LITMIR.BIZ

       CHAPTER THREE

      LUCA AIMED FOR relaxed, trying to ignore that something big was bugging Ellie. The defining strength of their friendship had taken a battering years back and he wasn’t prepared to push. Not yet anyway. He’d hate to lose her now he’d just found her again. Not that he’d been looking. He’d kind of shut off most things from his previous life, except the mantra he’d always lived by—Chirsky men were bad husbands and fathers.

      ‘I should head back to the compound,’ Ellie muttered.

      What happened to spending the evening together? ‘Let’s have another beer and then we’ll eat.’ Not waiting for her to answer, he waved at the barman busy with another order and indicated their empty glasses. He didn’t want to walk even a few metres down the bar because Ellie looked as if she was about to bolt, and that was the last thing he wanted.

      He went with, ‘It’s unbelievable. I was coming into that room to meet some doctor I’d never heard of and there you were, looking like my Ellie.’

      She blanched. Then slowly she slipped off the stool, standing straight—and bewildered. ‘I really should go.’ There was a wobble in her voice.

      Luca placed a hand firmly on her shoulder. ‘Sit down. The heat and travel hits you hard at first, but you need to stay awake till a reasonable hour to get your body clock back on track. The sooner the better.’ He doubted those were the reasons for her looking as if she’d been run down by a train, but he played along. ‘When I first arrived it took me ages to settle into a routine.’

      ‘How long have you been here?’ She still looked ready to flee.

      ‘Nine months, three to go.’

      Leaning her elbow on the counter, she propped her chin in her hand. ‘Then what?’

      ‘Maybe a spell in Cambodia.’ Or Vietnam, or even Australia at a major hospital. He hadn’t made any decisions about a whole load of things that involved his future since he’d come over here. He was avoiding them, because it was easier that way.

      Her eyes widened and at last she gave him a smile. There were long gaps between those and he was already learning to appreciate them. She asked, ‘Since when did you want to give up your goal of being head of the busiest A and E department in New Zealand?’

      The problem with changing the subject so Ellie would relax was that he ended up in the hot seat. About to start telling her about the clinic’s pet pangolin instead, he paused. They used to tell each other just about everything. Shouldn’t he start renewing their friendship by doing what they’d always done? ‘Gaylene doing her little number on me was a shock.’ That’s an understatement, El, in case you don’t realise. ‘I thought I’d made myself invulnerable, invincible, so that no one would catch me out. How wrong could a guy be? Maybe I’d become arrogant. I don’t know.’ He glanced across at Ellie and smiled despite himself. ‘Okay, I was.’ Hopefully that had changed. He’d sure as hell been taken down a peg or three, though not for anything to do with his medical work.

      ‘I can understand wanting to protect your feelings but you’re sounding as if you don’t ever want to let anyone near, into your heart.’ She eased her butt back onto the stool.

      Luca felt some of the tension in his belly lighten. At least she didn’t look quite so ready to run for the door anymore, but did she have to go straight to the centre of his problem? So easily? Maybe he hadn’t missed her as much as he’d thought. But of course he had. Strange how he hadn’t known that until he’d found her again. Should’ve done something about looking her up years ago, but he couldn’t stand Baldwin. Not at all. ‘I’ve never made any bones about the fact I do not want a family—no wife, no children.’ Okay, want was the wrong word. He wouldn’t risk having a wife and family. That was closer to the truth.

      ‘That was an excuse for bonking every moving female while you were young, but not forever, surely?’ She was laughing at him, soft and friendly-like but laughing nonetheless.

      ‘Wrong,’ he snapped. Telling her what made him who he’d become was a mistake after all. But then he’d known that, had always kept certain things to himself, even from this woman.

      ‘Hey.’ Her hand covered his. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you. You’ve got to admit you spent a lot of time chasing females back then.’

      ‘I didn’t have to chase anyone.’ Yep, maybe he still was a little bit arrogant. A sigh huffed across his lips. ‘You want to hear my story or not?’

      The surprise in her eyes told him she hadn’t expected him to continue his tale. Well, Ellie, nor did I. But now he’d started he didn’t want to stop. He wanted her to know what drove him and how he’d arrived here. The idea of opening his heart to her appealed, when it had never done so in the past. Never. Which should be a warning.

      So he stalled. ‘Let’s order some food. Want me to choose? Anything you won’t like?’

      ‘As I have no idea what the locals eat, you go ahead. I can’t think of anything I won’t enjoy. Tell you what, though, they brew great beer.’

      ‘Their food’s just as good.’ He beckoned to the waitress and rattled off a few dishes he thought would be a good introduction to Lao food. Then he drank deeply from his glass and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. ‘My father left before we were born.’ Ellie had met Angelique,

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