by Kate Hardy
‘I’ll see you in the kitchen,’ he said.
Which meant he was the one to get the canine greeting of a slow tail thump, a luxuriant stretch as Archie climbed out of his basket, and a wet nose shoved against his hand to say hello.
A month ago, he would have flinched and moved away from the dog.
Now, enjoying the experience, he scratched behind the dog’s ears. ‘Good morning, Archie.’
Archie licked him in greeting, and Ben smiled.
Toni joined him a few moments later, clad in a short fluffy dressing gown. ‘Are you sure I can’t get you coffee and toast to go?’ she asked.
‘I’m sure. I’ll grab a banana and a coffee at the surgery,’ he said, and kissed her lightly. ‘See you later.’
* * *
Ben Mitchell was definitely on the side of the angels, Toni thought as he closed the front door behind him. He’d helped her to function yesterday when grief had sideswiped her. He’d stayed, last night, when she’d needed someone to hold her.
So where did they go from here?
He’d said that they needed to talk, and he was right.
The night of the dance, he’d kissed her and they’d both backed away, both panicked by their pasts. But the attraction between them was still there, and it wasn’t going away any time soon. It wasn’t just a physical thing. She liked him. More than liked him. And she rather thought it was mutual, or else he would either have made an excuse not to stay last night, or persuaded her to go and stay with her sister.
She’d barely dated since she’d split up with Sean; there just hadn’t been the spark with the few men she’d gone out with, and they’d agreed to keep things platonic. And she knew Ben hadn’t dated since his ex had left. Was he really ready to take a risk with her?
Their conversation that afternoon needed to be frank and honest, even if it hurt. They needed to know what each other wanted; trying to second-guess would only make things harder.
She called Stacey with the news about Ginny—leaving out Ben’s involvement—and then called next door to see if Shona needed anything, caught up with all her chores, and was sitting with Archie outside Scott’s Café at five minutes to two.
Ben had changed into jeans, a T-shirt and running shoes, topped with a pair of sunglasses. He looked absolutely gorgeous and Toni’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Hi.’
Was he going to greet her with a kiss?
Her stomach clenched with disappointment when he didn’t.
OK. So this was obviously going to be a ‘Dear Jane’ conversation. He’d tell her that he was the one at fault, not her, and he’d ask her to cool things between them back to their previous professional relationship.
She braced herself. ‘Shall we go?’ she asked brightly.
‘Sure.’
She waited until they were on the designated part of the beach before she let Archie off the lead. Though that meant she didn’t really have anything to do with her hands, once she’d put Archie’s lead into her beach bag.
Ben still hadn’t said anything, so she was guessing that he was trying to find a nice way of telling her that he didn’t want to take their relationship further.
When they got to the dunes, he said, ‘Hydration break?’
Which was just what they’d done the day he’d had the case that had brought his past back to haunt him. ‘Sure. I brought an extra bottle of water.’
‘And I brought strawberries,’ he said. ‘They’re washed and hulled. And grown locally.’
‘For a moment I thought you were going to say you picked them yourself.’
‘Not quite. I picked them up from the farm shop on the way back from work,’ he said.
‘OK.’ How horrible that they were reduced to small talk. But she didn’t know what else to do. ‘Did you have a good shift?’
‘Yes. Did you have a good morning?’ he asked, equally polite.
‘Yes.’
He took her hand and laced his fingers between hers.
Here it comes, she thought. It’s not you, it’s me...
She couldn’t bear it. She would rather be the one to call it quits, the one to walk away. ‘I’m sorry about last night,’ she said.
‘Don’t apologise. You were upset. Of course I wasn’t going to just leave you on your own. I’m glad I could be there for you.’
‘As my friend.’
‘That’s why we need to talk,’ he said softly.
‘I understand. You’re not ready for—’
Ben cut off the rest of her words by kissing her.
