Festive Fling with the Single Dad

‘It looks very good.’ Eileen seemed to have already made her decision. ‘It might be a while before he’s allowed to leave.’

It was a while, and by the time Aksel had torn himself away, promising everyone that he’d return, Flora was looking at her watch. She needed to be back at the clinic for her afternoon sessions.

As soon as he was out of the sitting room, Aksel called Kari to heel, picking up her bag and making purposefully for the reception area. He signalled a hurried goodbye to the receptionist, telling Eileen that he’d be in touch, and managed to insinuate himself between Flora and the front door so that she had no choice but to allow him to open it for her.

‘How was your morning?’ He gave her a broad smile. ‘Did you manage to get to the bottom of Mr King’s crawling leg?’

‘Uh? Oh...yes, the carers keep telling him that the elastic on his favourite socks is too tight, but he won’t listen. I changed them and gave his leg a rub and that fixed the crawling. You seem to have enjoyed yourself.’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘I see that your shoulder’s still bothering you.’

‘It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.’

Pull the other one. There was a clear imbalance between the way that he was using his right and left arms, and Aksel seemed determined to ignore it. Just as he was determined to ignore everything else he wanted or needed. But she shouldn’t push it. The clinic was full of therapists and movement specialists, and if he wanted help he could easily ask for it.

‘We’ll get straight back...’ He dumped her bag on the back seat and started the engine. ‘I saw you looking at your watch.’

‘Yes, I’ve got afternoon sessions that I need to get back for. And if we hurry we should be back in time for you to have lunch with Mette.’

He nodded, the sharp crunch of gravel coming from beneath the tyres of the SUV as he accelerated out of the driveway.

CHAPTER SEVEN

FLORA KNEW THAT Aksel was at the clinic that afternoon, but she didn’t drop into Mette’s room during her break.

It was bad enough that her thoughts seemed to be stalking him, without her body following suit.

Cass had come for her physiotherapy session, glowing with a happiness that matched Lyle’s exactly. She’d come to the clinic as a patient, after sustaining injuries to her arm and leg during a search-and-rescue assignment. Then she’d met Lyle Sinclair. Sparks had flown, and the two had fallen head over heels in love. Lyle had been inconsolable when Cass had returned home to America, but now she was back in Cluchlochry for good. She’d spent most of the forty-minute physiotherapy session telling Flora about their plans for the future.

‘The movement in your leg is a great deal better. I’m really pleased with your improvement.’

Cass sat up, grinning. ‘I hardly even think about it now, only when it begins to ache. Lyle says I should still be careful...’

‘Well, you don’t need me to tell you that he’s right, you should be taking care. But being happy helps you to heal, too.’

‘Then I’ll be better in no time.’ Cass slid off the treatment couch, planting her feet on the floor. ‘Especially as I have you to help me...’

It had been an easy session. Flora stood at the door to the treatment room, watching Cass’s gait as she walked away, and Aksel intruded into her thoughts once again. Cass was so happy, and looking forward to the future, and it showed in the way she moved. Aksel was like a coiled spring, dreading the future. No wonder he had aches and pains. Tension was quite literally tearing him apart.

He might be able to ignore it, but Flora couldn’t any more. His shoulder could probably be fixed quite easily at this stage, but if he did nothing it would only get more painful and more difficult to treat. This was what she did best, and if she really wanted to help him, it was the most obvious place to start.

* * *

Aksel drew up outside his cottage, trying not to notice that Flora’s porch light was on. He’d decided that he wouldn’t seek her out at the clinic this afternoon, and it felt almost saintly to deprive himself of that pleasure.

As he got out of the SUV, opening the tailgate to let Kari out, he saw her door open and Flora marched down the path towards him, her arms wrapped around her body in a futile attempt to shelter herself from the wind. She looked determined and utterly beautiful as she faced him, her cheeks beginning to redden from the cold and small flakes of snow sticking to her hair. Aksel decided that sainthood was overrated.

‘The car sounds better than it did this morning.’ That was clearly just an opening gambit, and not what she’d come outside to say.

‘Yes, I changed the spark plugs.’ The SUV’s rusty growl had turned into a healthier-sounding purr now. Aksel closed the tailgate and reached into the passenger footwell for his shopping bags, trying not to wince as his shoulder pulled painfully.

‘And have you done anything about your shoulder? I’m not taking any excuses this time.’

‘In that case...no, I haven’t.’

‘Come inside.’ She motioned towards her cottage with a no-nonsense gesture that no amount of arguing was going to overcome. He hesitated and she frowned.