The Fairy Tale Bride

She picked up her coffee cup. “You could say that.”

He looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “You called him your fiancé. But he isn’t. He’s your brother-in-law.”

She blinked. “But he was my fiancé at the time.”

Adam’s gaze hadn’t left hers. “Then shouldn’t you have called him your ex?”

“You’re nitpicking.” She set her cup back down.

“I’m just saying that – even now – you still refer to him as yours.”

There was silence for a few seconds. Lisa shook her head. “No. No, you’re definitely wrong. You’re twisting what I’m saying. That’s not what I meant at all. I don’t care about Joe Talbot at all.”

He turned back to his pancakes and bacon. “Well, isn’t it about time you made up with your sister, then? After all, she’s the only one you’ve got left.”

Her hand jerked and the coffee toppled over the counter top. He said the words casually. So matter of fact. He couldn’t possibly realize how much that hurt.

Julia appeared in an instant mopping up the coffee in a few seconds.

Lisa took a deep breath. Her head was spinning. She hated Joe Talbot. And for a while she’d hated her sister. Adam was totally wrong suggesting she still thought of Joe Talbot as hers. She’d spent the last few years trying to push the guy as far from her mind as possible.

She didn’t have time to talk because the reporter that had spoken to her earlier came and tapped Adam on the shoulder. “I’ve been thinking. Don’t I know you?”

Adam frowned. “Why on earth would you know me?”

The guy was chewing gum noisily. “Are you an extra in Sultry Suburbs? A bit part actor? Are you here for the wedding?”

Another reporter next to him lifted his head. “Nah, didn’t you hear? This guy is one of the local doctors.”

For a second something seemed to flicker across the reporter’s face. As if he were still trying to place Adam. But another guy appeared at his elbow. “Someone just spotted Nancy Parsons in the hairdressing salon. Let’s get a move on before anyone else hears.”

They disappeared in a flash. Lisa didn’t actually think their stocky bodies were capable of moving that quickly.

Adam took a final gulp of his coffee. “Listen,” he said quickly. He was still looking in the direction of the disappearing reporters. “I’m going to go back and check up on the patient from earlier. Okay? I’ll give you a call later.”

He put some bills on the counter to cover the check then leaned over and brushed a kiss on her cheek.

She watched him push his way through the crowd as she picked up her phone and stared at it. Why did she have the strangest feeling it wouldn’t ring?

Chapter Ten

‡

It was a gorgeous day – the sun was splitting the sky but Lisa felt anything but gorgeous.

She knocked on the door again impatiently. “I’m coming!” yelled the voice from inside.

Mags pulled open the door, her hair all over the place and the lines of her pillowcase still imprinted on her face.

“Lisa? What time is it? Is something wrong?”

Lisa pushed past with the coffee cups in her hand and a bag of pastries.

Mags padded into the main room of the house after her; it was clear she still wasn’t quite awake. She slumped down on the sofa next to Lisa and took a deep sniff of the coffee Lisa handed her. “This better be good,” she murmured.

“It’s not good,” muttered Lisa. “It’s bad.”

The words made Mags sit up more. “What’s bad? I thought things were going great with you and Dr. Dreamy?”

Lisa sighed. “They were…until he heard a message from my sister.”

Mags took a sip of the burning coffee. “What message?”

“Melody’s pregnant.”

The effect of the words was instant. Mags slumped back down on the sofa next to Lisa. “Wow.”

“Yes, wow.”

After a few seconds Mags turned to face her. “Okay, so that’s not entirely a shocker. But how does this affect you and Adam?”

“I told him about Melody and Joe and he called me on it.”

Mags shook her head. “Called you on what?”

Lisa sagged her head back. “Apparently when I told him, I referred to Joe as my fiancé – instead of my ex. He implied I might still be hung up on him.”

Mags screwed up her nose. “But you’re not. You’re definitely not.” She hesitated and looked at Lisa again, “Are you?”

Lisa batted her with her free hand. “Of course not. Not for a second. But now, Adam’s doubting me.”

Mags looked at her carefully. “And are you doubting yourself? How do you feel about Melody being pregnant?”

Lisa leaned forward and took a deep breath. “I guess I always expected it. It just kind of took the wind from my sails. I haven’t heard her voice in so long and she was asking me to get back in touch. Saying that she wants my mom and dad to be happy to be grandparents.”

“And do you?”

“Of course I do. I just hate that everything has happened this way.”

Mags reached over and grabbed the brown paper bag on her lap, pulling out a pastry and having a bite.

“Okay, so you’ve convinced me.” She raised her eyebrows, “But how are you going to convince Adam?”

Lisa shook her head. “That’s just it. I have absolutely no idea.”

Mags blew out a deep breath. “Well, in that case, we have a problem.”

*

Adam was feeling irritated. He’d spotted that reporter again and was quite sure the guy was still trying to place him. Marietta had been good for him. He didn’t want anything to wreck it. He was still a newbie around here – still forming new friendships and working relationships. He didn’t want his previous ‘millionaire’ status to affect those.

More importantly, he didn’t want it to affect his blossoming relationship with Lisa.

He was pacing up and down the medical ward, waiting to speak to a patient’s relatives. What he really wanted to do was get a chance to sit down and talk to Lisa again.

He hated the thoughts that had swung around his head when she’d mentioned her business and money. It was ridiculous. He knew it was ridiculous. Lisa had no idea about his past.

Turned out his ex had done more of a number on him than he’d expected. But he couldn’t let that effect how things turned out with Lisa.

He’d never met anyone like her – and there was so much to like. From her dirty laugh to her commitment to pleasing her clients – not to mention her devotion to volunteering.

Only thing was, was Lisa as interested in him as he was in her?

Maybe it was nothing, but her use of words in the diner yesterday had made him antsy. That’s why he’d called her on it straight away. He didn’t want to be her stopgap – her rebound guy. If that was what she was looking for he’d rather not be anything.

But he was hoping against hope that wasn’t what she really thought.

He heard a murmur of voices and looked up.

Lisa, staring straight at him, with her arm around Alice, the little girl with leukaemia. Of course. Alice had turned a corner in the last few days. Her blood work had improved and she didn’t need to be kept isolated. Lisa must be making good on her promise.

Something twisted inside him and his feet started moving before his brain kicked into gear.

“Hey,” he said as her pale blue eyes fixated on him. Great line. He hadn’t called. He hadn’t spoken to her in three days. Not because he didn’t want to. Just because for some reason he couldn’t. His fingers had hovered over the phone on countless occasions. He’d even pressed in the first few digits of her number. And now, standing in front of her, he couldn’t think of a single reason why he hadn’t pressed the last few numbers. Lisa seemed to have that affect on him.

“Hey,” she replied cautiously. She pulled Alice a little closer towards her and tilted her head to one side and raised her eyebr

ows. “You don’t write, you don’t call.” She lifted up her other hand and shrugged her shoulders.