Nurse in a Million by Jennifer Taylor

Author:Jennifer Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I’LL have the chicken jalfrezi—extra hot—with naan bread.’

Rafferty gave the waiter his order and sat back in his seat, hoping the shock he was feeling wasn’t apparent to everyone else. Hearing Natalie state that it might be better if they split up permanently had been a blow, even though he’d wondered if it might be the only solution open to them.

His gaze skimmed sideways and he felt his heart lurch once again. It was one thing to wonder about it himself, but something entirely different to know that she was considering such a course of action. Even though they’d split up before, they’d both known they would get back together at some point. But not this time. This time it would be different. Once the decision was made, that would be the end for them, and he didn’t know how he was going to carry on without her.

‘You’re a brave soul!’

Rafferty jumped when Helen tapped him on the arm. He turned to face her, doing his best to behave as though everything was fine. It was a long way from being that—probably as bad as it could be, in fact—but he’d never been one for airing his feelings in public.

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Because you’re going for the extra-hot jalfrezi. Only the very brave or the very foolhardy choose that option!’

Rafferty drummed up a smile when everyone laughed. ‘I’ll let you know which category I fall into after I’ve eaten it.’

Piers chuckled. ‘I don’t think there’s much doubt about your bravery, sir. Not from what I’ve read about the work you’ve done overseas. Some of the places where you’ve been must have been very tough going.’

‘They were. And cut out the “sir”. Everyone calls me Rafferty.’

‘Not all the time,’ Natalie chipped in with a laugh.

Rafferty glanced at her, firmly squashing his heart back into its allotted place when it tried to leap out of his chest. So maybe she was smiling at him at the moment, but he couldn’t take it as a good sign after what she’d told him. She was ready to cast him aside and a smile meant absolutely nothing in those circumstances.

‘Meaning?’ he asked, struggling for lightness and probably missing it by miles.

‘Meaning that you have a nickname, don’t you?’

She held his gaze for a moment then looked away, and he could tell by the tremor in her voice that she’d picked up the undercurrents. He sighed under his breath. He would have to do better than that if he hoped to convince her that he was unmoved by her decision to cut him out of her life. If she felt it was the right thing to do, he mustn’t stand in her way…although it wasn’t going to be easy to step aside.

‘What nickname?’ Piers demanded. ‘I’ve never heard anyone mention it at the hospital.’

‘It’s only used when we’re away on a mission,’ Natalie explained. ‘A lot of the people who work for Worlds Together have nicknames. Rafferty’s is TC, which stands for Top Cat.’

Helen burst out laughing.

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