‘Hiya,’ Ana gave her a bright wave, ignoring the faint trickle of nerves in her tummy.
‘Come on in, Ana,’ Jenny smiled warmly, her pale blue eyes kind on her freckled face. ‘Take a seat,’ she waved a hand toward the comfortable rose-wood armchair positioned against the far wall. Closing the door behind her, Ana dropped her handbag to the floor, and sank into the seat.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured, creasing her fingers in her lap and silently cursing. She had no reason to be nervous, but with the manager’s eyes trained on her it was difficult not to feel as though her entire working life hinged on this very moment.
‘Thanks for coming in today,’ Jenny started off. ‘I’m sure you’re wondering what this is all about, so why don’t we get down to business?’
‘That would be great.’ Finally Ana was able to stop the clenching in her fingers.
‘As you know, there is a new primary-care based service opening up in partnership with St Mary’s Sleep Service.’
Ana’s pulse started to pound through her body at the laboratory manager’s words.
‘I believe you were involved in some of the equipment testing.’ Jenny paused and looked at Ana for confirmation.
With a sinking heart Ana slowly nodded her head.
‘And you should have received an email about the position now available to run that service…’ Jenny paused again, waiting for a response.
‘Yes, I did,’ Ana managed to squeak out.
‘Okay well, we haven’t received your application yet.’
‘That’s because I didn’t apply,’ Ana replied. She was surprised her voice came out sounding relatively normal. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute, her hands were clammy and she was sure any second now the build-up of nervous sweat would burst through her skin.
‘Why not?’
Ana’s eyes flicked towards Jenny but she quickly looked away. Ana could tell Jenny was disappointed. She’d trained her up, taught her everything she knew. She’d always had so much faith in her.
‘I like what I do,’ Ana shrugged, but she couldn’t meet her eyes. She knew it sounded like a lame excuse.
‘I know you do, Ana. But this job was pretty much created for you. It’s an extension of what you do now. Not only would you be setting up patients for their home sleep studies, but you would also follow them through the entire process. You would be educating them in sleep hygiene, sleep apnoea and CPAP therapy. You would be setting patients up on machines, ensuring their masking was correct, performing downloads, conducting patient follow-ups.’
It did sound awesome. Ana really wished she could apply for the job. But she couldn’t.
‘As wonderful as all that sounds, it’s not going to be full-time. At least, not to start with, and I need full-time work.’
‘We understand that. And, for the right person, we’re happy to make up their hours in the lab. If you took on the role, you would continue to working a couple of nights a week until the other service built up. Mind you, with the current demand I don’t think it will be long before the role is full-time. And then you wouldn’t have to work nights anymore.’
‘I don’t have a problem working nights.’
‘Everyone has a problem working nights, Ana. That’s why we pay penalty rates.’
‘I like my penalty rates. I don’t imagine I’ll have them in this new role.’
‘No, but you would be the Home Services Manager. There would be a significant pay rise. Enough to compensate for the loss of penalty rates, with more on the side.’
Better money, better hours, a more fulfilling role. The job sounded perfect. It was hard to turn it down. But she had to.
‘And you’d be working with your friend. Travis told me the two of you have been friends with Brad Lewis since childhood.’
Friends? Hmm…
An image sprang to mind, of Brad’s longer, dirty-blond hair brushing against her cheeks; his muddy green eyes alight with desire. It was the way he’d looked the last time she’d seen him; right before he’d done his usual midnight disappearing act.
‘Friends’ was one word for their non-relationship, she supposed. Not the word she would choose, however.
‘Has he spoken to you about the job? I’m surprised he hasn’t coerced you already.’
‘Who? Brad?’
‘Yes. He’s been coming in one night a week for the last month, learning what he can about the practicalities of data acquisition and some basic sleep medicine theory. I was sure he’d been in on one of your nights.’
‘No, haven’t seen him.’ More than likely he’d purposely avoided the nights she was working. And she was glad he had. They had an unspoken agreement to avoid each other until they could no longer bear the absence.
