It took about a millisecond to realise he’d said exactly the wrong thing.
Bonnie glared at him and put her hands on her hips. ‘Please do not question my capabilities or qualifications. In the last year, I’ve dealt with a shoulder dystocia, umbilical cord prolapse, two women who failed to progress, a footling breech, a cervical lip and an intrapartum haemorrhage. Is that enough for you?’ She turned to walk away, then obviously decided she wasn’t finished. ‘And just so we’re clear—’ she held out her hands ‘—I didn’t have a fancy unit, staffed with lots of other people to help me. These were home deliveries. I was on my own, with no assistance. Still think I need to refresh my skills?’
Her pretty brow was marred by a frown and he could practically feel the heat sparking from her eyes. It was an impressive list—even for a midwife based in a busy labour ward. For a community midwife, some of those situations must have been terrifying. He had a whole new respect for his new midwife.
But Bonnie wasn’t finished. It was obvious he’d lit a fire within her and probably touched a nerve. Maybe she was nervous about starting work in a new hospital? Worse, he’d just called her qualifications into question in front of the rest of the staff. He hadn’t even considered that might not be entirely appropriate—especially when these could be the people she would be in charge of. Mentally, he was kicking himself.
‘My experience with women isn’t just in the labour suite, Dr Layton.’ Oh, boy, she was mad. It was clear, if he was patronising her, they weren’t on first-name terms. ‘I’ve spent the last ten years looking after women from the moment they’re pregnant until long after the baby is delivered. I’ve picked up on lots of factors that affect their pregnancy, both clinical and social. And as a community midwife I’ve dealt with lots of post-delivery problems for both mother and child. Looking after patients at home is a whole lot different from looking after them in a clinical setting. Isolation, post-op complications, neonatal problems, postpartum psychosis, depression, domestic abuse...’ She fixed him with her gaze. ‘The list goes on and on.’
He didn’t want to smile. He should be annoyed. This woman was practically putting him in his place. But he couldn’t help but feel he might have deserved it.
He wondered how on earth she’d ended up here. She’d already mentioned a daughter. And she clearly wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. It was absolutely none of his business. But Jacob Layton’s curiosity was definitely sparked. He liked this feisty midwife.
He spoke steadily. ‘That certainly seems like enough experience. So what made you come down to Cambridge? It’s a long way from Scotland.’
She didn’t even stop to think. Her eyes were still flashing. Bonnie Reid was on a roll. ‘That’s the thing about finding your husband in bed with your best friend—it makes you want to get as far away as possible.’
* * *
Silence.
You could have heard a proverbial pin drop. Bonnie felt the colour rush to her cheeks and she lifted her hand to her mouth. Oh, no. Why on earth would she say something like that out loud?
It was that darn man. Jacob Layton. It wasn’t bad enough that the handsomest man on the planet had watched her walking down the corridor as if he were undressing her with his eyes. Then he’d started talking to her and everything he’d said had put her back up. Now she’d lost her rag with him. Hardly the best start in a new job.
But Bonnie Reid didn’t take any prisoners. In this life, she meant to start the way she was going to continue. The part of her life where she put up with bad behaviour, indifference and rudeness was over.
Maybe it was the fact he was so good-looking that was unnerving her. If she got any closer she was sure she’d see gold flecks in those intense green eyes. Or maybe it was the fact that no man had even flickered on her radar since she’d walked away from her ex. Certainly not a brown-haired, green-eyed Hollywood-style hunk.
Her insides were cringing. She couldn’t believe what she’d just said. And it was clear from the faces around her that no one else could either.
But what made it all the more excruciating was the fact that the edges of Jacob Layton’s mouth seemed to be turning upwards.
He was laughing at her.
‘Please come with me,’ he said sharply and walked over, ushering her towards an office door with Head Obstetrician emblazoned across it, and away from the gaping mouths.
He closed the door firmly behind them and walked around his desk. ‘Take a seat.’ His voice was firm and she felt a wave of panic sweep over her.
She hadn’t even officially started—was she about to be fired? ‘I’m sorry. I’ve no idea where that came from.’
Her stomach did a little flip-flop. It didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter but she’d just made a fool of herself in front of the resident hunk and her new boss. She’d just told him that her husband had cheated on her. It was hardly a placard that she wanted to wave above her head. She might as well be holding a sign saying ‘I’m plain and boring in bed’.
The humiliation burned her cheeks. Right now she wanted to crawl into a hole.
He fixed on her with those green eyes and she felt her skin prickle under her thin scrubs. At times like this she longed for her thicker white tunic and navy trousers. But scrubs were the order of the day in most labour wards.
He pointed to the chair again. ‘Sit down.’
Her feet were shuffling nervously on the carpet and she couldn’t stop wringing her hands together. Sitting down seemed quite claustrophobic. Particularly with Jacob sitting at the other side of the desk and the door closed behind them.
