Commitment

Part 54

Over the next few weeks Regan worked with Gray as often as she could. She cut down on the number of locums she did, and told the medical centre that she would be looking for a cut in her normal shifts too. By the end of their the four week notice period Regan hoped she would have a better idea of what she would be able to manage with him gone and what she would have to offload.

But she was very happy with the fact they were working and really talking. Only yesterday he asked her about the history of the farm. And he asked her how she got this farm. And she told him that the farm belonged to her grandparents, and she inherited the farm when they both died. He asked why the farm was not left to her parents and she explained the circumstances of her parents' death. They had a discussion about the impact of death on those left behind. She had skirted the topic about her parents. But she did tell him about where she grew up. And as she reviewed that conversation she realised he had asked her a lot of questions over the last three weeks, albeit subtle. To the extent that she only realised that now. Personal questions. Really personal questions. Her goals and her passions. He even asked what things got on her nerves! Even yesterday, in their evening session, he asked her what was her most embarrassing moment! She told him she had too many to relate! He asked about her friends, when and how they had met? He asked about her education and the reasons for her career trajectory. He asked about her hobbies and what she likes to do in her free time. She smiled as she remembered she told him she didn't have a lot of free time! But what she found interesting was the fact he asked about her view about several topics, which she thought, at that time, they were random, but with hindsight, he included questions about her attitudes to things. Like, would she ever Skydive! Looking back, it looked like he was taking an inventory of her character, as if he was at the start of a new relationship, with her. That can be right. He was leaving! Probably make too much about this. But he asked a lot. Mostly about her. Why? That thought brought happiness. 'Why' was not important, it was the fact he asked about her.

Today, three weeks after she started on her 'apprentice', she was smiling while she was washing out the stalls after milking the cows. Gray watched her albeit with a smirk. The smirk didn't last, Gray warned, "No!" Regan turned around, "Unlatched that first...." She caught his warning, too late: He was drenched with water.

Regan blinked rapidly as the gush of water drenched his jeans from the mid-thigh to his boots. All because she unhinged the hose before shutting off the tap.

He stood there, annoyed. Regan stood there, smiling.

"Sorry." She said and bit her lips to stop her laughing. The last three weeks were amazing. Almost friends, she thought, and then her brain told her she was an idiot. Friends? No chance. Just because they managed, for nearly three weeks, without having an argument about money, doesn't make them friends. He was a good teacher. And she was a good student. Apart from this mistake.

"Sorry?" He said as he took a couple of steps forward towards her. She took a couple of steps backwards.

"Er, yes, I forgot..."

"Yes, I know that. I am the product of your..."

She reminded him, "It was an accident." She was still holding onto the hose, albeit was directing it away from him.

"And that is why you are smirking?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"I am not smirking." Which unfortunately allowed her laugh to escape.

Gray was not sure whether to laugh with her or to seek revenge. He opted for revenge!

He said "And you are not laughing at me, right?" He took a couple of steps forward towards her. She took a couple of steps backwards. She was still holding onto the hose that was still gushing, albeit in a different direction. To turn off the tap, she would have stop looking at him and that was not a good idea given he was heading forward towards her and she was pretty sure that the twinkle in his eyes gave her an idea about his intentions.