“Not when I’m the type of man that can’t make his living on reality TV.”
His words were deliberately harsh. He couldn’t stay there and hear any more, not when his body still throbbed from her touch. He needed to leave the shower room with a little bit of dignity still intact.
“That’s not fair.”
“Life’s not fair,” he retorted.
Because, if it was, it wouldn’t have sent her to Astoria to complete the fairy tale he didn’t want to star in. Because he knew well enough that fairy tales ended with handsome princes, and there was no way this beast was ever going to shed his damaged skin and become the whole, undamaged prince she deserved.
Chapter Four
The following morning, Lucas didn’t come to the camp for her the as he had previous days. That suited Frankie just fine. In fact, it would probably be easier if she asked to work with someone else while she was still needed. Her cheeks flamed each time she thought of how carried away she’d got in the shower, and her conscience still pricked when she remembered how she’d turned him away.
His scars didn’t bother her. Working in Astoria for a couple of days had shown her that her previously aesthetics-driven life had no place in the new Frankie she was desperately trying to put together. Neither did relying on a man for anything. She’d done that and been let down in the worst way imaginable.
She didn’t believe that Lucas was anything like Joey but they both worked away so often it would be easy to draw unfair comparisons. Right now, she was still too raw from the betrayal, still too unsure of herself, to be ready for a relationship.
Entering the ward, Frankie took a deep breath, hoping Lucas wasn’t about, but wanting to see him and be near his reassuring presence as much as she hoped he was elsewhere. However difficult it might be, she knew she wouldn’t feel as confident about her own skills without him by her side.
Hettie sat by Victoria’s bed, the newborn strapped to Hettie with an old bed sheet. The older woman looked exhausted.
“How’s it going?” Frankie lay a hand on Hettie’s shoulder.
“Honestly, missy, I’m out on my feet. Victoria sleeps all the time, and even when she’s awake she’s not much interested in feeding the little fella.”
“You need to rest, Hettie, otherwise you’re going to be one of our patients. And we definitely don’t want that.”
“Dr Lucas said that too. Y’know he’s sweet on you, don’t you?”
“He is not.” Frankie shook her head, reaching for the baby and avoiding looking into Hettie’s knowing eyes. “We are just colleagues.”
“I can see how his blue eyes twinkle when he sees you. How he looks for you in the hospital while you’re working. He’s definitely sweet.”
“He’s probably making sure I’m not messing up,” Frankie said wryly, holding the baby safe while Hettie fastened the cotton sheet around him so he was secure against her body.
The baby made a snuffly noise in his sleep. Gazing down, Frankie ran a hand over his head and down his back. It was an odd sensation, having a baby attached to her, but not nearly as scary as she’d thought. The first time she’d held a baby had been during her nurse training. It wasn’t as though her life with Joey had been conducive to having children.
“Babies have a way of making women of a certain age see things a lot more clearly.” Hettie commented, nodding as she spoke, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“I’ve never thought of having a baby of my own,” Frankie told her honestly.
She put an arm around the bundle containing the baby and tried to imagine what it would be like if that bundle was on the inside, containing her own child.
“Well, you should. And by the look on Dr Lucas’s face, he thinks so too.” Hettie nodded towards Lucas then leaned forward, even though he was too far away to hear her next words. “And I think he wants to be the one to put that baby in your belly.”
Frankie tried to summon up outrage, but Hettie had already walked away. Lucas stared at her from across the room with a look she couldn’t decipher. Hettie was wrong, there was no way Lucas wanted anything long-term with her.
They were attracted to each other, that much was obvious. They were in an emotionally-charged situation. Perhaps it made more sense to think about the opposite—something temporary. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life, but the pull between them was getting too much to resist.
“You going to work like that?” Lucas gestured at the still sleeping baby.
“I thought I would.” She’d been so busy daydreaming about sleeping with him, she’d completely missed him approaching. “I sent Hettie off for a sleep. Apparently Victoria isn’t bonding with the little guy.”