‘Slim but not zero.’
‘Well, no. But it could happen to any one of us at any time.’
‘That’s a cheerful thought.’
‘Sorry. I want to reassure you, but I’ve also got to be honest.’
‘I get it.’ He cleared his throat. ‘He needs to make lifestyle changes, right? Such as reducing stress?’
‘Stress can be incredibly damaging. If untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and yes, strokes.’
He ran a hand through his hair, and for a few moments he looked so forlorn that I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him it was all going to be OK. He took a step towards me and for a second, I thought maybe he’d read my mind, but then he reached for the door handle and opened the door.
‘You’d better go,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to be the reason you get in trouble on your first day.’
Up close he smelled amazing. Like salt and soap and nature. I climbed into the car. ‘Your mother has my number if you need to get hold of me for anything.’
He snorted, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. ‘Hell would freeze over before I’d ask her for it. She’d want to know why I want it, and then we’d never hear the end of it.’ He passed me his phone. ‘It’ll be easier for us all if you just put it in here.’
I took the phone and added myself into his contacts.
‘Read my messages?’ he teased, as I passed it back. ‘Check my socials while you were at it?’
‘Stop it.’ I cringed. ‘I’ve already apologized five thousand times.’
‘I know. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I promise I’ll drop it now.’
‘Shift, please.’ I reached past him for the door and pulled it so that he had to step out of the way. He grinned at me as I pushed the button to start the engine, then tapped on the window and made a gesture for me to put it down. I did.
‘What?’
He leaned down to peer inside. ‘When’s your next day off?’
‘Saturday. Why?’
‘I’ll pick you up at eight.’
‘That’s a little later than I usually like to eat dinner, but OK.’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘Eight in the morning.’
I stared at him, taken aback. ‘Why so early?’
‘Early? On a normal day I’d have already been up for four hours by then.’
‘And I was an ER nurse, remember?’ I retorted. ‘I know all about late nights and early mornings, believe me. I just wondered where you were planning ontakingme at that time of the morning.’
‘It’s a surprise.’
‘What if I don’t like surprises?’
‘Don’t you?’
‘Actually, I don’t mind them,’ I admitted.
‘Good.’ He stood up and banged on the roof of my car. ‘Then a surprise it shall remain. Off you go. I’ll see you Saturday morning.’
It was only as I was halfway back to town that I realized that, without knowing where he was taking me, I had no idea how to dress.