‘Don’t ever speak to me like that again in front of my colleagues.’ The words were out before she could stop them. And she wasn’t finished. ‘It was unprofessional. If you want to question my clinical capabilities take it up with me privately, or take it up with the director of midwives who employed me.’ She waved her hand. ‘On second thoughts, why don’t you actually wait until you’ve worked with me, before you question my clinical capabilities?’ She stuck her hands on her hips. ‘And maybe I’ll wait until then to question yours.’
Too much. It was too much. Even she knew that. The shocked expression on his face almost made her want to open the door and run back down the corridor.
Definitely not her best start.
She took a deep breath and sat down. ‘Look—’ she started but Jacob lifted his hand.
She froze mid-sentence. This was the way she always got when she was nervous. Her mouth started running away with her, a prime example being what had happened outside.
Jacob ran his hand through his hair. It struck her as an odd act. Usually a sign of someone being tired or frustrated. Jacob Layton didn’t strike her as any of those things.
He lifted his eyes to meet hers. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t have questioned your capabilities. But let’s start with the basics. Bonnie, I would have preferred it if you could have been here at nine this morning. It would have made our meeting a little easier. Is timing going to be an issue for you?’
She shook her head quickly, wondering if she should be offended by the question. ‘No. Not at all. This morning was a one-off.’
He gave the tiniest nod. ‘I appreciate you just arrived last night, and that you were asked to start at short notice.’ His brow furrowed a little. ‘Do you have adequate arrangements in place for your daughter?’
She straightened her shoulders. He was putting her on edge again. Dr Handsome just seemed to rub her up the wrong way. ‘I hope so. I have a friend who is a registered childminder. She’s agreed to take Freya in the mornings and after school.’
‘What about weekends and night shifts?’
Bonnie felt herself pull back a little. ‘I was told there was no requirement for night shifts—that you had permanent night shift staff here?’ The statement had turned into a question. She had the
mildest feeling of panic.
A wave of recognition flickered across his face. ‘What about shift work? Will that cause you a problem?
Now he was really getting her back up. She couldn’t fathom this guy out at all. One minute he was fiercely professional, the next he looked amused by her. As for the sparks that had shot up her arm when they’d touched...
She’d already snapped at this guy once. She didn’t want to do it again. It wasn’t his fault she was tired. It wasn’t his fault that the journey from Scotland had taken much more out of her and Freya than she’d really expected. It wasn’t his fault Freya had been upset this morning, or that the motel room was totally inappropriate for them both. None of this was his fault.
She wanted to respect her boss and get on well with him. He was a bit grumpy, but she’d met worse, and she was sure she could knock it out of him. She’d already embarrassed herself once in front of her boss. It was time for a new tack.
She met his gaze straight on. ‘Jacob, I don’t think you’re actually allowed to ask me questions like that.’
‘Aren’t I?’ He sat back quickly and frowned.
She held up her hands. ‘Would you ask a guy these questions?’ She was so aware it was all about the tone here. It was a serious subject, but she was quite sure he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. ‘What if I asked you, right now, about childcare arrangements for any kids you might have? Would that seem appropriate to you?’
The recognition dawned quickly on his face. ‘Well...no.’ He put his head in his hands for a second and shook it. When he pulled his head back up he had a sorry smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Sorry.’
She gave a little nod of her head. ‘No problem.’
She heard him suck in a breath and his shoulders relaxed a little. ‘I do have a good reason for asking you.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘You do?’
He nodded slowly. ‘I do.’ He was being serious now. ‘Valerie Glencross, the director of midwifery, suggested we should offer you a promoted post.’
Bonnie sat bolt upright in her chair. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear. ‘She did?’
His gaze connected with hers. ‘She did.’ For a second it felt as if time had frozen. She was looking into the brightest pair of green eyes she’d ever seen. She’d been right. He had little gold flecks in his irises. It made them sparkle. It was making her hold her breath as she realised exactly what kind of an effect they were having on her.
‘She did,’ he reiterated. ‘It seems your CV had already impressed her. I’m guessing that your telephone interview with her went well. She wanted me to meet you and ask if you’d consider being Ward Sister on a temporary basis.’
‘Me?’ Bonnie was more than a little surprised. ‘But you must have senior staff working here already. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have someone take charge who is familiar with the set-up?’
He gave a little laugh. ‘You would think so. Our senior staff are excellent. But none of them have the talent of organisation. Valerie said that before you were a community midwife you were a ward sister. I think she thought it would be good to have a new broom, so to speak. Someone who didn’t have any preconceived ideas about CRMU and could bring some fresh ideas about how things should run.’ He gave a little sigh. ‘Our ward sister Abby has been gone less than two weeks and it’s chaos out there. She left sooner than expected and we obviously didn’t appreciate just how much she kept on top of things.’ He gave his head a little shake. ‘I’m feeling bad. I’m wondering if the stress of the ward was a factor in her pre-eclampsia.’
‘Is she okay?’ It was the first thing that sprang to mind.
He gave a quick nod and Bonnie shot him a smile. ‘In that case, you’re not making it sound like my dream job. Shouldn’t you be giving me the hard sell? And after our first meeting—do you really want to offer it to me at all?’ Jacob Layton wasn’t good at this. He was being too honest.
