by Lucy Clark
‘You…ah…don’t usually…’ She stopped, realising her breathing was starting to increase and that she didn’t want him to question why his words had flustered her. Clearing her throat, she worked hard to get her heart rate back to normal because when Arthur looked at her the way he was now, with that intriguing gorgeousness, it was almost impossible for her to not blurt out the truth.
She had to confess that she’d felt that same tug of awareness he was talking about, but she had the advantage over him as she knew exactly why she was feeling that way. Surely if she told Arthur the truth, he would understand. Yes, her case workers had assured her she was out of danger, so what would be the harm in telling him? She didn’t have to lie about her true identity in order to protect him, but after years of keeping herself to herself, it was difficult for her to open up and share such an intimate confession…even with someone like Arthur, the first boy she’d ever trusted.
Her main problem now was that he was still staring at her, and very soon it was possible she’d forget all rational thought and throw herself across the table into his arms. The thrumming of her heart reverberated around her body and she found it nigh on impossible to look away from his compelling stare.
‘Arthur…I…’ An unexpected yapping at her heels startled her and she quickly shifted in her chair to see a gorgeous Pomeranian dog sniffing around her feet. ‘Hello!’ Maybelle glanced at Arthur but rested her gaze somewhere around his throat, unable to completely meet his eyes after such an intense moment. Her heart rate started to settle as she looked down at the pooch. ‘I didn’t realise you had a dog.’
‘I don’t.’
‘Uh…’ Maybelle put a hand down so the dog could sniff her and when the cute little thing nudged and licked her hand, Maybelle patted the soft fur. ‘Then I’m clearly imagining things.’ She smiled as the dog continued to lick her hand. ‘What’s your name, sweetie?’ she asked the dog, unable to believe the complete delight she felt at the total acceptance from the animal. There was no judgement here, no need to worry about what her name used to be or what it was now. The adorable dog just accepted her and Maybelle’s heart swelled with delight.
‘That’s Fuzzy-Juzzy. Technically, she belongs to my sister.’
‘Your sister? Your sister lives here?’ Maybelle’s eyes widened in astonishment, her gaze meeting Arthur’s. Clara was here? Her mouth went dry at the thought. She was sixty-five percent sure she could convince Arthur they’d never met but Clara was a different story. Clara had been Maybelle’s first and only best friend. Their mothers had been pregnant at the same time, with Clara being born two days before Maybelle. They’d been as close to twins as two girls could be, even to pricking their fingers and mixing their blood, proclaiming themselves to be soul sisters.
‘No. She’s overseas. She told me she’d be gone for six months and would I mind her dog.’ As he spoke, he stood and came around the table and picked up Fuzzy-Juzzy, who was eyeing Maybelle’s unfinished dinner with relish. ‘That was two and a half years ago, so I guess in some ways Juzzy is mine as well.’ He patted the dog. ‘And you’ve had your dinner, Ms Juzzy.’ He carried the dog from the room, giving Maybelle a moment to close her eyes and find some level of composure.
‘That was close,’ she whispered. Hearing that Clara was out of the country allowed Maybelle to breathe more easily. At least she didn’t have to face that hurdle straight away. She opened her eyes, knowing the best thing she could do right now was to leave Arthur’s apartment and return to her own. Tomorrow she would buy groceries and find out the best take-away places in the area so there would be no need for her to bother her neighbour again. She ate two more mouthfuls of the yummy food before carrying both plates to the kitchen.
It was there she found Arthur, scooping another spoonful of the goulash into Juzzy’s food bowl and putting it down in the laundry, which was where the dog had obviously been eating when Maybelle had arrived.
She chuckled at the sight. ‘Clearly Juzzy’s used her feminine wiles on you. Clever dog. I guess it shows you really are a big softy at heart, aren’t you, Dr Lewis.’ The question was rhetorical but seeing the way he obviously cared for the dog warmed her. It appeared Arthur Lewis was the same in essentials as he’d been all those years ago. Thoughtful, caring and giving. It was a comforting thought.
