Chapter 14
The spring ball was yet another fundraising initiative conjured up by the force of nature that was Gwen Jones.
‘We’re all going,’ Meg had insisted three weeks before the event, when Eve had pulled a face about the prospect of attending. ‘At least those of us not rostered to work that night.’
‘I’d be more than happy to do a swap with someone who wants to go instead.’ It had seemed like the perfect solution to Eve, but Meg shook her head, her tone suddenly much firmer.
‘You and I need to make the effort to attend this more than anyone. It’s a fundraiser for the Friends of St Piran’s, and if we want to make friends here, proper friends, who’ll give us the fresh start we’re both looking for, then this is exactly the sort of event we should be attending.’
Eve had stared at Meg for what felt like an eternity, even though it could only have been a matter of seconds.
She’d wanted to ask her how she knew that Eve had been craving a fresh start more and more lately, and to correct her assumption that the move to Cornwall had been about finding that.
She’d come to Max’s home county because of ties to their past and to his family, not for a shiny new start.
But she didn’t say any of that, and she didn’t ask the questions that were burning in her throat either, about why Meg was here and what it was she’d chosen to leave behind, because she’d known that any confidences Meg shared might need to be reciprocated.
Instead she’d tried to come up with some other excuse not to go to the ball.
‘Isn’t the whole point to go with a partner, so you’ve got someone to dance with? I mean I’m quite happy to dance with you, but we’ll have to agree beforehand who’s going to lead.’
Meg laughed. ‘You’re a good six inches taller than me and I’ve got two left feet and the rhythm of a robot, so I think we both know who’s going to have to lead.’
‘Should I get myself a tux?’
‘No need to go that far. There’ll be plenty of us who are going stag. I think that’s what they call it and, who knows, you might even find yourself more than a friend.’
‘Now that I can confidently say I do not need.’ Eve had offered up no further explanation.
Despite the temptation she’d felt to confide in Meg on more than one occasion, she still valued the escape of life at the hospital too much to tell her about Max.
Eden, Drew and Felix all knew of course, but she trusted them to keep it to themselves and allow her to continue pretending that her life was far simpler than it was.
‘Please come, Eve. Everyone else has known each other for so much longer and I’d feel much less like a spare part if you were there.
’ Meg had given her a pleading look then and even though she still didn’t know what had brought her friend to Cornwall, Eve could see in her eyes that Meg was carrying some trauma of her own.
Suddenly it hadn’t felt like nearly such a big deal to say yes.
‘Okay then,’ she’d agreed, already trying not to wonder if Felix would be there and, if he was, whether or not he would be going on his own.
It shouldn’t matter – it didn’t matter – she’d told herself that again and again, because she and Felix could never be anything more than friends.
She tried to pretend that the prospect of him going to the ball hadn’t crossed her mind when she’d gone to Truro to find a dress, settling on rust-coloured silk that brought out the amber in her eyes.
Later, when Felix had told her he was going and had mentioned that there was a spot free on his table, she hadn’t allowed herself to picture him in a tuxedo, because if she did that it would be even more difficult to think of him as simply a friend.
Now, as she smoothed down her dress and took one last look in the mirror, she readied herself for coming face to face with him, and practised the enigmatic smile she hoped would disguise all the emotions that were bubbling just below the surface.
* * *
Eve had been avoiding Felix since they’d kissed, that much had been obvious.
He’d considered the possibility that she’d thought it was awful, but he found that difficult to believe given how fantastic it had felt from his perspective.
She’d kissed him back in a way that suggested she felt the same.
He suspected the real reason she’d backed off had been guilt about Max.
He understood it; technically she was still engaged, even if Max was doing his best to push her away.
He also knew how close she was to Max’s parents, and how much she’d have hated to hurt them.
Eve was beautiful, with long dark hair that shone as if it had been polished, and eyes the colour of amber, flecked with highlights of gold, but what made her even more beautiful was the goodness in her that went right to the core.
