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“Could you be a dear and pass me the bread knife?” Mum asks. I hand it to her, and she proceeds to cut the wholemeal loaf into meticulous slices.
Nick clears his throat. “So, Michael, I take it you and Steve grew up around here?”
“Yes,” Michael says. “We used to live next door to each other. Our old primary school is a couple of streets down from here.”
“Nice.”
Michael begins eating again. “So what about you, Nick? Katherine tells me you’re a hypnotist.”
“Hypnotherapist,” Nick corrects.
“What’s the difference?” my mother says flippantly. “Surely they’re one and the same?”
“Not exactly,” Nick replies. “Anyone can learn to put someone into trance to perform a parlour trick, but just giving suggestions on a superficial level does not resolve the deeper issues; it only stops the problem for a short period of time.Now, ahypnotherapistgoes much deeper. For instance, when treating addictions, we’re talking about very complex issues that require years of professional training and an understanding of how the mind works to successfully treat underlying behavioral patterns.”
“In other words, there’s a method to the madness,” Mum says.
“Exactly,” Nick agrees. “Ahypnotherapist will always know his boundaries. When a patient agrees to undergo hypnosis, it involves a great deal of trust and so should only be carried out by a consummate professional.”
“And are you?” my mother asks sweetly.
“Am I what?”
“A consummate professional?”
“Of course.”
“I beg to differ.”
Nick struggles to keep his composure. “How so?”
She flicks a sly glance in my direction. “Well, having a romantic affair with one of your patients is surely not the most professional conduct, is it? If you were a medical doctor, that could get you struck off for impropriety.” There’s a moment of loaded silence. Michael looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up. I have to bite my tongue.
Nick puts down his fork and looks her squarely in the eye. “I can assure you, nothing inappropriate occurred between Carly and I while she was still my patient. And for the record, I am no longer treating her so we are not in breach of anything.”
Michael glares at his wife. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Nick. It’s Katherine’s rather odd attempt at humour which sadly often misses the mark. You were only joking, weren’t you Katherine?”
All eyes are now on her. She laughs gently. “Yes, of course. What do I know anyway? You’re both consenting adults so what you do is your business. You’re not the first couple to break the doctor/patient boundaries and I’m sure you won’t be the last.”
“What’s on TV tonight?” Dad pipes up. “I fancy watching an old movie. MaybeIt’s a Wonderful Life.”
I take a large gulp of wine to calm my nerves.Jesus, I just want this fucking night to be over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Desire In The Night
“My God, she’s impossible,” I grumble. Brushing my teeth furiously, I run the tap continuously as I spit out water and toothpaste. “She’s absolutely bloody impossible.” I stare angrily at my reflection. “Impossible, impossible!”
“What was that, baby?” Nick shouts from the bedroom. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
I turn off the tap. “Isaidmy mother’s impossible!”
“All right, no need to shout; I can hear you loud and clear.”
Buttoning up my night dress, I switch off the bathroom light and head into the bedroom where I find Nick already under the duvet, waiting for me. He looks irresistible, but right now, my mind can’t focus on anything sexual. Irately, I march over to the dresser and open a tub of peach-scented face cream. Rubbing lotion into my skin, I continue to rant. “I mean, honestly, she’s completely spoiled Christmas. That lovely present you bought for her from Selfridges; she doesn’t deserve it. Now I just can’t wait for tomorrow to be over so we can go home and never come back.”
“You don’t mean that.”
