Pregnant by the Single Dad Doc by Louisa Heaton

Author:Louisa Heaton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-04-10T14:14:31+00:00

* * *

Work became quite uncomfortable for Logan after Ava’s demise. It was as if the death of the baby had turned Ellie into some kind of robot. Either that or the fact that they’d slept together had changed their dynamic—though she had said, hadn’t she, that she wanted to be friends?

He would ask her to do something and she would do it, but there was no conversation, no chat, no expression, and he was worried that maybe Ava’s passing had affected her too much.

‘Ellie, could I have a quick word?’

Ellie nodded and followed him into his office. He indicated that she should take a seat, which she did, staring down at his desk, not making eye contact.

‘How are you doing?’

‘Fine.’

He didn’t believe her, and he was worried. ‘You don’t seem fine.’

‘In what way?’

‘You just seem a little...off.’

‘Am I working to your standards?’

He gave a nod.

‘Doing everything you ask of me?’

Another nod.

‘Then what’s the problem?’

‘You’re terse. Abrupt. You hardly ever crack a smile—’

She smiled then. ‘I’m sorry—are you telling me to smile more? Don’t you realise how terribly patronising that sounds?’

‘You’re misinterpreting my words.’

‘So make them clear for me, then.’

He stared at her. ‘Okay. If that’s how you want it. Since Ava—since us—you’ve had a different demeanour. You do your work, and you do it capably, but that is it. There is no engagement, there is no enquiry, nor any interest in expanding your learning. You no longer seem fired up by your studies. You do the bare minimum and then you go home.’

She looked at him then. Finally met his gaze. ‘Are you failing me on my placement?’

‘No. Not at all. But I am hoping to light a fire beneath you.’ He smiled at her, to show her that he meant his words kindly. ‘You need to get your light back, Ellie. You can’t let one death defeat you.’ He leaned forward, his voice low. ‘And you can’t let what happened between us change you. I’m trying to tell you like a friend would. Talk to me.’

She shook her head. ‘It’s not about one death.’

It wasn’t about Ava? ‘Then what is it about?’

Were her eyes welling up? What was hurting her? Something he was failing to see? If she didn’t tell him, then how could he help her? Because he truly did want to soothe her soul. Had he been too abrupt? Had he caused this? He didn’t want to cause her any pain. He’d done that once already.

‘You wouldn’t understand,’ she said.

‘How do you know that?’

‘Because you told me no one could if they hadn’t gone through it themselves.’

And she got up and left his office, wiping away tears.

Logan stared at the door she’d left open behind her, pondering her words. What did that mean? When had he said that? And in what context? If he could remember, it might give him some clue.

She was trying to say she’d been through something that he hadn’t. But what? He’d been there when Ava died too.

She’d said, ‘It’s not about one death.

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