He’d seen in her interactions with patients and her volunteering at Domusamare that she had an almost unbelievable capacity for kindness.
Perhaps it might seem odd to some people, given what she’d told him about her own upbringing and how little kindness she’d been shown by the people who should have loved her the most. But he had a strong suspicion that was what drove her kindness to others; wanting them to feel there was someone who cared for them, because of the very fact that there’d been times when Eve had believed no one had cared for her.
Felix had considered asking Eve to the ball, but had known she’d almost certainly turn him down if she thought it was meant to be a date.
He’d tried to play it off as casual, saying that he’d be sharing a table with Eden and Drew, and some of the others and that there was a space if she wanted to join them.
He wasn’t like it was an actual date, but she’d still turned him down and he could have guessed the outcome of her text long before it arrived.
Thanks Felix, but I can’t. If it got back to Annie, she might read something into it that isn’t there. I’m going with Meg, so I’ll see you there anyway, and I really hope we can go back to being friends.
There were no kisses on the text and she’d made it abundantly clear there’d be no more kisses in real life either.
At least it was honest and upfront, not a hint of the game playing there had been in so many of his exchanges with Meredith.
He knew where he stood with Eve. He might wish things were different, but he liked her directness – he liked everything about her – and if they had to remain just friends, that was still something to cherish.
To his relief, the ball wasn’t all waltzes and couples twirling their partners around the dance floor.
There was an excellent band, playing a mixture of upbeat music and slow dance songs, spanning the last five decades.
Eve was on the dance floor now, with Eden, Aidan, Isla and Meg, singing and dancing along to ‘I Have Nothing’, with the kind of air grabs that would have made Whitney Houston proud.
He smiled, enjoying seeing her having such a wonderful time and looking, for a few moments at least, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
‘Another beer, Drew?’ He turned to the man he was incredibly grateful had come into his sister’s life.
He’d never known Eden as happy as she was lately and she deserved it more than anyone, after what both their mother and her ex-partner had put her through.
It gave him hope that moving on from a life with an addict was possible.
He didn’t ever want to stop helping people, but he wanted it to be on a professional basis, not slap bang in the middle of his personal life.
There might always be blurred lines, but he never wanted something like that to consume his whole life again.
‘Another drink sounds great. I’ve promised Eden I’ll dance with her later.’ Drew looked like he’d rather pull his own teeth out. ‘And I’m going to need to loosen up a bit, otherwise, it’ll look like she’s pushing a wardrobe around the dance floor.’
‘She won’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do, Drew. Trust me, you don’t have to pretend to be anything you’re not for Eden’s sake. She likes you just the way you are.’
‘I know and that’s exactly what makes me want to push myself out of my comfort zone.
It’s not that I have to, it’s that I want to.
For her.’ Drew shrugged and Felix nodded.
They were going to go the distance, these two; he just knew it.
He had no idea what gave him such confidence in making the prediction, after all he’d been convinced at one stage that he and Meredith would make it.
This time he was certain, though, and he just hoped that next time he found someone willing to take a chance on him, he’d be half as good at working out the chances of success as he was when it came to his sister’s relationship.
Felix was still waiting at the bar when his phone started to ring.
It was Karl, his friend and former colleague from San Francisco who’d promised to keep an eye on Meredith and who was doing his level best to track her down after her recent phone call.
It was seven hours behind in San Francisco, which meant it would be one thirty there and Karl would probably be on his lunch break at the clinic.
It was probably nothing, just a quick call to let Felix know there were no updates and to offer reassurance that Karl was still trying.
Felix considered letting it go to voicemail, but there were still quite a few people in front of him in the queue for the bar and it was far enough away from the music to be able to make himself heard without having to shout, so he pressed the button to answer instead.
‘Hi, Karl.’ Felix wasn’t sure the call had even connected for a moment because it seemed to be silent, and then he heard his friend take a deep breath.