Mending the Single Dad's Heart

by Susanne Hampton

  ‘Champagne does turn my cheeks rosy,’ she mumbled to Grace and smiled a strained half smile.

  ‘I can’t see it, my dear, but then at your age a rosy glow would only make you look even more beautiful. I remember back to being as young as you when I met Errol.’

  ‘Are you from the Armidale New England region or did you both move here?’

  ‘Errol is actually from Uralla, a little town not far from here. He studied medicine in Sydney and returned to Armidale Regional Memorial as an intern a long time ago. I was in my third year of practice at a leading physiotherapy clinic in Melbourne. Goodness, I loved it and planned on opening my own clinic by the time I reached thirty. I was a city girl with city dreams and then I met a country boy when I was having an evening out with some girlfriends. Errol was in town for a conference. In one night he turned my life completely upside down. In a matter of weeks, I literally gave up everything and moved here.’

  ‘Wow. That is quite a whirlwind romance. I thought that only happened in movies and books.’ Jessica was taken aback by Grace’s story.

  ‘Yes, it was a wow moment.’ She dropped her voice a little, took a sip of her champagne and added, ‘My friends and family thought I was completely mad and I must admit I had a few misgivings myself along the way, particularly in the lead up to the move, but once I settled in I couldn’t imagine my life anywhere else. I’m truly blessed, Jessica, to have met Errol. He’s my soulmate.’

  ‘Well, you certainly took a huge risk and I’m so happy that it worked out so wonderfully for you. I couldn’t leave everything for a man I barely knew.’

  Grace patted her hand. ‘You would for the right man.’

  ‘Ah, Harrison, so good to see you here,’ Errol announced as he took a glass of red wine from the waiter circulating with a tray of red and white wines then whispered to Jessica, ‘I was wondering when the good stuff would come out; I’m not a bubbles and strawberries kind of man.’

  Jessica smiled at Errol’s remark but her mind was elsewhere. She suddenly wished she was at home on the sofa with a movie and didn’t have to face her own feelings. Feelings that were confusing and scaring her in equal amounts. And all of them about Harrison.

  Harrison approached the trio and greeted Errol with a firm handshake, then Grace with an endearing kiss on the cheek. Jessica’s stomach did a somersault, wondering how he would greet her. She shifted anxiously on her stilettos and took a gulp of her champagne. Would it be a colleague’s handshake, a nod or...? Suddenly her answer came as he stepped forward and gently kissed her on the cheek. A tender kiss that allowed her to feel the softness of his skin as it brushed against hers and for the freshness of his woody cologne to fill her senses. Making her body feel alive with little effort. Just as he had the night before.

  ‘Hello, Jessica.’

  ‘Hello, Harrison.’

  Time disappeared for the briefest moment as he stepped back and their eyes locked. The room was empty except for them. She could feel her heart beating and felt herself struggling to breathe. She had to pull herself back from falling into something that scared her to the core so she hurriedly took another sip of her champagne.

  ‘You look gorgeous, Jessica, as do you, Grace.’

  ‘I know,’ Errol cut in before the ladies could respond. ‘We’ve certainly got the finest fillies in the room.’

  Grace gave a delicate laugh. ‘No amount of time spent visiting my family or his many, many years studying in Sydney will take the country boy out of my husband.’

  ‘And would you really want that, darling?’

  ‘Not in a million years.’

  Jessica watched as Errol lifted his wife’s hand in his, tenderly kissing it as he looked into her eyes. ‘And I would not change anything about you, my city born and bred wife either.’

  ‘Would you like to try some kangaroo and salt bush canapés?’ a young waiter interrupted as he held out a platter of the tasty delicacies.

  ‘Sounds delicious,’ Grace said as she reached for one, as did her husband. ‘I’ve not tried salt bush.’

  Harrison looked over at Jessica and again she felt her pulse quickening. ‘I’m game to try something new tonight, if you are, Jessica?’

  The blue of his eyes seemed to be sparkling even more brightly and she felt drawn in like a moth to a light.

  ‘I’ve eaten native bush food quite a bit. There’s a stall in the market not far from one of the hospitals where I had a placement four months ago and the Indigenous owners have tastings of different herbs and meat. They also tell you how to prepare them at home.’ Jessica reached for one of the tiny wafers, dressed with a thin roll of kangaroo and a sprig of salt bush. She took a bite, knowing she would love the salty tang of the greenery and the depth of flavour of the kangaroo.

  She watched as Harrison downed the small cracker in one mouthful and waited for his reaction, wondering if he would enjoy it as much as she had.

  ‘That was amazing. Would it be rude to ask for a second?’ Harrison enquired of the waiter still hovering near them.

  ‘Not at all. That’s why I always wait,’ the man said with a smile. ‘Because everyone wants more of these.’

  The four all accepted the young man’s offer and each reached for a second, before Errol and Grace excused themselves to mingle with the other guests, leaving Harrison and Jessica alone.

  ‘You constantly surprise me,’ Harrison remarked as he leant against the wall with his glass of red wine.

