“That goes without saying.” I grinned at her.
Rowan and John both appeared at the bottom of the stairs, chatting about a consumables order. I marvelled at howordinaryRowan was behaving. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have never guessed his entire world had fallen apart last night. It struck me just how good he was at burying his feelings, and I supposed he must have had a lot of practice.
“What are you lot gossiping about?” John asked with a laugh. “We’re not paying you to stand around chatting.”
“Mandy is coming back early. July twenty-first is Max’s last day with us,” Trisha said.
Immediately I felt Rowan’s eyes on me, but I fought to avoid looking at him.
“Can I see the letter?” he asked, reaching out. I passed it over, still avoiding his gaze.
“Ah, that’s a real shame. I wish we had a position here for you, Max. The place isn’t going to be the same without you,’ John said, clapping me on the back firmly.
I coughed and smiled. “Thanks, John.”
“And I’m sure Rowan is gutted too.” The orthodontist looked at him. “He always speaks so highly of the work you do.”
This time I allowed myself to look at Rowan, relieved to see him still studying the letter. He glanced up at me and I gave him a small smile.
“Yeah, he’s going to be a hard act to follow, that’s for sure,” I said.
Rowan handed me back the letter. “I should probably ring Mandy and arrange for her to do some ‘keep in touch’ days leading up to her return,” he muttered.
“Do you want me to draft up the letters?” Becca offered. “I’ll leave the dates blank, and you can fill them in once you’ve decided what works best for you.”
“That’d be great, Becca. Thanks.” Rowan looked at me. “Are you ready to get started? Our first patient will be here any minute.”
“Sure.” I nodded and turned to Becca. “See you at lunch?”
“Absolutely. Got to make the most out of seeing your handsome face now I know it’s not forever,” she whined.
I grinned. “Shut up, you goon.”
Rowan and I left the others behind and climbed the steps to his office. Once inside and finally alone, Rowan leaned against the worktop.
“What a shitty day or two this has been,” he grumbled. “It wouldn’t have killed Mandy to take the full year?”
“Maybe it’s for the best.” At that, Rowan’s head snapped up, so I elaborated. “Look, a lot has gone down between us since I started working here and I have a feeling it is only the tip of the iceberg. Ifthis—” I gestured to myself, and then to Rowan. “Really is as good as I think it is, we’d no longer have been allowed to work together anyway. It’s been fun, but it’s certainly not professional.”
“You can say that again,” he muttered.
“In a way, it’s actually kind of preferable.” I walked towards him, stopping just shy of actually pressing up against him. Rowan eyed me curiously. “Neither of us can get sacked for doing this, when you’re no longer my boss.”
I pressed a kiss to his lips. It was the first proper kiss we’d shared since Rowan’s bombshell had dropped the evening before. I felt him sigh, his breath warm against my cheek.
When we parted, Rowan smiled down at me. “I suppose that is a big silver lining.”
“I’d say it’ll be shit not seeing you every day, but I have a feeling I might be seeing you every evening when I get home from work for the foreseeable.”
“If you’re willing to put up with me,” he replied.
“It would be my pleasure.” I grabbed the list of patients from the printer. “Now, let’s do our best to get through the day, hm?”
???
Rowan pulled his car up onto the driveway of his house. The windows were in complete darkness. No one was home, just as he’d promised. I looked at the house, a sense of dread enveloping me. Every time I had been here, it had been a painful reminder of how guilty I was feeling. I suspected this evening would be no different.
“This won’t take long,” Rowan muttered, stepping out of the car. “I’ll just pack up a few more clothes and some bits and pieces.”
