Mending the Single Dad's Heart

by Susanne Hampton

  Harrison smiled and Jessica wasn’t sure if the smile was pride in his home town or something else but she thought it best to leave it at that as she pressed on the small electronic remote key to unlock the drivers’ door.

  ‘Thank you, Harrison, for walking me to my car. I really do appreciate it.’ The car park was dimly lit in places, just as Harrison had told her, and she had parked her small red hatchback in one of the darkest places.

  ‘It’s the least I can do when you just worked a sixteen-hour shift.’

  ‘As did you, and all of the others. I don’t deserve any more praise than everyone else.’ With that she opened the door and climbed in the car, but not before saying goodnight.

  Harrison bid her goodnight and she watched as he walked away to a better lit part of the car park. Cutting a powerful figure with his broad shoulders and long powerful steps, he crossed to a large black four-wheel drive. She couldn’t help but stare as he climbed in. She wanted to pull her gaze away but she felt a strange connection to him. It didn’t make sense but it was there. Jessica couldn’t deny it, nor could she define it.

  Within moments he started the car and headed to the exit. Quickly, Jessica was brought back to the task at hand. Getting home and not thinking about Dr Harrison Wainwright. He had walked her to her car, not rescued her from a burning house. She needed to put everything in perspective.

  Romance in a rural city was not on the cards. Romance anywhere was not on the cards. End of story.

  Then why was she sitting in a dark car park thinking about it?

  Quickly she checked her mobile phone for messages. There was nothing urgent so she slipped it inside her handbag on the seat beside her. It was a short drive so she kept her coat on, as she knew the car would barely warm up before she would be pulling up in her driveway. Ready to go, she turned on the ignition. There was nothing. She tried again, but again the engine didn’t turn over at all. Nothing happened. She dropped her head on the steering wheel for a moment, realising in an instant that her rental had a flat battery. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  Harrison had left and she was in the darkest part of the deserted car park with no one in sight. Suddenly feeling safe flew out through the ice-covered window. She tried to pull her tired mind into action. She could run back inside and call a cab, but if Harrison had insisted on walking her to the car, maybe walking back on her own wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps she could call roadside assistance, if there was any. It wasn’t Sydney and she had no clue if the local provider would be on duty. And what was the number anyway?

  Jessica unexpectedly felt a little close to tears. It had been a long day, an incredibly long day, and all she wanted was a nice warm bed for the next six hours. She’d been so relieved that the patients had all survived but managing that stress had taken its toll on her emotional reserves. And now, when she needed sleep almost as much as air, she wasn’t sure when she would get to bed. Not to mention the fact that being in the darkness of the car park was starting to add to her angst. She reached down to the glovebox to see if there was any information about who to call in case of a breakdown.

  Suddenly there was a tap on the car window.

  Jessica screamed and jumped as she turned to see a tall outline standing beside the car door. A towering figure that made her feel more vulnerable by the second and made her heart pick up speed. Her body was instantly in fight or flight mode. She realised this was probably why Harrison had insisted on walking her to the car.

  The tapping continued until a mobile phone illuminated the stranger’s face.

  Only it wasn’t a stranger.

  ‘Oh, my God, Harrison!’ she exclaimed as she opened the door a little, her hand still visibly shaking and her heart still racing. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you’d left—I saw you drive off.’

  ‘I did, but I didn’t see your lights in my rear mirror as I turned onto the road so I came back. I thought there might be something wrong. Am I right or did I just scare the living daylights out of you for no good reason?’

  ‘No, you’re right,’ she said with a rueful half smile. ‘I’m guessing I have a flat battery. There’s nothing when I turn on the ignition,’ she continued, then took a deep breath, encouraging her heart to slow down.

  ‘I suspected car trouble. I didn’t think you’d choose to sit in the middle of a deserted car park in the early hours to check your social media,’ he said, smiling.

  ‘Not usually.’ Her eyes rolled but the smile remained.

