Chapter 6
Chapter Six
ELENA
Elena had spent a busy morning treating a group of teenage rugby players at a local private school, leaving her exhausted and smelling of deep heat and an overload of testosterone.
There was something disconcerting about treating six-foot mountains with muscles as solid as concrete, only to discover they were barely fourteen years old.
Where did they breed these kids? It was a tough gig and physically demanding, but it paid well, and she enjoyed dealing with sports injuries.
A fit person responded to treatment a lot better than an unfit person.
Not exactly rocket science, but it was in stark contrast to the contract she had with a local care home, where the sessions progressed at a snail’s pace and were far more sobering. Getting older was no fun.
Having grabbed a sandwich from one of the stall holders on Portobello Road, Elena headed back to her clinic, glad to have a free afternoon to catch up on paperwork.
She might even get to finish a bit earlier this evening and pop in to see Luisa on her way home.
Her sister’s discharge from hospital had been delayed yet again following another failed attempt to treat her infection.
Elena was trying not to panic, but it was hard to watch Luisa deteriorating. She felt so helpless.
It might help if Papi responded to the numerous messages she’d sent him, but it had been radio silence all week. What was going on? He was testing her patience.
As she entered her work building, she noticed the door to Daniel J Jackson’s office was open. She hadn’t seen him since their bizarre encounter a few days ago, when he’d appeared to be having some sort of anxiety attack.
She supposed she should feel sorry for him, and maybe she would do, if he’d been honest with her.
How hard was it to admit he had a bad hip and didn’t like enclosed spaces?
A simple explanation would have saved them both the embarrassment of him having a meltdown and her twisting her ankle when he’d bundled into her.
Felix had been the same. If he was ill he’d never wanted a fuss, and would bat away any attempt to ‘nurse’ him, as he called it. But when she didn’t make a fuss, he’d complain she was ‘ignoring him’.
Elena rolled her eyes at the memory.
She was done tolerating emotionally immature men.
She was about to push through the doorway leading to the stairs when she spied a woman sitting in the solicitor’s office.
The woman had her back to the door, so the view was obscured, but Elena could see enough to recognise the petite frame and long, glossy, dark hair.
The shock made her let go of the door, causing it to swing back and nearly smack her in the face.
When the woman laughed, Elena marched towards the office door, which she immediately regretted when her sore ankle twinged.
It was a toss-up as to which was more surreal—the sight of her sister dabbing her wet eyes with a man’s handkerchief, or Daniel J Jackson perched on the edge of the desk, his shirts sleeves rolled up, and looking all hot and charming as he smiled down at her sister.
‘You’ve been so kind,’ her sister said, sniffing back tears. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’
‘It was the least I could do. I’m sorry you’re so upset.’
‘Why’s she upset?’ Elena’s voice made them both startle. ‘What did you do to her?’
Daniel Jackson stepped away from the desk with such a jolt he knocked over a wastepaper bin. ‘I didn’t do anything,’ he said defensively, lifting his hands.
‘You must have done something. My sister’s in tears and you’re the only person here.’
Sofia caught Elena’s arm to stop her advancing. ‘It’s nothing to do with him.’
Elena looked at her sister’s beautiful face, bathed in sunlight streaming in from the large window. She looked angelic. She also looked forlorn. Her mascara was smudged, and her eyes were puffy, neither of which detracted from her beauty.
‘You don’t need to defend him, Sofia. He has a history of injuring women.’
‘That’s hardly fair,’ he objected, frowning at her.
‘But not untrue.’ She pointed at her ankle. ‘I’m still walking with a limp.’
He looked mortified. ‘Did I do that?’
Was he for real? ‘I twisted my ankle when you rugby tackled me to the floor.’
‘I didn’t rugby tackle you,’ he said, his foot catching the upturned wastepaper bin as he moved forwards. ‘I accidentally fell into you. It wasn’t deliberate.’ He sounded annoyed, which infuriated her further—she was the injured party here. ‘I had no idea I’d hurt you.’
She folded her arms. ‘Well, now you do.’
A tug on her arm made her glance down, only to find her sister glaring at her. ‘What is wrong with you?’ Sofia hissed, like Elena was the one acting unreasonably.
Elena baulked at the unfairness. She was not at fault here.
Daniel cleared his throat, dragging her focus away from Sofia. ‘I’m sorry for hurting you. I had no idea. Are you okay?’
Elena gave him a dismissive shrug. ‘I’ll live. I’m more concerned about my sister and why she’s been crying. More importantly, why’s she sitting in your office?’
