Suddenly perilously close to tears, she swallowed hard, arranged her face into a smile and turned to Nicky. ‘Why don’t you go off for lunch?’ she suggested, needing some time to herself. ‘I can handle everything here now things have quietened down.’
Nicky looked at her in surprise and then checked the clock. ‘But it’s only quarter to.’
‘It’s been a full-on morning, though. You might as well grab a few extra minutes. You could get some cakes from the village shop on the way back,’ Emily suggested. ‘My treat. We could all do with a bit of cheering up.’
‘That sounds like an excellent plan.’ Nicky was out of her seat and grabbing her bag and jacket in seconds flat.
‘Thanks, Nicky.’ Reaching for her purse, Emily handed her the money, and then, realising there was something Nicky had obviously forgotten, stopped her short of the door. ‘Oh, Nicky …?’
‘Hell.’ The girl twirled around. ‘Sorry,’ she said, coming back to close her computer down. ‘It went clear out of my head with all the excitement.’
Emily gave her a despairing look. She was going to have to have a firm word with her, particularly under the current circumstances.
Waiting until Nicky had gone, she blanked her own screen, picked up a file and went quietly across to Jake’s office. She hated that she seemed to have turned into someone who could give Fran a run for her money, listening at doors, spying on people, but after Tom belittling him like that, she was concerned about how Jake would react. He was stressed enough without having to deal with his father winding him up. She wondered why she was worrying about him under the circumstances, but she couldn’t just stop any more than she could stop loving him. And she did love him, still. So much it hurt.
Pausing guiltily outside his door, she flicked through the file she’d picked up for the benefit of anyone who might be looking in her direction as she listened. Hearing Tom from inside, she was immediately agitated.
‘It was unprofessional in front of the patients, Jake,’ he was saying, with a heavy sigh. ‘I gather the man was being aggressive and that you were upset, understandably, but—’
‘You have to be kidding.’ Jake laughed scornfully. ‘After the wayyoubehave, you have the gall to preach to me about inappropriate behaviour. I’ve never heard such hypocritical bollocks in all my life.’
Tom didn’t answer straight away. Emily could almost feel the tension crackling between them. ‘I’m only concerned for you, Jake,’ he said eventually. ‘Not just from a professional point of view, but—’
‘I think it might be a good idea for you to leave,’ Jake cut across him angrily.
Hearing movement inside – Jake scraping his chair back to show Tom the door, she supposed – Emily stepped back.
‘Look, Jake …’ Tom hesitated just the other side of it. ‘I know we’re not as close as we should be, but I’m sensing you and Emily seem to be having a few problems. If you ever need someone to talk to …’
‘Now youreallyhave to be joking.’ Jake’s tone was one of incredulity. ‘I wouldn’t confide in you if you were the last man on earth.’
‘I was just offering.’ Tom sounded wounded. ‘Sometimes it helps to talk. A problem shared and all that.’
‘Right,’ Jake replied flatly. ‘And you would be qualified to offer relationship advice, would you?’
‘Don’t, Jake,’ Tom said awkwardly. ‘There’s no need to bring all that up. It’s ancient history.’
Jake was quiet for a moment, and Emily imagined him looking his father over with that mixture of bemusement and contempt she’d often seen. Then, ‘Really?’ he said. ‘So how’s the new relationshipgoing? She’s a bit young for you, I would have thought, but—’
‘Okay, look, forget I said anything,’ Tom interrupted irritably. ‘I have work to do. I’m sure you do too.’
‘Did the meeting in Pembridge not go too well then?’ Jake enquired, with pointed innuendo. ‘You two seemed to be getting along extremely well from where I was standing,’
Pembridge?Emily tried to think back through the constant muddle in her head. Tom had had a meeting with some people from the medical committee there, she recalled. Wasn’t that the same night that Nicky had been meeting friends in Pembridge? No, surely not. She pondered Jake’s implication in disbelief. Tom and Nicky? That was utterly preposterous.
‘You were spying on me?’ Tom’s tone was now one of shock.
‘No, Tom,’ Jake assured him. ‘Just satisfying my curiosity.’
Her mind racing, Emily headed quickly back to reception as the door opened. Jakehadbeen spying on him. He must have been. Why else would he have followed him? Unless it was out of jealousy. Might she have got this all wrong? Could it be Nicky that Jake was involved with?
No. She laughed at her own absurdity. He wouldn’t, not right under her nose. Her suspicion was running riot, imagining that every attractive female in the vicinity was behind that email. Nicky would never do that to her. She was woolly-headed sometimes, and Emily despaired of her continually flouting data protection rules, but she was hard-working and conscientious otherwise. A nice, genuine sort of—
As her eye snagged on the ‘Meet Our Staff’ board behind the reception desk, her step faltered. Oh dear God. Reading her full name, Nicky Jade Horton,Emilyrealised that Nicky could easily be the owner of the email address beginning‘nja’, and her heart almost stopped beating.
Fifteen
Dean
