Page 28 of Doc Rock
“What type of doctor are you?”
“I’m a paediatrician.”Mai’s kneeswere weak, and she leaned her back on one of the gum trees, the smooth trunk cool against her skin.
“Children’s doctor?” he clarified.
“Yeah. My speciality is neonatology, which means I look after the premature babies and newborns that are sick.”It wasso much easier to talk about work than why she hid from him.
“Do you have any kids?”Ford stared at her, and she didn’t miss the bite in his voice.
“No. I’ve never met anyone to have them with.”The words spilt out of her mouth before shecouldstop them. He didn’t need toknowabout her lack of a dating life, especially since he always seemed to have a supermodel or actress on his arm.
She'd met a few men over the years, but nothing lasted. If she was honest with herself—which she rarely was to protect her heart—none of them were Ford.
“Oh.” He nodded.
She didn’t ask him if he had children. He was world-famous; she alreadyknewhe didn’t.
“Are you happy?”He changed the subject.
“Yeah. I love my job. It’s where I'm meant to be.”Mai made the mistake of meeting his gaze, and his eyes bored into her.
“I didn’t ask if you liked your job. I asked if you were happy.”
She opened her mouth to lie, and it stuck in her throat. He deserved the truth, so she shook her head.
“Honestly, no. I’ve spent my whole life hiding. Burra Creek is the first place since I left…“ Her voice hitched, and she cleared her throat. “Since I left you. That I’vefeltsettled and began to make friends.”
“Donnie saw you at the concert?” Ford asked.
He was giving her whiplash with the speed he jumped from topic to topic.
“He did,” Mai whispered. “He came to see me at work.”
“And you told him who you were?”
“No. I lied to him,”she admitted.
“How did you hide so easily?”Another sharp question, and another change in direction.
“Sie Harrington isn’t my real name. Darren Harrington was actually my stepdad. I was a toddler when he met Mum. I took his name after they got married, but he never adopted me, so it wasn’t my legal name.”
“And when you left?”Ford prompted.
“I changed it back. I walked out the door, left Sie Harrington behind, and became Maisie Jones.”
“It was that easy?” Ford laughed bitterly.
Mai stared at him and waited to speak until his eyes met hers, hoping he wouldhearthe sincerity in her words andseethe truth in her face.
“No, nothing about it was easy. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“And no one recognised you?”
Mai chuckled quietly.“Why would they? You were the star of Midnight Thunder.”
“You wrote the music.”
Mai blinked in surprise. Had he just… defended her?“It didn’t matter. You’re Midnight Thunder’s front man, and I was the angry girl behind you with a guitar.”She dropped her voice.“That they all said wasn’t good enough for you.”
