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He lounged in her doorway, dressed in tailored trousers and a crisp cotton shirt that looked both expensive and stylish. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing bronzed forearms dusted with dark hairs. The laughter in his eyes told her that he’d heard every word. ‘You left without breakfast, Dr Anderson. And after such a long, taxing night…’ He lingered over each syllable, his rich, Italian accent turning the words into something decadent and sinful ‘…you need to replenish your energy levels.’
Mary glanced between them, her expression lifting, and Alice suppressed a groan. Friendly banter. Teasing. All designed to give Mary totally the wrong idea. And she’d been the one to start it.
‘Finally, someone else to scold you about not eating proper meals.’ Mary put her hands on her hips and gave a satisfied nod. ‘If Dr Moretti values his stomach lining, he’ll take over the cooking.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of cooking,’ Alice snapped, sitting down at her desk and switching on her computer with a stab of her finger. ‘It’s just that I don’t enjoy it very much and I have so many other more important things to do with my time.’
‘Like work.’ Mary looked at Gio. ‘While you’re at it, you might want to reform her on that count, too.’ She walked out of the room, leaving Alice glaring after her.
‘I’ve decided that David had the right idea after all. London is looking better all the time. In London, no one cares what the person next to them is doing. No one cares whether they eat breakfast, work or don’t work. And for sure, no one cares about the state of anyone else’s love life.’ She hit the return key on the keyboard with more force than was necessary, aware that Gio was watching her, a thoughtful expression in his dark eyes. His shoulders were still against the doorframe and he didn’t seem in any hurry to go anywhere.
‘She really cares about you.’
Alice stilled. He was right, of course. Mary did care about her. And she’d never had that before. Until she’d arrived in Smuggler’s Cove, she’d never experienced interference as a result of caring.
‘I know she does.’ Alice bit her lip. ‘I wish I could convince her that I’m fine on my own. That this is what I want. How I want to live my life.’
His gaze was steady. ‘Sounds lonely to me, Dr Anderson. And perhaps a bit cowardly.’
‘Cowardly?’ She forgot about her computer and sat back in her chair, more than a little outraged. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
He walked further into the room, his eyes fixed on her face. ‘People who avoid relationships are usually afraid of getting hurt.’
‘Or perhaps they’re just particularly well adjusted and evolved,’ Alice returned sweetly. ‘This is the twenty-first century and we no longer all believe that a man is necessary to validate and enhance our lives.’
‘Is that so?’ His gaze dropped to her mouth and she felt her heart stumble and kick in her chest.
With a frown of irritation she turned her head and concentrated on her computer screen. Why was he looking at her like that? Studying her? As if he was trying to see deep inside her mind? Her fingers drummed a rhythm on the desk. Well, that was a part of herself that she kept private. Like all the other parts.
She looked up, her expression cool and discouraging. ‘We don’t all have to agree on everything, Dr Moretti. Our differences are what make the world an interesting place to live. And now I’m sure you have patients to see and I know that I certainly do.’ To make her point, she reached across her desk and pressed the buzzer to alert her first patient. ‘Oh, and please don’t give Mary and Rita the impression that we’re living a cosy life together. They’ll be unbearable.’
‘But surely the point is to prove that we can be cosy and yet you can still resist me,’ he reminded her in silky tones, and she stared at him, speechless. ‘Isn’t that the message you want them to receive? Unless, of course, you are having trouble resisting me.’
‘Oh, please!’ She gave an exclamation of impatience and looked up just as the patient knocked on the door. ‘Let’s just move on.’
‘Yes, let’s do that.’ He kept his hand on the doorhandle, his eyes glinting darkly, ‘but at least try and keep this authentic. For the record, you would not get me out of your system in one night, cara mia.’
Her mouth fell open and she searched in vain for a witty reply. And failed.
His smile widened and he wandered out of the room, leaving her fuming.
Alice took refuge in work and fortunately there was plenty of it.
Her first patient was a woman who was worried about a rash on her daughter’s mouth.
‘She had this itchy, red sore and then suddenly it turned into a blister and it’s been oozing.’ The mother pulled a face and hugged the child. ‘Poor thing. It’s really bothering her.’
Alice took one look at the thick, honey-coloured crust that had formed over the lesion and made an instant diagnosis. Impetigo contagiosa, she decided, caused by Staphyloccocus aureus and possibly group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus. This was one of the things she loved about medicine, she thought as she finished her examination and felt a rush of satisfaction. You were given clues. Signs. And you had to interpret them. Behind everything was a cause. It was just a question of finding it.
In this case she had no doubt. ‘She has impetigo, Mrs Wood.’ She turned back to her computer, selected a drug and pressed the print key. ‘It’s a very common skin condition, particularly in children. As it’s only in one area I’m going to give you some cream to apply to the affected area. You need to wash the skin several times a day and remove the crusts. Then apply the cream. But make sure you wash your hands carefully because it’s highly contagious.’
‘Can she go back to nursery?’
Alice shook her head. ‘Not until the lesions are cleared. Make sure you don’t share towels.’
Mrs Wood sighed. ‘That’s more holiday I’ll have to take, then. Being a working mother is a nightmare. I wonder why I bother sometimes.’
‘It must be difficult.’ Alice took the prescription from the printer and signed it. ‘Here we are. Come back in a week if it isn’t better.’