He groaned again and sat straighter, giving her a grin that sent tingles to her toes. ‘Let me start again. Bonnie Reid—from your extensive experience on your CV we’ve decided you would be a great addition to our team. You’ll know the reputation of Cambridge Royal Maternity Unit. We employ the best obstetricians and midwives and are known as a centre of medical excellence. We have links with Cambridge University and are pioneers in the development and research of many groundbreaking medical techniques. We have a great bunch of staff working in the labour delivery suite. We just need someone who can bring some new organisational skills to the ward.’ He leaned across the table towards her. ‘How’s that for the hard sell?’
She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his. He was closer to her than ever before. She could see every strand of his dark brown hair. See the tiny lines around his eyes. And exactly just how straight and white his teeth were.
He nodded towards her. ‘And yes, I do want to offer it to you. You’re the first person to answer back in about five years.’
Boy, he was handsome. But there was something else. Something so much more than just good looks. Beneath the flecks of gold in his eyes she could see another part of Jacob Layton. There was so much more there than a handsome but grumpy obstetrician. He seemed the single-minded, career-driven type. But what lay beneath the driven exterior?
She returned his smile. ‘That was much better.’
He relaxed back in his chair and she was almost sorry she’d replied. ‘Thank goodness.’ He was so much nicer like this. Why did he act so grumpy around the staff?
She took a deep breath. ‘I want this to work. I want this to work for me and for Freya—my little girl. This is a fresh start. I want to leave everything else behind us.’ She rolled her eyes and gave her head a little shake. ‘And I definitely want to leave men behind. I just want to focus on my new job and getting me and my daughter settled.’
Jacob gave a little nod of acknowledgement as he tapped his fingers on the desk. ‘The reason I asked about your childcare arrangements—if you’re working as ward sister we’d generally expect you to work nine to five. You’d only occasionally be expected to work late shifts if there were staffing issues, and join part of the hospital on-call rota to do weekends.’
Bonnie frowned. ‘How does that work?’
‘All of our ward sisters take turns in covering weekends. You’re not actually there as a member of the team that weekend. You’re covering the management for the whole hospital. Sorting out staffing problems, dealing with any difficult cases or issues across the whole of maternity. It usually works out once every nine weeks.’
Bonnie nodded. ‘That’s understandable. This would make things much easier with my childcare arrangements. Freya will be much happier if I’m working more or less regular hours. I’ll get to put her to bed most nights. And, as I’ve mentioned, Lynn will happily take Freya every weekday before and after school, and for the occasional late night or weekend.’ She gave a visible sigh of relief. ‘I’m happy to do the job—in fact, I’m really excited to be asked.’
He seemed relieved. ‘So you’ll take the job?’ His voice went up a little, as if he was still a bit anxious she might turn down this fabulous opportunity.
She stood up and held out her hand towards him. ‘Of course I will. I’m a little nervous but am sure in a few days it will feel like I’ve been here for weeks. That’s always the way of it, isn’t it?’
He smiled again; this time the relief was definitely reaching right up into his eyes. His hand grasped hers. There it was again.
She hadn’t been mistaken first time around. Coming into contact with Jacob Layton’s hand was doing strange things to her skin receptors—currently it was the dance of a thousand butterflies. Just as well she’d made it clear she was a man-free zone.
‘Perfect. I’ll let Valerie know you’ve accepted. She’ll arrange for a new contract.’ He held open th
e door for her. ‘Now, let’s go and tell the staff.’
Her stomach did another little flip-flop as she walked through, but she couldn’t work out if that was the thought of telling her new peers about her role, or from the burn coming from Jacob’s hand at the small of her back.
One thing was for sure—CRMU was going to be interesting.
CHAPTER TWO
JACOB HADN’T BEEN WRONG. The labour suite was in chaos. And it was all basics.
Bonnie grabbed a ward clerk and made some immediate requests about sorting out case notes, filing things appropriately and keeping the boards up to date. Then she asked for new lists of contact numbers. The one she found on the wall was obviously out of date and, with doctors changing every six months, she didn’t want any problems with pagers in case of emergency.
She spent the next two hours working with various members of staff and patients. After a few hours she was confident in the clinical capabilities of the staff that were on duty. They all wanted to do their jobs and work with patients. They just didn’t want to bother with ‘ward’ stuff. Ordering, stocking, rotas, outpatient appointments, pharmacy prescriptions. It quickly became apparent that her predecessor had dealt with all these things and her quick departure meant there had been no handover.
Bonnie gave a sigh. She’d like to spend all day working with patients too—but that wasn’t the way a ward was run. She started making a ‘to do’ list that she’d have to work her way through.
The other issue was the phones. They rang constantly—often with no one answering. First thing tomorrow she was going to ask about a regular ward clerk for the unit. Just as she finished making a few notes about the off-duty rota the phone rang again.
‘CRMU, Bonnie Reid, can I help you?’
‘Ambulance Control. We need a team on-site at a crash on one of the motorway slip roads. We have a trapped, unconscious pregnant woman. She’s reported to be thirty-four weeks. Ambulance is on its way to pick you up.’
A Touch of Christmas Magic Page 2