continue our tour later. You’ll find quite a few of the old crowd still around so you should feel at home pretty quickly.’
‘I do already.’ David smiled. ‘It’s good to be back.’
Alan nodded and returned the smile as he turned away. ‘You were a very popular choice for the consultancy. I wonder if so many people would welcome me back if I disappeared for a few years.’
David laughed easily but he had been surprised himself by the warmth of the welcome he’d received up until now. Up until he’d stepped into this office, in fact. Decisively, he moved forward.
‘Do let me take that, Lisa. It looks heavy.’
‘I said I can manage.’ Lisa took a sideways step to evade his touch on the box. The slippery journal covers on the top layer refused to support the final item added and it slid with remarkable speed to land on the floor with a thud. A large, plastic, anatomical model of a heart, it now lay in several pieces.
David swore softly but then felt the corners of his mouth lift and couldn’t suppress the smile.
‘I seem to have broken your heart, Lisa.’
She could smile. Even the fleeting glimpse of the accomplishment was enough to make something inside David tighten with a very pleasurable sensation.
‘Par for the course for you, from what I’ve heard, Mr James. Still, I imagine it takes first prize for speed.’
What did she mean? The tone did not suggest an attack but there was an edge to it that made David’s hackles rise defensively.
‘I’m sure anything you’ve heard is grossly exaggerated, Lisa. Pure fiction. Such rumours generally are.’ He stooped to pick up the pieces of the model. ‘Let me see if I can repair the damage. I’m a doctor, I know about things like this.’ His smile was back in place as he straightened. He would give her the benefit of the doubt and try again.
‘I wouldn’t worry about it.’ Her tone was offhand. ‘I can assure you my heart’s quite indestructible.’
This time the message was clear. David’s smile finally wilted under what could only be described as a chilly stare.
‘I have a ward round I should have started ten minutes ago,’ she informed him crisply. ‘Just put anything else in that empty box and I’ll come back for it later.’
David found himself staring at the chunks of moulded plastic in his hands after Lisa swept past with her carton. She was right, of course. The solid model clipped together with a series of small brass hooks and eyes. Even its stand was unscathed. Had she intended the inuendo that the genuine article was equally impervious to damage? Quite possibly, David conceded. Lisa Kennedy obviously liked to project an image that advertised strength and competence. If the packaging hadn’t been quite so attractive she might even come across as intimidating. Certainly not the type of woman David James gravitated towards.
He had to admit that her indifference to their introduction rankled. Rejection was not an experience David was accustomed to, especially from women. Taking over her office might not have been the best start but was an obstacle that could easily be overcome. Even rumours concerning any past relationships—and he had to admit there had been a few—could be laid to rest. Unfortunately, it was more likely that Lisa Kennedy was firmly attached elsewhere even if she wasn’t married and would therefore be immune to any amount of charm he could turn on. That was a far more likely explanation. Who could look like that and not have been snapped up long ago?
With a resigned sigh, David deposited his briefcase onto the desk top and flipped open the catches. Never mind, it was still great to be back. As his indrawn breath caught the lingering trace of perfume in the office David found himself smiling. She might come across as being tough but there had to be a sensual side to a woman who wore Chanel to work. The decisive head shake as he unpacked and connected his laptop computer should have been enough to clear the distracting images of the woman from his mind, but David James was vaguely delighted to find that it failed so noticeably.
He was actually grinning as he sent himself an e-mail to test his new connection. Unexpectedly, it reminded him of his fourth-form science class when that new student teacher had taken over. Miss Drummond. Blonde hair down to her waist and legs up to her armpits. Memories of words in the science textbook blurring into total irrelevance and an entire classroom of adolescent boys squirming uncomfortably at their desks widened David’s grin even further. Even he had been in danger of dropping his position at the top of the class until he’d realised that the most effective way to get Miss Drummond’s attention was to excel.
It had been a valuable lesson that had served David well over the years but until now had been simply a distant memory. Had Lisa Kennedy had that much effect on his circulating levels of testosterone? Yes. He had to admit that it seemed the only explanation for the uncharacteristic sprint down memory lane.
With a determined effort David turned his thoughts back to his surroundings and left the office. He had worked too hard to get here to have his concentration undermined the instant he walked through the door. He poked his head through an adjacent doorway.
‘Hello again, Sue.’
His secretary looked up from her typing. Her smile was welcoming. Very welcoming. ‘Is there something I can do for you, Mr James?’
‘You can call me David, for a start.’ He watched the faint flush of colour stain the girl’s neck as she nodded. ‘I’m just off to chase up a white coat and collect my pager. Perhaps you could give me a beep in half an hour so I can test it.’
‘I’ll get them for you if you like,’ Sue offered eagerly.
‘No. Thanks anyway, Sue, but I’m rather looking forward to exploring my old stamping ground. I’ll expect a beep from you, though.’
The call came precisely thirty minutes later and David smiled as he put down the phone. A reliable and helpful secretary was a definite bonus. Like a lot of the nursing staff, Sue had probably still been at high school the last time David had worked here.
The familiar faces were all amongst the senior staff and David was thoroughly enjoying their surprised and delighted reactions as he came across them. Like Jane Maddon, who had had changed her surname but looked just the same and who was now the nurse manager of the twin cardiology wards that flanked the intensive coronary care unit.
‘I knew you’d come back eventually,’ she informed David, having given him a hug. ‘You were so determined.’
‘I love Christchurch.’ David nodded. ‘And a few years out of the country makes you appreciate what we’ve got even more.’
‘I kept up with the occasional bit of news. Last I heard you were in Washington, D.C.’
‘That was over two years ago. I had eighteen months in Europe after that and then had some time with a transplant unit in London. I think that experience might have been what swung the decision for this consultancy in my favour.’
‘There were a lot of applicants,’ Jane confirmed. ‘Some were a lot older than you, too. Well done, David.’
‘Thanks.’ David smiled modestly.
‘The parties were never as good after you left,’ Jane added with a wistful grin. Then she frowned. ‘You haven’t gone and got married or anything,
