Page 14 of Mending Hearts at the Cornish Country Hospital (The Cornish Country Hospital #6)

‘You’ve got a magic act?’ Eden shouldn’t have been surprised when Gwen nodded.

‘Yes, Barry the Magic Man and the Great Gwendini.’

‘Sounds brilliant, I’ll have to come along and see that for myself one day. Although if I don’t get the coffees in for that lot soon.’ Eden gestured towards her colleagues sitting around one of the bistro tables. ‘I won’t need magic to make me disappear.’

As she gave Gwen their order and waited for the drinks to be made, Eden tried not to wonder whether the reason for Drew’s sudden disappearance had anything to do with her.

It couldn’t be that though, she was just overthinking it again and making the assumption that she was on Drew’s mind, when he probably hadn’t given her a second thought.

Once she took the drinks out to the others the conversation flowed easily.

Eve opened up a bit and told them about some of the work she’d done when she’d been at St James’s hospital in Leeds.

Although when Meg had asked her what had made her come back to Cornwall, her answer had been the same vague explanation about family issues that she’d given when she’d gone on extended leave just before Eden had joined the team.

Meg had been the one directing questions at Eve, and Eden had found herself wondering if that was Meg’s way of avoiding having to say too much about her own situation.

Although the truth was, Eden hadn’t told them much detail about why she’d come back to Cornwall either.

She’d mentioned the break up with Teddie’s father, but not how toxic things had been for years before then.

Or how she’d ended up getting involved with a man like Jesse, because of a childhood that had made her want to rescue every lame duck who crossed her path.

She didn’t want to dump all of that on them.

In any case, this was Eden’s chance to reinvent herself, and it had taken her a long time to finally realise that the only people she needed to save were herself and Teddie.

Thankfully Isla’s contribution to the conversation was light-hearted and fun, regaling them all with updates on Aidan and Jase’s experiences as new dads.

She had first-hand insight because her boyfriend, Reuben, was Aidan and Jase’s nephew.

Isla also updated them on the latest about the relationship between Amy, one of the other A just one more way to assert power over her.

Part of her hoped he’d found someone else to focus his attention on, but she wouldn’t wish that on anybody.

Maybe Sadie had finally persuaded him to get the help he needed, but she hadn’t heard from her either and that was something else she was grateful for.

‘I nearly didn’t check you were still here, I thought you’d be at home by now.

’ Felix smiled and she knew without him having to say anything that he was pleased to see her hanging out with her colleagues and having fun.

‘This is my brother, Felix. He’s just had an interview as an OT.’ Eden introduced each of the others to him in turn. When all the introductions were over, she turned back to her brother.

‘So how did the interview go?’

‘I’ll tell you, if you show me proof that you’ve texted Drew and arranged to meet up.’ Eden could have killed Felix for revealing that particular snippet of information in front of the others. They were bound to read too much into it, just like Felix was.

‘Drew Redford, the pathologist?’ Meg raised her eyebrows, but before she could ask any more questions and make it into far more than it was, Eden cut her off at the pass.

‘Yes. We spoke about meeting up, because he’s got some personal experience of ASD. I thought it might help me with understanding more about Teddie.’ She didn’t want to say that Drew was autistic too; that was for him to share or not as he saw fit.

‘That’s my Eddie’s story and she’s sticking to it.’ Felix grinned and Eden flicked him on the arm.

‘Sometimes I hate having a brother.’

‘No you don’t, you love me. Now are you going to send that text, or am I going to keep the details of how the interview went all to myself?’

‘Well I’m invested now.’ Isla leant forward in her seat. ‘So I think you need to do it for all our sakes.’

‘Okay, I’m doing it now.’ Eden had already saved Drew’s number in her phone, from when she’d made the promise to Felix before.

It took less than a minute to send the text and she was determined not to make too big a deal of it, not least because of what Felix and the others would read into it if she did.

Hi Drew. It’s Eden, Teddie’s mum. I wondered if you were still up for getting together? Let me know if so, but no pressure.

As the message flew off into the ether, she looked up at her brother again.

‘Right, that’s my side of the bargain fulfilled. So come on then, how did the interview go? And just so you know, there’s a big part of me that hopes it was a toe-curlingly embarrassing experience.’

‘Sorry to disappoint you, sis, but they offered me the job on the spot, subject to all the usual checks and references of course.’

‘That’s brilliant!’ Eden jumped to her feet and hugged him.

Despite the joke she’d made about hoping his interview hadn’t gone to plan, she couldn’t have been more thrilled to hear that he’d been offered the job and that he’d be staying in Cornwall.

Things seemed to be looking up on so many fronts, she just hoped that arranging to meet up with Drew wouldn’t turn out to be a big mistake.

She’d made far too many of those in the past and the last thing she wanted was to make another one that would do anything to derail her fresh start.