...’ She took a breath. She wasn’t sure if what she was about to say would sound too pushy, but she’d never held back from the truth with him and she chose not to now. ‘Why don’t you come for a few days?’
‘To Hawaii?’
‘Yes.’ Candy nodded.
‘I don’t want to intrude on your holiday...’
‘It wouldn’t be intruding. It would be nice if you came in the middle. You’ve got a long weekend coming up.’
‘It would be nice,’ Steele said. ‘I’d be pretty wrecked, though.’
‘Well, I’ll have slept for a week by the time you get there,’ Candy said. ‘I’ll have enough energy for both of us. Think about it,’ she offered, and then she climbed out of bed and grimaced when she saw the time. ‘I’m going to be late. I’ll have a quick shower and then I need to stop by my flat.’
‘I’ll drive you in,’ Steele said. To keep things well away from work Candy was still taking the Underground and he watched the little flash of worry flare in her eyes.
‘We might be seen,’ she said. ‘Steele, you’ve no idea how gossip spreads at that place.’
‘I’m sure I do.’ He smiled. ‘It doesn’t bother me if we’re seen, unless of course it’s a problem for you.’
She thought about it for a moment. ‘Actually, no.’
‘I can have broken your heart and put you off seeing anyone for ages after I’ve gone.’ Steele grinned, giving her an excuse to give to Gerry if he pushed her to go out with him when he returned from Greece. But then Steele met her eyes and his tone changed slightly and she, though late for work, stood there in the bedroom and felt her heartbeat quicken. ‘You could even say you were still seeing me,’ he said, and they just looked at each other.
‘I guess he wouldn’t know either way,’ Candy said, though something told her this conversation had little to do with excuses to give to Gerry.
There were two, possibly three, conversations going on.
That Steele would be gone and that Candy could say what she liked about them if it made things easier for her with Gerry.
That he would be gone, Steele thought, and he was saying that possibly this might last longer.
That he would be gone, Candy thought, and she didn’t want him to be.
‘Get ready,’ he said.
They stopped at her flat and Candy quickly changed into jeans, which was what she usually wore for arriving at work, and rubbed some serum into her hair as she chatted to Steele.
‘We came back here for this?’
‘I can’t leave home without it,’ Candy said, trying to tame her long wild curls. ‘I should buy another bottle and leave it at yours.’
‘Why don’t you just pack some things now and put them in my car?’ Steele said, and she hesitated because she’d been thinking exactly the same thing. ‘It would save us dashing back and forth all the time.’
She packed a case and they loaded it into his car and drove to work. It was all so new, so exciting that neither could help smiling.
As they pulled into the staff car park, Louise, a midwife who had done a stint in Emergency last year, was walking past. She and Candy had got on well. Louise was blonde and gorgeous and rather pregnant and she waved to Candy and gave a little wink.
‘We’re public knowledge now.’ Candy smiled as she waved back, because Louise was a terrible gossip, which was surprising, considering that she was married to Anton, an obstetrician whose middle name was discretion.
‘I’m fine with that,’ Steele said.
He had long ago stopped playing games and this felt nothing like a game with Candy.
‘We’ll keep it discreet on the ward, though,’ Candy said, because she was working on the geriatric unit today till lunchtime.
‘Yes,’ Steele said. ‘I just don’t want to be dropping you at another entrance and things. Come back to mine after work. I’ve got a meeting at six, though,’ he continued, ‘so I won’t be back till about eight.’
‘I’ll have bread waiting in the toaster for you,’ Candy said as he peeled off a key, which he had never done before. She snapped it onto her key ring as if it was no big deal.
