Page 16 of Prognosis Bad Timing

Charlie laughed. ‘More recreation. Every lunch-hour I’m on the court, trying desperately to outplay a bunch of kids twenty years younger than me.’

Really? ‘And here I was thinking you didn’t have time to scratch yourself.’

Charlie sobered. ‘It’s all about trust, Carrie. I need these kids to trust me.’

‘And basketball achieves this?’

He shrugged. ‘Basketball helps.’

The movement of his shoulders drew attention to his shirt and the snug fit of it across his shoulders. ‘I suppose your work clothes do, too?’

‘Not many kids around here respond favourably to someone in a suit.’

The hallway door opened abruptly. ‘Hey, Charles, my man, only two more weeks and you’re back in the game.’

Carrie blinked at the intrusion on their conversation. Two more weeks? Back in what game?

‘Oh...sorry, didn’t realise you had company.’

Charlie shut his eyes briefly and wished this day was over. At least Joe had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Joe, this is Carrie.’ When she glared at him he held up his hands in surrender and corrected. ‘Dr Carrie Douglas.’

Joe’s eyes lit up. ‘Carrie. What a lovely name.’ He stuck out his hand.

Charlie rolled his eyes. ‘The hospital administrator I was telling you about.’

‘Ah...the suit,’ Joe said in a dramatic sotto voce way as he shook Carrie’s hand.

She laughed. “Apparently.” Carrie was getting the distinct feeling her arrival had been discussed at length.

Charlie was inordinately irritated by Carrie’s response to his friend’s flirting.

Did Joe never turn off?

‘Joe works at a posh city law practice but does some pro bono legal work for our clients. He’s here most mornings.’

‘And most lunch-hours.’

‘That’s very generous of you,’ Carrie said, admiration softening her voice.

‘He plays basketball at lunch,’ Charlie said dryly. “He’s not feeding the homeless or anything.”

She laughed again but sobered quickly. ‘Well, no doubt I’ll be seeing you around over the next few weeks but for now I really should get cracking. The sooner I get this done the sooner I can be out of your hair.’

They watched her cross to the table and place her briefcase down. Opening it, she removed her laptop and several folders containing documents of some kind. He was fairly certain they were to do with the clinic and just the sight of them made him twitchy - his blood, sweat and tears reduced to numbers on a spreadsheet.

Leaving her to it, Charlie left the room with Joe glad to shut the door on her and put some distance between them.

‘Man, is she a hottie or what?” Joe clapped his best friend on the back. “You see those curves? Move over, Nigella.’

‘She’s a pain in the butt, that’s what she is.’

Joe laughed. ‘Relax, mate. They’re never going to shut this place down. The outcry would be huge. No one has the guts.’

Charlie sat behind his desk and sighed. ‘She’s the woman from last night, Joe. The one I was telling you about.’

‘The tie-dye chick?’

“Yup.” Charlie nodded miserably.

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