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“Anna, I only have to listen to you talk about these patients to know you will do everything you can to get them back to the lives they had before they came into hospital. Or in the case of Joe, improve his life.”

Warmth flooded her chest. She liked that he had that much faith in her. “I’ll certainly try.” They came to a halt outside the hospital. “Well, this is it. Come and see where I spend most of my days.”

It was almost imperceptible, but because she was watching him, because she was far too interested in trying to read him, she saw his shoulders stiffen, his jaw tighten. “Luke? Are you okay? We don’t have to go in, not if you don’t want to. I know some people have a fear of hospitals and well, technically just standing here we could say we’ve visited Anna’s work.”

“I’m fine.” His chest expanded as he inhaled a deep breath. “Just not been in a hospital since Mum died.”

Her heart gave a big hard tug and she squeezed his hand. “Then we go slowly and if you need to turn around and go out, we do that. I don’t have a clue why my brother put this down but I’m certain he wouldn’t have wanted to upset you.”

But as they stepped out of the elevator at the floor for the geriatric ward, she was the one who froze, who had to gulp in air. She was the one whose stomach felt like the bottom had fallen out of it.

“Anna.”

The one man she hadn’t wanted to bump into. “Phillip.”

Her ex skimmed his eyes up and down her in a way that made her skin prickle, but not in a nice way. In a makes my flesh creep, way. “I was sorry to hear about your brother. He threw one hell of a party.”

She mumbled her thanks, even though party throwing was the shallowest of ways to define her awesome brother.

Phillip turned his assessing gaze to Luke. This time he had to tilt his chin so he could look Luke in the eye, such was their height difference.

As she watched their interaction, it struck her that the man she’d once thought herself in love with, who she’d allowed to hurt her, reject her, looked so ordinary next to Luke. Bland, beige compared to Luke’s rugged vitality.

“Are you going to introduce us?” Phillip asked smoothly.

That was him all over. Supremely confident. Because she lacked it, she’d found his self-assurance very attractive. Now she saw it for what it was, arrogance.

“Phillip, this is Luke. He’s my brother’s best friend. Was his best friend.” A lump jumped into her throat. Grief was no longer a daily, all-consuming presence. It crept up unexpectedly. “Luke, this is Phillip. He’s . . . one of the doctors here.”

Phillip reached his hand out. Luke glanced at it, but didn’t shake it. “I know who Phillip is.”

Her ex retracted his hand, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “A friend of Colin’s, you say?” He turned to Anna. “Funny, I always had your brother down as a decent guy.”

Luke let out a low noise that sounded like a growl. “Not a word he ever used for you.”

Phillip glared back at Luke. Then turned on his heel and stalked off down the corridor, elbowing a jaunty Christmas tree out of his way.

Anna watched with a smile on her face. “Well. That was interesting.” She glanced at Luke. “How did you know he was my ex?”

“You told me he was called Phillip.” He looked at her with concern. “And he’s the only person I’ve seen you not give a warm smile to.”

“Did Colin really talk to you about him?”

“No.” Luke grimaced. “But I’m damn certain if he had, he’d have told me the dude was an arrogant douche.” He met her eyes. “And he’d have said he didn’t have a clue why someone as smart, as gorgeous, as warm hearted as his sister would give the man the time of day, let alone date him.”

Delighted, she hugged him. “Thank you. Now let’s go and see if we can make someone else’s day like you’ve just made mine.”

* * *

Luke didn’t know how Anna did it, but somehow she managed to give each patient she introduced him to exactly the right smile, the right words.

To the woman who’d broken her hip, and who looked like she was about to cry when she saw them, Anna gave a smile filled with compassion, with sympathy. To Joe, who was so delighted to see her he nearly catapulted himself out of bed, she gave a bright, cheery smile. Then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes bantering with him in a way the old guy clearly relished but would not admit to.

“Go on, give us a flash.” Joe waggled his eyebrows and Luke stiffened.

Surely he wasn’t . . . his heart steadied as she lifted up her flared leggings to reveal one sock dotted with Father Christmas’s, and one with snow men.

Joe cackled, but a beat later his expression turned morose. “When am I getting out of this hell hole?” he grumbled.