may have ditched her doc, but she had no intention of breaking up with her dashing docs on-screen.
Giving herself a mental slap upside the head, she entered the hospital and approached the front desk. Elaine Legham, her contact person, was at the desk and after introductions Elaine whisked her to the function rooms buried in the admin section of the hospital, down several confusing corridors.
“I’m so glad you could do this job for us,” Elaine said, as they entered a conference room dominated by a monstrous mahogany table. “I’m one of the senior psychologists here, and I’d usually leave this to our functions coordinator, but this event is too important.” She lowered her voice. “It’s a send-off for our head of department, and I’m gunning for his job.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Elaine smiled. “Good. You come highly recommended.”
Damn Manny for his interference. The polite thing to do would be to thank him, but she wasn’t feeling so polite.
“What did Manish say?”
“Manish?” Elaine blinked, confusion clouding her eyes. “Manish Gomes?”
“Yes, my fiancé.” Damn, slip of the tongue, but Harper had no intention of correcting it and inviting a host of unwelcome questions and explanations. “I take it he referred me?”
“No,” Elaine said, staring at her with open speculation. “One of the junior psychologists on my team attended an Indian wedding recently and said the food looked amazing and took one of your cards.”
Elaine gestured to a seat. “Let’s sit and you can tell me how on earth you managed to snare the elusive Manish.”
So this woman knew Manish? Not unreasonable considering the hospital fraternity in Melbourne couldn’t be huge, but damn, now Harper would have to tell her the truth. “Well, Manny and I—”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but I have to say I’m stunned. I mean, you’re gorgeous, but Manny getting married? It’s like discovering I can get a direct line to Freud to consult with him anytime I want.” Elaine shook her head, admiration in her eyes. “He once told me I was his longest girlfriend, and I lasted a week. So what’s your secret?”
Manny had dated this glamorous woman? Elaine topped her by four inches, had expressive brown eyes, perfect features, glossy russet hair to her waist pulled back in a ponytail, and managed to make a rather staid uniform of navy shirt and skirt look elegant. Throw in her psychology degree and perfect poise, and it made a small part of Harper feel better that she’d made the cut when this woman hadn’t.
A ridiculous thought when all she’d succeeded in doing was being duped by Manny for longer. “We actually broke up last night.”
“I’m sorry.” Elaine’s hand flew to her mouth. “Let me guess, he hit the scary two-week mark with you and decided to end it.”
Harper barked out a laugh at Elaine’s droll response. “It’s actually been a bit longer than that, but I ended it.”
Elaine did a dramatic double take worthy of an actress. “You dumped him? I think the world just tilted.”
Harper really didn’t want to discuss her private life with a potential client, but before she could steer the conversation onto work, Elaine said, “I’ve spent twenty years working as a psychologist, so you’d think I’d be able to figure out Manny, but he’s an enigma. He swans through life like it’s one big party outside of work, but he’s hurting inside.”
Against her better judgment, Harper asked, “Why?”
“I got him drunk on our second date, and he muttered something about losing everyone he loves eventually. That’s when he said I should be happy I’d made it to a second date because he usually stops at one. He also warned me I probably wouldn’t make it past the end of the week, and he was right.”
Elaine shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pining for Manny if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m a few years older than him and happily married to my job. I made a choice long ago to not have a long-term partner or kids, which is why I thought Manny and I would be suited. But I think for all his bachelor bluster, he craves a connection, and if he proposed to you, he found it.”
Harper wanted to dismiss Elaine’s babble as that of an ex surprised to be jilted in favor of someone like her. But Elaine didn’t sound jealous, merely curious, and she was a psychologist, meaning she knew what she was talking about.
“At his age, Manny wouldn’t have proposed to you for any reason other than love. And it