‘It is.’ He motioned to the empty half of the long seat. That grace of hers, and her economy of movement, allowed her to disguise whatever pain she felt as she lowered herself onto the bench.
‘Did you come out here to see me?’ She scrunched her nose slightly. Great nose. The freckles gave it a lot of charm.
‘Yes, I did.’ Ross tore his attention from her face and got down to business. ‘I’m discharging you.’
That provoked a reaction. One that wasn’t carefully controlled to stop anyone from divining what she was actually thinking. Her face fell, and he saw a flare of panic in her golden eyes.
‘You can’t. I’m supposed to stay for seven weeks, and I’ve only been here a week.’
Ross nodded. ‘I think we’ve done just about all we can do for you.’
Laurie thought for a moment. ‘But...the consultant I saw thinks I should be here. I’m all paid up for seven weeks...’
That was the crux of the matter. The consultant who had referred her had told Ross that he’d been unable to pass Laurie as fit for selection to the England team this year, and her stubborn refusal to allow anyone else to tell her what to do about her injury had rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way. She’d be out of the team for good if she couldn’t show her commitment to addressing the injury that had been troubling her for months.
‘We’ll refund you, of course.’
Ross felt the sudden urge to smile as he watched her trying to maintain her composure. She was doing rather well, considering the ramifications of what he was suggesting.
‘I’m not...’ She swallowed, as if about to admit to having murdered someone. ‘My hip isn’t...at full strength yet.’
She wasn’t better. Despite all its success with much more intransigent injuries than Laurie’s, the clinic had failed her. And this was the only way forward that Ross could see.
‘Perhaps discharge isn’t the right word. I’m throwing you out.’
* * *
This was embarrassing, and Ross’s good looks weren’t helping. Dark hair and melting brown eyes had always pushed all her buttons and he had a body that was clearly at home with movement and action. And the fact that he was here to deliver this message, rather than Sam, had the worrying implication that Ross meant business.
He had to know what he was doing to her, and that this place was her last resort if she wanted to save her sporting career. She had been such a fool, ignoring well-intentioned advice and allowing the situation to escalate like this. But she’d always had a problem with authority...
Those long years of training under her father’s watchful eye had seen to that. Laurie had borne his insults silently, determined that he shouldn’t see her cry when he called her a failure. Keeping going was all she knew how to do, and now she’d been given an ultimatum. If Ross Summerby didn’t sign off on her stay here, then she could kiss goodbye to any hope of getting back onto the selection list to compete for her country.
Why? Why had she gone out rowing, in direct contravention of Sam’s advice? Laurie couldn’t even remember now why she’d thought that was a good idea.
‘You can’t.’ Blind panic was gripping her, and it was hard enough to keep her face expressionless, let alone think of something more persuasive to say.
‘I think you’ll find that I can.’ He was watching her closely, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. ‘My difficulty is that we have a waiting list full of patients, all of whom are committed to their recovery. I can let you stay on for another six weeks, and we can pretend to treat you for your own convenience, or I give your place here to someone who we can make a difference for. What would you do?’
That wasn’t fair. The answer was obvious. Laurie hung her head, looking down at her feet, the way she had when she’d wanted to hide her emotions from her father.
‘I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I’ll do everything that Sam tells me...’
‘Maybe you will, for a little while. I’d give it a week. Tops.’
If they made a bet on it, then Ross would probably win. She looked up at him and saw a trace of sadness in his face. Kindness, too, in his dark eyes. He didn’t like this any more than she did, and it gave her one last chance.
‘Okay. You’re probably right. Is there anything...anything...that I can do to change your mind and let me stay? If you throw me out now, that effectively ruins my chances of getting back onto the England team.’ Honesty was her final resort. And it seemed to work, because Ross smiled.
‘There is one thing. You may not like it very much.’
Laurie had already reckoned on that. ‘That’s okay. I can live with not liking it.’
‘We have a small apartment that we use for visiting specialists. In the old building.’ He gestured towards the large residential property that stood a little way away from the modern clinic building. ‘You can stay there and make use of any of the clinic’s facilities you want to, the gym and the pool. You can even book a session with Sam, as long as you’re not planning on wasting her time by ignoring what she tells you.’
That didn’t sound so bad. It was the kind of freedom that Laurie had wanted all along.
‘But there’s something I need in return.’