“There is one proviso.”
“There is?” Hugh gazes up at Anna hopefully.
“Is she an actress?”
Hugh shakes his head. “A schoolteacher.”
“In that case, my recommendation stands. Be her friend. Instead, ask her to set you up with someone. She’d probably love that.” Anna thinks of how much joy her sisters would probably get from setting her up, especially Lily.
A somewhat subdued Hugh clears his tray and walks out of the cafeteria. One by one, the others walk away until only Anna and Andy are left at the table.
“That was harsh,” Andy says. He looks down, then says, “How was America?”.
Anna is surprised. She wasn’t aware he knew she had gone. “Good,” she answers briefly.
“Now you’re back, would you like to get a drink sometime?” he says. He leans back slightly, one arm draped over a neighbouring chair.
Anna smiles. It’s like watching a mating ritual in a nature documentary. She doubts he does it on purpose, but she hears a distinctive voice in her head describing how the male of the species is showcasing his genitalia. Andy’s smile makes another appearance.
“And just to be clear, I don’t want to be friends. But I would like to demonstrate that all those years of anatomy were not wasted.”
Andy is exactly the sort of person she would normally date. Experienced, confident, self-obsessed. A man whose heart was unlikely to be crushed by her eventual and disinterest. Her head is telling her to take him up on his offer. To drive Tolly out of her mind with meaningless sex. It would also send a message to James about her genuine lack of interest in a relationship with him – killing Bella’s insinuations stone dead in a way words never could. But her heart is determined not to let go of its pain. When she looks within, she cannot find even the slightest fizzle of excitement for Andy.
“Thank you,” she says. “But no. I’m dealing with something at the moment. Ask me again in six months.”
Andy bunches one side of his mouth. “Sure?” he asks.
She nods. “Sure.”
“Okay.” He stands, pushing the chair back, and gives her a ridiculous little salute that makes her giggle and leaves. Anna sighs. Thinking of Tolly has cost her appetite, but her shift is not going to end for hours. She’ll be on call till the nightshift come on. Forcing the rest of her food down quickly, she makes her way back to work.
A laparotomy later, she’s about to head for a coffee when she gets a call to go to resus where an arrest is en route. Thepatient is grey and asystolic, but the team goes to work. Anna intubates as her colleagues all work together. This time, they win. The patient may still die in intensive care, but for now, the victory carries her forwards.
The evening is busy. An epidural is followed by another emergency call to resus. By the time Anna is free to go home, she is dropping with weariness. She is grateful for it. There has been no time to think about the Sexiest Man Alive nor to doubt her own decision. If only the week would continue like this. Then that week would be followed by another and another and soon, Tolly would be so far in the past she would struggle to remember the feel of him, the taste of his tongue in her mouth.
Kind Hearts and Coronets
There is one thing Anna still needs to do. She messages her parents and arranges to go home to Larkford Park, her family’s estate, as soon as she has two days off.
It is a dull, grey day when Anna steps onto the familiar station platform at Bridgetown, the closest rail link to Larkford. She still hasn’t replaced her umbrella, so is grateful that the rain is holding off, although the clouds are low and threatening. She spots the big black SUV, typical of the family’s cars, and heads towards it.
Lily, one of her twin youngest sisters, jumps down out of the driver’s seat. It always gives Anna pause to see her driving. Anna still thinks of Lily as she was when Anna left home. Also, despite being twenty-four, Lily still gets identity-checked in pubs and clubs. Her slight form and petite features enhance her air of youth and innocence. Lily always reminds Anna of the film star Audrey Hepburn, not only in looks, but in style and essence. There is not a single person in the world who has a bad word to say about her Lily. Anna knows the same is not true about herself or Eleanor or Jasmine, and most definitely not about Phoebe. Lily opens the tailgate at the rear of the vehicle which dwarfs her, and Anna slings her bag in the back before giving her sister a hug. Lily bounces on her toes excitedly as Anna releases her.
“Oh! It’s so wonderful to see you home. It’s been so long!” Lily says.
Anna knows Lily intends no criticism, but she cannot help feeling a little shamed. It has been a long time. She has fostered the story of her onerous life as a medic, so no one is ever surprised if she cancels or avoids family gatherings. Still, it is a shock to her when she reckons back and finds she has not visited all year. Lily’s happiness at her presence is a gentle chastisement and she promises herself she will do better.
She opens the passenger door while Lily climbs back behind the steering wheel. Anna wonders if she should have offered her sister a boost up. But Lily checks the rear-view mirror and backs the big car out with ease. She keeps up a stream of chatter as they pull onto the road leading out of town towards the countryside. She is telling the story of how her family went en masse to help Jasmine win her election.
“You should have seen her face, Anna. I swear she looked like she was about to swallow her tongue when she saw us. She was speechless. And when has Jasmine ever not had a ton to talk about? I texted you they’d won, didn’t I?”
Lily had. When Anna had a free moment, she video called Jasmine to congratulate her. In the background, Anna had heard a male voice calling her sister’s name.
“Who’s that?” Anna had asked.
“Ben.”
“Your candidate? You don’t still need to work for him now, do you?”
