Page 32 of Prognosis Irreconcilable Differences

CHAPTER SIX

Nathan pulled away, recoiling from her statement. ‘No.’

Jacqui nodded. ‘Yes, Nate. Yes.’

He pulled the stethoscope off his neck and slapped it down on the examination couch. ‘Don’t think because you’re back in my life that you suddenly know me and what I want better than I do.’

Jacqui refused to be put off. ‘I’ve always known you better than you, Nate.’

Nathan glared at her, ignoring the truth behind her words. ‘I’m exactly where I want to be,’ he said, walking away from her and her unsettling gaze.

‘And yet you feel empty,’ she said calmly to his retreating back. ‘Isn’t that what you told me in Sydney?’

‘Not empty,’ he denied, shrugging into his jacket. ‘I said something was missing.’ He turned to face her, sitting on the edge of his desk, his photo collage framing her nicely.

She pointed backwards at the pictures. ‘Well, look no further. I think those snaps say it all, really.’

Nathan rolled his eyes. ‘I’d defy anybody to not look happy when they’ve just helped a new life into the world, Jacqui. Witnessing other people’s emotions, sharing such an intimate moment, is bound to bring out the grinning idiot in anyone. This has nothing to do with that. I think I’m old enough to know what I want, Jacqui. Old enough to know what makes me happy.’

Jacqui sighed. How could such an intelligent, successful man be so blind to the basics? ‘And you really think a fully listed company on the stock exchange is going to do it? You can’t rely on external stuff to bring you the inner contentment you seek. That has to come from inside — from being totally and completely comfortable with who you are.’

Nate rubbed his eyes. ‘I am.’

Jacqui raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Come on, Nate. Be honest with yourself.’

Nathan gripped the edge of the desk and felt the angle of his jaw tighten involuntarily. He pushed himself off and strode towards her, holding her gaze. ‘Are you calling me a liar?’

Jacqui felt a wave of goose bumps march across her skin both at his nearness and at the sinister gravelly quality of his voice. But it was no time to back down. ‘A little too close to the bone?’

God, he’d forgotten how stubborn she could be. How dogged. Never letting up, never letting him hide from anything. He shook his head. ‘You’re like a cracked record. I command a billion-dollar company. What else should I want?’

‘I remember when just being a doctor was enough.’

‘No, Jacq. No. It was never enough.’ Nathan placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘And if you were honest with yourself, you’d admit being a doctor was never enough for me. I always wanted more.’

Jacqueline searched his face, looking for a crack, a weakness, a sign of doubt. But there was none. His strong features were unflinchingly sure. And she had to at least concede that point to him. He’d always been driven, ambitious. She’d just fallen into the trap so many women fell into — hoping love could change a man.

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