passionate relationship she was talking about didn't really exist, or if it did it couldn't last. Right now Sophie was almost willing to concede her decision had been an error. To duck back into safe territory and leave her ring exactly where it was. She pulled the card from its tiny envelope.
'Some decisions are too difficult to make without a push. You were right. Miss you. Love you. Greg'
Sophie buried her nose in the velvety dark blooms to hide her disappointment. And the fear that a safe refuge had just been denied her. Toni stroked one of the petals.
'These are gorgeous,' she breathed. 'And so romantic.'
'I knew it had been a memorable weekend.' Oliver's tone was almost disappointed.
'Oh, it was,' Sophie murmured. She kept her face screened by the bouquet as she fought back the prickle of threatened tears.
'How long did you say you'd been engaged?' The query came from Oliver and his tone suggested that Sophie was being watched closely.
'Five years,' she muttered. 'Since second year in med school.'
'And you met at high school,' Toni said with awe. 'Genuine childhood sweethearts. It's hard to believe it can actually happen.'
'Sure is.' Josh didn't sound the least bit impressed. 'Do you mean to say you've never even been out with another man, Sophie?'
'No. Only Greg.' Sophie wondered how long one could look fascinated by a bunch of flowers without raising suspicion. She glanced at Josh and smiled brightly. 'I was never interested in anyone else.'
'That's so romantic,' Toni sighed.
'That's so stupid,' Josh contradicted.
'Why?' Toni and Sophie both spoke together.
'Well, how can you possibly know he's the right person for you? How can you make a sound decision without even trying to make some sort of a comparison?'
Sophie frowned. It was precisely part of the same doubts she had harboured for so long herself but somehow, coming from Josh, it made the argument seem shallow. An excuse for playing the field without consideration of the potential effects. Toni appeared to agree. The sound she made was dismissive.
'Has it ever occurred to you, Dr Cooper, that it's possible to confuse the issue with too much data?'
Sophie grinned. The legion of Josh Cooper's ex-girlfriends had become part of St David's folklore. Some of the phone calls she knew Toni was obliged to field were quite enough to justify the practice manager's acerbic comment. She felt inclined to support her.
'When you meet the right person you just know,' she asserted.
'Not when you're fifteen years old,' Josh snorted.
'I was seventeen,' Sophie defended herself.
'How do you know exactly?' Oliver asked with keen interest. 'When you meet the right person?'
Sophie made the mistake of meeting his gaze and to her horror she found herself blushing. Here she was defending her inexperience and loyalty to a relationship that didn't exist any more. She was virtually lying to the man who had warned her only hours ago that honesty was far too important to compromise. A man who just needed to look at her the way he was doing right now to induce a wave of physical response enough to make her toes curl.
'I... Ah...' Completely flustered, Sophie adjusted her grip on the bunch of roses. The card slipped from her fingers and sailed onto the floor. She crouched swiftly, but not fast enough to prevent Oliver picking up the card first. The time it took for him to hand it to her was more than enough for him to register the handwritten message.
They were both crouched on the floor, their knees only an inch or two apart. Sophie's breath caught. Oliver's gaze was questioning. Almost hopeful. Sophie's heart rate increased sharply. She only hoped she didn't look as vulnerable as she felt.
'A difficult decision?' Oliver enquired softly. His gaze dropped to her left hand and then returned to her face. 'What were you right about, Sophie?'
Oh, God. Maybe if they'd been alone, Sophie could have told the truth. Could have taken the plunge into the unknown territory that
'Some decisions are too difficult to make without a push. You were right. Miss you. Love you. Greg'
Sophie buried her nose in the velvety dark blooms to hide her disappointment. And the fear that a safe refuge had just been denied her. Toni stroked one of the petals.
'These are gorgeous,' she breathed. 'And so romantic.'
'I knew it had been a memorable weekend.' Oliver's tone was almost disappointed.
'Oh, it was,' Sophie murmured. She kept her face screened by the bouquet as she fought back the prickle of threatened tears.
'How long did you say you'd been engaged?' The query came from Oliver and his tone suggested that Sophie was being watched closely.
'Five years,' she muttered. 'Since second year in med school.'
'And you met at high school,' Toni said with awe. 'Genuine childhood sweethearts. It's hard to believe it can actually happen.'
'Sure is.' Josh didn't sound the least bit impressed. 'Do you mean to say you've never even been out with another man, Sophie?'
'No. Only Greg.' Sophie wondered how long one could look fascinated by a bunch of flowers without raising suspicion. She glanced at Josh and smiled brightly. 'I was never interested in anyone else.'
'That's so romantic,' Toni sighed.
'That's so stupid,' Josh contradicted.
'Why?' Toni and Sophie both spoke together.
'Well, how can you possibly know he's the right person for you? How can you make a sound decision without even trying to make some sort of a comparison?'
Sophie frowned. It was precisely part of the same doubts she had harboured for so long herself but somehow, coming from Josh, it made the argument seem shallow. An excuse for playing the field without consideration of the potential effects. Toni appeared to agree. The sound she made was dismissive.
'Has it ever occurred to you, Dr Cooper, that it's possible to confuse the issue with too much data?'
Sophie grinned. The legion of Josh Cooper's ex-girlfriends had become part of St David's folklore. Some of the phone calls she knew Toni was obliged to field were quite enough to justify the practice manager's acerbic comment. She felt inclined to support her.
'When you meet the right person you just know,' she asserted.
'Not when you're fifteen years old,' Josh snorted.
'I was seventeen,' Sophie defended herself.
'How do you know exactly?' Oliver asked with keen interest. 'When you meet the right person?'
Sophie made the mistake of meeting his gaze and to her horror she found herself blushing. Here she was defending her inexperience and loyalty to a relationship that didn't exist any more. She was virtually lying to the man who had warned her only hours ago that honesty was far too important to compromise. A man who just needed to look at her the way he was doing right now to induce a wave of physical response enough to make her toes curl.
'I... Ah...' Completely flustered, Sophie adjusted her grip on the bunch of roses. The card slipped from her fingers and sailed onto the floor. She crouched swiftly, but not fast enough to prevent Oliver picking up the card first. The time it took for him to hand it to her was more than enough for him to register the handwritten message.
They were both crouched on the floor, their knees only an inch or two apart. Sophie's breath caught. Oliver's gaze was questioning. Almost hopeful. Sophie's heart rate increased sharply. She only hoped she didn't look as vulnerable as she felt.
'A difficult decision?' Oliver enquired softly. His gaze dropped to her left hand and then returned to her face. 'What were you right about, Sophie?'
Oh, God. Maybe if they'd been alone, Sophie could have told the truth. Could have taken the plunge into the unknown territory that
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