Officer, Surgeon...Gentleman!

“See, this is what I mean. Look at you. Your face is red, your voice is low, and your words are erupting from between gritted teeth.” Tracy gave her a concerned look. “Before Dr Stanley arrived, we all thought you were one cool cookie and great to work with. Now…”

Now they all thought she’d turned into a witch.

One with pointed shoes and a wart on her nose.

Maybe she had. Cole obviously brought out the worst in her.

She’d had enough.

“Well, if you’ll hand me my broom, I’ll fly on over and see the strep throat in bay one.”

“Amelia.” Tracy clutched her shirtsleeve. “Please think about what I said. Whatever happened between Dr Stanley and your sister is in the past. Maybe he did make mistakes but whatever happened, he’s a great guy now and genuinely seems to want your forgiveness. Let the past go.”

Let the past go.

As if it was that simple.

As if it weren’t her right as next of kin to nail the jerk who’d hurt and humiliated her family, and crushed her heart.

As if it wasn’t in her best interest now to protect that heart at all costs by keeping distance between herself and Cole.

The object of her animosity stepped out of bay two, peeled off a pair of disposable gloves and dropped them into a waste receptacle.

He glanced up, met her gaze with his cerulean one and gave her a smile. The same smile he flashed every chance he got, regardless of who saw. One that said, Forgive me. One that said, I’m sorry. One that said, Remember me. The me you adored. The me you kissed as if we were long-lost lovers. One that said he hadn’t forgotten two years ago, and he wanted her still.

Maybe that was why she couldn’t forgive him.

Maybe that was why she clung to her anger so fiercely.

Because if she quit hating Cole for what he’d done to Clara, to her, if she forgave him, she’d have to confront what she saw in his eyes.

Cole wanted her.

A fact that left her uncomfortable in her own skin.

Worse, if she stopped clinging to her anger at Cole, she’d have to face her own feelings—what she’d been feeling when their gazes had met and how her world had stood still during a wedding rehearsal meant to forever link him to another woman.

But if those were her reasons for disliking Cole, what did that say about her? That she was a coward? Not worthy of the crew’s respect?

Amelia was no coward.

After all, she was a Stockton.

She turned back to her nurse. “You know, Tracy, I owe you and everyone an apology. I have been walking around with a chip on my shoulder where Dr Stanley is concerned. If that has affected my job performance or my interaction with the crew, I’m sorry.”

Looking relieved, Tracy smiled. “It’s okay, Amelia. We were just a bit worried as it’s so unlike you.” Tracy gave her a kind look. “Does your sister have any idea of how loyal you are? How lucky she is to have you for a sister?”

Loyal? Amelia didn’t feel loyal. She felt like a traitor. She had betrayed her sister in the worst possible way.

That was why Cole had contacted her after the breakup. Why he’d come

to see her that night a few weeks later. After he’d stood her up! Wait for me, he’d said, and then he’d left. Without a word. Had he really thought she’d talk to him? Had he really thought she’d just let him move from one Stockton sister to the next without batting an eyelash of protest at him showing up on her doorstep, saying he couldn’t get her out of his mind and wanted a relationship with her?

He wanted a relationship with her now.

He hadn’t spoken the words out loud, but when he looked at her, the message blazed in his eyes.

But whatever chance they’d had disappeared the moment he’d left her waiting, the moment he’d walked away and left Clara to deal with everything on her own. Maybe, under the circumstances, they’d never even had a real chance.