Doctor January by Rhoda Baxter Page B

driver to pick him up. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’ He genuinely meant it. He got on well with Winifred and he missed talking to her. They hadn’t intended to keep in touch once he went to university, but they still met from time to time. Over the years, they’d become friends.
    â€˜Me too, darling; me too.’ He could tell from her voice that she was smiling. ‘I’ll see you next week. And, James, wear a suit.’
    â€˜Will do.’ He hung up. If anyone could help take his mind off Beth, it would be Winn. And lunch at Le Manoir was too good to miss. He hummed to himself as he went back to work.
    Anna, Lara and Beth met in the staff club for lunch to compare the entries for the calendar and even Beth had to reluctantly agree that they were struggling to fill it. It wasn’t so much that the men weren’t good-looking – they were – but there just weren’t that many entries. A few guys who were still students had entered: they were disqualified regardless of how gorgeous they were.
    Soon they were left with a small selection of photos. They spread them out on the table.
    â€˜Not bad,’ said Lara. ‘I’d say we’ve got ten, at best. We need a couple more.’
    â€˜Roger wanted to enter,’ said Beth and Lara laughed. ‘I told him I didn’t decide who went in the calendar. You did.’
    Lara put her head to one side. ‘You do get a say in it, you know.’
    â€˜I’m not sure I
can
choose between these guys. They’re all gorgeous and every single one would photograph well. I’m happy for you guys to choose.’
    â€˜If you had to take just one of them home tonight, which one would you choose?’ said Anna.
    Beth refused to rise to the bait. Anna was seeing this whole thing as an extended dating service, while Beth was more interested in the photographs than the men. She should have been interested in the men, she supposed, but really none of them appealed. She shrugged. ‘They’re all nice, I’m sure, but I’m not particularly interested in any of them’.
    â€˜Is that because none of them is Gordon? You said you were moving on,’ said Lara.
    â€˜I am!’ Why did they not believe her?
    â€˜Well, you’re not moving very fast …’
    â€˜It’s not like I’ve had lots of opportunity,’ Beth protested. ‘I’ve been working most evenings. I don’t exactly have a chance to go out.’
    â€˜Working. As in hanging out with the gorgeous Hibs.’ Anna grinned.
    Beth rolled her eyes and Lara laughed. Anna said, ‘Honestly, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed him. Seriously? Are you blind?’
    â€˜No,’ said Beth. ‘I just don’t get what you see in him.’ She started to gather up the bits of paper. Since Anna had started going on about him, she had started to really look at Hibs. He was kind and caring, she already knew that. What she hadn’t realised was that he was also slim and elegant in a streamlined sort of a way. She preferred her men more muscular, like Gordon. But she had to admit slim and elegant was attractive too.
    â€˜Huh,’ said Anna. ‘This Gordon must have been something incredible.’
    Beth ignored the comment and said, ‘Shall we sort out the photos and interviews for the guys we’ve got? Maybe some other candidates will turn up in the next couple of weeks.’ Thankfully, Lara had squashed Anna’s idea of accosting random people in the street.
    â€˜I don’t see that we have much choice,’ said Lara.
    â€˜Well, he was interesting,’ said Beth. ‘Once he put his clothes back on.’
    She and Anna were walking back across the Museum Garden after visiting one of the men for the calendar. Despite their best efforts at clarity, he had answered the door wearing nothing but a dressing gown, which he’d dropped when Beth picked up her camera.