Page 58 of Stranded with the Surgeon
Maggie’s face fell. ‘Are you leaving already? But I thought you and Guy…’ Her gaze flicked from Maureen, who gave a warning headshake, back to Jennifer and Guy and she fell silent. So did all the other people who were eagerly eavesdropping.
Jennifer’s throat tightened painfully. So this was it? A public farewell? Then she looked up to catch Guy’s expression and suddenly it was hard to breathe, let alone try to swallow.
The barrier had dropped. The clouds of doubt she was so used to seeing had vanished. What Jennifer was seeing now was a totally unguarded piece of Guy Knight’s soul. And hewasn’ttrying to push her away. He wanted her to stay.
He wantedher.
‘I don’thaveto catch that flight,’ she said.
A glow of what looked like hope burned in the depths of those dark eyes. ‘But if you miss that interview, you might lose your chance to be head of department.’
‘I guess so.’ Jennifer couldn’t have cared less. She wasn’t at all sure she had any interest in that job now. The life she would be returning to would be empty and meaningless without Guy. Shallow, even. But she had worked her whole life towards this goal, hadn’t she?
‘Maybe I don’twantto be head of department anymore.’
Saying it aloud made the relinquishment of a long-held goal seem more acceptable somehow. Especially when Maureen was nodding so approvingly.
‘’Course you don’t, love,’ she encouraged. ‘There’s more to life than just working hard.’
‘You’ve worked so hard to get this opportunity.’ Guy’s eyes were searching hers. ‘You wouldn’t really give it upcompletely, would you? Just like that?’
Jennifer almost smiled reassuringly, but she didn’t want to make this too easy for Guy. The harder he was finding it, the more courage and commitment he was revealing. It was an opportunity to find out whether Guy felt the same way she did – that any option that didn’t keep them together for the rest of their lives simplywasn’tan option.
‘I would if there was something better on offer,’ she said.
‘Such as?’
Maggie gave Guy’s arm a shove in the short silence. ‘You, you idiot. Can’t you see it’s you that Jenna wants more than any job?’
Nathan hooted with glee somewhere behind Jenna. ‘Heisgoing to make her a Knight. What did I say? Man, am I good!’
The helicopter rotors were turning slowly now as the pilot warmed up to take off with Phil. Their patient might be quite comfortable, and appearing to enjoy the drama going on right beside his stretcher, but it was high time he was transported. A decision had to be made.
‘I’ll go in the chopper,’ Maggie offered. ‘You two can go and canoodle in the ambulance for a bit while you sort yourselves out.’
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Phil declared. ‘Ellie will kill me if I can’t tell her how this works out.’
‘A wedding’s just what we need around here.’ Maureen sighed happily. ‘I haven’t done a reception for ages.’
‘Hang on!’ Jennifer was horrified. However well-meaning these people were, pushing Guy Knight in a direction he was possibly only beginning to accept as an option could spell disaster. ‘We’re not talkingweddings, here.’
‘Iam,’ Guy contradicted her.
‘Get on with it, then,’ Phil groaned in frustration. ‘The suspense is killing us.’
Guy caught Jennifer’s hands. ‘I tried to survive once without you, Jenna. I thought walking off that mountain by myself was the only way I’d make it, and I was wrong. We made it together.’
Jennifer nodded and then her lips curved softly. ‘We did.’
‘And… and I thought keeping my heart safe was the only way I’d make it through the rest of my life. I was wrong there, too. Very wrong.’
‘You’re a man,’ Maureen said kindly. ‘You’re allowed to get it wrong sometimes, love.’
Mack scratched his beard. ‘You’d better get it right this time, lad, hadn’t you?’
Guy was apparently more successful at ignoring the helpful input than Jennifer was. She was trying not to smile again because Guy was looking so very, very serious. But then he spoke again and any inclination to smile faded.
‘I can’t survive without you,’ Guy said simply. ‘And I don’t want to try. I want to share my life with you because without you it wouldn’t really be a life.’
