Page 14 of Only You

Andrew grimaced. This was a conversation they’d had many times before. He barely had enough time in the day to breathe, let alone put any effort into meeting someone. Aside from getting to know them and then introducing them to Olivia.

“That may be so, but life is for living. It is also way too short. Don’t shut yourself away. You are doing both yourself and Olivia a disservice.”

Sally stopped talking after that, leaving Andrew to mull over her words.

He’d heard the same words from his parents and John. It wasn’t as though Eva had burned him. He’d dated in the early years while Olivia was a baby. But as Olivia got older, it got harder. He wanted to spend his free time with his daughter without a steady stream of different women passing through her life. So, he’d stopped. He had witnessed Olivia’s devastation when Nanny Bea left and was glad he’d made that call. He never wanted to see his daughter in that kind of distress again.

Now, his workload made it impossible. After he landed the TV spot, he had far too much media attention for his liking. He was the best of the best, and his bosses at the hospital loved it. He had become the most requested surgeon on the team. The hospital had pimped him out as their representative on morning television. His day job wasn’t changing. He couldn’t reduce his hours. His daughter was his world, but he wasn’t about to leave her with just anyone. That didn’t work for him. If he needed to, he’d have to ask for time off until he could find suitable care. It was not like he couldn’t afford it. His grandfather had passed away the year before, leaving him and his brother more money than they could spend in ten lifetimes. The rebuilding of London after the war had been a lucrative business. Andrew’s work was a vocation. He loved his job, but not at the expense of Olivia.

“All done,” Sally said. Andrew looked up as she rested her hand on his shoulder. “It will be fine. What you need is a sister like mine. She used to take my kids in the early days when I was working. She still child-minds. I can ask her if she knows anyone?”

Andrew nodded, his mind wandering back to the previous night. The shock at seeing Eva’s baby sister had been huge. There had been no contact with Eva’s family for over seven years, but he instantly recognised Santana. It was not surprising. She was Eva’s doppelgänger. Her stature and bone structure, when her large brown eyes had locked on his, it had knocked the breath from his lungs. The only difference was Eva had always worn her hair short, whereas Ana wore it long, albeit tied up.

Andrew had only met Santana a few times. He had always felt sorry for her. She had been quiet and withdrawn the few times she had been home when they visited. Her father shut her down whenever she spoke, and from what he had gleaned from Eva, he sent her away to boarding school as soon as she was old enough. She had been an outsider in her own home.

Andrew knew Eva had been fourteen when Santana was born, the accidental baby Eva had called her. He wondered what she was doing in London, so far from her home in the West Country. He assumed she would follow the family tradition and enter the medical profession. There was no way she was in a residency if she was waiting tables. Her father would never have allowed that. Andrew couldn’t say he had ever warmed to his ex-father-in-law. He may have been an amazing surgeon in his day, but he was cold and dictatorial. Eva’s mother had been a quiet mouse who did everything her husband demanded of her, even though she was a general practitioner and worked long hours herself. Eva had told him one night when she’d had too much to drink, that her mother had been an even more promising surgeon than her father before they’d had her. The whole family setup had been alien to Andrew, who’d grown up in a supportive and loving environment. In the three years, he and Eva were together, they’d spent very little time with her parents. He was glad Olivia was not exposed to them.

“Thank you for listening, Sally,” Andrew said, getting up and moving towards the door.

“Any time,” Sally called after him. “My chair is always available.”

Andrew smiled before leaving the room. The morning circus was about to begin.

Chapter Eight

Andrew

By the time Andrew got into the hospital office, it was almost ten, but he felt like he had already put in a full day’s work.

His mother had called to say that Olivia had got upset when it had come time to go to school and that she had made an executive decision and kept her home. They would bake cakes and have a girl’s day as Andrew’s dad was meeting up with the boys to play golf. Andrew didn’t blame his mother. She wasn’t aware of all that had been happening with Olivia. He had kept recent events hidden, not wanting to worry her, and maybe that was a mistake. Maybe his mother might have more luck finding out what was happening with his daughter. Let Olivia have a day with Grandma, he reasoned, while he quickly worked on finding a grandparent replacement.

Andrew dropped into his chair and picked up the piece of paper Suzie had left for him. She had written in bold letters across the top.

AGENCY LIST.

“Oh good, you found it.”

Suzie’s voice came from the door. Not waiting to be invited in, she closed the door before dropping herself into the chair opposite Andrew.

“Okay, I went through all the agencies that have positive reviews and made a list. I have listed au pair agencies and good old-fashioned nanny agencies.” She pulled another list out of the folder she was carrying. “I made some calls this morning, and you should receive several CVs for potential applicants to your personal email.”

Andrew’s eyes left the list as he stared wide-eyed at Suzie.

“What?” she asked. “You didn’t think I’d let the grass grow under my feet, did you? Time is of the essence. We need to get organised, and you need to interview. Olivia must have the chance to meet any prospective child carer, and so do you.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I don’t know what to say. You always come through. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Andrew watched as a warm glow-tinged Suzie’s cheeks. She brushed his comment aside.

“Believe me, you are the best and most appreciative boss I have ever worked for. If I can help, then I will.”

“Well, thank you,” Andrew said again.

His heart warmed at her words. She did not know what she meant to him. He needed to find a way to repay her.

Switching his computer on, Andrew logged onto his personal email account, and sure enough, there were several welcome emails from the agencies at the top of Suzie’s list. He began clicking through and saw links to potential candidates. It would take some time, but at least Suzie had ensured he was ahead of the game.

“Wow, you work fast,” he said.

---