‘Mending your mum’s car.’
‘No way!’ Brooke shook her head and put her hands on the soft curve of her hips. ‘He’s not well enough, Jed—’
‘Looks well enough to me,’ Jed replied mildly, ‘but just to be on the safe side I’ll check him over.’
Brooke bit her lip and watched as he withdrew an ophthalmoscope from his jacket pocket.
‘Since when did you become an A and E expert?’ She knew she sounded grouchy but she couldn’t help it.
‘Brooke, I’m a doctor. My skills don’t end below the navel, you know.’ He put a large hand on Toby’s forehead and looked in his eyes. ‘Look straight ahead, old chap. Good. And again. Great.’
He pocketed the ophthalmoscope and finished examining Toby, who was jumping up and down with excitement.
Jed grinned at him. ‘You’re fine. So—are you going to help me?’
‘Oh, yes, please.’ Toby leaped off his chair and scooted round to Jed. ‘What do I have to do?’
‘Well, you’re going to be my assistant and we’re going to see if we can fix your car,’ Jed told him, his eyes on Brooke who was still seething. ‘But don’t get your hopes up because from the outside it looks like a lost cause.’
Toby frowned. ‘What’s a lost cause?’
‘I’ll explain while we work. Can you hold a screwdriver?’ Jed rose in a fluid movement, ignoring Brooke. ‘Better put an old coat on or something. You might get dirty.’
‘Can I, Mum?’ Toby was bursting with excitement. ‘Please?’
She was cornered. How could she give Jed his marching orders in front of her son? Particularly when Toby was so delighted by the prospect of spending an hour with Jed. How could she deny him that?
‘All right.’ She smiled at Toby but the smile faded as her eyes lifted to Jed. ‘What do you know about cars?’
‘Boys with toys, Brooke.’ His eyes gleamed mockingly. ‘And I’m a surgeon, don’t forget. I’m good with the insides of things.’
‘Well, if it costs you anything, let me know and I’ll pay you back.’ Brooke scraped soft dark hair away from her face and blushed as his eyes followed her movement.
He frowned slightly and opened his mouth to say something, but glanced at Toby and clearly thought better of it. ‘Why don’t we talk about that later? Have you got somewhere I can get changed into something more suitable?’
Brooke watched them go and dragged herself up the stairs to run a bath, her insides knotted with tension. Would Jed say something to Toby? No. Instinctively she knew that, although he was obviously still angry with her, he wouldn’t want to upset Toby.
An hour later she was dressed and they were still hunched over the bonnet of her wretched car, Jed’s shoulders seeming broader than ever next to Toby’s tiny frame. Unobserved, she let her eyes drift hungrily over his hard thighs, the muscle clearly defined by his snug jeans. Leaning her forehead against the window, she watched him, remembering how his body had felt against hers.
Reminding herself that there was no chance of them ever renewing their relationship, she straightened and forced her legs to take her downstairs to the kitchen where she boiled the kettle and pulled some mugs out of the cupboard.
When they still didn’t appear she went outside in search of them. This time Jed was lying on his back under the car, those same long, powerful legs stretching onto the pavement as he fiddled.
She cleared her throat. ‘I thought you might like some coffee…’
He wriggled out and stared up at her, before sitting up and glancing round for Toby. ‘Toby, I need a rag to wipe my hands—could you fetch one for me, please? Good lad.’
Toby sprinted towards the front door and Jed stood up, his face as black as thunder as he looked at Brooke.
‘That car is a death trap.’ He wiped his damp forehead with his forearm and glared at her. ‘It’s beyond the skills of any mechanic. It’s old and dangerous, Brooke. Crouch down here.’
She blinked at him. ‘Why?’
‘Just do it, Brooke,’ he gritted and she obediently sat down on her heels and stared under the car to where he was pointing. ‘See that?’
He poked the screwdriver and a piece of rusty metal snapped away. ‘Your chassis is rusted through and that’s only a part of it.’
She stiffened defensively. ‘I’ll ask the garage to look at it.’