He straightened as though he didn’t like being caught in the act. ‘She was whining.’ His tone was a little gruff.
Maybelle laughed. ‘I think it was more like she looked at you with those big brown puppy eyes of hers and you capitulated.’
He looked at the dog for a split second then shrugged his shoulders, conceding defeat on the matter. ‘Or that.’ Arthur put the kettle on. ‘Coffee? Tea? Another glass of wine?’ He wished she hadn’t laughed like that. The tinkling sound had filled his apartment with vibrant colour, something he hadn’t realised had been missing until that very moment. What was it about this woman that seemed so natural, so normal, so incredibly familiar?
Why did he find Maybelle Freebourne so compelling? Was it her blonde curls? Her rich brown eyes? The gorgeous smile that was still hovering on her perfectly shaped lips? Lips that, for some odd reason, he suddenly wanted to taste. He swallowed over the thought and dismissed it. They were colleagues and although he was intrigued, he also needed to keep things professional.
There was no doubt she was an excellent doctor, which she had proved most readily today with her patient, Mr Bird, but he’d also noted that she’d held herself aloof from other members of staff. Of course, with it being her first day on the job, she might want to find her feet when it came to social interaction with colleagues but the ED team was a close-knit one and he didn’t want her disrupting that camaraderie with her reticence at joining in.
That close-knit atmosphere was something he’d taken time to nurture since his appointment to Director eleven months ago. The team was often called upon to work in excessively stressful situations, and knowing there was a level of trust in those types of situations was vitally important.
‘Thanks but I’d better go. Dinner was absolutely delicious but I think I’ve imposed on you enough for one night.’ She jerked a thumb towards his front door as she spoke.
Arthur wasn’t sure why but he didn’t want her to go. He’d enjoyed her company during dinner—a meal he either ate alone or with a heap of journal articles in front of him so he could catch up on his reading whilst eating.
‘Actually, there’s something I wanted to show you first.’ Thinking about the journal articles had reminded him that he’d read one a few nights ago on food allergies and how to identify them in an emergency situation.
‘Can you…uh…show me at work tomorrow?’
Didn’t she want to stay? Why was it she seemed cagey and eager to leave? In fact, there had been several times when he’d noted his new neighbour to be a little jittery. Was that normal for her? Was she trying to leave his apartment because she found him boring? If that was the case, why on earth was he trying so hard to get her to stay?
‘Is my company that bad?’ The words burst from his mouth before he could stop them. She raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
‘No. No. Not at all. I’ve enjoyed a lovely, home-cooked meal with good company.’ Her words were almost over-polite. ‘I simply didn’t want to impose any further.’ Maybelle stood with her back close to the wall, as though she didn’t trust him.
‘It’s no imposition, Maybelle.’ He watched her for another moment, noticing how she was starting to edge towards the hallway. If she didn’t want to stay, he couldn’t make her. ‘I was reading an article about food allergies. I’d like your opinion on it.’
‘Thinking of writing up Mr Bird’s condition for a publication?’ she queried as he headed into his bedroom. Arthur tried to quickly locate the article from the stack of medical journals on his bedside table.
‘That’s a possibility,’ he returned, raising his voice so she could hear him. ‘Perhaps we could co-author the paper, given that yo
u were the one to discover Mr Bird’s allergy in the first place.’
‘And as you’re the director of the ED, would that mean you’d take lead on the article?’ she called back.
He paused for a second and analysed her words. Had that happened to her before? She’d done all the work and someone else had taken the credit? ‘If I did more research and provided more information for the paper, then it would follow that my name would be lead on the article.’ Where was that journal he wanted? He had the feeling that if he took too long, Maybelle would simply let herself out of his apartment and right now, he had to admit, it was great to be able to discuss a mutual topic of interest after dinner.
