She frowned and tilted her head to one side, her silken dark hair sliding over her shoulder and brushing the table. ‘I’m not devoting my life. I’m twenty eight, not a hundred. This is just my focus for now. Not for ever.’
‘Precisely. You’re twenty-eight. You should have a sex life.’
She straightened her shoulders. ‘My sex life is none of your business, McKenna, but just in case you haven’t scrutinised the electoral role lately, I ought to warn you that there’s a shortage of single, eligible men in this village. And I don’t sleep with my patients.’
‘Then spread your net wider.’
Her frown deepened. ‘I’m quite happy as I am, for now. My plan is to carry on until I feel I’ve really grasped the job. Then maybe it’ll be time for more personal stuff.’
‘Anna the planner.’ He lifted his glass and drained it, his eyes glittering slightly in the flickering candlelight. ‘And what if fate intervenes? What if Mr Right arrives before you’ve scheduled him in to your life plan?’
She grinned airily. ‘I’ll probably be too busy reading my journals to notice him.’ She waved a hand at Ken who was hovering at a nearby table, chatting to the diners. ‘We’re off, Ken. You’d better charge us for this feast while we’re still sober enough to pay.’
Sam reached into his wallet for his credit card and Anna frowned. ‘What’s that for?’
‘Well, unless you intend to spend the rest of the night in the kitchens, washing up, I was planning to pay.’
‘You’re not paying for me. We’ll go halves.’
Sam yawned. ‘For goodness’ sake, Riggs. Can’t you even let a guy buy you dinner?’
‘I can buy my own dinner and this wasn’t a date, McKenna. It was an alternative to omelette.’
Sam surveyed the pitiful remains of food on the table. ‘It was a good alternative. Especially given that there were no eggs. And I’m paying.’
‘That’s just ridi
culous.’
‘No, that’s just the way it is.’ He handed his card to Ken. ‘Fantastic food, Ken. Great evening. Make that appointment to see me any time.’
‘Has anyone ever told you that you’re stubborn and opinionated?’ Anna rose to her feet and reached for her bag. ‘Just for the record, your macho, he-man act doesn’t work on me, McKenna. If you’re expecting it to make my legs go weak, it’s only fair to warn you that I’m still walking with no problems.’
‘Really?’ He pulled a face. ‘Damn. I must be losing my touch. Need to lift a few more weights. Practise my walk. And for the record, you’re more stubborn than me.’
They left the restaurant and walked back to the car.
‘Now, this is when I love Cornwall.’ Sam stopped and stared out across the darkened beach. The sea hissed as the waves hit the sand and behind them they could hear laughter from the restaurant. ‘I love it when the tourists leave and the beach is ours again.’
Anna stood next to him. ‘The trouble is nowadays the tourists never leave. Most of these beaches are as crowded at night as they are during the day. Once it gets dark the partying starts.’
They stared at a group of teenagers gathered at the water’s edge and Sam frowned. ‘The problem with this place is that the teenagers don’t have anywhere to go. And there’s no privacy. If one of them makes an appointment at the surgery, everyone knows.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘Well, if you’re trying to be cool, or if you’re trying to hide something from your parents, then making an appointment with us is like taking out an ad in the paper.’
Anna stared at him. ‘You think that’s why teenagers don’t come?’
‘One reason.’ He looked at the group on the beach. ‘We ought to start a teenage health group. Somewhere they can go, mingle and chat to a doctor if they want to.’
It was a great idea. ‘No one would turn up.’
‘They’d turn up if we made it cool.’
‘And how would we do that?’
He turned and gave her a lopsided smile. ‘I’d be the doctor.’