The Secret Between Them Page 5

  ‘She’s certainly an organiser,’ he remarked.

  ‘Ruthie or Mackenzie?’

  Elliot chuckled. ‘Both?’ He looked at her, his smile warm and sincere and inviting. Sunainah found it difficult to look away, even when the smile started to disappear. The silence seemed to stretch between them and the spicy scent she had noticed about him earlier in the day still surrounded him, teasing at her senses.

  She tried to think of something to say, something to break the mounting silence building between them, but, much to her chagrin, her mind remained blank. It was not the first time it had happened since she had met Elliot Jones and it was clear that if she was going to work effectively alongside him she would rapidly need to find a way to avoid instances such as these.

  ‘I’ve never been part of a cul-de-sac crew before.’ Elliot finally broke the silence between them, his voice a little husky, as though he had just confessed a great secret.

  ‘Neither have I.’ Come on, Sunainah. Pull yourself together, she chastised herself.

  His eyebrows rose. ‘How long have you been a part of this...crew?’

  ‘Only a few months. Richard, he is married to Bergan, used to live at number three, or his parents did. Then when they decided to move closer to Richard’s sisters, number three was up for sale. I was ready for...a change.’

  ‘Sounds as though it all worked out perfectly.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And now you’re part of the crew.’ He said the last word as though it really were some kind of secret club, his eyes alive with excitement. She could not help returning his smile.

  ‘Apparently so.’

  He pointed to her clothes, belatedly realising they were the ones she’d been wearing at the hospital. ‘Have you just arrived home from work?’

  ‘Yes. I wanted to come and welcome you before I lost myself in the mound of paperwork I have brought with me from the hospital.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s nice to be prioritised before the rigorous, never-ending paperwork.’ He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the kitchen. ‘Can I offer you a cup of tea? Coffee?’ He stopped and snapped his fingers. ‘Sorry. Scratch the coffee. I haven’t unpacked my coffee machine yet.’ He turned and walked towards the kitchen, and Sunainah, although she knew she should no doubt make her excuses and leave, followed him.

  ‘A cold drink perhaps?’ He opened the fridge as he spoke. ‘I can offer you milk, milk or tap water.’ Elliot grinned at her over his shoulder.

  ‘Thank you but I am not thirsty. I had a coffee meeting with Bethany before leaving the hospital.’

  ‘About Rory?’

  ‘No. Ever since you allayed Mr Preedy’s concerns this morning, probably by making him think there was a male at the helm of his son’s treatment plans, we have all had a much more agreeable day, especially little Rory. I have a feeling his health will vastly improve now.’

  ‘Pleased to hear it.’

  ‘Bethany and I were discussing young Matthew. His mother is having a difficult time dealing with Matthew’s mood swings so we were brainstorming practical alternatives for her to employ at home once Matthew is discharged.’

  ‘Good.’ He nodded as he poured himself a glass of tap water. ‘Let me know if I can be of any assistance.’

  ‘Thank you, Elliot.’

  ‘It’s good to see that as head of department. You really do have your finger on the pulse. You’re not so busy worrying about budgets and cost projections that you don’t have the time to really be a part of your patients’ lives.’

  Sunainah smiled. ‘I must admit that at times it can be a bit of a juggling act but this is my second year in the position and I finally feel as though I am coping better.’ She paused and thought over his comments. ‘Have you been in a department where the director cared more about budget projections?’

  He laughed without humour. ‘I can name quite a few places I’ve worked that are like that.’

  ‘What about you? Were you involved in the running of the department back at your previous hospital? I did read your résumé,’ she confirmed, ‘but it was a long time ago and a lot has happened since then.’

  ‘I’m hurt you don’t have it memorised,’ he joked, and noticed a momentary flash of confusion touch her rich brown eyes before they twinkled with delight, her lips curving into a smile. Hmm, perhaps he should tease her more often if that was how it made her look. He drank his water, more to distract himself from staring at her beauty than because he was thirsty.