Once she was stunned into silence, he said, ‘I wasn’t expecting this thing between us. I thought I was still licking my wounds after Karen. But there’s something about you I can’t resist, Toni. I know it’s not fair of me to ask you to start dating me properly. I’m still working things through in my head. But the feelings I have towards you just aren’t going away.’ He paused. ‘But it’s your call. I know you’ve been hurt before. But I would never give you an ultimatum like Sean did. I’d never want you to stop being who you are. I’m not like your ex, and I know you’re not like mine. Do you think we could give it a go?’
She felt her eyes widen. ‘Are you...asking me out?’
He nodded. ‘I feel as if I’m fifteen years old again, not thirty-five. I’m terrified you’re going to say no—and I’m also terrified that you’re going to say yes and I’m going to make a mess of it.’
‘You already know I have a habit of picking Mr Wrong,’ she said. ‘With the good guys, there’s no chemistry.’
‘I think there’s chemistry between us,’ he said softly.
‘That’s why this whole thing is so confusing. You’re not like the men I usually date—and I wasn’t looking to start dating someone.’
‘So we both think this might be a mistake,’ he said.
She nodded. ‘Except you’re right. There’s chemistry between us, and it isn’t going away any time soon.’
‘So let’s see how it goes,’ he said. ‘Maybe we should keep it just between us, for now, until we know what’s happening.’
She grinned. ‘It’s pretty hard to keep things quiet in a small village. But OK. We’ll see how it goes—and try to keep it just between us.’
‘Good.’ He leaned over and stole a kiss. ‘So what sort of things do you like doing?’
‘Apart from walking or running on the beach?’ she asked. ‘I like music. I’m hopeless at dancing, though.’
‘You just need practice,’ he said. ‘How about the theatre? Cinema?’
‘Yes to both, and anything from Shakespeare to stand up to sci-fi. Not gory stuff, though,’ she said, ‘or all-out weepies. You?’
‘Same as you, and I prefer drama to comedy. I really hate slapstick,’ he said. ‘But I love bad puns.’
‘How about sport?’ she asked.
‘I’d rather play than watch it,’ he told her. ‘You?’
‘I’d rather not watch or play,’ she said. ‘Except for throwing tennis balls, if you can count that as sport.’
He grinned. ‘And I’m guessing you get a fair bit of practice at that.’
‘I do indeed.’
‘Museums?’ he asked.
‘Yes. And art galleries,’ she said. ‘Especially if there’s a nice café.’
‘Maybe we can make a list of places we’d like to go,’ he said.
‘Good idea. My idea of the perfect day,’ she said, ‘is just taking Archie somewhere for a really long walk. It doesn’t matter whether it’s by the sea, in the forest or in a park.’
‘That sounds good to me,’ he said. ‘So how about we go to the cinema tonight and take Archie exploring tomorrow?’
‘That would be perfect,’ she said with a smile. ‘Let’s walk a bit further.’
This time, they walked hand in hand. The tide was out, so it to
ok a while to reach the sea; when they finally reached the shoreline, they both took off their shoes and paddled in the shallows, while Archie galloped through the water, splashing them both.
‘Sorry,’ she said.
He smiled. ‘He’s having fun. And so am I.’
‘Me, too. Though we do need to keep an eye on the tide,’ she said. ‘Once it turns, it comes in fast—and if you’re the wrong side of the channel you can get caught out.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘I remember Stacey once went to the beach a couple of villages down with some of her mates, and they left their clothes on the sand while they went swimming—but they didn’t leave their stuff far enough up the slope. The sea came in when they were too busy having fun to notice and washed all their clothes away.’
‘As the tide’s so fast, is there any kind of warning signal?’ he asked.
‘Yes. There’s a siren,’ she said.
‘That’s good to know.’ He smiled at her. ‘This place is amazing. I’m glad I moved here.’
‘I have no regrets about moving back here from London,’ she said.
They walked a bit further, then a teenager in a group at the edge of the water started yelling. ‘My foot! It really hurts!’
‘Are there jellyfish locally?’ Ben asked.
