Page 78 of New Dreams for the Village Nurse
Simon looked confused.
‘It’s supposed to stop your eyes from watering when you chop onions,’ Ottilie said.
‘Oh.’ Simon frowned slightly. ‘And does it?’
‘I’m not entirely sure.’
Simon rooted in a nearby drawer and pulled out a paring knife. ‘I won’t do the spoon thing, if it’s all the same to everyone.’
‘While I’m here, Doctor,’ Magnus said. ‘Geoff and I have been saying for weeks we ought to invite you over for supper. We’d love it if you could come over one night soon.’
‘That sounds good,’ Stacey said, even though the invite hadn’t been for her. ‘I’m quite free for the next few days, so…’
Janet had wandered over to another station before the conversation had got underway, and she beckoned Ottilie over now.
‘Sorry, I’ve got to make a start,’ she said to the others, more than a little disappointed that she wasn’t going to hear where this was going. ‘Catch you all later?’
‘Absolutely,’ Stacey said before turning her quite undivided attention back to Simon.
Ottilie grinned as she walked away. Magnus had to have noticed by now. Much as she loved the idea of Stacey and Simon as a couple, perhaps she ought to have a word with him. He and Geoff had pulled a cupid stunt on her and Heath and it had very nearly backfired. If they tried it again with Simon, it might ruin everything. If anyone asked for her opinion (and they likely wouldn’t), she’d say to let things run their course. If Stacey and Simon were meant to be together they’d find a way to make it happen all by themselves.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ottilie’s shift at the community kitchen had been one of the most fun ones she’d done since she’d begun as a volunteer there. Simon and Stacey had soon settled into banter, and he revealed a cheeky side that Ottilie hadn’t known existed. It seemed Stacey brought out something naughty in his nature and it was strangely reassuring to see that not only was he a serious professional but an actual normal human being too, who liked a joke and could be silly from time to time.
At the end of the evening, Ottilie, Stacey, Simon and Magnus had walked through the village together, Ottilie leaving the other three at Magnus’s place before going to her own home to settle down for the night. They’d tried to persuade her to go in for one drink, but she’d noticed more than one missed call from Heath and wanted a moment to speak to him, and she didn’t feel that a rowdy drinking session (it would turn into that if Magnus and Geoff had anything to do with it) was the place to do that.
The following morning at work, Simon had a look about him she’d never seen before. It could only be described as hopeful. He’d always been pleasant and friendly, but there wassomething in the way he smiled that was different. What had happened the night before? Ottilie wanted to ask, but she had to remind herself that the best course of action was to leave well alone. But she didn’t have to wait long for the first clues.
Her tummy was rumbling, and the last patient had just left. She could hear Lavender moving around downstairs, locking up the surgery so they could have their regular lunch together in the kitchen. Ottilie’s would have to wait a little longer, though. She needed to get her afternoon schedule straight before she could join them, otherwise she’d be at sixes and sevens all afternoon without time to catch up. She was busy getting to grips with it when there was a light tap at the door and it opened to reveal Simon poking his head around it.
‘Ottilie…have you got a minute?’
Ottilie looked up from her diary. ‘Of course I have. Is something wrong?’
‘No…’ Simon stepped into the office and closed the door. ‘It’s a bit awkward really, but you’re the one person who might understand and I’d appreciate your take on it.’
‘OK, so now I’m intrigued.’
He laughed awkwardly. ‘Don’t be… It’s not that exciting. Scary, but not exciting. At least, not to anyone else.’
Ottilie didn’t speak this time but nodded for him to go on.
‘It’s…Well, I know you lost your husband but you’ve found love again.’
‘Right…’ Ottilie said, wondering where this was going. She had a hunch, but she couldn’t understand what it had to do with her if her hunch was correct. And besides, though she was with Heath, she was beginning to doubt that this was her second true love. The way he’d been lately, she wondered how much longer they could last. ‘Yes, I suppose I have.’
‘Did you feel…in the beginning, did you feel like it was too soon?’
‘A little. But it hadn’t been all that long for me since Josh had died – not as long as it’s been for you.’
‘Hmm…’ He cleared his throat, staring down at his feet as he shifted his weight back and forth. ‘Still feels too soon. I think it might always feel too soon, no matter how many years go by.’
‘I suppose I felt like that too. I almost had to force myself not to.’
‘And…I know we discussed this once, but I’m still struggling to see it…How did you deal with the guilt? I assume you felt unbearable guilt, because that’s what I’m feeling right now.’
Ottilie shrugged. ‘I think you have to accept it as part of the deal. I still have guilt when I think of Josh, but he’s not here and Heath is, and I don’t want to be lonely anymore. Not for the sake of a bit of unnecessary guilt. And I know what Josh would have said about it. He’d have said it was unnecessary guilt too. Doesn’t make it go away, though. I’m sorry, I don’t have a magic fix for that.’
