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Molly had no idea what to say. Short of upsetting Bert and Doris by refusing, there was little she could do except agree. Gritting her teeth, she nodded. Sean grinned at her, obviously enjoying the fact that he had got his own way.
‘Great! It will be something to look forward to, won’t it, Molly? A lovely lead-up to the Christmas festivities.’
‘Yes.’ It was difficult to get any words out through her clenched teeth but she would hate him to know how annoyed she felt. ‘Did you want me for something?’
‘Ah, yes.’ There was a note in his voice, a hint of some emotion that made her blood heat as he excused himself and drew her to one side, but Molly refused to speculate on the reason for it. They were discussing a work-related issue, she reminded herself sternly. Anything else was inconsequential. It appeared she’d been right too because there was no trace of anything untoward when he continued.
‘The patient in Resus has asked if we can contact his family in India. Apparently, he’s a student at the local college and he doesn’t have any family living here. There isn’t a telephone number where we can reach them so we may need to go through the Embassy. I was hoping that you would be able to sort it out.’
‘Of course,’ Molly said formally. ‘I’ll get straight onto the Embassy once I’ve finished in here.’
‘Thanks.’ He half turned to leave then paused. ‘Did you enjoy your lunch and coffee, by the way? You never gave me the chance to ask what you thought of the restaurant.’
‘The food was excellent,’ she said shortly, refusing to let him goad her into saying something she would regret. If he’d had an ulterior motive for being there then she didn’t want to know what it was. She treated him to a deliberately bright smile. ‘Adam and I had a great time, I have to say. In fact, I’m sure we shall go back there again in the future.’
‘Good. I’m glad you didn’t find it too stuffy.’
He sketched her a wave and headed back to Resus before she could ask him what he meant by that comment. Had Sean found the place rather too formal, as she had done? she wondered as she started suturing Bert’s arm. Although the food had been delicious, the restaurant had lacked atmosphere, although maybe that had been down to her companion, she mused. Although Adam was extremely attentive, he lacked any real charisma. Adam certainly wouldn’t have been able to make lunching at a burger van feel like a Michelin star experience!
Molly’s mouth tightened. Once again she was comparing Adam to Sean and she had to stop. She finished suturing Bert’s arm and saw him and Doris out then collected her next patient. She had no intention of wondering who Sean was planning to invite out for an expensive dinner. He could date every single woman in the hospital if he wanted and she wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep worrying about it! However, despite such stalwart claims, she couldn’t deny that the thought of Sean seeing some other woman hurt. It brought it home to her once more how vital it was that she erased him from her life for good.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SEAN HAD THE next two days off and had decided to spend them looking for a place to live. As it had been a last-minute decision to accept the post in Dalverston he had booked himself into a bed and breakfast, but if he was to spend the next six weeks working here he desperately needed his own space.
He set off early to visit the local estate agent’s office and came away with a list of four properties, all available on a short-term lease. However, he quickly discovered that the agency’s glowing descriptions fell far short of the reality. By the time he arrived at the last property he was starting to feel very despondent. Cosy probably meant tiny and full of character undoubtedly meant it was riddled with damp or overrun with mice or both. He almost gave up but the thought of having to put up with living in one room for the next few weeks spurred him on. He would go crazy if he had to stare at the same four walls much longer!
Sean got out of the car. The cottage was tucked away down a narrow lane close to the river and he stood for a moment, drinking in the peace and quiet. He frowned because the area seemed strangely familiar for some reason. Looking around, he realised with a start that it was very close to where Molly lived. Why, he could remember running along this very lane one morning after he had stayed the night at her house! He sighed. It put him in a bit of a quandary. Molly had made it abundantly clear on more than one occasion that she wanted nothing to do with him outside of work, hadn’t she? On the other hand, he was pretty much out of options by now, he reasoned, and it wasn’t as if he and Molly would be next door neighbours. The thought helped him make up his mind and he went and knocked on the front door. It opened a crack and a wizened face peered out at him.
