One Week to Win His Heart

Andy sat on one side of her, with Mr Okanadu on the other, his wife next to him. Mrs Okanadu spoke animatedly about her grandchildren and although Melody smiled and nodded in the right places, she was always conscious of every move George made.

He was seated almost directly opposite her and their gazes clashed several times across the large round table. Just after the main meal Melody excused herself and headed to the rest rooms. Once there, she leaned against the wall for support and closed her eyes. He was gorgeous, sexy and far too close. It pained her that he would leave tomorrow and right now, when she should be making the most of the time they had left together, she was keeping as far away as she possibly could.

‘Hi, there.’

Melody’s eyes snapped open at the other woman’s voice and she found herself face to face with Hilary, one of the theatre nurses. ‘Feeling all right?’ she asked as she repaired her bright red lipstick.

‘Sure,’ Melody replied. ‘Just a bit tired.’

‘I hear the hand reconstruction went well.’

‘Yes.’ Melody nodded quickly. ‘Very well.’

Hilary paused and looked over her shoulder before saying, ‘I also hear that you and a certain visiting surgeon have been spending quite a bit of time together.’

Melody didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that the colour had just drained from her face. ‘Wh-what do you mean?’

‘I mean the fact that I saw him get out of your car this morning a block away from the hospital, and I wasn’t the only one.’ She grinned wildly at Melody. ‘So—what’s he like?’

‘Like?’

‘You know, to kiss? To cuddle? In bed?’

Melody’s jaw dropped open in shock. ‘That’s none of your business.’ The instant the words were out of her mouth, she realised she’d incriminated herself.

‘So you are involved. How romantic! Was I right? Is he divorced or is he just…lonely?’

‘Oh, this isn’t happening,’ Melody mumbled as she turned on the cold tap and ran her hands beneath the water. Taking a deep breath and calling on every ounce of professionalism she could muster, she turned off the tap and dried her hands before answering. ‘Look, George is a nice man.’

‘No kidding.’

‘We’re colleagues. That’s all.’

‘Yeah, right. I saw him get out of your car at eight o’clock in the morning. I know which hotel he’s staying at, and you were coming from the opposite direction. I was also at his lecture, which started late, and when he finally arrived he was dressed in a suit and his hair was wet, as though he’d just had a shower.’

Melody gulped over the hard lump in her throat. She hated being the subject of hospital gossip and she knew that losing her temper and giving the nurse a piece of her mind would do no good. She was caught between a rock and a hard place—again—and, as usual, the guy walked away with no repercussions. Hilary was waiting for her answer and Melody smiled politely.

‘You’re a great theatre nurse.’

The other woman frowned. ‘As opposed to what?’

‘A private eye.’ Melody turned on her heel and walked out. Inside, she was shaking like a leaf and thanked her training for making her appear outwardly composed. She tried telling herself she didn’t care about the rumours and gossip but it didn’t work. She should have made him take a taxi. She should have known that one block from the hospital wouldn’t have been sufficient distance for people not to see them together.

‘Shoulda, coulda, woulda…’ she muttered as she walked over to the now deserted bar and leaned against it. What was she going to do? The pitying glances, the sorrowful looks. They were all going to come again, along with the ‘poor Melody’ sighs. This time, though, it would tear her heart to shreds and she doubted she’d ever recover.

Tears started to well in her eyes and she willed them away, massaging her temples, trying desperately to get herself under control. She sniffed and realised she was fighting a losing battle. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, tears falling onto her cheeks that she gently brushed away as she concentrated on some deep breaths.

‘There you are.’ George’s deep voice washed over her. ‘I’ve been worried.’

Her heart lunged with happiness at his words, making her feel as though everything would turn out right. He’d been worried about her. He’d been conscious of the time she’d been away from the table. Here was the man she loved, being so—so—darn sweet and yet, as she stared into his face, she couldn’t help be swamped with overwhelming anger.