The Seduction Challenge

throat. ‘Thank you, Millie,’ she said softly, stooping to hug the little girl. ‘This is beautiful. I shall put it on my kitchen wall at home. That way I’ll see it every morning when I eat my breakfast.’

Millie looked pleased and she turned to Joel. ‘Where will you put yours?’

‘The kitchen sounds like a great idea,’ he agreed. ‘Above my table. Thank you, Millie. No one’s ever painted me a picture before.’

Joel turned to Millie’s mother. ‘Did the hospital give you a letter for us?’

The woman nodded and nipped out of the room. She was back within a minute and handed Joel a brown envelope. He opened it and read the contents.

‘So they’ve arranged a follow-up appointment at the paediatric clinic. That’s good. All right, Millie, let’s take a little look at you.’

He examined Millie and they chatted a little longer. Finally Joel glanced at his watch and stood up.

‘We’ll leave you in peace now, but remember—any problems, call the surgery.’

‘Thanks very much, Dr Whittaker.’

Millie’s mother walked with them to the door and waved them off.

‘Nice woman,’ Joel said as they climbed back into the car and drove towards the school. ‘You can relax—we’ll be in plenty of time.’

Lucy gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks, Joel. If you drop us back at the surgery I can pick my car up and drive us home. Do you want to join us for supper tonight?’

Joel cleared his throat, his tone casual. ‘I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I take us all out instead? Sticky milk-shakes and hamburgers?’

Lucy looked at him with an expression of disbelief. ‘You eat hamburgers?’

‘Well, no’, he confessed with a rueful smile, ‘not usually, but I can learn. I want to take you and Sam out for tea.’

Lucy stared at him. ‘Aren’t you working?’

‘No.’ Joel shook his head. ‘Time off for good behaviour. So what do you say—is it a date? I mean, not a real date, of course,’ he said, correcting himself hastily, ‘just a date as in tea with friends.’

‘Relax, Joel. There’s no chance I’d mistake this for a real date,’ she joked. ‘I shouldn’t think that your idea of a date is a hamburger at four o’clock in the afternoon.’

He grinned. ‘Well, maybe not.’

They stopped at Lucy’s flat just long enough for her to change out of her uniform into a pair of comfortable jeans and a blue jumper, and then drove to the school.

Sam was the first child out of the door and he dashed across the playground and stood on tiptoe to hug his mother.

‘Guess what?’ He was so excited he could hardly talk. ‘There’s a theatre company coming to school tomorrow and some of the children can take part. I might be one of them.’

‘That’s great, sweetheart.’ She hugged him close, a feeling of warmth spreading through her veins as she felt his excitement. It had been a good idea to move to Cornwall. He was settling in so well.

‘Hi, Joel.’ Sam looked at Joel and gave a shy grin. ‘Are you having supper with us again tonight?’

Joel shook his head and stuffed his hands deep into his coat pockets to keep them warm. ‘No. I’m taking us all out instead. On a trip.’

‘A trip?’ Sam’s face brightened at the thought. ‘We normally go straight home after school.’

‘Not today. Today we’re going on a mystery tour.’

Sam’s eyes widened and he smiled with delight. ‘Where? Where are we going?’

Joel laughed and ushered them both to the car. ‘If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a mystery, would it? Hop in and you’ll soon find out.’

He took them to the Sea Life Centre along the coast and Sam was almost speechless with awe when he saw the shark tank.