“Is she a doctor?” Jay asked.
Peter shook his head.
“A nurse?” Jay watched as a pack of young and old nurses wearing dark-blue scrubs filed into the cafeteria.
Again Peter shook his head.
“What does she do, then? You said you know her,” Jay said, watching a pretty female heading their way.
She looked very attractive, long legs in heels, medium brown hair that flowed down her back, full lips, and bedroom eyes. Perfect!
Peter nodded. “Of course I know her. She’s exactly what the criteria are not.”
“What? But she’s perfect.” Jay watched the woman gliding toward him. Then she smiled at him. My God, she was beautiful. She could be a model if she wanted to; only she was a doctor, which was even better. She had brains and possibly a good family background. What about manners? He had no doubt she had excellent manners. He couldn't imagine her yelling and screaming insanely at her sick, elderly patients.
Yes, she fit the criteria, all right.
“Really, that’s good. I’m glad you agree,” Peter said, eyeing the woman coming toward them. He waved as she approached the seat opposite them.
“Hey, you,” she said, greeting him. “I thought you were on holiday. What are you doing back here?”
Jay liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and sweet.
“Mary, this is Jayden, a friend of mine.” Peter introduced her, nodding toward Jay, who rose and offered his hand.
“Hi,” Mary said. “I’m Pete’s cousin. I’m a medical student.”
Jay liked her hand, too. It was soft. He could sense both gentleness and strength in it.
“So how is your holiday going?” she asked. “You’re not back to work yet, right?”
Peter shook his head. “Not for another week.”
She nodded prettily and turned to Jayden with a sparkle in her eyes. “So where are you from?”
“The States,” Jayden replied promptly.
“I like your accent.” She laughed delicately, brushing her hair over one shoulder. “So what brings you to New Zealand?”
“Just a holiday.”
“Having fun so far?” She leaned toward him across the table. Then beep, beep, beep. She glanced down. “Oh, damn, my pager. Excuse me for a second.” She got up and hurried to the phone on the far side of the room.
“She fits some of the criteria so far,” Jay commented, watching Mary. He saw her eyeing him as she was talking into the phone and jotting down notes.
“How do you know when you haven’t met her yet?” Peter asked.
Jayden glanced at his friend, frowning in confusion as he brought the cup of hot coffee to his lips. “Mary?”
“Nope, not Mary—her.” Peter nodded toward the far entrance of the cafeteria.
Jayden glanced in that direction, and his eyes widened in shock. His breath caught at the back of his throat, and he started spluttering—hot liquid burning his tongue.
“Hey, are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Jay muttered, wiping his mouth with the napkin. He glanced up and watched intensely, his frown darkening into a scowl. This female—the girl in the blue coat he had seen in the street—the girl who was walking toward them with a satchel over her shoulder and a cup of tea in one hand—was nothing like what he expected. She didn’t fit the criteria. Period!
She was average height. She wasn’t pretty. In fact, she was plain. Her baggy jersey was an odd, dull-grey color and didn’t exactly enhance her skin tone either. It made her face look pale and ghostly. Her long, dark hair was a mess and hung forward in long bangs that hid her eyes.
As she walked toward them, Jay couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked nervous.
She glanced at them, gave Peter a fleeting smile, and then rushed past them.
“What do you think?” Peter asked.
“Not her.” Jay felt his gut wrenching with dread. “Please tell me it’s not her.”
“It’s her.” Peter chuckled. “Once your family sees her, they will leave you alone.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“Because they will give up. If you show them she is the type of girl you are in love with—and, mate, I know you are not at the moment—they will give up in the end and leave you alone.” Peter smiled smugly, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
Mary finished her phone call and joined them.
“You look busy,” Peter said.
“I am,” Mary replied. “Every patient in ED seems to have pneumonia. Then there are those with colds and flu. Can’t they just go to their GP?” She turned to Jayden, who suddenly went very quiet and had a trancelike look on his face. “Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine.”
“Hey, we should go out Saturday night,” Mary suggested, eyeing Jayden. “Dinner, a movie, a quiet drink, and then—”
Jay raised his eyebrows. Peter cleared his throat and nodded. “How about inviting the others along too? It’ll be fun.”
Mary frowned at Peter. He simply shrugged his shoulders and tried on an expression of innocence—which failed.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 2
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
Though her eyes were on her book, Alexandra Stewart, known simply as Alex to close friends and relatives, knew Mr. Hot-Choc was still watching her. Perhaps he wanted to sit next to Mary St. Clair, which wouldn’t surprise her at all. Her ex-classmate from high school was popular with everyone. Her catwalk figure, dark-brown curls, and bright-blue eyes stole the tongues right out of the mouths of the boys. You could say she was perfect, almost. If only she didn’t act like such a bitch, thinking everyone was beneath her and that no one else was as deserving of her perfect life.
Alex could never behave like Mary. She would rather hide in a closet or do dishes than flirt with a guy. In her world, she wasn’t pretty enough to have the confidence that seemed to exude from Mary.
And now Mary looked to be hitting on Mr. Hot-Choc. Again, Alex wasn’t surprised. The man was a hunk, tall and trim, blond-haired, and blue-eyed. She was sure she had never seen him around Dunedin. He walked around the long table with that loose-limbed grace usually only seen in big cats. A true-bred alpha male, he had that powerful aura about him that fairly screams, Don’t challenge me or I’ll eat you for breakfast.
Why did he watch her with such intensity? Who was he? Why was he with Peter and Mary? Were they friends?
And why name him Mr. Hot-Choc? Because he was damn hot, and at the moment, she was craving a cup of hot chocolate. Only she couldn’t afford one. Her budget was tight. Every cent went to support the family.
She nibbled her lower lip and tried to concentrate on her novel. Hercules Poirot uncovered the murderer, the motive was laid bare, and all from brilliant deduction of seemingly insignificant facts. She couldn’t figure out how, and now her mind, without warning, flipped to her dad, Jacob Stewart.
How long can he wait for a heart to be available?
His condition was getting worse. He needed a new heart and fast, as Peter, the young cardiologist and longtime family friend, told her. Finding a donor, however, was difficult. There was the option of going to a private hospital. There was no way they could afford that. There were the costs of flights to Auckland, the accommodations, the surgery, and of course, the heart itself. But they were desperate, and her mother, Mali Stewart, had been willing to apply for a personal bank loan just so Dad could get his surgery done more quickly.