‘I haven’t heard any reports so far this summer, but it’s been warm enough for jellyfish,’ Toni said. ‘Or maybe he might have stepped on broken glass or the sharp edge of a can.’
She whistled to Archie and they hurried over to the teenagers, who were coming out of the water.
‘I’m a doctor and Toni is a nurse practitioner. Can we help?’ Ben asked. ‘What happened?’
The boy was white-faced. ‘I was just mucking about in the water, and something hurt my foot. It’s burning.’
‘Can we have a look?’ Ben asked.
The boy nodded, and sat down; Ben sat down beside him and took a look at his foot. ‘It doesn’t look as if you’ve stood on glass or anything sharp, but there is a tiny spot of blood on your heel, which suggests to me it’s some kind of puncture.’
‘It feels as if it’s burning,’ the boy said again. ‘All the way up my leg.’
‘It might be weever fish,’ Toni said. ‘I haven’t heard any reports of them for a while, but they bury themselves in the sand, and if you stand on them the spines are really sharp—plus they contain venom.’ She grimaced. ‘Sorry to tell you this, but if it was a weever fish the pain will get worse over the next half an hour.’
‘It’s bad enough now—I don’t think I can walk on it,’ the boy said, grimacing.
‘We need to get the spines out of your foot. Archie, sit,’ she told the dog, who sat perfectly still while Toni rummaged in her bag. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked the boy.
‘Ollie,’ he said.
‘OK, Ollie. I’ve got tweezers in here. Can one of your mates run up to the lifeguards’ hut and ask them to get some hot water ready? Tell them we think you stood on a weever fish. I’ll get the spines out of your foot, Ollie, and we’ll help you up to the lifeguard. But in the meantime I need you to talk to Ben about your medical history—any allergies, any medication.’
She busied herself taking the tiny spines out of Ollie’s foot with the tweezers, while he told Ben that he wasn’t on any medication, he was allergic to fabric plasters, and his foot really, really hurt.
‘I’m going to have to squeeze your foot now to make it bleed, so the blood washes the venom out,’ Toni said. ‘I’m sorry. It might hurt a bit.’
Ollie clenched his fist. ‘That’s OK. Do it.’
He winced as she squeezed the puncture site, but didn’t make a sound.
‘What we’ll do now is give you some paracetamol to help with the pain, and then we need to put your food in really hot water for half an hour,’ Ben said. ‘That will break down the poison and increase blood flow to the site of the sting, to help it heal.’
‘So my mates aren’t going to have to pee on my foot or anything?’ Ollie asked.
‘No,’ Ben reassured him, ‘and you don’t need to put vinegar on it, either. You’re best not covering up the wound, because that could risk the puncture getting infected.’
‘You’ll be fine by tomorrow. If you find the area around the site really swells up, your chest hurts or you can’t breathe properly, or you feel lightheaded or start throwing up, you need to go straight to hospital or ring for an ambulance,’ Toni said.
‘And keep an eye on the wound—not just for swelling. If it gets redder or there’s any sign of pus, come straight to the surgery and we’ll give you some antibiotics,’ Ben said.
‘Got it,’ Ollie said. ‘And thank you for helping. You’re not even on duty.’
‘It’s all part of being a medic,’ Ben said. ‘You never just leave people when you can help.’
They helped Ollie walk back towards the lifeguard station, and his friends met them halfway back.
‘The lifeguards are getting the hot water ready,’ one of them said. He looked at Toni and Ben. ‘And I told them you’re a doctor and a nurse.’
‘Archie isn’t allowed on that side of the beach,’ Toni said, ‘so I can’t go any further with you.’
‘I’ll go to the lifeguards with Ollie and fill them in,’ Ben said. ‘See you at the café?’
‘Good idea. All the best, Ollie.’ She patted the teenager’s shoulder.
‘Thanks again for helping me. Even if it did hurt,’ he said.
‘No problem. Take care,’ Toni said.
Ben came into the café twenty minutes later. ‘It looks as if he’ll be fine. He knows to look out for signs of complications.’
‘Just as well we were there,’ Toni said.