There was also the possibility he wanted her to stay and chat for a while so he could figure out just where he’d met her before. The few times he’d been caught staring at her, it had been as though his subconscious had been incredibly close to unlocking the memory. Perhaps they’d met years ago at a medical conference overseas. Or sat next to each other at a fundraising dinner…although if that had been the case, he was sure he would have remembered such a stunningly beautiful woman as Maybelle Freebourne.
‘Do you read the Journal?’ he called as he threw the stack of journals onto the messy bed in an effort to expedite his search. He didn’t receive a reply to his question. ‘Or do you prefer a different medical publication?’ Still silence. He flicked through another copy of the Journal and finally found the article. There was no answer to his question and he half expected to find her gone when he returned to the lounge room. That, however, wasn’t the case.
Instead, he found Maybelle standing at the mantelpiece next to the unlit fireplace. In her hand was a photograph of Arthur’s sister Clara and her best friend. The photo had been taken at the joint sixteenth birthday party for the two girls.
‘That’s my sister, Clara.’ Clearly Maybelle hadn’t heard him walk back into the room and she spun around, her face so white it was as though she’d seen a ghost. Did Maybelle think he was mad at her for touching the pictures? ‘That’s not how she looks now, of course. She’s a grown-up…or so she tells me, but she has such a crazy sense of humour that oftentimes I do tend to wonder.’
Arthur put the Journal onto the arm of the lounge and went to stand next to Maybelle. Was it his imagination or did she take a slight step away from him? ‘This photograph,’ he continued as he took another one off the mantel, ‘was taken not long after Clara graduated from medical school. That’s my parents and myself and Clara.’ He held it out for her to look at and belatedly realised, when Maybelle lifted her gaze away from the picture of the two girls, that her eyes were brimming with tears.
‘Maybelle? What’s wrong?’ Arthur put out a hand on her shoulder but she immediately flinched and backed away.
‘Uh…’ She sniffed and blindly shoved the photograph she’d been holding in his direction. He didn’t grab it in time before she let it go, the frame falling to land on the soft carpet. ‘I can’t.’ She was breathing fast and shaking her head as she continued to back away. There was a mixture of emotion in her eyes—surprise, trepidation, confusion mixed with a large dose of fear. ‘I can’t do this.’ The words were barely audible before she turned and almost sprinted to the front door. Within another moment she was out and gone.
Arthur headed to the door after her, absolutely stunned at what had just transpired. What was going on? There was so much about Maybelle Freebourne that made no sense. He looked out the open front door, only to hear the door to the apartment above him close.
He shut his own door then looked down at the photograph he still held in his hand. His parents, his sister and himself, standing in front of their old family home. What had spooked her about that photo? Returning to the lounge room, he picked up the photograph she’d dropped and sat down on the lounge to study it further.
Where he’d previously thought his new colleague was something of an enigma, he now realised he didn’t know the half of it. What on earth had upset her? She’d been staring at the photograph of his sister and her friend, and she’d been crying. Why? And why had she said she couldn’t do this? What on earth was that supposed to mean? She couldn’t socialise with her neighbours? She couldn’t be friends with him outside the hospital? Perhaps looking at his family photographs had made her realise she was standing in her work colleague’s apartment and that the lines of personal and professional shouldn’t be crossed? What? What had happened? What had she been thinking? His mind whirred in a never-ending circle as he stared at the photographs before him.
There was the one of his family and then one of Clara and her childhood friend, May Fleming. Clara had dark brown curly hair, the curls bouncing on her shoulders in a haphazard mess, her brown eyes smiling happily. May, on the other hand, had long, straight strawberry-blonde hair with pale blue eyes. Like chalk and cheese. The two girls had been friends all their lives then, about two months after that photo had been taken, May and her parents had left the neighbourhood without a word to anyone. The house next door where they’d lived had been sold and they’d never heard from them again.
None of this reflection gave him any indication as to why Maybelle had been so distraught over the photograph. Perhaps she knew May Fleming? Had she recognised Clara’s friend who had disappeared without a trace? That had to be it, or something like it, and from the way Maybelle had reacted when she’d seen the photograph, things hadn’t ended well for young May.