  ‘So your car is effectively dead at the moment and, as I don’t have any leads to jumpstart your battery, we have two options. We call for roadside assistance and hope they’re not caught up elsewhere, which may well be the case as there’s not too many service providers after hours, or I drop you home and collect you again in the morning from your home and we call roadside assistance to replace the battery then.’

  Jessica nodded. ‘Option two sounds much better, if you’re sure you don’t mind?’

  ‘I don’t mind at all. In fact, if you’d chosen option one I would’ve tried to talk you into option two, just to save my fingers from frostbite.’

  * * *

  Ten minutes later they arrived at Jessica’s home. All the houses were in darkness and Harrison insisted on walking Jessica to the door.

  ‘I’m going to make a hot chocolate before I turn in for the night,’ she said as she felt around in her bag for her keys. ‘I can just as easily make two, if you would like one?’

  She froze as the words slipped from her lips. It scared her that it seemed so natural to ask him in.

  Her mind-set on the day she’d arrived couldn’t have been further from where it was at that moment. Harrison was like no one she had met before and, while part of her felt she needed her barriers up perhaps even more than usual, there was another part that felt comfortable and relaxed in his presence and, despite the late hour, something was pushing her to spend some time alone to get to know the man who had been so gallant on more than one occasion. He seemed genuinely nice, he was an amazing doctor under pressure and...she silently admitted that, against her better judgement, she was very curious to learn more. It was that simple and nothing about her life had been simple for a very long time.

  Harrison hesitated then turned and remotely locked his car.

  ‘I’d like that, but I’m only staying for ten minutes; you need your sleep.’

  ‘And you need yours too,’ Jessica replied as she opened the front door and invited him in.

  * * *

  An hour later Harrison stood to leave, not because he wanted to go but because he knew he should. While Bryce was with his grandparents for the night, as he often was when Harrison was working, he wanted to have breakfast with his son the way he always did. Whether they were in their own home or with Harrison’s parents, sharing breakfast was a ritual he didn’t break often or without good reason. The trip to LA recently had meant they’d missed six shared breakfasts and Harrison didn’t want to miss another one.

  It was after two in the morning and ten minutes had turned into sixty. Hot chocolate had been accompanied by crumpets with honey and he couldn’t remember feeling so comfortable outside his own home. Jessica was sitting on the sofa with him, her legs curled up underneath her. She had excused herself and quickly changed into sweat pants and an oversized jumper while the crumpets were cooking. And, while there was no roaring fire, the central heating had kept them both warm. And the conversation had found Harrison warming to Jessica by the minute and opening up about certain aspects of his life. Each had spoken about their respective journeys to becoming doctors, their reasons for choosing medicine and their experiences on the job, good and bad, including how they dealt with telling the families they had lost their loved one. Both agreed this was the hardest part of their work.

  And both had skilfully and purposely avoided the topic of relationships. Jessica hadn’t asked about Harr
ison’s past, nor he about hers. It definitely made the evening even more pleasant for him and he suspected perhaps for her too. Bringing Bryce’s mother into the conversation would have spoilt everything and brought him back to earth with a thud. And it was too early to mention his son. While Jessica was lovely, unless a miracle happened, she was only in town for a short time and he felt protective of Bryce. There was no need to bring him up yet. Or perhaps ever.

  Despite being exhausted, he really didn’t want to leave but knew he should for Jessica’s sake. ‘I’ve kept you up far too long, and if I don’t go now I risk falling asleep on the sofa, not a good look for the neighbours,’ he said as he stacked the cups and plates, ready to take them to the kitchen.

  He couldn’t help but notice Jessica smile a little sheepishly, he assumed at the thought of him staying over. He was suddenly further drawn towards the gorgeous paediatrician who had waltzed into town and made him question much about his life. The idea of staying over was definitely very appealing. She was a stunning conundrum. She had spent the last sixteen hours showing her extraordinary abilities and dedication as a doctor; she was not timid in voicing her opinions; she had a wonderful way of making him feel at ease without trying; and she was gorgeous. Without knowing it, Dr Jessica Ayers was making Harrison question his resolve to only date women who had no further appeal than a great night of sex with no strings attached. He suspected Jessica would come with strings and, for some reason, he wasn’t running away. But she would be soon enough. She hadn’t hidden that fact, yet, despite it, he still didn’t want to go.