  Jessica dabbed her mouth with a cocktail napkin before taking the final sip of her drink. While she always had a two-drink limit for an entire night, her Dutch courage suddenly needed refilling and her eyes searched the room for a waitress with white wine or something bubbly. ‘How so?’

  ‘A city girl who likes bush tucker and knows how to cook it. That’s a skill not many would have, whether living in the city or the country. I wouldn’t have a clue how to prepare food of Indigenous origins. Maybe I could throw a crocodile sausage on the grill but that would be my limit.’

  Jessica laughed. ‘I guess deep down I’m pretty much a homebody who loves cooking and it’s not very difficult if you are taught by people who have worked with this food for a long time,’ she said, trying to mask her borderline nervousness being around him. She found it hard to forget that in the early hours of that day they had kissed. And, more importantly, why they had kissed.

  And why, if left alone, they might again.

  Harrison broke into her thoughts. ‘There’s a lot of layers to you, Jessica.’

  ‘I’m not that complex really,’ she replied, grateful that he couldn’t read her mind or feel her pulse as it was racing.

  ‘I disagree, but how about I get you another champagne and, before the auction begins, show you around the museum, introduce you to some of the hospital staff you may not have met, and enlighten you to some local New England history in an attempt to impress you?’

  Jessica found it so strange that Harrison was apparently oblivious to the fact that he had impressed her many times since their first accidental meeting.

  Probably most of all when he’d pulled her close and kissed her.

  Willingly she allowed him to escort her around the Art Museum and they stopped to greet some of the staff and their respective partners along the way. Harrison soon proved with little effort that he knew a great deal about the artworks and the history of the region. Jessica was at once enjoying her time with Harrison and quickly found herself less and less self-conscious in his presence. Their banter was light and easy and occasionally she felt his hand in the middle of her back as he guided her through the small groups to another piece of artwork. She leant into it and enjoyed the feeling. It made her feel as if she had someone taking care of her, if only for a short while, and it felt good. His attentiveness wasn’t forced. Nor was her appreciation of him.

  The auction, and the reason they had all co
me together, finally began. Harrison bid for the third item, a four-night Sydney getaway at one of the finest hotels with flights included, that had been generously donated by the local travel agent. Jessica watched on keenly as the ten bidders were knocked out one by one. Finally, there were two left and Harrison was the one with the leading bid.

  ‘I’m bid ten thousand dollars,’ the auctioneer announced. ‘Does anyone care to raise that?’

  ‘Ten thousand five hundred,’ the other bidder announced with a confident tone. Jessica could see it was all done in good fun, for a good cause, but there was some old-fashioned male rivalry helping to get the bids up.

  ‘Fifteen thousand,’ Harrison announced. ‘Just so we can get on with the next item.’

  The crowd laughed, including the other bidder. ‘Fair call,’ he said. ‘It has been dragging on a bit. It’s all yours, Harrison. I’m out.’

  The auctioneer called the bid and announced Harrison the winner. He approached the administrator for the night and gave him his credit card details to pay for the item. Then he returned to Jessica and slipped the envelope inside his suit jacket. ‘Since I don’t know anyone in Sydney, and you know it very well, I might be calling on you to show me around.’

  Jessica was speechless. Had he bid an extraordinary amount just to spend time with her? The way he was looking at her, she very much suspected that was the case. Perhaps the kiss they’d shared did mean something more to him.

  Jessica wasn’t sure about anything except she was growing closer to the man standing next to her by the minute. He was everything she was not looking for when she’d flown into Armidale...but now she felt he was everything she knew she wanted.

  ‘It’s only eight-thirty, so not overly late, and I was wondering if you might like to go back to my house and chat some more without that auctioneer’s voice drowning us out?’

  Jessica drew breath. Her heart was racing at a ridiculous pace. She couldn’t think of anything better...or riskier than being alone with Harrison. And that excited her.

  ‘Let’s claim our overcoats and exit. Is your car outside?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘If you’re happy to follow me in your car, my home is literally walking distance from here.’

  * * *

  Harrison’s home was, as he’d said, only three minutes from the Art Museum. It was a large two-storey redbrick home with a sweeping return driveway and beautifully manicured gardens. Jessica was taken aback by the size and grandeur. As she’d not yet driven past that part of the town, she had not seen it before. Harrison pulled his car into the large double garage and walked over to Jessica as she alighted from her car in front of the porch, where she saw an old-style wicker set including a double swing.

  It was picture-postcard-perfect and so was Harrison.

  ‘Let’s get you inside where it’s warmer than out here,’ he said, taking her hand, and she felt certain that he intended to take things further than simply repaying her hospitality. She wasn’t sure but, with her heart beating so fast, this time she had no intention of pulling away. This time she wanted to forget the past.

  She wanted to live in the moment and throw everything else, including logic, out of her mind.

  * * *

  Harrison knew where he wanted to take the evening. He had grown close to Jessica very quickly but his feelings were real. And by the way she was reacting to him, he suspected she felt the same way. He hoped that the night would grow into something more. Suddenly and without reservation he wanted and felt ready to open his heart and his life to the mysterious woman who had arrived without warning. And very soon he planned that Bryce would meet the most amazing woman Harrison had ever laid eyes upon.

