Page 17 of Last Dance, Second Chance

Overall, she found their presence quite comforting. They rushed out to the door when they heard Nathan, though, thrilled to have a human return who could move around properly.

“Hey,” Nathan said, petting the dogs. “How are you doing?”

“Not too bad. Did you have a good morning?”

“Yeah, busy. Let me make us a bit of lunch. I’ve only got about forty minutes before I need to get back.”

“Thanks. I appreciate you spending your lunchtime checking on me.”

“I usually come home to have a play with Dennis anyway,” he reassured her.

Jessica followed him along to the kitchen.

“Did the dogs behave for you?” Nathan asked.

“They were as good as gold, even Monty. Mostly.”

“Animals can be very perceptive. Maybe they’re going easy on you because they know you’re hurt.”

“If that’s the case, then thank you, guys,” Jessica said with a laugh.

“Is soup all right for lunch? It’s spiced butternut squash.” Nathan held up the carton for Jessica to see.

“Sounds yummy.”

Nathan put the soup on to warm through.

“If you have a chance before you leave, could you get me a couple of the garden chairs down, please? I thought it would be nice to sit in the garden this afternoon, while the sun’s on it.”

“Sure, I’ll do it now,” he said, heading outside. “And then you can get that foot elevated again,” he said, sternly.

Jessica smiled. For someone who hated being bossed around as much as she did, she quite liked it when Nathan became all doctory and strict with her. It made her feel looked after.

Jessica followed him outside and watched guiltily as Nathan got chairs down and wiped them clean before drying them ready for her. By the time she’d got herself sat in one with her foot up on another, lunch was ready and Nathan brought the soup out along with some sourdough bread.

“So,” he said, sitting down next to Jessica. “If you were home in New York now, what would you be doing?”

“Dancing,” said Jessica automatically. “Actually, with the time difference, I’d probably be in the gym right now.”

“How many hours of exercise do you do a day?”

“It varies. More when we’re rehearsing and performing, but at least six.”

“That sounds exhausting!”

Jessica laughed. “It can be, but it’s what you have to do if you want to be a ballet dancer. It’s what I’ve done for fifteen years now.”

“Since you were sixteen?” said Nathan, quickly doing the maths.

“Yeah. I boarded at a ballet school in London during the week until I was eighteen, and then I auditioned and was offered a place in the ballet company I’m with now.”

“That’s dedication.”

“Yep, but I bet you worked incredibly hard to get through medical school.”

“That’s true. I think I’ve blanked most of it out. I survived on about four hours of sleep a night for years, although some of that was so I could fit in some socialising as well,” he admitted.

They finished eating and Nathan took their empty bowls into the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher. He came back out with a couple of tennis balls. “It’s probably a good idea to tire these two out a bit before I head back to work.”

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