  In fact, it was just the opposite; he was forcing himself to leave. The thought of strings was not a barrier to spending time with her. It was as if he was open to becoming a little entangled, for however long that might be. He would just make sure that it wouldn’t involve Bryce. Harrison’s personal life would always be kept very separate to his family life.

  Together they walked to the kitchen and put everything in the sink. Jessica told him she would wash them in the morning.

  ‘Thank you again for bringing me home,’ Jessica said as she followed Harrison to the front door.

  ‘And don’t forget to thank me for almost scaring you to death in the car park.’

  Jessica laughed. ‘It was a little horror movie-esque.’

  ‘I promise not to sneak up like that again...’

  ‘Let’s hope my car doesn’t break down again.’

  Jessica reached up and took Harrison’s jacket from the wall-mounted coat rail. His hand brushed against hers as he took it from her but, instead of slipping it on, he paused for a moment so close to her. He didn’t want to leave. He knew at that moment he wanted more than anything to taste the sweetness of her lips. To pull her body against his and hold her in his arms. It all seemed so natural. There was no doubt, no questions. He didn’t need to second-guess. His lips were hovering only inches from the inviting softness of her mouth. The mouth he wanted more than anything to claim, the mouth that suddenly...

  Yawned.

  Harrison stepped back. ‘Oh...that would be my cue to go...’

  ‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,’ she said and, covering her mouth with her hand, yawned for a second time. ‘It’s not you...it’s just...’

  ‘It’s just that you’ve worked a day from hell and I’ve kept you up talking for another hour and I almost...’ Harrison stopped mid-sentence, raking his hair. He didn’t want to admit he had almost kissed her. She knew—they both knew what had almost happened—but he suspected the moment had passed. ‘I’ve almost outstayed my welcome.’

  Harrison watched as Jessica’s gaze fell to her slippers and then came back to him again. Her eyes were wide and she was smiling, albeit a little embarrassed, just as she had looked at their airport encounter.

  ‘You haven’t at all. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you.’ Her voice was so low that he almost missed what she had said. ‘Truly, I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.’

  ‘I’ve enjoyed it too,’ Harrison said, unsure of many things but realising, yawn or no yawn, he still wanted to kiss her more than he could remember wanting anything. He wasn’t going to second-guess himself.

  Gently he pulled her close to him and, as his mouth moved towards hers, she tilted her face to him and closed her eyes in anticipation. Their lips met with a tenderness and an almost wonderful familiarity that lovers shared. Such closeness didn’t make sense to him, but nothing since meeting Jessica had. She pressed her body against his and his arms held her even more tightly. He didn’t want it to end. Swept away by the feelings surging through his body, Harrison wanted to hold her in his arms and feel the warmth of her mouth on his for the longest time. It was a gentle release of feelings, not wildly passionate. Harrison was holding back because he sensed, for reasons he did not yet know, that Jessica needed him to go slowly with her.

  Suddenly he felt her stiffen in his arms.

  His arm slowly released his embrace as he stepped back and looked at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Looking in her eyes, he could see something that wasn’t fear but it was close to it. His instincts had been correct.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ he asked as he collected himself.

  ‘Yes, it’s just that...we should get some sleep,’ she said tentatively. ‘You need to drive home and we’ll have a big day tomorrow, I’m sure, with all the patients to be discharged or transferred to Tamworth.’