  * * *

  He turned on the dim lights and, without hesitation, lifted Jessica’s hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist. She was trembling just a little with anticipation, not fear. Tenderly his fingers traced the soft line of her jaw until he reached her chin. Purposefully, he lifted her face to his and his eyes told her everything she needed to know. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  ‘I want more than anything to kiss you again. You must know that.’

  Jessica nodded and lifted her face towards him. His mouth met hers this time with an urgency she had never felt in any man’s kiss before. She met his passion and made it clear that not only her mouth was wanting to be claimed. She was his for the night.

  ‘Are you sure, absolutely sure?’ His voice was low and the look in his eyes was piercing her soul.

  Jessica nodded and breathlessly she told him, ‘Yes.’

  ‘No second thoughts?’

  ‘None.’

  Harrison wasn’t going to ask again. He didn’t need further confirmation that he was not alone in his desire to spend the night together. He didn’t need any more encouragement to take her. To make her his own.

  He bent his knees slightly to reach around her body and lift her into his embrace. His lips searched for hers again and he hoped the fire in his kiss told Jessica how he was feeling as he carried her into his bedroom then softly but purposely kicked the door closed behind them. This night was for the two of them and nothing and no one was going to take that away from them. No one was going to make him turn away from the most desirable woman he had ever met in his life.

  There were many hours until the sun rose and Harrison intended to make use of each and every one of them.

  * * *

  Harrison woke with Jessica in his arms, her blonde hair flowing over his bare chest and the feeling of her warm soft breath on his skin as she slept soundly snuggled next to him. He didn’t want that feeling to end. It was as if an angel had entered his life. An angel he’d never expected to meet.

  Suddenly he noticed his cell phone light up. Concerned that it might be the hospital, he slipped from the warm bed and took his phone to the en suite bathroom. He didn’t want to disturb Jessica if he needed to make an urgent call. He closed the door and opened the email icon and was instantly jolted into a reality he didn’t expect or want.

  Hi Harrison,

  As you’re a board member, I thought you should know that I just had a courtesy call from a colleague at the Eastern Memorial in Adelaide. Jessica was supposed to take on a locum role in six weeks’ time, but it appears they are going to offer her the role of Acting Head of Paediatrics with a view to ongoing, providing she’s happy to start in one week’s time. Sad to be losing her, but a huge opportunity for her in a hospital of that size. I guess we can’t compete with that. We’ll need to get a replacement as soon as possible.

  All the best, Errol

  Harrison froze. Jessica would be leaving much sooner than expected. Perhaps, if they’d been able to spend the full six weeks together, they might have been able to see where this was going, might have been able to lay down the foundations of something that had a future. But one week? Impossible. It was a done deal. She would not and should not decline the offer from a large teaching hospital. While Adelaide wasn’t the other side of the world, he was a realist. With Jessica’s new role, and with his workload and, more importantly, his son, the opportunity to progress their relationship to something more, something deeper didn’t exist. And he didn’t want to risk it. He wasn’t about to make it more and then have it end. That would be dragging out the inevitable and he feared, with a woman like Jessica, he would only grow closer with every minute he spent with her.

  Their connection was destined to be one night only and Harrison had no choice but to accept it.

  He stepped into the shower, turned on the tap and let the hot water wash over him as he tried to erase the night before. He wanted more than anything to fall back into bed and make love to Jessica again, but he couldn’t. She was perfect in almost every way. But one. She wasn’t staying in town. And he didn’t want to ask her to do it. He had no right to hold her back. He had to treat what they’d shared the night before
as something casual. He couldn’t let his heart lead his head again.

  * * *

  Jessica’s early morning yawn morphed into a wide smile that she couldn’t suppress. She stretched in the warmth of the king-sized bed, lifting her arms above her head, arching her back and pointing her toes. It was the most delicious feeling and she couldn’t remember feeling that happy. Her mind drifted back to the tenderness and warmth in Harrison’s kiss. Her eyes wrinkled softly as her naked skin brushed against the sheets and she remembered the way he had brought every inch of her body to life.

  She slid back under the covers, relishing the passion they had shared. Tingles spread over her body with the thought of his body bringing her such guilty pleasure. With a satisfied Cheshire cat grin, she thought back over the last week. So much had happened and, while not all of it appeared to be positive initially, the pendulum had swung back and with it brought so much more joy into her life than she’d thought possible. Harrison, she decided, was the type of man she could potentially fall hopelessly in love with and, surprisingly for her, she wasn’t scared of those feelings. A few months ago she would have been so frightened she would have bolted from his bed, his home and, more than likely, the town if she had thought for a moment that she was developing feelings on any level for a man.

  But Harrison had somehow changed that. Jessica wasn’t sure how it had happened but he had made her feel safe enough to let down her guard and she wondered if, in the process, she might have found her knight in shining armour. She was definitely looking forward to a lot more nights with the country doctor.

  And who knew what the future might bring? She thought back to the night before and what the Professor’s wife had said about giving up the city life she knew for one in the country. Was that something Jessica could do? She wasn’t sure but, the way she was feeling at that moment, she wasn’t ruling it out either.