‘Look, this job is perfect for you, Ana. I think you should seriously consider it.’
Jenny was right. It sounded like her dream job. If anyone other than Brad Lewis was offering it, she’d have jumped at the opportunity. Even now, knowing it would involve working with him on a daily basis, she was tempted.
But who was she kidding? There was no way he’d give her the job, even if she did apply. How could he handle having her around everyday when he couldn’t even last a whole night with her? Besides, if he’d wanted her to have the job, he would have asked her.
‘Thanks for the thought, Jenny,’ Ana answered, pressing her lips together in a much paler version of her usual megawatt smile.
‘Here, I’ll give you his number,’ Jenny rummaged around in one of her drawers, pulling out a small white business card. ‘You should call him, set up a discussion about it?’
‘Okay…thanks.’ Ana found herself leaning forward and reaching for the card. Not that she needed it. She already had his number. ‘I’ll…ah…definitely…’ she trailed off, nodding towards the card because she couldn’t verbalise the lie.
She left Jenny with a smile. Putting a bounce in her step to give more credence to the lie, she waltzed past Jan and headed back down towards her car. She’d planned to stay at work until her shift started. But now…
Ana leaned against her VW Bug and stared at the business card in her hand, running her thumb backwards and forwards across the black, embossed lettering.
Dr Bradley Lewis
MBBS FRACGP FAChAM
There were an awful lot of letters at the end of his name now. She remembered when there were none—when he was just Brad, the nice boy living next door and she was just Ana, the little girl always following him around. But that was way back, before everything changed and life got…complicated.
If he’d still been the Brad of old, she wouldn’t have hesitated to call him. But a lot had changed in the intervening years. And now…well, now he was pretty much the last person on earth she wanted to call.
Exhaling hard, Ana pushed herself off the car and walked towards the rubbish bin stationed near the lift. With one final look at Brad’s card, she scrunched it between her fingers and tossed it.
Chapter Two
A brisk autumn breeze blew through the al-fresco restaurant, amplifying the already noisy crowd that packed the popular inner-city venue every Friday night. Although he was sitting at a table on the outer edge of the crowd, closest to the footpath, the swirling noise still made conversation between Brad and his date difficult. An impedance that Brad was secretly grateful for.
Trying to do it discreetly, Brad glanced down at his watch and suppressed a groan. They’d barely been here an hour. Why did it feel like four?
To think he’d gotten on so well with Jenna at the party last weekend, they’d talked for hours. She’d seemed so insightful. He thought he’d finally met someone who could hold his attention, who would make him forget her.
Apparently not.
‘Don’t you think?’
‘I…ah…’
‘See, I knew you’d agree.’
Brad gulped, a little concerned he didn’t know what he’d agreed to. But then she continued, having barely stopped for a breath and he
breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Purple is so the next black. I found this absolutely gorgeous purple scarf at a little shop around the corner from work. It was a total find. Come winter I’m going to be the best-dressed girl in the office. I wonder if I could find a matching beret, or do you think that would be too much purple?’
She paused for a second and Brad opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get out a yes or no she’d already moved on.
‘You’re right. It would be too much. Black would be better. Definitely a black beret and a black jacket too. Oh, it’s so totally cute…’
As she continued to prattle on, Brad tuned out again, his eyes drifting away from her and around the crowded restaurant, hoping their food would arrive soon so he could wrap this evening up.
‘Is that your phone? Brad, is that your phone?’
The repeated question drew his gaze back to the table and the gorgeous woman sitting across from him.
‘Your phone,’ she said again, pointing to the device vibrating on the table in front of them.
‘It is. Sorry about this,’ Brad apologised, reaching for the phone. He flicked a glance down at the screen, intending to switch it off—he may be bored but he wasn’t rude—but the call was from his brother, Cam.
