Neurosurgeon...and Mum! by Kate Hardy Read Free Book Online

after Perdy?’
    ‘Because I’m sharing a house with you, you’re clearly in a hole, and I can do something to help.’
    He wasn’t buying that, and it obviously showed on her face, because she sighed. ‘OK. I was like Perdy when I was a kid. I was shy and booky and found it hard to make friends. I was lucky because I had Joe and Cassie and my cousins to help me make friends with the local kids, but she doesn’t have anyone her own age. And what goes around comes around, right?’
    Tom was sure there was more to it than that, but it madea kind of sense. This was her way of paying back kindnesses that people had done for her when she’d been young.
    ‘Look, if you want to ring Joe or Cassie and ask them if it’s safe to let me look after her, that’s fine by me.’
    Tom blew out a breath. ‘Which makes me an over-pro-tective father.’
    ‘No. I’m not prying, but I’m guessing that you’re all each other has, and I’d be the same in your shoes. I’d need to know for sure that you weren’t unstable before I trusted you with my child.’ She took her mobile phone from the desktop and offered it to him.
    Tom refused to take it. ‘So I’m going to ring the senior partner of the practice—the guy I’m standing in for—and ask him if his niece is trustworthy?’
    ‘It’s the only way you can be sure,’ she said. ‘Or ring Marty—I assume he’s acting head of the practice while Joe’s away?’
    ‘Yes, he is.’ Tom sighed. ‘I’m sorry. Given who you are, I know I should be able to take this on trust.’
    ‘But if something major happens in your life, you tend to lose your trust.’
    That sounded personal—but asking her to elaborate would be pushing the boundaries, and in return he’d have to tell her about Eloise. Absolutely not. ‘I’ll call Marty,’ he said, taking his own phone out of his pocket.
    Five minutes later, he ended the call, red-faced. ‘He sang your praises. And I feel a complete and utter heel.’
    She shrugged. ‘If it was the other way round, I’d check you out before I let my child do anything with you.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Tom said. ‘For understanding. And for helping.’
    ‘Right now,’ she said, ‘I think you and Perdy could both do with a friend.’
    ‘Yeah.’ He could see the sadness in her eyes. And the dark shadows underneath them that told him she slept badly; whatever had made her take a sabbatical was clearly affecting her sleep, too. ‘And I think you could do with one, too.’
    ‘So are there any topics I need to avoid?’
    The way she was avoiding answering his comment, he had a pretty good idea that she’d be good at evading anything. And Perdy never talked about Eloise, so there was no point in opening that particular can of worms. ‘No. And thank you.’
    ‘No worries.’
    ‘I’ll, um, let you get on,’ Tom said. If he stayed here much longer he’d be tempted to do something really foolish—like kiss her. And that, he thought, would lead to way too many complications. For both of them.

Chapter Four
    O N Saturday, Tom came back from the surgery to the scent of baking. Even when Eloise had been off duty, she hadn’t been one for domestic stuff; and he was surprised to discover how much he liked this. He closed the front door quietly behind him, and for once Buster didn’t skid across the floor to greet him. No doubt the dog was sitting patiently in the kitchen, waiting for treats.
    Tom could hear Perdy and Amy talking in the kitchen as they worked and something twisted inside him. He couldn’t ever remember Eloise doing that with Amy; she was always too busy with her charity work to listen to her daughter’s jokes. But here was Amy, telling the most atrociously corny jokes, and making Perdy laugh. Perdy was chatting away, saying more words right at that moment than he’d heard her say in a week.
    If he hadn’t heard it for himself, he would never have believed it. Was it because Perdy missed her mother desperately—even though she