Midwives On Call: From Babies To Bride. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ the Victoria, guessing that Sophia probably lived reasonably close to where she worked.

      ‘I know it.’ She nodded. ‘I’ll meet you there at seven.’

      At six-thirty p.m. Sophia was staring at the pile of clothes on her bed.

      It might be a cliché but she really didn’t have anything to wear. Nothing that would project the image she wanted anyway, which was one of a confident young woman who wasn’t the least bit desperate. Who was happy to go out and have a bit of fun but wasn’t looking for anything remotely serious.

      Something frilly? She didn’t possess frills. Something low-cut that would show a bit of cleavage? No. That might send entirely the wrong message about the kind of fun she was after.

      What was she after? And why was she feeling so ridiculously nervous?

      ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake.’ Wearing only her jeans and bra, Sophia went to rummage in her handbag for her phone. She would text Aiden and tell him she couldn’t make it after all. One of her patients had gone into early labour? Yeah … perfect excuse.

      And she wasn’t really breaking her promise, was she? She had said yes. She just wasn’t going to follow through and actually go on the date.

      A small problem became apparent the moment she picked up her phone. She didn’t have Aiden’s phone number, did she?

      She had absolutely no way of contacting him unless she fronted up at the bar in … oh, help … twenty minutes.

      But there was a message on her phone. For a hopeful heartbeat Sophia thought that Aiden might have sent her a message to cancel the date.

      No such luck. He didn’t have her number either, did he?

      The message was from Emily. ‘I hear you said yes,’ it said. ‘You go, girl. And have fun.’

      So Flick had spread the word. Her friends would demand details and she was a hopeless liar. Her voice always got sort of tight and high. She’d never be able to make something up and sound convincing.

      Gritting her teeth, Sophia marched back into her bedroom. She jammed her feet into knee-high boots, threw on a camisole top and covered it with a velvet jacket. Pulling the band from her hair, she raked her fingers through the shoulder-length waves and spent no more than thirty seconds in front of the mirror, putting on a slick of lipstick.

      Then she grabbed her bag and slammed the door of the cottage behind her. She had less than ten minutes to get to the bar but having to rush was probably a good thing. It would give her less time for her stupid nerves to grow wings.

      There was no sign of Sophia.

      Aiden ordered a beer and stayed at the bar, an elbow propped and his posture relaxed enough to suggest he was thoroughly enjoying his view of the women coming in through the doors. Enjoying the appreciative looks he got in return even more.

      Normally, he would be doing exactly that.

      So why did he feel … good grief … nervous?

      A little out of control even?

      Maybe it was because he was meeting Sophia here, instead of having picked her up first. What if she didn’t show up?

      Hey … no problem. There were plenty of very attractive women who seemed to be here unaccompanied by any male friends.

      But he hadn’t come here to randomly score. He’d come here because he really wanted to spend some time with Sophia.

      And maybe the strength of that want was why he was feeling a bit weird. Why this was assuming an importance that it wasn’t allowed to have.

      No problem. Aiden took another fortifying swallow of his beer. This was only a number-one date. No big deal. If it continued to feel weird, he could just pull the plug and there wouldn’t be a number two.

      Suddenly, he saw her. Looking small and a little bit lost as she stood near the door and scanned the crowded bar. And then she spotted him and smiled.

      The noise of the people around him and the background music seemed to fade away.

      The people themselves seemed to fade away. Until there was only himself.

      And Sophia.

      How weird was that?

       CHAPTER FOUR

      HE WAS THERE.

      He must have spotted her the moment she walked through the door because he was already looking straight at her when Sophia turned her head. She’d been worried she might not even recognise him out of uniform but even in a crowd of people there was no mistaking Aiden Harrison.

      Her relieved smile faded as she threaded her way to the bar, however. He hadn’t smiled back. He’d looked a bit stunned even … Had he been surprised that she’d actually turned up? Or maybe he was disappointed that she had. There was no shortage of opportunities in a place like this. She could feel the gaze of other girls on her as she made her way towards the gorgeous guy standing alone at the bar. Envious glances.

      ‘Hi …’ He was smiling now. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’

      ‘A white wine would be lovely, thank you.’

      ‘Do you want to have it here or find a table out in the garden? They have live music here tonight so there won’t be any room to move in here soon.’

      So she’d end up dancing or squashed against him at the bar? Sophia sucked in a breath. ‘The garden sounds great.’

      There were rustic tables and wrought-iron chairs, flickering candles and the greenery of a rampant grapevine on an overhead pergola. The last unoccupied table they found in a corner with only two chairs was romantic enough to make Sophia hesitate. This was supposed to be fun. Nothing serious.

      Aiden put their drinks down on the table. ‘Don’t know about you,’ he said, ‘but I’m starving. Fancy some nachos or a big bowl of fries?’

      That was the right note to hit. They were here for a drink and something to eat and it just happened to be with company. They’d be able to hear the music out here without being deafened. A fun night out.

      ‘Sure. Nachos are my absolute favourite.’

      ‘Mine, too.’

      They grinned at each other. They were on the same page and suddenly everything seemed easy. Over the cheese and bean-laden tortilla chips, the conversation was just as relaxed.

      ‘It must be a great job, being a SPRINT paramedic.’

      ‘Best job in the world. I love having no idea of what’s coming next or where I’m going.’

      ‘I love being out of the hospital environment most of the time, too. You get to connect a lot more with patients when you’re in their own home. Even more when they’ve had a home СКАЧАТЬ