Chapter One
“Oh wow Jo, those are gorgeous! Did you get
them in the Secret Santa?”
Jo Micheals, senior nurse in Newbolton
Accident & Emergency, looked down at the earrings in the little
box on the desk in front of her and nodded. She hadn't got over her
surprise at receiving them herself.
“Oh, now why didn't I get something like
those? I got kitty cat socks!” Emmie, a junior nurses on the
department shoved the socks under Jo’s nose. Cartoon cats picked
out in wool waggled merrily before her eyes.
“Emmie, you like cats.” Jo pointed out,
grinning up at the younger woman. “You've got a cat bag, cat
umbrella, cat scarf… hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you've got
cat panties!”
The junior nurse narrowed her eyes in mock
suspicion, “Hey, how'd you know? You been sneaking into my
apartment and checking out my underwear drawer or something?” she
giggled, snatching the cat socks back, as though Jo would steal
them given half the chance. That Emmie loved cats, and by extension
anything that had a cat on, was well known in the department. Jo
knew for a fact Adrian, one of the porters, went out of his way to
find cat things to leave around for her. No doubt the person
responsible for the socks.
Jo laughed, rapidly working down her notes
and signing them off. “No hun, I guessed. Doesn't take a genius to
work out, does it?”
“Nope,” Emmie looked at her new socks with a
smile. “They're cute though aren't they?”
“They are.”
“Still,” Emmie cast a covetous glance at the
earrings in Jo's hand with a wistful sigh. “ Cat earrings
would have been fantastic as well!”
Jo hid a smile as Adrian walked past them
pushing a trolley, a thoughtful expression on his face. Santa would
no doubt bring Emmie some cat earrings as well now. She hoped
Adrian would admit to Emmie he fancied her sometime soon and ask
her out. Emmie was good at her job and all, but with men she wasn't
the sharpest tool in the box.
“Ok, got to go and deal with the gentleman in
cubicle four, catch you in a bit Jo.” Emmie tucked her new socks
into her pocket and grabbed the notes she needed.
“Yeah, sure thing Em,” Jo answered, not
realising her friend had already gone, her attention caught by the
earrings again. She hadn't expected these when she opened the small
package handed to her in the traditional department Secret Santa
give out. Every year, instead of having to buy gifts for everyone
all the names went into a hat. Everyone drew a slip with a name on,
the person they were to buy a present for. The budget had been
agreed to suit everyone's pockets. Nurses didn't make much, porters
less, so it had to be something which wouldn't break the bank.
She nudged an earring with a delicate finger,
making the inset crystals dance in the overhead light. They were
more than the budget they'd been given. She knew because she'd been
admiring them in the jeweller’s window the other day. Tilting the
box she read the name inside the lid 'Keystone & Hammersmith
Fine Jewellers'. Yes, they were the same earrings.
Biting her lip as guilt washed through her
she stood and slid the box into her pocket. She should find out
who'd given them to her and give them back. They were far too
expensive a gift to accept, even though everything in her that
liked pretty things wanted to keep them.
Temptation filled her. On her wages and with
bills to pay she would never be able to afford them herself. But
now someone had brought them for her? Perhaps a hint that she
should have them... Shaking her head, she grabbed the next set of
notes from the pile. She'd find out who had given them to her and
give them back. Besides, she was late with her own secret Santa
gift, a fact which made her squirm in guilt as soon as she recalled
it.
Her low heels clicked on the polished floors
as she walked down the corridor, heading for cubicle seven. She'd
drawn Drew Carson, the department's lead consultant, for her name.
Even after three weeks she still had no
“Oh wow Jo, those are gorgeous! Did you get
them in the Secret Santa?”
Jo Micheals, senior nurse in Newbolton
Accident & Emergency, looked down at the earrings in the little
box on the desk in front of her and nodded. She hadn't got over her
surprise at receiving them herself.
“Oh, now why didn't I get something like
those? I got kitty cat socks!” Emmie, a junior nurses on the
department shoved the socks under Jo’s nose. Cartoon cats picked
out in wool waggled merrily before her eyes.
“Emmie, you like cats.” Jo pointed out,
grinning up at the younger woman. “You've got a cat bag, cat
umbrella, cat scarf… hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you've got
cat panties!”
The junior nurse narrowed her eyes in mock
suspicion, “Hey, how'd you know? You been sneaking into my
apartment and checking out my underwear drawer or something?” she
giggled, snatching the cat socks back, as though Jo would steal
them given half the chance. That Emmie loved cats, and by extension
anything that had a cat on, was well known in the department. Jo
knew for a fact Adrian, one of the porters, went out of his way to
find cat things to leave around for her. No doubt the person
responsible for the socks.
Jo laughed, rapidly working down her notes
and signing them off. “No hun, I guessed. Doesn't take a genius to
work out, does it?”
“Nope,” Emmie looked at her new socks with a
smile. “They're cute though aren't they?”
“They are.”
“Still,” Emmie cast a covetous glance at the
earrings in Jo's hand with a wistful sigh. “ Cat earrings
would have been fantastic as well!”
Jo hid a smile as Adrian walked past them
pushing a trolley, a thoughtful expression on his face. Santa would
no doubt bring Emmie some cat earrings as well now. She hoped
Adrian would admit to Emmie he fancied her sometime soon and ask
her out. Emmie was good at her job and all, but with men she wasn't
the sharpest tool in the box.
“Ok, got to go and deal with the gentleman in
cubicle four, catch you in a bit Jo.” Emmie tucked her new socks
into her pocket and grabbed the notes she needed.
“Yeah, sure thing Em,” Jo answered, not
realising her friend had already gone, her attention caught by the
earrings again. She hadn't expected these when she opened the small
package handed to her in the traditional department Secret Santa
give out. Every year, instead of having to buy gifts for everyone
all the names went into a hat. Everyone drew a slip with a name on,
the person they were to buy a present for. The budget had been
agreed to suit everyone's pockets. Nurses didn't make much, porters
less, so it had to be something which wouldn't break the bank.
She nudged an earring with a delicate finger,
making the inset crystals dance in the overhead light. They were
more than the budget they'd been given. She knew because she'd been
admiring them in the jeweller’s window the other day. Tilting the
box she read the name inside the lid 'Keystone & Hammersmith
Fine Jewellers'. Yes, they were the same earrings.
Biting her lip as guilt washed through her
she stood and slid the box into her pocket. She should find out
who'd given them to her and give them back. They were far too
expensive a gift to accept, even though everything in her that
liked pretty things wanted to keep them.
Temptation filled her. On her wages and with
bills to pay she would never be able to afford them herself. But
now someone had brought them for her? Perhaps a hint that she
should have them... Shaking her head, she grabbed the next set of
notes from the pile. She'd find out who had given them to her and
give them back. Besides, she was late with her own secret Santa
gift, a fact which made her squirm in guilt as soon as she recalled
it.
Her low heels clicked on the polished floors
as she walked down the corridor, heading for cubicle seven. She'd
drawn Drew Carson, the department's lead consultant, for her name.
Even after three weeks she still had no
Similar Books