  ‘Seriously, though, I used to be head of department, but that was before Daphne was born. After that, Marie started getting very tired. At first we thought it was postnatal depression and then, before we knew it, she was pregnant with Joshua and even more signs and symptoms presented themselves that had nothing to do with PND.’ His voice trailed off and he placed his empty glass into the sink, staring at it for a long moment.

  Sunainah had not missed the change in his voice when he had spoken of his wife. The emotions and struggles the two of them would have faced, and to have a young child thrown into the mix as well as a second pregnancy...it would not have been an easy time.

  ‘It is clear you miss her.’

  He nodded and met Sunainah’s gaze. ‘Yeah, I do. I always will because she was the mother of my children and the love of my life but...it’s time.’ He turned to face her, leaning back against the cupboards, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘It’s time for me to stand on my own two feet, to be a good parent, to move the three of us forward as our own family unit because back in Melbourne I...I felt like I was constantly wading through the quagmire of my past.’

  ‘Things were...not good?’

  Elliot shook his head sadly. ‘No. They were not good.’ He slowly exhaled then looked across at Sunainah, standing next to a stack of three packing boxes. Most of his furniture had been delivered the previous day but with starting a new job and Joshua being sick he simply hadn’t had the time to do anything with it.

  ‘The last two years have been fraught with friction and I found myself caught in quite a toxic atmosphere. I battled on for a while, as you do, thinking that things would settle down, that they’d get better, but they didn’t and it was the children who were suffering the most.’

  ‘Toxic?’

  He shrugged one shoulder. He didn’t particularly feel like going into details, not after the hectic day they’d both had, but he also knew he couldn’t leave it there. Besides, his first impressions of Sunainah were that she was someone he could trust, so he plunged in, deciding to give her some basic facts about his past.

  ‘Marie’s parents felt I wasn’t...coping all that well after my wife’s death and, well, to cut a long story short, they took preliminary steps to file for custody of my children.’

  ‘Oh, no!’ Sunainah put her hand up to her mouth, completely shocked. ‘Elliot. I am so very sorry.’

  ‘Thankfully, I still have full custody of my own children now, hence the main reason for the move.’

  ‘Understandably. I do hope they are able to settle in with little fuss.’

  ‘I’d say they’re off to a good start as apparently they had a wonderful day at Grandma Liz’s. Ruthie was there after finishing school for the day and she told me that Daphne and Joshua were both laughing and playing well with the other children when she arrived.’

  ‘A glowing report.’

  ‘Yes.’ Elliot smiled. ‘Six-year-olds can be very open and honest, and I’m sure if Daphne had been sitting in a corner, crying, Ruthie would have reported it.’

  ‘Oh, yes. She is very good at reporting on events is our Ruthie.’

  ‘Our Ruthie?’

  ‘I am one of her godmothers.’

  ‘One of?’ He was clearly intrigued.

  Sunainah smiled at the question. ‘Bergan, Reggie and I are all godmother
s to Ruthie, therefore, she is “ours”. You will meet Bergan tonight at dinner.’

  ‘But not Reggie because she’s not part of the cul-de-sac crew,’ he pointed out with that telltale teasing light in his eyes.

  Sunainah chuckled. ‘Exactly.’

  ‘The four of you are good friends?’

  ‘Yes. Mackenzie, Bergan, Reggie and I have all been close friends since we met at medical school in Sydney.’

  ‘And now you’re all here, working in Maroochydore on Queenland’s Sunshine Coast at the same hospital?’

  She shrugged. ‘It may seem odd how things have worked out but I would not have been able to cope during the past few years without their constant help.’

  ‘Your father?’ he guessed, wondering how she would react to such a personal question. He watched as her brow creased into a small frown and was amazed at how lovely she still looked. It was odd, this sensation of being attracted to another woman. He hadn’t planned it and he certainly hadn’t asked for it, and yet along with the interest he felt towards his new colleague there, at the back of his mind, was also a nagging sense of guilt.

