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“Yeah, imagine the life we could have there. Things won’t happen overnight, you know how it is with the church…”

“You really think things could be different for us abroad?”

“There’ll be much less scrutiny, so we’ll get away with more of this…”

Then came a different sound. No longer voices…

Wait, was that…?

I turned my head and closed one eye to peer with the other through the gap.

I didn’t know much about kissing, only that in the school yard last week, Felicity Granger had dared me to kiss Emily Fletcher. Emily was okay, for a girl, and I wasn’t one to back down from a dare.

“Alright,” I’d said and puckered up. I closed my eyes and leaned towards Emily with all her freckles and pigtails and lips, and…

A burst of giggles and I opened my eyes to Felicity holding a dirty great toad up to my face. Now I officially hate girls. And kissing.

Through the gap I spied my mother, her slender fingers cupped around the priest’s clean-shaven face, his hands around her waist pulling her close, squeezing her to him.

4

QUELLE SURPRISE

“Well, hello again, Alice French.”

Alice’s head whipped from the man to the doorway, where Doctor Khurana stood leaning against the doorjamb.

“What are you doing here?”

“I work here.” A smile teased the corners of the doctor’s mouth. Instead of scrubs she wore grey denim jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing her toned forearms. Alice tore her eyes from the doctor and back to the man, who had resumed his regular breathing.

“So, what areyoudoing here?” The doctor’s eyes smiled more than her mouth, which Alice read as not being entirely displeased to see her.

“I came to sort out my car and thought I’d pop in to check on Xavier.” Alice gestured to the man.

Ash stepped into the room. “Xavier? Has he been identified?”

“No, it’s just what I decided his name was.”

“Right.” Ash shook her head and laughed, the sound of which caused Alice’s smile to stretch even wider.

“Surely you’re not starting your next shift already?” Alice twisted a finger into one of her curls and pulled it straight before letting it spring back into place.

“No, I was heading to the gym. In all last night’s excitement, I forgot my trainers.”

“Ah, okay.” Alice dropped her gaze back to the hypnotising rhythm of the man’s chest.

“So, how is he?”

Alice grinned. “I don’t know, you’re the doctor.”

Ash breathed out a laugh as she moved to the end of the bed and unhooked the metal clipboard from the frame.

“Hmm. Right. Yep. Uh-huh.”

Alice looked on as the doctor leafed through the pages, her eyes scanning the notes, about as intelligible as hieroglyphics to anyone not in the medical profession.

“So…?”