Emergency At Inglewood. Alison Roberts

Tim spooned coffee into a mug. ‘Mackie doesn’t have an admirer with a black BMW convertible, by any chance?’

      ‘That’ll be the day,’ Laura laughed. ‘Mackie would scare off any man.’

      ‘It’ll be Sean,’ Kathryn confessed, her heart sinking. She glanced at the clock. ‘It’s only five-thirty and he knows I don’t finish till six.’

      ‘Ask him in for a coffee.’ Tim sat down and reached for a section of the day’s newspaper that had been tidied into neat piles at the end of the table.

      Kathryn was saved the embarrassment of trying to explain why Sean was unlikely to accept such an invitation by the arrival of the housekeeper, Mrs McKendry, and baby Megan. There was barely time to admire the junior Halliday before her father and the rest of the Green Watch fire crew arrived back on station. New arrivals for the night shift crowded the space, introductions had to be made and suddenly it was six o’clock and time to go home and Kathryn hadn’t even made a move to say hello to her waiting husband.

      Even then she didn’t rush away. She handed her pager over to one of the night crew and followed Tim to collect her bag from her locker. To her acute embarrassment, Sean was waiting for them as they emerged from the locker room.

      ‘It’s ten past six, Kathryn. How much longer are you going to be?’

      ‘I’m ready now.’ Kathryn put real effort into her smile. ‘Sean, this is Tim McGrath. My partner.’

      ‘Tim! Delighted to meet you.’ A hand was extended with alacrity and Sean smiled at Kathryn’s partner. ‘Nice teeth.’

      Tim’s jaw dropped and Kathryn cringed. ‘Sean’s a dentist,’ she said hurriedly. ‘He notices teeth.’

      ‘Oh. In that case, thanks.’ Tim cleared his throat self-consciously. ‘Can’t say I think about them much. I haven’t been near a dentist for years.’

      ‘Tch, tch.’ Sean extended his hand to take Kathryn’s backpack. ‘You should see an oral hygienist if nothing else. You might develop receding gums and your teeth will fall out.’

      Kathryn stifled a faint groan. She could only hope that Tim wouldn’t take this exchange as the kind of put-down it was patently intended to be. Sean clearly wasn’t intimidated by having Tim towering over his height of only five feet seven.

      ‘No kidding.’ Tim ran his tongue over his front teeth and Kathryn was sure she received another of those ghost winks, like the one sharing her distaste for porridge. ‘Know a good hygienist, then, Sean?’

      ‘Come and see Kirsty at my clinic some time. She’s the best.’

      Kathryn looked pointedly at the door. So Kirsty was ‘the best’, was she? At least Tim couldn’t know that it wouldn’t be cleaning teeth that Sean was referring to. How many young hygienists had ended up in her husband’s bed over the last five years? It would probably be easier to count the ones who hadn’t, but Kathryn had given up counting a long time ago.

      Why should she resent the perfect solution? The turnover was high enough to keep Sean happy because he preferred to employ foreigners with limited work permits. Sean was always very discreet and even if Kathryn did resent the ongoing situation, she was hardly likely to complain, was she? Sean might be using this opportunity to remind her of her failings but there was no way Kathryn was going to let it ruin her day.

      ‘I’ve had the most amazing day,’ she told Sean brightly as he nodded a farewell to Tim. ‘I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.’

      ‘We’re having dinner at the Gilberts’ tonight. I doubt that they will want to be regaled with tales of blood and guts.’

      Sean strode ahead towards his car. Kathryn had considered his offer to provide transport a sign that he had finally accepted her new career choice. Now she wasn’t so sure. It was humiliating to be picked up like a child attending nursery school.

      ‘I’ve forgotten my jacket,’ she exclaimed. ‘I left it in the truck.’

      ‘Can’t it wait until tomorrow?’

      ‘No, it might get lost. Sorry, Sean, I’ll only be a second.’

      She ran through the side door of the garage and promptly collided with Tim.

      ‘Whoa!’ he said, holding her arm to steady her. ‘It can’t be that urgent.’

      ‘Sorry. I forgot my jacket.’

      ‘I know. Stop apologising. I was just bringing it out for you.’ Tim had the garment draped over his arm.

      ‘Thanks.’ Kathryn took the jacket and then hesitated. ‘I’d better get going. Sean hates being late.’

      ‘See you tomorrow, then.’

      Still Kathryn hesitated. ‘I just wanted to say thanks, Tim.’ She met his gaze and smiled. ‘It’s been a wicked day.’

      ‘We’ll have another one tomorrow.’

      ‘OK.’ Kathryn’s smile widened. ‘And I’ll try not to say ‘‘sorry’’ so often.’

      ‘I’m not sure I said it often enough myself. I am sorry I never rang you to tell you about that patient, you know. I hope you don’t think I break all my promises.’

      ‘It really doesn’t matter,’ Kathryn told him. ‘See you in the morning.’

      Running outside again, Kathryn made a beeline for the black BMW. Apart from being delivered and collected and the subtle sniping Sean had indulged in, the day had been as close to perfect as she could have hoped. Even the tension of her meeting with Tim this morning had just become insignificant.

      It really didn’t matter.

      Not any more.