  He had pledged his love to Marie, his beautiful wife, the mother of his children...but now she was gone and he was left feeling like an adolescent again, out of his depth and unsure what to do next. Making friends, getting to know Sunainah a little better seemed like the logical course of action to take, but now that he’d asked his personal question, would she answer it?

  ‘How did you—?’

  ‘You mentioned you used to do jigsaws with your father. I had hoped the reason you weren’t still doing jigsaws with him was because he was off travelling somewhere, enjoying his life, but when I saw that mixture of sadness and grief in your eyes, a look and feeling I know all too well, I guessed at the real reason.’

  She nodded and looked down at her feet for a moment. ‘He passed away just after Christmas.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He watched her for a second. ‘Some days I bet you wonder if you’ll ever get used to saying those words out loud.’

  ‘It still sounds wrong. I cannot believe I will never see him again.’ She shrugged a shoulder, still unable to meet Elliot’s gaze properly. ‘My father was sick for quite some time and eventually he had to go into a nursing home.’

  ‘That wouldn’t have been an easy decision for you to make.’

  ‘No. It was not.’ She sighed and swallowed over the lump in her throat.

  ‘How long was he in the nursing home?’

  ‘Almost two years, and every day he seemed to deteriorate just that little bit more.’ She shrugged one shoulder. ‘So at least I had time to prepare myself for the inevitable.’

  ‘It’s still not easy, though.’

  She was pleased Elliot did not offer her platitudes but appeared to clearly understand her sensitive emotions. ‘No.’ Finally, she met his gaze. ‘I doubt it will ever be easy.’

  Elliot nodded. ‘I know people often say “I know how you feel” but I actually do know how you feel, and while it wasn’t your spouse who passed away, it sounds as though you were very close to your father.’

  She nodded. ‘Yes. We were very close.’

  ‘And your mother?’

  ‘She passed away before we came to live in Australia.’

  ‘You were in India?’

  ‘No.’ Sunainah shivered uncomfortably. Even the mere mention of India caused her heart to feel heavy and oppressed. ‘England.’

  Elliot realised Sunainah had most certainly experienced her fair share of grief. It was clear there had been a lot more to her life to have sculpted her into the woman who stood before him.

  ‘I was fortunate to have a lot of time with my father and when, with regret, it was necessary for him to live in the nursing home, I found a small place close by so I could see him as much as possible.’

  ‘And you did lots of jigsaw puzzles.’

  Sunainah held his gaze. He truly did understand. ‘Yes. Then, after he passed away, there was no reason for me to be living so far away from Sunshine General. The town house was up for sale and as I knew the owners I decided to buy it, to try and give myself a complete change, much the same as you have done.’

  ‘And now we’re both part of the cul-de-sac crew.’

  ‘Yes. It is strange having so much room to spread things out but I am slowly getting used to it.’ She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes and he could still hear the sadness in her tone. She patted the boxes beside her, wanting to lighten the atmosphere. ‘So if you need any help unpacking, I am quite qualified.’

  ‘Good to know.’ Elliot uncrossed his arms and pushed away from the sink, taking a few steps in her direction and leaning on the same stack of boxes, his close proximity causing her heart rate to increase instantly, her body to flush with heat, her mind to turn completely blank.

  ‘Fresh starts.’ He glanced down at her mouth, noticing the way her lips parted as her breathing increased. ‘For both of us.’

  ‘Er...yes.’

  He met her gaze once more and when she saw an interested spark light up his hypnotising blue eyes, she found it difficult to suppress the confused excitement that pulsed around her body.

  Elliot reached out and gently trailed the backs of his fingers down the side of her cheek, marvelling at how perfectly soft and smooth her skin was, just as he’d known it would be.

  ‘For both of us,’ he reiterated, his words slightly more pointed than before.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘SO HOW ARE things going?’ Mackenzie asked Sunainah one morning about a week after Elliot had burst into her life. They had been out for their early morning jog, something they tried to do together at least once a week if their schedules allowed, and were just returning to Sunainah’s place for a nice cool drink when Mackenzie asked the question.

