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The smooth working relationship was gone. Back was the constant needling.
‘You are unbelievably shallow.’
Polly glanced between them and grinned. ‘If you’re both willing to suspend hostilities, the sandwiches are looking particularly tempting.’
‘Yeah, we’re ready.’ Sam strolled across the reception area and made for the stairs that led to the staffroom.
Aware that the producer was still staring at them in fascination, Anna followed more self-consciously.
Chemistry.
It was utterly ridiculous to suggest that she and Sam shared any sort of chemistry. And as for looking good on the camera—the whole idea was totally ridiculous.
‘It would be great if we could incorporate more of your accident and emergency skills, Sam,’ Polly was saying as Anna grabbed a cup of coffee and took her seat at the table. ‘I know we need the routine stuff, too, but a bit of that does get the adrenaline pumping.’
‘What accident and emergency skills?’ Anna helped herself to a sandwich. ‘Since when did you have accident and emergency skills?’ Then she remembered the calm, competent way he’d reacted to the crisis downstairs and something clicked in her brain. ‘What jobs have you been doing in London, McKenna?’
Polly smiled. ‘When he’s not doing his usual surgery and working for us, he does nights at the A and E department of…’ She named a busy London hospital and Anna put the sandwich back on her plate untouched, her eyes on Sam.
‘You’re working nights in an A and E department? Why?’
His eyes gleamed. ‘So that my medical skills don’t become as rusty as a garden fork, Riggs, that’s why. We see a range of conditions in the London practice but there’s nothing like nights in A and E to hone your skills.’
She stared at him. ‘That explains why you were able to get that line into the child.’
‘I’ve done it a few times, yes.’
She glared at him. ‘You should have told me.’
‘You shouldn’t have assumed that I was useless.’
‘Now, now, children.’ Polly’s expression was amused. ‘It’s always fun to watch the two of you in action, but we’re already pushed for time so can we move on to the ma
tter in hand? We need to discuss our plans for filming this summer.’
Anna bit hard into her sandwich and glared at Sam. But her anger with him for deliberately deceiving her was tinged with respect. The guy clearly knew what he was doing. And he was an impressive doctor.
It was just a shame that she wanted to strangle him.
* * *
That evening, despite the heat, Anna decided to go for a run on the beach. She always found exercise good for tension, and the tension in her life had rocketed ever since Sam had walked into her surgery.
Despite all their reassurances during the lunch-time meeting that the patients would love the idea of being ‘on the telly’, she still had serious reservations about filming. They’d agreed to seek permission from every patient but still Anna couldn’t quite imagine that people would want their lives exposed on television. For herself, she couldn’t think of anything worse. She liked her privacy too much and she never had been able to understand why some people craved public attention.
Despite the fact that it was past seven o’clock, the beach was still crowded with families and Anna jogged slowly down to the water’s edge and then lengthened her stride, enjoying the cool breeze blowing off the sea.
This was a popular surfing beach and the water was still crowded with teenagers determined to make the most of the waves.
By the time she returned to the McKennas’ house she was panting and uncomfortably hot. She ripped off her running gear and stepped straight under a cold shower, moaning with relief as the water cooled her heated flesh. Bliss. She was tempted to stay under the water all evening but her stomach was rumbling and she knew she had to eat something after such a long run.
She slipped on a short linen dress, padded down to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
‘I cooked last night so I guess tonight has to be your turn.’ Sam lounged in the doorway, a beer in his hand, watching her.
Anna turned. ‘Has anyone ever told you that you look more like a beach bum than a doctor?’
His hair was slightly too long, his jaw rough with stubble and he wore a pair of long surf shorts and a loose T-shirt that clung to the powerful muscles of his shoulders.
