Summer Sins

The doorbell sounded and she sprang to her feet. ‘That’ll be the doctor.’

He watched as she raced out, his throat feeling as if he’d swallowed a thorn and it was now on its way down his windpipe to his chest, catching him now and again. He hadn’t realised how much he missed being fussed over until now. He had shut down his emotions after his mother’s death but Hayley’s soothing touch had stirred him in places he hadn’t visited in years.

He gave himself a mental shake and, dragging himself to his feet, staggered back out to his bed.

‘He’s in the bathroom,’ Hayley said, leading Dr Alistair Preece into the bedroom, but when she saw the figure splayed out on the bed she quickly amended, ‘Oh, I mean he’s in here.’

She stood to one side as the doctor asked Jasper a series of questions, including what he’d eaten in the last forty-eight hours. He also took his blood pressure and some blood to send off for testing, but his diagnosis leaned towards a rather nasty stomach virus that was currently doing the rounds.

‘It should pass in a day or so,’ Dr Preece addressed Hayley. ‘I suggest he stays in bed, push the fluids as tolerated, especially those electrolyte replacement drinks you can get from a pharmacy, but if things don’t improve take him to your nearest outpatients’ department for admission for IV rehydration.’

Hayley saw the doctor out and came back to find Jasper heading back to the en suite. ‘Are you going to be sick again?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘I thought I’d have a shower.’

She made sure he had enough towels and closed the door and went back to strip the bed so she could put on fresh sheets. It took her a few minutes to find them in the linen cupboard further along the hall, but the task was soon completed.

Jasper came back out of the en suite and saw the freshly made bed. ‘You didn’t have to do that,’ he said, frowning slightly.

‘It was no trouble.’ She peeled back the top sheet and turned her back as he dropped his towel. She waited until she was sure he was covered before she turned back round. ‘I’m going to duck out to get some of that fluid-replacement stuff the doctor recommended. That’s probably why your headache is so bad. It’s caused by dehydration. Will you be OK while I’m gone?’

He nodded even though it sent a tremor worthy of the upper end of the Richter scale through his head. ‘Eric left your car keys on the hall table downstairs,’ he said. ‘But you can take mine if you like.’

‘No, I prefer my own. Just close your eyes and I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

* * *

Jasper opened his eyes a short time later to see her standing by his bedside with a vile coloured drink in her hands.

‘You need to do this slowly,’ she said, propping the glass up to his mouth. ‘Just take a few sips to see if they stay down.’

He found it hard to concentrate when the shadow of her cleavage was the only thing he could see. He forced his eyes closed and took a sip, his tight throat relaxing as the liquid went down. ‘I wonder if this is an omen or something,’ he said, laying his head back on the soft mound of pillows she had arranged. ‘Maybe Raymond’s put a curse on me for marrying you for all the wrong reasons.’

‘He came to see me while you were away.’

He cranked his eyes open to look at her. ‘Oh, really? What did he do? Try to warn you off?’

‘Sort of.’

He closed his eyes again. ‘It obviously didn’t work, then.’

‘You didn’t really leave me much choice,’ she pointed out. ‘I had to marry you to save my business.’

‘I had to marry you to save my inheritance,’ he returned. ‘There was no other way.’

‘I never thought my life would be like this,’ she said after a moment’s silence. ‘I somehow thought my wedding day would be … you know … different from this.’

‘I guess the groom lying on the bathroom floor isn’t a part of any young girl’s dream of her special day,’ he commented dryly.

A reluctant wry smile spread across her face. ‘No, it isn’t,’ she said. ‘I had visions of champagne bubbling in tall crystal glasses and rose petals strewn across the bed and soft music playing.’

‘So I took a creative detour,’ he said. ‘Try not to hold it against me. I might just make it up to you in the end.’

‘Somehow I don’t think so.’

‘Because you really wanted Myles?’ he asked, looking at her again.

Hayley had trouble for a moment even recalling what her ex-fiancé looked like. ‘I wanted to marry a man who loved me,’ she said, looking at her hands rather than into his dark, contemplative gaze. ‘Is that so much for a girl to ask?’