‘I can see that.’ She returned his smile, still trying to figure out why he looked so different. ‘So why are you here?’
‘I was hoping to see you.’ Ali was still smiling.
‘For medical reasons?’ Eden suddenly felt wary. Her desire to want to fix people’s problems for them had cost her so much in the past, and she’d actively fought against slipping back into that pattern since finally breaking away from Jesse. Despite that, it was only ever just below the surface, and she knew others could see it in her too. She liked Ali, she really did, but she couldn’t allow herself to be sucked into anything outside of her role.
‘I wanted to say sorry. For wasting so much of your time. I wasn’t looking after myself and because of that I was taking up time and resources that could have been used on other people. But you were always so kind, so I wanted to say thank you too.’
Eden was taken aback; apologies and a thank you were the last things she’d been expecting. ‘I was just doing my job, Ali.’
‘No, you weren’t.’ He shook his head. ‘You went above and beyond every time, and I’m not saying I won’t ever be back here, asking you to do that again, but right now I’m doing better than I have been in a long time. I’m trying to make a permanent change and part of that is accepting that I’ve behaved badly in the past and making amends. It’s early days, but you’re one of the first people I want to thank and say sorry to.’
‘Oh Ali, you don’t need to thank me, or apologise, I’m just so happy you’re trying to get better.’ She wanted to reach out and take hold of his hand, but she knew she had to maintain the boundary between them. ‘Can I ask you what’s changed?’
‘I got a place at Domusamare, the charity you told me about.’ Ali pressed his hands together, as if in prayer. ‘I can’t thank you enough. They gave me a bed in one of their hostels, and I’m being mentored by a member of the volunteer team. He goes with me to some of my support group meetings. He virtually had to carry me to the first couple, and I can call him if I need someone in between times. Because of you, my mentor, and the rest of the team at the charity, I feel like I might actually have a chance this time.’
Eden’s eye’s pricked with tears. There were so many days in her job where it felt like she was just trying to hold back the tide and that she couldn’t really change anything for her patients, especially those with social and emotional problems. It made her so happy to hear him sounding optimistic and actually looking forward to the future, and he deserved credit for his own role in making that possible. ‘It’s because of you too, Ali, you’re doing far more for yourself than I could ever have done. I’m so pleased you’ve got a mentor to call on and to be there for you, no one can get by without someone they can rely on.’ Ali had never had that before, she knew that from some of the things he’d told her and it was exactly what he needed. This was such incredible news and Eden had to curl her fist into a ball to stop herself from reaching out to him.
‘Yeah, I’m really lucky and Drew’s amazing. Actually you might know him, he works here as a pathologist, I think.’ Ali laughed, as Eden’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Sorry, that’s probably a really stupid thing to say in a place as big as this, but you should try and get to know him if you don’t already. I wasn’t sure about him at first, he’s quiet and he seemed really serious, but he’s calm and incredibly kind, like you, and he has a great sense of humour once you get to know him a bit.’
‘He does sound amazing.’ Eden nodded. She already knew just how true that was, and the chances of Ali describing anyone but her Drew were almost non-existent.Her Drew. They were just two little words, but they said a lot and they scared the hell out of Eden, because he wasn’t hers and she didn’t want to find herself wishing he was, but that’s exactly what was starting to happen. She’d had no idea he was a mentor, but it didn’t really surprise her. Despite an admission that he sometimes found it hard to read people, Drew had a way of understanding how to help them. He’d done it with her and Teddie, and she could easily imagine how much of a difference he’d made to Ali’s life too.
‘I’m meeting him now, actually. He’s taking a couple of hours off work to drive me to an appointment with a dentist to see whether there’s anything they can do about these awful gnashers.’ Ali grinned, showing off a smile that had more gaps than teeth. ‘Who knows, if I end up with a set of Turkey teeth, someone might even give me a job eventually.’
‘I won’t recognise you next time I see you.’
‘That’s the plan.’ He dropped her a wink and then got up to leave, hugging her tightly but so briefly that she didn’t have the chance to feel uncomfortable. ‘Thank you so much, Eden. You’re one of the best. Don’t ever forget that.’
With a raise of his hand, he was gone, disappearing out of the doors and off to meet Drew no doubt. She wanted to run after Ali and throw her arms around him, telling him how incredible he was for finding the strength to take these first steps. She wanted to tell him that Drew had helped her too, and that his assessment of the man who’d supported them both had been spot on. She could have confessed to Ali that she was developing feelings of more than friendship for Drew, it would have been a relief to tell someone, but she didn’t do any of those things. Instead, she decided to be brave too. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she tapped out a text.