  Harrison wasn’t sure what had happened and why Jessica was pulling away, but he did as he was asked. He wasn’t about to press her to find out. Perhaps she was right in pulling away; while he had enjoyed spending time with Jessica, he had not imagined when he drove her home that he would lose perspective and so quickly overstep the boundaries. She was a work colleague and Harrison had, until now, always kept his private life away from the hospital. The entire evening, even wanting to stay for a warm drink in the first place, went against his better judgement. But he had done it anyway. It was obvious to him that there was chemistry between them, but as her actions made him step back he was reminded that what he’d done went against everything he believed. Jessica was only in town for a limited time.

  Again, he needed to remind himself, his ex-wife had been in town for a limited time too. The situation screamed déjà-vu and Harrison could not afford to relive that nightmare. He couldn’t allow his emotions to get the better of him. He had made that mistake before. Allowed himself to be swept away, falling heart and soul way too soon and then being helpless to prevent it all falling apart. He couldn’t travel that road again, but would it be the same road? he wondered. Or was this very different? Harrison’s head was telling him to pull back but his heart was saying something very different.

  They were two professional people who had spent time getting to know each other outside of work and he had allowed it to go too far. Now he needed to take her cue and set boundaries. Jessica had been upfront about her intentions. Stay six weeks and leave town. There had been no deceit, no false promises. He had to try and colleague zone Jessica immediately and put some distance between them. He had no choice, for his own sake. But he doubted how successful it would be after the kiss they’d shared.

  ‘I’ll send a cab for you in the morning at about ten-thirty, if that suits you?’

  ‘A cab?’

  ‘Yes, you deserve a decent sleep, so you can start late. I’ll head in earlier and check on our patients before they’re transported to Tamworth.’

  ‘I can assist with that...’

  ‘You’ve done enough.’ Enough to unsettle him. Enough to even at that moment make him want to pull her close again. Enough to make him kiss her again. He was so confused, and she had made him think clearly when he’d felt her pull away. Now he had to do it too. ‘I’ll email hospital admin when I get home and let them know to roster cover for you until eleven. It’s not the entire day off, but it’s a few extra hours’ sleep. I arranged the
same for the other staff before I left. And the neurosurgeon is flying in from Sydney mid-morning, to consult on the two suspected spinal cord injury patients.’

  ‘You certainly have everything under control.’

  ‘It’s best for everyone that way.’ Though Harrison knew he was losing control with Jessica. And that was not the best option for a man who had finally gained control of his life.

  His tone had changed and he could see it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Jessica. Torn best described how he felt. He didn’t understand what he had seen in her eyes only moments before. It confused him. Her gorgeously messy blonde hair fell around her beautiful face and she looked less like an accomplished temporary Paediatric Consultant from a large city hospital and more like a fresh-faced country girl. She was so close he could reach out and cup her beautiful face in his hands and kiss her again.

  He had to leave before he went mad with the gamut of emotions he was feeling.

  Opening the door, he walked into the icy night air without stopping to put on his jacket.

  Or saying goodnight.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JESSICA LAY IN BED, staring in the darkness at the ceiling, wondering what on earth had happened. And as she rolled onto her side again and curled her legs up under the warmth of the heavy woollen blankets, she wondered what could have happened if she hadn’t pulled away. Gently her fingers pressed against her mouth and for a moment she relived the tenderness of his kiss. A kiss she hadn’t imagined would ever happen until just before it did.

  Standing so close, when he’d looked into her eyes, her body had rendered her helpless to think logically. To think that she should say no, move away and not give into her feelings. But instead she had surrendered to them. It concerned her that increasingly she was losing perspective and presence of mind around him.

  Sleep evaded her for close to an hour, as nothing about her bed was comfortable that night. She tossed and turned all the while, questioning why she’d pushed away every promise she had made to herself about getting close to a man again. She had invited him in for a hot chocolate. And then gave him crumpets. What had she been thinking? And what had he been thinking to accept? And as he’d leant in towards her, she’d known he was going to kiss her. And she’d welcomed the kiss. What if he had wanted to stay longer? What would have happened? Would they have given in to their mutual desire? Or would they have come to their senses? So many questions and absolutely no certainty in the answers swirling about inside Jessica’s head.