St Piran's: The Fireman and Nurse Loveday by Kate Hardy Read Free Book Online

you.’
    ‘Great. We’ll pick you up at half past eleven.’
    It wasn’t a proper date, Flora told herself as she stood in the doorway, waving as Tom’s car headed down the driveway. They were just acquaintances who were on their way to becoming friends. Nothing more than that.
    And she’d better not let herself forget it.

CHAPTER FOUR
    D ESPITE her resolutions to be calm and sensible, Flora found herself changing her outfit three times the next morning. She really should’ve asked Tom whether she needed to dress up for lunch.
    Then again, they were going out with Joey, so the restaurant was more likely to be a family-friendly place. Which meant smart-casual rather than trendy—and besides, she didn’t do trendy clothes. In the end, cross with herself for minding, she opted for a pair of smart black trousers, a long-sleeved cerise T-shirt and low-heeled sensible shoes. Hopefully this would strike the right balance.
    She was relieved when Tom turned up wearing black chinos and a light sweater. And she suppressed the thought that he looked utterly gorgeous, like a model. He was her
friend.
Right?
    Joey’s seat was in the back of the car, but she noticed that Tom included Joey in the conversation, even though the little boy barely answered much above yes, no and—from what she could see in the rear-view mirror—a shrug.
    Lunch was as excellent as Tom had promised. Flora noted that Tom helped Joey cut up his meat without making a big deal about it, just a soft, ‘Can I give you a hand with that, sweetheart?’ Tom really was a natural father figure, even though he clearly didn’t think he was good enough. And theyall had fun with the ice-cream machine; Tom helped Joey make a huge mountain in his bowl, and the little boy looked really happy as he added sprinkles and sauces from the toppings bar. He decorated Flora’s and Tom’s ice cream, too.
    ‘That,’ Flora said, ‘is the best sundae I’ve ever seen.’ She smiled at the little boy. ‘Thank you, Joey. I’m really going to enjoy this.’
    ‘Me, too,’ Tom said. ‘You’re really good at decorating ice cream, Jojo.’
    Joey’s smile said it all for him: right now, all was right with his world.
    Flora exchanged a glance with Tom, and her heart did another flip. This felt like being part of a family. And the scary thing was that she liked it. A lot.
    ‘I think,’ Tom said solemnly, patting his stomach afterwards, ‘we need to walk off all that ice cream. It’s really sunny outside, so how about we go to the park?’
    Joey nodded, and Tom drove them there. Even though it was a chilly February afternoon, there were plenty of people walking through the gardens, pushing a pram or with a toddler running on the grass beside them. At the far end of the park, there was a playground with swings, slides and climbing frames; even from this distance, Flora could see that it was busy.
    ‘Hello, Flora! Fancy seeing you here.’ Jenny Walters smiled at her; she glanced at Tom and Joey and her smile turned speculative. ‘Out to the park for the afternoon?’
    ‘I, um. Yes.’ Flora felt colour bursting into her face. Oh, no. The last thing they needed was gossip. But how could she explain that she and Tom were just friends, without it sounding like a cover story? ‘You, too?’ she asked, hoping that it would distract Jenny.
    ‘Just me and Rachel. Damien’s at home watching the football.’ Jenny glanced at her daughter, who was holding herhand. ‘Actually, I’m glad I’ve caught you. I know I’m probably worrying about nothing, but Rachel’s got this thing on her foot and I don’t like the look of it.’ She bit her lip. ‘Sorry, I can see you’re out with your…’ she paused’ …
friend,
and I know I shouldn’t ask outside clinic or the surgery.’
    But it would only take a moment and would stop her worrying. And Flora always felt more comfortable when she was doing something practical. At work, she wasn’t shy because she knew who she was: Flora