Hi Drew. I just wondered if you were free on Saturday afternoon/evening? There’s a going-away party for one of the nurses in A&E, and I really don’t want to go on my own.
Looking at the text before she pressed send, she deleted the part about not wanting to go on her own and retyped it.
I know I’d enjoy it a lot more if you came with me.
Before she had a chance to overthink it, or edit the message again, she pressed send. She probably wouldn’t hear from him for a while, and she needed to brace herself to expect a polite ‘thanks, but no thanks’ when he did respond. She’d hardly had time to put her phone back in her pocket when it pinged with a text from Drew.
It would be really nice to spend some time with you and, yes, I’m free on Saturday.
Eden smiled to herself, a frisson of what felt a lot like excitement bubbling up inside her. As she shoved the phone back into her pocket and headed through to the department, she was already looking forward to Saturday evening far more than she had been just a few minutes earlier.
11
Felix had taken Teddie to a new trampoline park about five miles the other side of Port Tremellien. There was nothing Teddie liked better than bouncing, and he’d attempt it on any surface with even the slightest bit of give. If the springs on his grandparents’ sofa hadn’t collapsed by the time Eden and Teddie finally got their own place, it would be a miracle. After the trampoline park, Felix was going to take Teddie for dinner. It would inevitably involve nuggets or sausages, with chips. They could only be the right sort of chips, too thick or too crunchy and they’d be rejected with a level of force that had to be seen to be believed. If Teddie ever tried out for the Olympics, he’d have a damn good chance at qualifying for the shot put, if the effectiveness of his food-throwing technique was anything to go by.
After dinner, Felix would be bringing Teddie home, to keep to his normal bedtime routine as much as possible, and he’d stay on to babysit until either Eden or their parents got home to take over. She didn’t need to worry about whether Teddie would be okay with Felix in charge, so the nerves looping in her stomach had nothing to do with leaving her son in her brother’s care.
Looking in the mirror, Eden tried to decide if the outfit she was wearing was too much. It was a wide-legged, teal-coloured jump suit, which she couldn’t deny brought out the colour of her eyes. The V-neck was low enough to give a hint of cleavage and make her look far less like the harassed working mother who usually stared back at her from the mirror. Almost every other time she’d met up with Drew, she’d worn jeans and a T-shirt, only once opting for a summer dress and even then it had been the loose kind that could easily have concealed another small person beneath it. The jumpsuit revealed arms which were far more toned than any workout could achieve – carrying Teddie when he was doing his paving slab impression had that effect. The outfit was perfect for a party that was going from afternoon to evening, but it wasn’t the sort of thing she’d have worn for a catch up with a friend. Today was supposed to be both of those things, which was why she was still wondering if she ought to change and opt for something more casual. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, especially as she still wasn’t sure how Drew felt about her. Deep down Eden knew she was overthinking it and that he probably wouldn’t pay the slightest attention to what she was wearing. Looking at her reflection again, she gave herself a talking to.
‘It’s fine, it’s not like I’m wearing a ball gown.’ Turning away, she grabbed her bag and a denim jacket to cover up in case she became self-conscious later, and headed out of the bedroom door.
Drew was waiting outside the house for her when she emerged, a full five minutes before they were due to meet. She’d planned to hang around until he turned up and enjoy the cooler air outside, although it was unseasonably warm for an autumn afternoon, almost as if Amy had ordered the weather for her party. Eden smiled when she saw Drew. She should have known he’d be early, he wouldn’t have wanted to keep her waiting even for a moment.
‘You look great.’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, because he really did look great. Drew was wearing an olive-coloured linen shirt, over navy-blue trousers. The shirt was untucked and the sleeves casually pushed up to the elbows, giving him the look of an ever so slightly crumpled, but undeniably sexy leading man, straight out of a TV drama. Gwen was going to have plenty to say when she saw him.
‘So do you.’ She might have taken Drew’s words as the kind of meaningless compliment that was expected in response to what she’d said to him, if he hadn’t added more. ‘You look beautiful, in fact.’
‘Thank you.’ It had been on the tip of her tongue to ask him when he’d last got his eyes tested, or to make some other self-deprecating remark, but she knew Drew was telling the truth. As far as he was concerned, she did look beautiful. If she batted away his compliment, he’d probably feel he had to repeat it, in an attempt to convince her that he meant it. An exchange like that would have left them both feeling awkward. So it was easier just to say thank you, even if she didn’t think she looked anything close to beautiful.