Sofia squeezed Elena’s hand. ‘Danny isn’t the reason I’m upset.’
Her sister was on first name terms with him? ‘How do you even know each other?’
‘We don’t, we just met.’ Sofia offered him an apologetic smile. ‘I was waiting in the lobby and Danny saw I was upset. He offered to make me a cup of tea while I waited for you.’
Elena’s gaze switched between her sister’s sad expression and Daniel Jackson’s smug one. He might be innocent on this occasion, but she wasn’t fool enough to trust him.
Her tone softened as she addressed her sister. ‘Why were you upset?’ And then she realised what time of day it was. ‘Oh, crap. You’ve been fired, haven’t you?’
Sofia’s hands twisted in her lap. ‘It’s not like it came as a shock.’ She got up and offered Daniel his soggy hanky back. ‘Thanks for the handkerchief.’
‘Keep it,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I have plenty.’
Who carried a handkerchief these days? How gentlemanly of him. He had manners, at least.
Sofia flattened the front of her suit skirt, as if trying to regain her composure. ‘Sorry to have taken up so much of your time.’
‘It’s not a problem,’ he said kindly. ‘I’m sorry about your job.’
‘Thanks for the tea.’ Sofia picked up two bags from the floor. ‘Apologise for being so rude,’ she whispered to Elena as she brushed past and disappeared into the lobby.
Elena flinched. Why should she apologise? But she knew deep down her sister was right. She owed him an apology, however disgruntled she felt. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, before chasing after her sister.
‘Sorry again about your ankle!’ he called after her.
Ignoring him, she grabbed one of the bags from Sofia and headed up the stairwell. ‘I should’ve warned you about him, sorry.’
Sofia followed her upstairs. ‘What’s there to warn me about? He’s a darling.’
Elena shot her sister an exasperated look. ‘A darling? Hardly. He’s … weird.’
‘Unlike you to be judgmental.’ Sofia lifted her skirt hem, making it easier to climb the stairs. ‘And what’s so bad about being weird? We’re weird.’
‘We’re weird in a good way,’ Elena said, taking the second bag from Sofia, who was already panting from the climb. ‘Unlike Daniel-the-Jerk-Jackson, who’s weird in a certifiable way. The man is creepy.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Sofia fanned her face. ‘And what does the J really stand for?’
‘I told you, it stands for Jerk.’
‘You’re being mean.’
‘Mean?’ Elena stopped ascending, allowing the throb in her ankle to subside. ‘First encounter, he was rude to me. Second encounter, he caused an injury. I can’t wait to see what he’s got has planned for our next meeting. Full on assault, no doubt.’
Sofia overtook her on the stairs. ‘Ah, now I get it. You like him.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ Elena raced to catch her sister up, ankle be damned. ‘I do not like him.’
‘Why else would you be so defensive? Admit it, you’re attracted to him.’
‘I certainly am not,’ Elena scoffed, appalled at the idea. ‘And besides, he’s met you now, so I don’t stand a chance.’
Sofia held onto the railing. ‘So you do like him?’
‘No, I just meant—’
‘It wasn’t me he was staring at.’
Elena felt a wash of heat hit her cheeks. She must be getting warm from the climb, she was usually fitter than this. ‘Rubbish.’
‘And it wasn’t me who made him blush, or knock over the bin.’
‘Which just proves my point.’ Elena reached the top step and unlocked her office. ‘The man is a health hazard and should be avoided at all costs.’
Sofia followed her inside. ‘I’m glad you fancy someone. It’ll do you good to get back out there, especially after the hurt Felix caused you.’
Elena dumped the bags onto the couch. ‘I do not fancy The Jerk.’
‘His name’s Danny. And I think you do.’ Sofia slid onto the couch. ‘Why deny it? He’s lovely. Handsome, kind, and he clearly has good taste if he fancies you.’ Her sister’s smile was open and beguiling. ‘What’s not to like?’
Elena pointed at the bags. There was no way she was admitting she found Daniel Jackson attractive, not after the debacle of her last relationship. She clearly had questionable taste when it came to men. ‘What have you brought?’
‘Don’t change the subject.’
Elena folded her arms. ‘Have you resorted to shoplifting? Is it a reaction to being fired? Is that it? Have you gone on a spending spree?’
Sofia laughed. ‘Fine, I’ll stop ribbing you about Danny.
’ She kicked off her high heels and curled her tiny feet under her.
‘The bags contain costumes. Luisa was upset at missing out on last night’s Secret Cinema event, so I thought we could surprise her with a re-enactment of The Mummy. I got these from the charity shop.’