‘Yes.’ Ben made a fuss of Archie. ‘Do you want a coffee or something cold?’
‘Coffee would be great, thanks.’
There was a soft woof from Archie and Ben laughed. ‘I’m sure you’d love a sausage, but I bet you’ve already had one today.’
‘He has and, even though he was brilliantly behaved while we were treating Ollie, he’s not having another or he’ll get fat,’ Toni said firmly.
‘Tomorrow,’ Ben promised the dog in a stage whisper.
When he returned with a coffee, they pored over the screen on his phone to see what was showing at the local cinemas.
‘There’s a pop-up cinema in the grounds of the local stately home,’ Ben said. ‘I quite like the idea of watching a film outdoors. If we can get tickets, shall we go?’
‘Mamma Mia. I love that film.’ She smiled. ‘Are you sure it’s not too girly for you?’
‘It’ll be fun. I haven’t been to an outdoor cinema in years,’ he said.
A couple of minutes later, their tickets were booked.
‘The website says there are food stalls, so all you need to bring are fold-up chairs or a blanket to sit on,’ he said.
‘I have some fold-up chairs and blankets, as long as you don’t mind a few dog hairs on them.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t mind dog hairs. So if I pick you up at seven, we’ve got plenty of time to set up our chairs, have something to eat, and then enjoy the show,’ he said.
‘Sounds perfect. See you at seven,’ she said.
* * *
At seven, Ben walked up the path to Toni’s door. He wasn’t sure whether he felt more nervous, excited or scared. All three at once, maybe. Even though he and Toni were colleagues and had become friends, this was their first official date. The first time for the best part of a decade that he’d dated someone who wasn’t Karen. He wasn’t even sure that he remembered any of the etiquette of dating. When to hold her hand, when to kiss her. What to wear, even: was he dressed right? Too formal, too casual? He’d opted for jeans and a light sweater, given that they were spending the evening outdoors. Would Toni think he was taking her for granted and not making an effor
t to dress up in something a bit smarter?
It felt as if he was fifteen again, gauche and shy. Which was crazy.
Why was he making such a big deal of this? Toni was lovely. Or maybe that was why: because he suspected that she could matter. A lot.
He pulled himself together and knocked on Toni’s door. She answered, wearing a pretty top, a skirt and high heels. She looked absolutely gorgeous and his mouth went dry from pure desire. He couldn’t actually speak, for a moment, and had to clear his throat. Idiot, he told himself. Speak to her. ‘You look—’ He stopped, unable to find the right words. He didn’t want her to think he was gushing, but he also wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked. ‘You look fabulous,’ he said, knowing it sounded lame.
‘Thank you.’ She grinned, suddenly looking younger herself. ‘So do you.’
Funny how it made him feel more relaxed. ‘Thank you. Are you going to be warm enough?’ he asked. ‘Once the sun goes down, it will be chilly, especially as we won’t be moving about.’
‘I have blankets to snuggle under,’ she said, indicating the bag by her side. ‘And two fold-up chairs.’
‘Brilliant. Let’s go.’ He took the chairs and the blankets from her and carried them to his car, then drove to the stately home in the next village. The car park was full; clearly the pop-up cinema was popular and they’d been lucky to get tickets.
Once they’d found a place to set up the chairs, they queued for pizza and hot chocolate. ‘The food’s my treat,’ she said, ‘because you bought the cinema tickets.’
‘It’s our first date,’ he said, ‘so shouldn’t this be my treat—especially as it was my idea?’
‘Which century are you living in, Dr Mitchell?’ she teased, giving him a sassy grin.
‘Point taken,’ he said dryly. ‘And thank you.’
Although the film wasn’t really his thing, Ben enjoyed sitting under the stars with Toni, with a fleecy blanket tucked round them and her fingers twined through his. It had been years since he’d last held hands with someone at the cinema and he was surprised by how happy something so simple and so small made him feel.
‘Thank you. I really enjoyed tonight,’ she said when he dropped her home and walked her to her front door.