Summer Fling

‘Too short for what? You have fantastic legs. Stop hiding them under jeans.’

Evanna stared down at herself self-consciously. ‘I’m too old for a dress this short.’

‘You’re twenty-six! And you still look like a teenager. Stop making excuses.’ Kyla was laughing as she grabbed a pair of shoes. ‘Try these. They’d look great with that dress.’

‘I wouldn’t be able to walk in them.’

‘You don’t need to walk,’ Kyla said airily, riffling through the rails again and pulling out a scarlet top. ‘You can park right outside and just teeter up the path. All you need to do is turn up and look gorgeous. And these would look nice with your jeans on a different occasion so you’ll get plenty of wear out of them.’

Evanna gave up arguing and slid her feet into the shoes. ‘I’ll break my ankle.’

‘Don’t be so negative. Take a look at yourself in the mirror.’

Evanna stepped forward with a sigh. ‘I just don’t feel comfortable in anything this short. I’m going to spend my whole evening tugging the—’ She broke off as she stared at her reflection. ‘Oh.’

‘Yes, oh.’ Kyla’s grin was triumphant as she stretched out a hand and removed the clip from Evanna’s hair. ‘And you don’t need that. Time to let your hair down, Cinderella.’

Evanna’s dark curls tumbled over her shoulders. ‘I look a mess.’

‘You look sexy,’ Kyla breathed. ‘Incredibly sexy. If Logan doesn’t notice you as a woman dressed like that, I’m willing to admit defeat.’

Evanna stared at herself, forced to admit that she did look good. In fact, she looked better than good. The dress skimmed her figure, hinting at curves rather than clinging, and it suited her colouring. She smiled and shook her head. ‘This is far too glamorous for a barbecue in the garden.’

‘It’s perfect. Why are you inventing excuses?’

Evanna was silent for a moment and then she let out a long breath. ‘Because I’m scared?’ She turned to look at her friend and the smile on her face faltered. ‘I’m scared that I’m just setting myself up for yet another knock.’

‘You’re perfect for each other,’ Kyla said softly, all the humour gone from her face. ‘Any day now he’s going to wake up and realise that.’

Evanna slipped back into the changing room and wriggled out of the dress.

The dress made her feel good. Feminine. But it was an extravagance she couldn’t afford.

Wearing her jeans and T-shirt, she stepped out of the changing room with the dress over her arm and the shoes dangling from her fingers. ‘It’s too expensive, Kyla.’

‘It’s in the sale.’ Alison, who owned the boutique, strolled up to them and named a price that made Evanna stare.

‘But it can’t possibly be that cheap. I saw the tag.’

‘I haven’t forgotten what you did for Mum when she was ill,’ Alison said gruffly, removing the tag and taking the dress and shoes from Evanna. ‘Call it a thank-you from me.’

Evanna was embarrassed. ‘You really don’t have to—’

‘I want to,’ Alison said gruffly, folding the dress around tissue paper and sliding it into a bag. ‘My mum always said you were an angel. You deserve to look like one.’

CHAPTER THREE

‘THIS is an emerge

ncy and I have private health care,’ boomed a man’s voice. ‘Just get me a doctor. Call the helicopter or whatever it is you do around these godforsaken parts!’

Evanna heard the commotion in the reception area from her room and hurried out at the same time as Logan.

It was two days after her arrival home and she’d been working non stop to catch up with everything that she’d missed while she’d been away.

The man was looming over the desk, his expression threatening. Sweat beaded on his brow and his stomach bulged against a T-shirt that was too tight. ‘We’re only here for a week. If I waste a morning, that’s a chunk of my holiday gone!’

‘Obviously we’re doing our best to see everyone,’ Janet said smoothly, ‘but Dr Walker was called out on an emergency and Dr MacNeil is seeing his patients, too, and that means that—’