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‘We have to meet Gina and—’
‘What are you afraid of, Alice?’
‘I’m not afraid. I’m just busy.’ There was something in those dark eyes that brought a bubble of panic to her throat and her insides knotted with tension.
‘You don’t have to be guarded around me, Alice.’ For a brief moment his fingers tightened on hers and then he let her go and took a step backwards, giving her the distance she craved. ‘People interest me. There’s often such a gulf between the person on the surface and the person underneath. It’s rewarding to discover the real person.’
‘Well, in my case there’s nothing to discover, so don’t waste your time.’ She opened the door a crack. ‘You’re a good-looking guy, Dr Moretti, you don’t need me to tell you that. I’m sure you can find no end of women willing to stroll on the beach with you, fall into bed, fall in love or do whatever it is you like to do in your spare time. You certainly don’t need me. And now we need to meet Gina. She’ll be waiting.’
CHAPTER SIX
GIO spent the rest of the day wondering about Alice. Wondering about her past.
She’d claimed that it hadn’t been a man who’d forged her attitude to love, but it had to have been someone. In his experience, no one felt that strongly about relationships unless they’d been badly burned.
He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t his business and that he wasn’t interested. But he was interested. Very. And she filled his mind as he worked his way through a busy afternoon surgery.
The patients were a mix of locals and tourists and he handled them with ease and skill. Sore throats, arthritis, a diabetic who hadn’t brought the right insulin on holiday and a nasty local reaction to an insect bite.
The locals lingered and asked questions. Where had he worked last? Had he bought a wife with him? Was he planning on staying long? The tourists were eager to leave the surgery and get on with their holiday.
Gio saw them all quickly and efficiently and handled the more intrusive questions as tactfully as possible, his mind distracted by thoughts of Alice. She was interesting, he mused as he checked glands and stared into throats. Interesting, beautiful and very serious.
Slightly prickly, wary, definitely putting up barriers. But underneath the front he sensed passion and vulnerability. He sensed that she was afraid.
He frowned slightly as he printed out a prescription for eye drops and handed it to his last patient.
There had been no mention of a social life in her description of relaxation. And David had definitely said that his partner had no time for anything other than work.
‘You finished quickly today.’ She walked into the room towards the end of the afternoon, just as his patient left. ‘Any problems?’
‘No. No problems so far.’ He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. ‘Should I have expected some?’
‘People round here are congenitally nosy. You should have already realised that after twenty minutes in the company of the Normans this morning.’ This time she stood near the door. Keeping a safe distance. ‘This is a small, close-knit community and a new doctor is bound to attract a certain degree of attention. I bet they’ve been asking you no end of personal questions. Do you answer?’
‘When it suits me. And when it doesn’t…’ he gave a shrug ‘…let’s just say I was evasive. So, Dr Anderson, what next? I’ve asked about you but you haven’t asked anything about me and you’re probably the only one entitled to answers, given that we’re working closely together.’
Their eyes met briefly and held for a long moment. Then she looked away. ‘I’ve read your CV and that’s all that matters. I’m not interested in the personal, Dr Moretti. Your life outside work is of no interest to me whatsoever. I really don’t feel the need to know anything about you. You’re doing your job. That’s all I care about.’
Gio studied her in thoughtful silence. There was chemistry there. He’d felt it and he knew she’d felt it, too. Felt it and rejected it. Her face was shuttered. Closed. As if a protective shield had been drawn across her whole person.
Why?
‘Make sure you have your key tonight because I have two house calls to make on the way home, so I’ll be a bit late. Then I’m going to call at the supermarket and pick up the ingredients for a curry.’ What exactly went into a curry? She knew she’d made it once before but she had no precise recollection of the recipe. ‘How was the mother and baby clinic?’
‘Fun. Interesting. But no Harriet.’
Alice frowned. ‘Did you talk to Gina after our meeting?’
‘At length. Interestingly enough, she’s found it very hard to see Harriet. Every time she tries to arrange a visit Harriet makes an excuse, but she said that she’d sounded quite happy on the phone so she hasn’t pushed. She thinks Harriet is just under a normal amount of strain for a new mother but she’s promised to make another attempt at seeing her.’
‘And what do you think?’
His gaze lifted to hers. ‘After what I saw in the waiting room, I need to talk to her before I can answer that question.’
Alice grabbed her keys and popped her head into the nurse’s room to say goodbye to Rita. ‘I’m off. If Harriet comes to see you for anything in the next few days, make sure you encourage her to make an appointment with Dr Moretti.’
‘I certainly will.’ Rita returned a box of vaccines to the fridge and smiled. ‘If you ask me, the man is a real find. Caring, warm and yet still incredibly masculine. You two have a nice evening together.’