  ‘How is what going?’ Sunainah opened the fridge. ‘I have pineapple and guava juice.’

  ‘Sounds great but stop trying to change the subject.’ Mackenzie tucked her feet beneath her on the chair and leaned on Sunainah’s kitchen table. ‘You have my undivided attention.’

  Sunainah laughed. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Elliot!’ Mackenzie straightened and spread her arms wide before accepting the glass of juice Sunainah had poured. ‘What’s been happening between you and Elliot?’

  ‘Nothing is happening. We are colleagues and neighbours.’

  ‘Well, there was definite sexual tension between the two of you last week when we all had dinner together.’

  ‘There was not.’ She shied away from her friend’s words. ‘He is a nice, kind man.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘Who is nice and kind to everyone he meets,’ she pointed out as she sat opposite Mackenzie and drank the cool liquid.

  Mackenzie sipped her juice, a cheeky grin on her face. ‘So you’re telling me you haven’t even...dreamed about him?’

  Sunainah almost choked on her juice at the words. She coughed, which only made Mackenzie laugh. ‘A-ha. You have dreamed about him.’

  ‘They were just dreams. I do not understand why you are so excited about it. I have dreamed about many people over the years. Like the Queen of England, she was in a dream of mine once. And Ruthie, your daughter. She was in a dream once.’ She spread her arms wide. ‘Dreams are just dreams. They do not mean anything.’

  But even as she said the words, images from her dreams of Elliot flashed through her mind. The two of them gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, Elliot closing the distance between them, cupping her face with his gentle hands before he put them both out of their misery and pressed his mouth to her quivering lips.

  Mackenzie giggled. ‘Sure, sure. You keep telling yourself that, Carrington. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.’

  ‘You are a crazy lady.’ Su
nainah laughed at her friend.

  ‘All I’m saying is that it’s good. It’s been over five years since Raj the rat left you despondent and alone.’

  ‘Do not call him that.’ Sunainah felt compelled to defend him, even though what Mackenzie had said was true.

  ‘I call ’em as I see ’em and Raj was a rat.’ Mackenzie sipped her drink again, shaking her head and tut-tutting. ‘The way he was insisting your father be shoved out of the way into a nursing home after you were married? That’s the sign of a wrong ’un.’

  Sunainah nodded, agreeing with Mackenzie. She felt no real ill will towards Raj, only that she had had a lucky escape. Breaking off their engagement, even though he had left her with more questions than answers, had been painful at the time but now she was grateful.

  ‘Early-onset dementia can be managed without round-the-clock nursing care. My father was more than settled in my home and, yes, I have to confess I was extremely hurt when Raj suggested shoving my father away, but he simply was not able to see things the way I did.’ She shrugged. ‘At any rate, I did not marry Raj—’

  ‘Thank goodness,’ Mackenzie interjected.

  ‘—and instead we moved here to Maroochydore, closer to you and Bergan.’

  ‘So I should be thanking Raj the rat for breaking your engagement?’

  ‘Yes, and so should I because coming here, being close to you and Bergan and Reggie, well, I would never have been able to get through these past few years without you all. You are the best and most supportive friends a girl could ever ask for.’

  ‘Aw, shucks. You’re gonna make me cry.’

  ‘Friendships are important,’ Sunainah continued to point out as she finished her drink and stood, stacking her glass in the dishwasher. ‘Which is why it is going to be far better for me to see Elliot as a friend, regardless whether I occasionally dream of him or not.’

  ‘What about...the other thing?’ Mackenzie asked softly after a moment.

  Sunainah held her friend’s gaze. ‘The other thing Raj discovered? About my past?’ She shook her head and closed her eyes, doing her best to block out the thoughts and force those horrible memories back into their box. ‘It is another reason why there can never be anything but friendship between myself and Elliot.’