02

Jayden gazed out at the sleeping town as Peter maneuvered the SUV through the streets of Queenstown. He hadn’t realized until then just how much he had actually enjoyed this place. He loved the view, the placid waters of the lake, the food, the people, and even the crazy sports. This was a perfect holiday spot. He’d definitely be back.

The drive was exhilarating, and Jayden allowed his eyes to feast on the rough beauty of the Central Otago area. Coarse, snow-covered mountains, pristine blue lakes, and twisted, gusting rivers came together as one in picturesque harmony. Now and again, distant winding roads led to vineyards and orchards and the remote formless dots of farmhouses. Sometimes the roads were so close to the edge of the cliffs Jay felt they were toying with the end of the world.

Three and a half hours of driving later, they arrived in the city of Dunedin on the east coast.

« So this is it ? This is George Street, the center of the city ? » Jay asked as they came through the short length of the Octagon toward the north end of the town.

« Yep, » Pete responded, coming to a stop at the traffic lights on Hanover Street. « It’s a small town, bro. The Edinburgh of the South, they call it. We’ll have to park in the Meridian car park building. Damn busy on a Friday. Bloody students everywhere. »

« A city of students, huh ? » Jayden commented, eyeing the crowd crossing the streets in front of them.

« Yeah, » Pete responded, taking out his cell phone.

Jay glanced at his friend, his eyebrows rising. « Not supposed to be texting while driving. »

Pete chuckled, and his thumbs moved faster like he was on a texting marathon.

Jay shook his head and turned his attention back to the streets. There was a thick crowd of students, and they were exceptionally well dressed. There were young men in fashionable jeans and coats (a few in shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops), while the young women wore flimsy coats, super skinny jeans or leggings and miniskirts, and three-inch heels. They strode and mingled as they laughed and chatted with their shopping bags in hand. The flawless faces of the girls were similar to that of the supermodels back in New York, by design, no doubt. Not bad for a small city from a near-forgotten country. Certainly few in New York would be familiar with this place.

Perhaps it was for this very reason that his eyes were suddenly drawn to a young woman striding across the street. She was completely different from the others. She wore a bright-blue coat that had seen better days, and her long, dark hair was a mess, streaming around her as she dashed across the street. She darted her way through the crowd, passing through them like a trained soldier racing through a minefield. He noticed she wasn’t wearing the high heels so liked by others. Instead, she wore a pair of white sneakers that were a complete contrast to her black jeans. Jay had to shake his head. She had no sense of fashion whatsoever.

« Done ! You didn’t see that, » Pete said.

Jay glanced at his friend and saw Peter slotting his cell phone back into his jeans pocket. As the traffic lights changed to green and Pete’s foot pressed on the accelerator, Jay glanced at the girl in the blue coat. He noticed she had slowed down her pace. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a cell phone. As she strolled toward a door, her head was down as though she were reading a message. Jay glanced up and saw the logo in blue, big bold letters that said ANZ Bank.

Not long after that, Jayden found himself in the Dunedin Public Hospital cafeteria. He looked about his surroundings in astonishment. The atmosphere was as grey and dull as the faded wall paint, washed-out carpet, and the smell of hospital food.

He watched an elderly patient sitting across the table from them, trying to pick up a sandwich with wrinkled, liver-spotted hands that shook with the desperate determination of old age.

« What are we doing here ? » Jay asked.

« Looking for the perfect girlfriend for you, » Peter said enthusiastically.

« Very funny, » Jay snapped, picked up his ham sandwich, and taking a bite.

They were looking in the wrong place. No proper socialite chick, even one desperate enough to be hired for whatever reason, would be found in this type of place.

At that moment, a large group of young doctors came into the cafeteria with trays of food and drinks in their hands. Some were wearing scrubs while the younger ones, the medical students, wore semi-formal clothing with stethoscopes hanging around their necks. Jay noted a few of the female doctors looked quite appealing.

« Hey, I can tell you like the looks of this, » Peter said as they watched the doctors taking their seats not far from them.

« Is she a doctor ? » Jay asked.

Peter shook his head.

« A nurse ? » Jay watched as a pack of young and old nurses wearing dark-blue scrubs filed into the cafeteria.

Again Peter shook his head.

