THE KISS ENDED in confusion. Of course it did.
The front door opened and Alice rolled out to the veranda. ‘Misty?’ she called and then her voice went up an octave or six. ‘Misty! What on earth...?’
And they stepped apart as if they’d been hit by lightning. What...what had just happened?
‘Misty... Misty was upset,’ Angus said, as he stepped back. ‘I was...it was just a hug.’
‘That didn’t look like a hug,’ Alice retorted. ‘Misty, are out of your mind?’
‘I think I must be,’ Misty stammered. She carefully didn’t look at Angus. ‘But I was... I was just thanking him. Gran, Angus has done the most amazing thing.’
‘He certainly has,’ muttered Alice, giving Angus a death stare to end all death stares. ‘I’ve been trying to stop his “amazing thing” from crying for the last two hours. She’s only just stopped and now there’s dinner to prepare. I need help.’
‘Of course,’ Misty said penitently. ‘I’ll just...’
‘Pack,’ Angus said.
‘As though that’s going to happen tonight.’ She was feeling weird, maybe even angry? In truth she didn’t know how to feel. ‘You get your friends here first and then we’ll discuss it.’
‘They’ll come,’ he said. ‘Maybe tomorrow, definitely by Monday.’
‘You really think you can get qualified doctors to drop everything and come?’
‘Have you seen the surf report?’ He grinned. ‘It’s a no brainer.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Alice demanded from the veranda. ‘And were you really kissing?’ She sounded bewildered, as well she might be. ‘Misty, love, are you nuts?’
‘Maybe I am,’ Misty admitted. ‘Because yes, we were kissing.’ She took a step back and glared at the offending kisser. Or kissee? She really had no idea.
‘I have no idea what just happened,’ she said, managing to sound severe. ‘But we’re not nuts, at least I don’t think I am. Gran, Angus is promising to conjure up a team of doctors to give me...to give us a break. It seems his team can take shifts being doctors and surfers, taking care of the clinic as well as having a sort of holiday.’ She took a deep breath, thinking...did this even sound plausible? She cast a cautious glance at Angus and decided looking at him was a bad idea. Somehow she forced herself to go on.
‘Angus... Angus thinks his team can live here as well. They’ll take over the island’s medical needs while you and me and Forrest go and live in the most luxurious house on the island. For a month!’
Alice’s jaw dropped. Forrest had edged out to stand beside her wheelchair and she reached out and took the little boy’s hand. ‘You’re joking,’ she said, staring at Angus now rather than Misty.
‘I’m not joking.’
There was a long silence. ‘Of all the promises,’ Alice said at last, ‘that’s crazy. We can’t even get a locum.’
‘That’s because you thought small,’ Angus told her, looking smug. ‘One locum would be worked to death, just like Misty’s been. Three or more locums, though... A spot of medicine, a spot of surfing, turn and turn about... What’s not to love?’
‘They won’t take medicine seriously,’ Misty retorted.
‘They’ll take medicine seriously enough,’ Angus told her. ‘But they’ll get the balance right.’
‘You mean surfing comes first?’
‘Misty, we’ll always be there in an emergency.’ His eyes were on her face as he said it, thoughtful. ‘But I imagine our definition of emergency might be different to yours. Brisbane’s there, evacuation’s there, and we’ll use it.’
‘But evacuation... That’s for...’
‘Emergencies. Yes, that’s what I said.’
She was staring at him with incredulity, remembering the skill he’d used to save the little dog, remembering the gentleness of his voice as he’d talked to Cath. This didn’t fit. ‘Would you and your team have sent Doozy to Brisbane?’
He hesitated and then said, ‘We might have,’ he conceded. ‘It was only your reaction...’
‘Because I was emotionally involved? Doozy would have died if you’d refused to act.’ Her voice sharpened in anger. ‘Would you really have done that?’
‘Misty.’ Her grandmother’s voice cut across with unaccustomed sharpness. The elderly lady was staring from Angus to Misty, her face a picture of conflicting emotions. ‘Love, is he really... Doctor Firth, are you really offering Misty a holiday?’
‘Yes,’ he said. Angus was watching Misty’s face as well, seemingly bemused by the expressions he was seeing. He didn’t seem discombobulated at all, she thought angrily. This was all the same thing. He’s used to walking away from emotion. Sorting out others to take on his responsibilities. He walked away from Jancie after a two-week fling.
Then she thought, He’ll be used to kissing and he’ll be used to being kissed. It hasn’t even thrown him off kilter, whereas me...
Her thoughts were cut off. Alice had swivelled her chair so she was facing her granddaughter straight on. ‘Misty, are you arguing?’ she demanded, incredulously.
‘Maybe I am,’ she said. ‘Gran, if he’s going to send everything to Brisbane...’
‘He’s not saying that. Not everything. He’s saying there’ll be doctors here to do the urgent stuff and for weeks you’ll have no responsibility at all. So what if more things than most get sent to the city? It might just save your sanity.’
‘Oh, come on...’
‘Come on yourself,’ Alice said, in the same angry voice. ‘Look at you. You’re way past exhaustion, way past your limit. You were running on empty even before Jancie died. I’ve even been thinking we might have to admit defeat and leave...’
‘The island? That’d break your heart.’
‘Better than breaking you,’ she retorted. ‘But a holiday...four weeks...’ She spun her chair again, so she was facing Angus. ‘The most luxurious house on the island?’
‘Sapphire Seas,’ Angus told her. ‘I’ve already booked it.’
Alice gasped. ‘You’re joking.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Wow!’ She took a deep breath. ‘And I rang Martin while you two were canoodling and he says Doozy’s going to be okay. Misty, this is sounding like happy ever after.’
‘Happy for four weeks,’ Misty managed to say and Alice glared.
‘Don’t you dare quibble,’ she said, then she grinned, the happiest smile Misty had seen since they’d heard of Jancie’s death. ‘Doctor Firth, I’m accepting for all of us. Yes, and yes, and yes. Misty, you were very right to kiss him. Come on up to the veranda, young man. I intend to kiss you myself.’