Page 22 of Lost in Love

Anna squelched her initial joy at the offer of dinner with Katherine and a tour around her palatial pad. Surely Katherine knew she wouldn’t want to leave her dad alone.

“Harry can park himself in front of my fifty-inch television,” Katherine quickly added as if reading Anna’s thoughts and needing to clarify. “I’ll even throw in a bottle and a full Abbey House tour. I bet you’ve been dying to have a nose.”

“Perhaps you do know me,” Anna replied, twisting her lips playfully.

“I know your type,” Katherine teased.

“What do you reckon, Dad?” Anna shouted around the door, relieved that the invitation included him.

“I’ll be there if even if you’re not,” he answered, still not taking his eyes from the television.

Katherine was right; she was dying for a nose around the historic house, but she also found herself wanting more of the doctor’s company.

“Okay, on one condition: I need to do a bit of market research on my current tour, work out what works, what doesn’t.”

Katherine cocked her head. “I’ll do my best, but my tour guide was a bit flaky. She even fainted in the middle, but apparently, they still promoted her.”

“Well once she gets the new tour ready, perhaps she could give you the first tour,” Anna replied.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Katherine nodded at her. “Right, well I’d better be getting home.”

“You’re not joining us for dinner?” Anna asked, disappointed.

“Nope, I’m going to leave you in peace. Plus, I’ve made enough for four so you can have leftovers tomorrow. Lasagne always tastes better the next day anyway, so I apologise in advance for the awful meal tonight.”

“Apology accepted, I’m sure it will be totally inedible,” Anna joked, walking her to the door. “Seriously, though, thanks for today. I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time, and thanks even more so for the food. You honestly don’t know what it means not to have to cook for two days.”

“Any time. It’s nice to have someone to cook for. You’ll be able to squeeze in a few extra hours of reading now.” Katherine turned towards her patient. “Bye, Harry. It was good reading with you today.”

Harry raised a shaky hand in the air.

“I’ll see you Saturday,” Katherine reminded Anna as she walked up the path.

Anna felt her chest tingle; she attributed it more to the excitement of having time to read later that evening than to the thought of having dinner with the hot doctor at the end of the week.