‘Actually, do you mind if I take this? My sister-in-law is due to give birth any day now, and it could be—’
‘Of course, go for it. That’s so sweet. I think it’s wonderful…’ as she continued to chatter, Brad hit the green answer button on the screen, moving the phone up to his ear and plugging a finger in the other ear to drown out the excessive noise from the restaurant.
‘Hey bro, what’s happening?’ Brad asked as soon as the phone clicked over. Inexplicably, he realised he was holding his breath; his stomach all tied up in knots.
‘Nothing much,’ Cam answered easily, but Brad could hear the grin in his voice and wasn’t fooled. ‘Just became a dad to two beautiful little babies, is all.’
The nerves pulling Brad’s abs tight exploded with joy.
‘Boo-yeah!’ he couldn’t help shouting, slamming a hand down on the table top. His lips stretched wide into an intensely goofy grin and he felt pinpricks of moisture stab the back of his eyes.
Fuck! He had better not start crying like a sissy.
But really, if he was going to cry over anything, the birth of his brother’s twins was almost acceptable. After Cam lost his first child to SIDS seven years ago, he had retreated from life, determined not to risk his heart again. That was until he met Stacey, the savvy little nurse determined to make a family of her own.
And now they’d done it! They’d created a family together!
‘Congrats, man, that’s just…so fucking awesome.’
‘Thanks, Brad. It was amazing. Stacey was amazing. I don’t know how she did it. Aidan came first and ten minutes later Laura popped her gorgeous little head out. She’s got so much hair. Aidan’s a little baldy, though. I’ve just been standing here, staring into their eyes for…I don’t know how long.’
‘An hour, Cam. We’ve had them an hour,’ Brad could hear Stacey in the background. Then there was a little cry, a squawk of protest, and he was hearing his nephew (or niece) for the first time. The pinpricks struck the back of his eyes again and he quickly blinked the moisture away.
‘That’s right. An hour,’ Cam repeated into the phone. ‘For a whole hour, I’ve been a dad…again…’
Silence fell between them, and Brad’s mind flashed back to the first time Cam had called him and told him he was a father—when little TJ was born. In an instant, he was almost sucked down that hole again, into the web of grief they’d been through when Tyler had died.
Although his own grief paled in comparison to what his brother had gone through, Brad had been gutted by the death of his four-month-old nephew. And in the weeks and months that followed, as Cam started retreating from everyone around him, the sense of failure, of helplessness, of not knowing what the hell he could do to help his brother had almost overwhelmed Brad.
But not tonight. Tonight was a happy night. And tonight it was Cam who pulled Brad out—an excited Cam filled to the brim with love for the new life he was holding in his arms.
‘We keep switching, though Aidan seems to be monopolising his mother. He’s a hungry little bugger. Or maybe he’s just like his dad and knows when he’s latched on to a good thing.’
‘Okay, way more than I needed to hear,’ Brad told Cam with a short laugh. Despite the overload of information, Brad couldn’t wipe the grin from his face.
‘So when do I get to meet the little critters?’
‘What, you’re not on your way over now?’
If it was at all possible, Brad’s grin stretched even wider. In that instant he knew where he wanted to be. Not here, on a date going nowhere, but there at the hospital and sharing this moment with the people that mattered most to him. Maybe he should call Ana and they could…but he stopped the thought before it could fully form. Calling Ana was never a good idea. Not for either of them.
‘I can be. What room are you in?’
‘We’re still in the birthing suite, but we’re about to be moved through to the maternity ward. They should be able to direct you when you get here.’
‘Easy as. I’ll see you soon.’
Once he’d finished the conversation, he turned back to find expectant eyes on him.
‘Congratulations!’ Jenna exclaimed, her smile genuine. She really was a gorgeous girl. When she smiled like that, her green eyes shining, he could remember why he’d asked her out in the first place.
‘Thanks,’ Brad nodded, reaching around to the back pocket of his black jeans to fish out his wallet and wrap this date up.
‘It must be so exciting. Is it a boy or a girl?’
