Page 86 of A Helpin g Hand for the Village Nurse

‘My thoughts exactly. So what now?’

‘I suppose it’d be rude to leave after they’ve gone to so much trouble.’

‘And the food does look good,’ Ottilie said, taking a seat behind the table. The screen crackled into life as the reel began.

‘It does,’ Heath agreed, sitting next to her.

Ottilie reached for a grape and popped it into her mouth. And then she began to smile. ‘Fancy playing them at their own game?’

‘What did you have in mind?’

‘Why don’t we pretend to have fallen madly in love when they come in to get us at the end of the film?’

Heath opened one of the wine bottles with a grin. ‘That would be hilarious. You’d have to ham it up, though. Reckon you could manage that?’

‘I reckon I could.’

‘Of course, we’ve got to watch the film first. I have to admit, it’s not really my thing.’

‘Not really mine either. I suppose we’ll have to make the best of it. If they’d come right out with their plan and asked, I’d have given them a list of stuff I wanted to see more than Shakespeare in Love.’

‘Well, I suppose there are worse places to be stuck,’ he said, pouring a glass of wine and settling back in his seat. He shot a grin at Ottilie. ‘Private cinema, good food and not a bad wine, and good company – it could be a lot worse.’

‘I’m going to assume there’s a compliment in there somewhere,’ she returned drily.

‘Oh there is,’ Heath said, stuffing a pâté-covered water biscuit into his mouth. ‘Magnus and Geoff know how to put on a spread.’

‘Oi!’ Ottilie laughed. The sound was drowned out by the film credits beginning and she settled into her seat.

Heath poured another glass of wine and handed it to her. ‘Madam…’

‘Why thank you,’ Ottilie said, taking it from him and sipping at it. It tasted heavy. Probably rocket fuel, she mused, part of Geoff and Magnus’s master plan. Not only had she and Heath been thrown together with what those two felt was a romantic movie, there were also oysters and wine that had been selected to get them legless. Were they watching from somewhere, sniggering, hoping to see her and Heath get drunk and end up snogging?

Suddenly Ottilie bristled. This was ridiculous. She’d agreed with Heath to make the most of this, perhaps have some fun and get their own back on Magnus and Geoff for forcing this, but now she was annoyed. She glanced at Heath, who was watching the screen. She’d have expected him to be as irritated as her, but he didn’t seem to be. Knowing what she did about him, that was an unexpected development. Was he actually OK with this?

She put down her glass. ‘I really think we ought to go and find them and sort this out.’

He turned to her. Was that disappointment in his expression? ‘I thought we were going to watch the film.’

‘You said you didn’t want to see this film.’

‘I wouldn’t have chosen it, but I don’t mind watching it with you. That is, if you want to. I thought we just said we would.’

‘I know but that was before…’

Ottilie let out a sigh. Magnus and Geoff clearly felt they were somehow doing a good thing for her and Heath. They were lovely people and good friends – was it really worth offending them for the sake of a couple of hours watching a film? Heath was right – they’d said they would. All she had to do was sit through this – maybe she’d even like it – and then they could go their separate ways. Magnus and Geoff would realise there’d never been any chemistry between them after all but could be happy in the fact that they’d tried, and Ottilie could get on with her life knowing that she hadn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

‘Just don’t let me drink too much of that wine,’ she said, before giving the oysters a look of misgiving. ‘And as for them…’

Heath laughed as he picked up the plate and took it to another seat. ‘Is that far enough away for you?’

‘How anyone ever looked at one of those and thought they’d like to eat it, let alone think eating one was sexy is beyond me.’

‘That’s one thing we have in common then.’

‘Perhaps that was secretly what Magnus and Geoff were trying to achieve.’

‘They didn’t mean us to eat them, just to agree that they’re disgusting?’ Heath retook his seat next to her and reached for his wine. ‘That’s a bit niche, isn’t it?’

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