Page 67 of New Dreams for the Village Nurse
‘No, we were late too,’ Ottilie cut in.
‘Oh, in that case happy to accept joint responsibility,’ Simon replied, his grin spreading. ‘It’s good to meet you, Heath,’ he added. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘Likewise,’ Heath said, and Ottilie couldn’t help but detect a measure of…well, measuring up. She’d never seen Heath go alpha male and she’d never imagined she would, but there was a definite hint of it about him now.
‘I hope you’re hungry,’ Magnus told Simon as he led him inside. ‘There’s always too much food.’
‘Starving!’ Simon said.
Inwardly, Ottilie chided herself once more. It sounded as if Simon had simply stayed behind at the surgery once the last patient had left and worked overtime. And he hadn’t eaten either. Granted, she’d told him they usually had food at the film club, but she’d also told him it was only nibbles and didn’t constitute a full meal.
Magnus strode to the front to remind everyone what their film was going to be and to catch up on general housekeeping, such as when subs were due and special events in the area and that sort of thing. And then he smiled at Simon, sitting in the second row of seats.
‘Everyone, I’d like to welcome our new member – Dr Stokes.’
A chorus of greetings rippled through the room and Simon looked slightly embarrassed by the fuss. Ottilie caught sight of Heath and wished she hadn’t. The word that came to mind was resentful, though what he had to be resentful about was anyone’s guess.
As the end credits rolled, everyone filed out of the cinema and into the house for drinks and more food. As usual, the members had done a fine job of providing various nibbles to share – though Simon offered his apologies more than once that he hadn’t realised he was meant to bring something.
Simon joined her and Heath as they sipped at a glass of red.
‘How have you found your first film club meeting?’ Ottilie asked.
‘I’ve enjoyed it,’ Simon replied as he reached for the bottle on the table next to them and poured himself a small one.
‘Have you got to drive back tonight?’ Heath asked.
Simon eyed his glass of wine and nodded. ‘Don’t worry, this is the one and only, and I’ll make sure I fill up on sausage rolls before I leave to soak it up.’
‘It wasn’t a judgement,’ Heath replied. ‘I was only?—’
He broke off as Ottilie gave him a significant look. She was beginning to sense something she’d never expected from Heath – and if she hadn’t known better, she’d have said it was rivalry, like he saw Simon as a threat.
Stacey came over, and Ottilie was glad of the distraction from her worries.
‘So,’ Stacey said to Simon. ‘What do you think? You think you might come to more film nights?’
‘Absolutely,’ he replied, and Ottilie noted the warm smile. Did he seem happier to see Stacey than he had been to see her and Heath?
‘Simon…’ she began after a pause, her tone more earnest now. ‘I wanted to say thanks again for?—’
‘Honestly,’ he cut in. ‘Please…It was nothing. How is Mackenzie?’
‘He’s right as rain again. You’d never even know he’d been through all that. I bet he doesn’t even remember any of it.’
‘I’m sure that’s true,’ Simon agreed. ‘They’re resilient, aren’t they? Little ones, I mean.’
‘Lucky they are,’ Stacey said. ‘We’d all be very messed-up adults if we let half of what happens to us as kids get to us. Have you got children?’
Ottilie held in a groan. She hadn’t shared what she’d learned that night about his wife and daughter with anyone, thinking it was best to respect his privacy, but instantly she realised that her decision might have been a mistake. If she’d given Stacey a heads-up, it would have prevented an awkward situation like this.
‘No,’ he said in a dull voice. ‘I don’t. If you’ll excuse me, I have to…’
His sentence tailed off as he left them and made a pretence of getting food. At least it looked that way to Ottilie.
‘That was weird,’ Heath said.
‘He has his reasons,’ Ottilie replied, and when both Heath and Stacey turned to her with obvious questions in their expressions, she shook her head. ‘It’s not my place to say.’