‘One of each. They’re twi—’
‘Twins. That’s right. Wow, they’ll have their hands full. But the babies will be so cute. And I know you’ll make a great uncle. You know, I think there were some gorgeous little baby clothes at that store where I got this scarf. Totally vintage, it…’
And there it was. The reason he wouldn’t be asking her out again.
‘Look, I’m really sorry to do this, Jenna,’ Brad interrupted, but he couldn’t seem to get her attention with just his words, so he stood up, unhooking his jacket from the back of the cast-iron chair.
‘Whoa, where are you going?’ she asked, his abrupt movements finally piercing through her bubble.
‘As I was saying, I’m really sorry but I’ve got to get over to the hospital. I have two gorgeous little babies to meet,’ he opened his wallet, pulling free enough notes to cover the bill for food that had yet to be served.
‘Oh, that’s so sweet,’ she sighed, her hands clasping together beneath her chin. ‘And I get to meet your family already. See, I just have this feeling about us,’ she continued, reaching down beneath the seat to grab hold of her handbag.
Brad’s eyes grew wide as he realised she intended to join him.
‘Ah…um. I…ah…I’m going to go by myself actually. It’s kind of…they really just want family there at the moment.’
He could see the instant his words registered. Her face dropped, her shoulders slumping a little, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit of a heel for dumping and running.
‘Of course,’ she answered, the smile still pasted to her face, and he felt like even more of a heel. ‘I might still go, though,’ she continued, standing and slinging her bag over her shoulder. ‘Don’t really want to sit here by myself.’
‘Sure,’ he nodded, leading the way towards the hostess manning the cash register. He settled the bill quickly, Jenna waiting for him on the footpath. ‘Did you drive?’ he asked as they started walking towards the car park.
‘No, I cabbed it,’ she answered, and there was something in her eyes, a lingering look that made him realise she’d been hoping for a lift home. And maybe something more.
Suppressing a shudder, Brad steered her in the
direction of a cab rank that, thankfully, was not far from the restaurant’s entrance. There were no cabs waiting, but the attendant informed them that one would be arriving soon.
‘I should head to the hospital.’
‘Of course. You go. I’ll be fine,’ she assured him, waving him on. ‘I’ll see you soon, yeah?’
There was a slight question to her words, but Brad pretended he didn’t hear it, fishing around for his wallet instead. He didn’t want to lie to her, but neither did he want to see her again. ‘I’m sorry I can’t give you a lift home, but please, let me pay for the cab,’ and he held out a couple of twenty dollar notes.
‘You don’t have to do that,’ she said, shying away from his hand, but he insisted, and eventually she accepted the guilt money.
‘Thanks. You’re such a gentleman,’ she reached up and brushed a kiss against his cheek.
As he walked away he could feel her eyes on him, and wished they weren’t. He’d just ditched her in the middle of dinner, hadn’t said he’d call, and yet she still thought he was a gentleman. Why couldn’t anyone realise the truth about him?
***
Pulling open the glass refrigerator door, Ana grabbed her favourite bottle of bubbly from the liquor store’s shelf before making her way to the counter.
Well, of course there was a huge line of people at the checkout with only one staff member manning the tills. That was just the kind of week she’d had.
There was no point crying about the wait, though. She’d be at Gabby’s place soon enough, and then she’d be able to relax and unwind with a lovely glass of wine. Oh, and have a general bitch about her shitty week with her girlies. That was what she was truly looking forward to.
The queue shuffled along, and Ana followed their lead, coming to a halt much closer to the counter. Maybe the wait wouldn’t be that long after all, she thought, eyeing off the serving counter less than a metre away. There were only three people ahead of her now.
Tucking the bottle of bubbly under one arm, Ana unlocked her phone to have a quick check of Facebook. She started scrolling through her newsfeed, shuffling forward as the next customer moved up to the cashier. Boring, boring, boring, she labelled the items as her thumb scrolled down the page. Why was she so obsessed with this thing, when the updates and links were usually so dull?
A Love Worth Saving Page 2