That thought alone made him feel sick to his stomach. Poor May. Being only two years older than Clara, he’d grown up with May around all the time. She’d been like another little annoying sister to him…until the evening that photograph had been taken.
Arthur put his head back and closed his eyes. May. Young, gorgeous and quietly sassy. He’d known she’d had a crush on him and that night, with everyone else enjoying the outdoor sweet-sixteen party in his parents’ backyard, he’d gone against his better judgement and let her kiss him. Pushing a hand through his hair, he exhaled harshly and closed the door on the memory because not only had he let her kiss him…he’d kissed her back.
Although it wasn’t too late, he had an early start in the morning and decided to get a bit of reading done after he’d tucked Fuzzy-Juzzy in her bed. It wouldn’t be too much longer until Clara was back to claim her pooch but after living with the dog, Arthur had to admit he liked having Juzzy around for company. To come home to an apartment where there was no one to greet him seemed foreign now yet when Clara had begged him to take the dog all those years ago, it had been difficult to adjust to having someone around.
Sitting in his bed, he settled down to re-read the article about food allergies he’d been wanting to show Maybelle. Now, having experienced first-hand how an allergy to garlic could have drastic consequences for a patient, he read the piece with new interest. Perhaps he and Maybelle could investigate this further and write a paper together. He smiled at the thought. It would definitely give him time to figure out just where he knew her from. She’d obviously made an impression on him but clearly the same couldn’t be said for her as she kept stating she didn’t know him.
Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something. He made a mental note to review her job application in the morning, hoping to find some clue as to why she tended to be jittery and emotional.
I can’t do this. The words she’d uttered before she’d bolted from his apartment reverberated around his mind. He closed his eyes, recalling the fear in her eyes, as though she was positive he’d already stumbled onto her secret. What secret? What was she trying to hide?
The ringing of his phone startled him from his deep thoughts and after checking the caller ID, he breathed a sigh of relief and connected the call. ‘Hi, sis. How’s life in the northern hemisphere?’
‘Fair to middling,’ Clara stated. ‘Have you spoken to Mum today?’
‘Not today. I spoke to Dad on the weekend.’
‘Off to Italy for a holiday! Oh, the life of the retired.’
‘They deserve it.’
They chatted about Clara’s week before his sister asked after her dog. ‘How’s Juzzy? I miss her so much.’
‘Then come home.’ Arthur missed his sister. As it had been only the two of them growing up, whilst they’d most definitely fought and had their moments where they’d hated each other, as adults they were actually good friends. ‘You said six months!’
‘Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, bro.’
Arthur could hear the sadness in his sister’s voice. He knew why she’d left in such a hurry and he’d hoped she was now over her broken heart. He’d sworn that if he ever saw the man who had caused Clara such distress, he’d punch him in the nose—and he was not a man prone to violence. Not only that but shortly after the relationship had ended, Clara had been in a terrible accident. Once her physical injuries had healed, she’d headed overseas with the hope of escaping her past and making new, happy memories. He needed to keep their conversation light so he chatted more about the dog. ‘At any rate, Juzzy certainly likes my beef goulash.’
‘You’re going to make her fat, Arthur.’ Clara’s tone lightened as she laughed.
‘So how’s the life of a hectic country GP this week?’
‘Hectic,’ Clara replied. ‘Clinics, emergencies and absolutely no respect for office hours. I’m the county doctor, which means my time and my life are not my own, they clearly belong to the village and surrounding districts.’
‘So come home.’
‘I said I was going to and I will.’ There was still hesitation there. ‘I got the email you sent about that new specialist centre opening up as part of Victory Hospital. Do you really think I’m right for the position of GP in such a busy practice?’
‘Most definitely. There will be state-of-the-art equipment and the practice will be intimate yet busy enough for a workaholic like you and the fact that you did your training at the Victory and know a lot of the staff is definitely a bonus.’