Page 87 of A Helpin g Hand for the Village Nurse

Ottilie smiled as the film’s opening credits began to roll. ‘I mean, if they really meant business, they should have put us in the back row.’

‘I never did that,’ Heath said.

Ottilie turned to him. ‘You never sat in the back row of a cinema and snogged the face off someone?’

‘Nope.’

‘Wow. You must be the only boy in Britain who’s never done that. Between the ages of sixteen and eighteen I don’t think I ever saw a full movie at the cinema.’

‘Well, I never felt I’d missed out until now, so thanks for that.’

‘So if not that, what did you spend your teenage years doing?’

He gave a cheeky grin and she blushed.

‘On second thought,’ she added quickly, ‘maybe I don’t want to know.’

‘I think it’s for the best.’

Ottilie reached for a cracker and her hand brushed his. She looked to see he was reaching for the same plate. ‘God, I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘This is going to be super awkward, isn’t it?’

‘It might be,’ he said with a grin.

‘I mean, it’s like Lady and the Tramp or something.’

‘I wouldn’t know – I’ve never seen that film.’

She folded her arms. ‘Sorry, you’ve never seen Lady and the Tramp?’

He shook his head.

‘What have you been doing for the past thirty-odd years?’

‘Clearly I’ve not been doing what you’ve been doing.’

‘That was one of my favourite Disney films as a kid.’

‘Never seen a Disney film.’ Ottilie’s mouth fell open and he laughed. ‘Surely it’s not that much of a shock.’

‘You’ve never seen a Disney film? Not one?’

‘Nope.’

‘What did your parents do with you then? I thought it was every parent’s fallback for the school holidays to stick their kid in front of a giant pile of Disney DVDs.’

‘I don’t know what I was doing instead. I suppose I must have been out climbing trees or hiking or something.’

‘Weirdo,’ Ottilie said, and the laugh that erupted from him was so loud it made her jump.

‘Well,’ she continued once his laughter had quietened, ‘judging by the tablecloth here, I think Magnus and Geoff must have seen Lady and the Tramp. I’m surprised there isn’t a great big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs here and no forks.’

‘Oh, I’ve seen that bit at least.’

‘Everyone’s seen that bit. Have you really never seen a Disney movie?’

‘Not that I can recall.’

‘Not even a live action?’

---