The Secret Doctor. Joanna Neil

for a local TV company, but when he finished there he was going to drop by my place and pick up some belongings before visiting his family. He should have been back a few days ago.’

      ‘So you think something might have happened to him?’

      ‘I really don’t know what to think. I know he hasn’t been too well of late—nothing serious, he said, but I know he’s been seeing a doctor regularly over these past few months.’ She frowned. ‘Even so, it isn’t like him not to get in touch.’ She made an awkward shrug of her shoulders. ‘I’mp robably worrying unnecessarily. He knows how to look after himself but, there again, the Everglades can be tricky if things go wrong.’

      ‘It could be that he had a change of plan and went straight on to his family.’

      ‘Yes, that’s most likely the answer…but I still think he would have given me a call to let me know. I haven’t been able to contact him.’ Perhaps she was distracted by thoughts of Rob and wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, because she missed her footing just then, and stumbled over a patch of rough ground. Instantly, Jake’s hand shot out, grasping her arm in a light, but firm, grip.

      ‘Are you okay?’

      She nodded. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She wished her voice sounded more certain, but quite unexpectedly his touch was beginning to play havoc with her defences. The warmth of his fingers seared her tender skin, and her whole body flamed in reaction to his nearness as he drew her close to steady her. Her mouth was suddenly dry, her heart hammering against her rib cage as his thigh brushed hers and her nervous system went into meltdown. She couldn’t think straight with him holding her that way, with the flat of his hand resting on her waist, burning through the thin cotton of her top. She struggled to compose herself. ‘I’ll be all right now…Thanks,’ she mumbled. ‘I can manage.’

      ‘Are you sure? The ground is difficult underfoot here where the coral has been left exposed by the sea.’

      ‘I’m sure.’ She straightened, as though to emphasise the point, and he released her readily enough, so that at last her head began to clear.

      ‘You said Rob was supposed to pick up some belongings—does that mean he was going to move on from your place?’

      She nodded. ‘Yes, although I dare say he will come back to the Keys from time to time because he still has contacts here. He found himself an apartment in Miami, close to where the film company is based and within a short distance of his parents’ and his brothers’ homes, so, all in all, I imagine things have turned out quite well for him.’

      ‘I expect so.’ He was thoughtful for a moment or two. ‘You told me that you’d been friends for some time…How did you two meet?’

      ‘We met when I was doing my medical training. He was doing a completely different course—media studies—but we had both joined the camera club on campus, and we became friends. I think he decided to come back to the States because there were good opportunities here for him in the television and film industry…and of course his family were here. He was homesick, I suppose, and having spent holidays here in Florida I could talk to him about familiar places, so that’s probably what drew us together in the first place.’

      By now they had reached Lacey’s house, and after a few more minutes of chat they parted company, with Jake heading off once more for the boathouse. ‘Going by boat is the best way to explore the Keys,’ he told her. ‘You should let me take you out on the water some day. It’ll open up a new world for you.’ His look was mischievous, inviting her to take him up on the offer there and then.

      ‘Maybe some other time. I’ll think about it,’ she said, taking the easy way out.

      He threw her a wry smile, and she guessed he was well aware that she was prevaricating once more.

      Lacey wasn’t at all concerned about what he might be thinking. He would most likely forget about the offer, or at the very least he would give up trying when faced with constant rejection. That suited her fine. Jake was a complication she could do without.

      Next day, she decided to eat her breakfast out on the deck. There was something utterly relaxing about sitting here first thing in the morning, she reflected, sipping freshly squeezed orange juice as she gazed out over the straits. Behind her, the glass doors to the dining room were opened wide to let the fresh, warm air sweep through the house, but here on the deck she had laid a table with a rack of toast, butter and apricot preserve. It was a perfect way to start the day.

      In the far distance, boats dipped on the blue sea, moving gently with the rise and fall of the waves. Closer to home, if she looked carefully, she could make out the sand and sea grass through the clear water.

      It was a view she would always delight in. In fact, with every day that passed she found something new to persuade her that this was where she belonged. She was growing used to the leisurely pace of life out here. It suited her frame of mind and in time might help to restore order out of the confusion that had preoccupied her of late. Of course, going out to work would dampen some of that holiday feeling and leave her little time to meditate, but it was probably for the best. She needed to keep busy.

      She spread a generous helping of preserve onto a slice of buttered toast and then bit into it, savouring the taste. It was strange that Jake didn’t appear to have to go out to work. He’d mentioned business meetings, but what kind of business was it where he never went to the office?

      She knew he was home based, because from time to time she would hear banging coming from the barn, muffled nowadays because he invariably kept the door shut. How did he stand the tropical heat? It must be like an oven in there, unless he was using a portable air-conditioner.

      On other days she would see him setting out in one of the boats, heading across the bay towards the ocean. That was the life, wasn’t it? Laid-back, lazy days, following whatever whim caught his fancy.

      Straightening up, she sighed and quickly brushed crumbs from her fingers. Enough of thinking about her intriguing neighbour…she didn’t have time to sit around here any longer dwelling on what he might or might not be up to. Her shift was due to start at the Bay View Hospital very shortly, and if she was to make a good impression on her first day, she had better look lively and get herself into gear.

      An hour later she was driving along the main highway that linked the islands to one another and continued on in a long ribbon towards mainland Florida. The hospital was just a twenty-minute drive away from where she lived, and travelling there was a refreshingly smooth experience after the congested roads she was used to back in the UK.

      ‘We’re really glad to have you on board, Lacey,’ Mike, the attending physician, greeted her as she walked through the doors of the emergency room. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and from the knot in his brow and by his general demeanour Lacey could see that he was harassed. ‘We’re rushed off our feet right now,’ he explained, ‘so after you’ve taken a few minutes to acclimatise yourself, we’d appreciate your help dealing with the walking wounded. Then later on in the day when Dr Mayfield, the intern, goes off duty, perhaps you could take over from him and look at the patients who’ve already been admitted for observation. I’ll show you around properly when the pace settles down a bit.’

      She smiled at his harried welcome. Not much difference there, then. It was much the same story back in London.

      ‘Just point me in the direction of the locker room and I’ll grab a lab coat,’ she told him. ‘I’m sure I’ll find my way around. If not, I’ll ask.’

      ‘That’s great,’ he said, a look of relief crossing his face. ‘Welcome to Bay View. You’ll find we’re a friendly bunch here, and we all support one another come what may. Rick Mayfield’s a good young doctor…I’m sure you’ll find he’ll be a great help to you. Anyway, if you have any problems at all, just shout.’

      ‘I’ll do that.’ She went to the locker room to stow away her bag and jacket, and within minutes she was back on the main floor of the emergency room, checking through the list of patients waiting to be seen.