requirements? I don’t even have a proper contract yet.’
Holly shrugged unhappily, as she fought to swallow down the lump in her throat that had been lurking ever since she heard the announcement. ‘I mean, please don’t get me wrong. I love
this town. I adore being nearer you guys and seeing more of you. But I think we all know that Milo’s not going to be a happy bunny if the whole relocation turns out to be for
nothing.’
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment; nobody could disagree with that understatement and yet none of them knew what to say.
Will stood up and stirred at their supper disconsolately. ‘Speaking of which, will His Lordship be much longer? I can pop this on life support, but I don’t know how long it’ll
survive. Professional opinion, Holly? IV fluids? Class A drugs?’ He waggled the Worcestershire Sauce at her questioningly. They all knew full well that Lizzie’s ‘family
recipes’ were probably the reason her whole family were so damn skinny, but nevertheless, they did occasionally allow themselves to hope.
Lizzie sighed. ‘Your husband can be a real pain in the backside, Holly, did you know that?’
‘It hadn’t entirely escaped my notice,’ she said drily, ‘but please be nice. He really is making an effort. And guys? Don’t mention the job thing yet, will you? I
need to get my head around it first, work out what I want to do. I mean, I love Milo, I do, but he’s not really known for keeping his cool in a crisis, is he?’
Will put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘Of course we’ll be nice,
won’t
we, Lizzie? And who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us all and be wonderfully
supportive . . . And we’re here for you, Holly, whatever you decide to do.’ He gave Lizzie a stern look as he stressed the word ‘whatever’ and carried on, ‘Of course,
if we knew what you see in the man, it might make it easier to understand . . .’
Lizzie gave a filthy laugh and hopped up on to the kitchen counter, swinging her legs like a teenager. ‘Oh I think we all know what Holly saw in Professor Dreamy, don’t
we?’
Will looked blank.
Lizzie passed him his wine and waggled her eyebrows. ‘Don’t you remember? Miss Innocent Graham here had quite the thing for older men. There was her epic crush on that gorgeous
ethics lecturer – oh the irony! And then that orthopaedic consultant with the enormous eyebrows . . . Unrequited love, if I recall? And then of course,’ she swooned dramatically,
‘one night in Casualty, just as the clock struck midnight, enter Milo Payne . . .’
Holly blushed furiously. ‘Don’t be daft. It was nothing like that!’ Only it was exactly like that and Holly knew it. She also knew that the adage to marry in haste and repent
at leisure had never had such a resounding endorsement.
She knew, in her heart of hearts, that she would have been well advised to get to know Milo a little better, rather than spending the vast majority of their courtship fooling around in bed. But
it simply hadn’t felt like an option at the time. Sex with Milo had been a complete revelation for Holly. After the student fumblings of her flings at med school, suddenly here was a man who
knew his way around the bedroom and it wasn’t long before Holly had been putty in his hands.
She thought back to her second year of residency and to the night they had met, when Milo had come into Casualty, his finger bleeding from a nasty glass cut. She remembered how he’d
quietly convinced her to go out for a drink with him after her shift, even though she’d been working for eighteen hours straight. The attraction had been instant. He just knew what he wanted
and he made it happen. There was no bluster, no arrogance, just complete self-assurance.
It was the first time she’d properly gone out with someone a few years older than her, rather than simply harbouring an unrequited crush; someone who knew exactly what they wanted out of
life and was
Holly shrugged unhappily, as she fought to swallow down the lump in her throat that had been lurking ever since she heard the announcement. ‘I mean, please don’t get me wrong. I love
this town. I adore being nearer you guys and seeing more of you. But I think we all know that Milo’s not going to be a happy bunny if the whole relocation turns out to be for
nothing.’
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment; nobody could disagree with that understatement and yet none of them knew what to say.
Will stood up and stirred at their supper disconsolately. ‘Speaking of which, will His Lordship be much longer? I can pop this on life support, but I don’t know how long it’ll
survive. Professional opinion, Holly? IV fluids? Class A drugs?’ He waggled the Worcestershire Sauce at her questioningly. They all knew full well that Lizzie’s ‘family
recipes’ were probably the reason her whole family were so damn skinny, but nevertheless, they did occasionally allow themselves to hope.
Lizzie sighed. ‘Your husband can be a real pain in the backside, Holly, did you know that?’
‘It hadn’t entirely escaped my notice,’ she said drily, ‘but please be nice. He really is making an effort. And guys? Don’t mention the job thing yet, will you? I
need to get my head around it first, work out what I want to do. I mean, I love Milo, I do, but he’s not really known for keeping his cool in a crisis, is he?’
Will put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘Of course we’ll be nice,
won’t
we, Lizzie? And who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us all and be wonderfully
supportive . . . And we’re here for you, Holly, whatever you decide to do.’ He gave Lizzie a stern look as he stressed the word ‘whatever’ and carried on, ‘Of course,
if we knew what you see in the man, it might make it easier to understand . . .’
Lizzie gave a filthy laugh and hopped up on to the kitchen counter, swinging her legs like a teenager. ‘Oh I think we all know what Holly saw in Professor Dreamy, don’t
we?’
Will looked blank.
Lizzie passed him his wine and waggled her eyebrows. ‘Don’t you remember? Miss Innocent Graham here had quite the thing for older men. There was her epic crush on that gorgeous
ethics lecturer – oh the irony! And then that orthopaedic consultant with the enormous eyebrows . . . Unrequited love, if I recall? And then of course,’ she swooned dramatically,
‘one night in Casualty, just as the clock struck midnight, enter Milo Payne . . .’
Holly blushed furiously. ‘Don’t be daft. It was nothing like that!’ Only it was exactly like that and Holly knew it. She also knew that the adage to marry in haste and repent
at leisure had never had such a resounding endorsement.
She knew, in her heart of hearts, that she would have been well advised to get to know Milo a little better, rather than spending the vast majority of their courtship fooling around in bed. But
it simply hadn’t felt like an option at the time. Sex with Milo had been a complete revelation for Holly. After the student fumblings of her flings at med school, suddenly here was a man who
knew his way around the bedroom and it wasn’t long before Holly had been putty in his hands.
She thought back to her second year of residency and to the night they had met, when Milo had come into Casualty, his finger bleeding from a nasty glass cut. She remembered how he’d
quietly convinced her to go out for a drink with him after her shift, even though she’d been working for eighteen hours straight. The attraction had been instant. He just knew what he wanted
and he made it happen. There was no bluster, no arrogance, just complete self-assurance.
It was the first time she’d properly gone out with someone a few years older than her, rather than simply harbouring an unrequited crush; someone who knew exactly what they wanted out of
life and was
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