paying.â
âThatâs just ridiculous.â
âNo, thatâs just the way it is.â He handed his card to Ken. âFantastic food, Ken. Great evening. Make that appointment to see me any time.â
âHas anyone ever told you that youâre stubborn and opinionated?â Anna rose to her feet and reached for her bag. âJust for the record, your macho, he-man act doesnât work on me, McKenna. If youâre expecting it to make my legs go weak, itâs only fair to warn you that Iâm still walking with no problems.â
âReally?â He pulled a face. âDamn. I must be losing my touch. Need to lift a few more weights. Practise my walk. And for the record, youâre more stubborn than me.â
They left the restaurant and walked back to the car.
âNow, this is when I love Cornwall.â 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. âI love it when the tourists leave and the beach is ours again.â
Anna stood next to him. âThe 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.â
They stared at a group of teenagers gathered at the waterâs edge and Sam frowned. âThe problem with this place is that the teenagers donât have anywhere to go. And thereâs no privacy. If one of them makes an appointment at the surgery, everyone knows.â
âWhatâs wrong with that?â
âWell, if youâre trying to be cool, or if youâre trying to hide something from your parents, then making an appointment with us is like taking out an ad in the paper.â
Anna stared at him. âYou think thatâs why teenagers donât come?â
âOne reason.â He looked at the group on the beach. âWe ought to start a teenage health group. Somewhere they can go, mingle and chat to a doctor if they want to.â
It was a great idea. âNo one would turn up.â
âTheyâd turn up if we made it cool.â
âAnd how would we do that?â
He turned and gave her a lopsided smile. âIâd be the doctor.â
She grunted with exasperation. âYou are so arrogant.â
âWhatâs the teenage pregnancy rate here?â
âItâs high, as you well know.â
âProbably because if they go to the doctor, they broadcast the fact from the rooftops. If there was a clinic for teenagers, we could deal with all sorts of things. Drugs, eating disorders, contraception and the positive stuff, exercise, healthy eating.â
It was a fantastic idea. âIt would never work.â
âLetâs try it. Send invitations to all the teenagers in the area.â
âIâll think about it.â She was definitely going to do it. âYouâre afraid Iâll be proved right.â
âYouâre never right, McKenna. And all our teenagers want to do is party.â
âTalking of parties, when is the beach barbecue to raise money for the lifeboat? Must be soon.â
Anna laughed. âThe highlight of our social calendar. Iâm amazed you remember it.â
âIt was at the beach barbecue that I finally scored with Daisy Forest,â Sam said smugly. âNot likely to forget that in a hurry. What a girl.â
âWell, itâs probably only fair to warn you that Daisy Forest is now a happily married woman with three little girls and a doting husband whose shoulder measurements exceed even yours. You might want to rethink that attachment.â
Sam winced and gave a wry smile. âDamn. There go my dreams.â
âJust for my own interest and research, what was it that wrecked them? The three little girls or the dimensions of her husband?â
âBoth. Iâm a man who hates competition. So when is