« What does she do, then ? You said you know her, » Jay said, watching a pretty female heading their way.

She looked very attractive, long legs in heels, medium brown hair that flowed down her back, full lips, and bedroom eyes. Perfect !

Peter nodded. « Of course I know her. She’s exactly what the criteria are not. »

« What ? But she’s perfect. » Jay watched the woman gliding toward him. Then she smiled at him. My God, she was beautiful. She could be a model if she wanted to ; only she was a doctor, which was even better. She had brains and possibly a good family background. What about manners ? He had no doubt she had excellent manners. He couldn’t imagine her yelling and screaming insanely at her sick, elderly patients.

Yes, she fit the criteria, all right.

« Really, that’s good. I’m glad you agree, » Peter said, eyeing the woman coming toward them. He waved as she approached the seat opposite them.

« Hey, you, » she said, greeting him. « I thought you were on holiday. What are you doing back here ? »

Jay liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and sweet.

« Mary, this is Jayden, a friend of mine. » Peter introduced her, nodding toward Jay, who rose and offered his hand.

« Hi, » Mary said. « I’m Pete’s cousin. I’m a medical student. »

Jay liked her hand, too. It was soft. He could sense both gentleness and strength in it.

« So how is your holiday going ? » she asked. « You’re not back to work yet, right ? »

Peter shook his head. « Not for another week. »

She nodded prettily and turned to Jayden with a sparkle in her eyes. « So where are you from ? »

« The States, » Jayden replied promptly.

« I like your accent. » She laughed delicately, brushing her hair over one shoulder. « So what brings you to New Zealand ? »

« Just a holiday. »

« Having fun so far ? » She leaned toward him across the table. Then beep, beep, beep. She glanced down. « Oh, damn, my pager. Excuse me for a second. » She got up and hurried to the phone on the far side of the room.

« She fits some of the criteria so far, » Jay commented, watching Mary. He saw her eyeing him as she was talking into the phone and jotting down notes.

« How do you know when you haven’t met her yet ? » Peter asked.

Jayden glanced at his friend, frowning in confusion as he brought the cup of hot coffee to his lips. « Mary ? »

« Nope, not Mary—her. » Peter nodded toward the far entrance of the cafeteria.

Jayden glanced in that direction, and his eyes widened in shock. His breath caught at the back of his throat, and he started spluttering—hot liquid burning his tongue.

« Hey, are you all right ? »

« Yeah, » Jay muttered, wiping his mouth with the napkin. He glanced up and watched intensely, his frown darkening into a scowl. This female—the girl in the blue coat he had seen in the street—the girl who was walking toward them with a satchel over her shoulder and a cup of tea in one hand—was nothing like what he expected. She didn’t fit the criteria. Period !

She was average height. She wasn’t pretty. In fact, she was plain. Her baggy jersey was an odd, dull-grey color and didn’t exactly enhance her skin tone either. It made her face look pale and ghostly. Her long, dark hair was a mess and hung forward in long bangs that hid her eyes.

As she walked toward them, Jay couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked nervous.

She glanced at them, gave Peter a fleeting smile, and then rushed past them.

« What do you think ? » Peter asked.

« Not her. » Jay felt his gut wrenching with dread. « Please tell me it’s not her. »

« It’s her. » Peter chuckled. « Once your family sees her, they will leave you alone. »

« How do you know that for sure ? »

« Because they will give up. If you show them she is the type of girl you are in love with—and, mate, I know you are not at the moment—they will give up in the end and leave you alone. » Peter smiled smugly, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

Mary finished her phone call and joined them.

« You look busy, » Peter said.

« I am, » Mary replied. « Every patient in ED seems to have pneumonia. Then there are those with colds and flu. Can’t they just go to their GP ? » She turned to Jayden, who suddenly went very quiet and had a trancelike look on his face. « Are you okay ? »

« Huh ? Oh, I’m fine. »

« Hey, we should go out Saturday night, » Mary suggested, eyeing Jayden. « Dinner, a movie, a quiet drink, and then—«

Jay raised his eyebrows. Peter cleared his throat and nodded. « How about inviting the others along too ? It’ll be fun. »

Mary frowned at Peter. He simply shrugged his shoulders and tried on an expression of innocence—which failed.