The Doctor's One Night to Remember

‘For me it was a way out. It was never a dream.’

Isla turned her head sharply to look at him. She wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised at the revelation.

‘A way out?’

He didn’t answer for a long time.

‘Where I came from there weren’t many choices in life. Maritime was one of them, and so I decided if I was going to go into that, then I wasn’t going to be in some hot, stinking job in the bowels of a ship.’

‘I think that makes what you’ve achieved all the more impressive.’ She swallowed.

It was impossible to shake the hunch that he wasn’t the kind of man who was usually this open with people. Then again, what did she know? Bradley had been a terrible liar, and yet she’d never thought to question him. Because she’d believed—contrary to everything her mother’s carefully negotiated marriages had taught her—that true love really did exist.

Nikhil could just be incredibly skilled at making people—women—believe that he was revealing some hitherto unknown facet of himself. At making a woman feel special.

But she wasn’t that stupid. What did they say about fooling a person once...?

So then, what are you doing here? a silent voice taunted her.

Isla stifled it quickly. She didn’t want to hear what it had to say.

‘What about your parents? They must be proud.’

‘My parents are both dead.’

There was nothing emotional about the admission; a casual observer would have thought it factual, with an even and calm delivery. Yet Isla thought that something altogether bleaker flashed through his eyes for a fraction of a moment.

Then it was gone, leaving her wondering if she’d merely imagined it.

‘Oh—’ she scrambled for the appropriate response ‘—I’m sorry.’

‘It happened a long time ago.’

Nikhil shrugged, but she didn’t know if that made it better or worse. But then Hernandez came with another course from the tasting menu, and Isla found herself fascinated by the dish. Such a precise, delicate-looking creation that should surely have been more at home in an art gallery but which, when tasted, exploded in her mouth like the most perfect taste she’d ever known.

‘Impressive, isn’t it?’ Nikhil asked.

‘Incredible,’ she breathed. ‘Is this always what you have? I can see why you come back every time you can.’

‘No, it’s always a different tasting menu for me. And every time I think it can’t possibly get any better. Yet it does.’

For several more minutes they tasted and praised, and Isla didn’t know how it had happened but the last of her disquiet seemed to have eased.

‘So the Hestia is to be your new start?’

He jerked his head down and she was once again reminded of her now bare ring finger, giving her away without her even speaking a word. She pasted a bright smile onto her lips.

‘Yes, it’s a good career move. A chance for me to concentrate on being a doctor, with no distractions.’

His deep bark of laughter, rich and full-bodied, filled her with something new.

‘You’re not serious?’

‘I am.’ She frowned. ‘What’s wrong with that?’

‘This is a cruise ship you’re going on.’ He laughed again, and suddenly she wished she could bottle it up and take it with her.

She didn’t know why.