list of the jobs to be done and consulted a friendly hygienist on what to do first.
‘Get the appointments straight,’ said Anya with feeling. ‘The best receptionist we ever had used to telephone people the day before to remind them. These days I get at least one missed appointment a day, sometimes more.’
‘Right,’ said Bella, bringing appointments to the top of her list.
Anya leaned over the counter watching her. ‘Nice idea, but you’ll never make it stick. Mulligan the Magnificent will come steaming out and make you drop everything to do something he wants.’
She was right. Between checking patients in, directing them to the waiting room, making out their bills and taking payments, Bella straightened out appointments for the next day. Two patients said they’d changed their appointment; one had a broken leg and was in hospital, the others were grateful. She had two left to go when Mulligan appeared at her desk.
‘You’re not supposed to make phone calls,’ he told her disagreeably.
‘They’re phone calls to patients.’
‘Well, you should ask me first.’
Bella just looked at him.
He started to bluster. She sat there with her hands folded and listened.
When he finished she said, ‘I have established that you have three appointments tomorrow where patients will be unable to turn up, Anya has two cancellations and Mr Page has one.’
‘What?’
Silently she swung the screen round so he could see.
‘Ridiculous! Patients are so irresponsible. Bill them anyway.’
‘Difficult to do that when it’s our fault. Two have already rebooked, but someone here forgot to take out the original appointment.’
There was a stand-off.
‘Then book someone else in,’ he snapped at last.
Bella gave him a sweet smile. ‘You mean, you give me permission to make a phone call or two?’
If he’d been a horse he would have thrown back his head and neighed with frustration.
‘Bastard,’ said Anya with satisfaction, emerging from the hygienist’s suite. ‘Well done, you.’
So Bella went home, cautiously pleased, and when Lottie asked, ‘How was your day?’ said, ‘First round to me.’
‘First round?’
‘There will be others. I’ve worked for the Mulligans of this world before.’
‘You’ll handle it,’ said Lottie. ‘Now what are you wearing tonight?’
Bella had been thinking about that and had worked out a strategy. ‘Nothing too fancy,’ she said firmly. ‘First dates are a minefield. I want to feel comfortable. I did buy some shoes at lunch-time though.’
Lottie approved the cute patent T-bars she had picked up but was disappointed by her refusal to dress up in full party fig. But in the end she sighed and agreed that Bella was probably right.
‘But no jeans,’ she warned. ‘You don’t know where he’s taking you and some places don’t let in people wearing jeans.’
Bella raised an eyebrow.
‘OK, they’d probably let the Prince of Wales in. But you’d have everyone staring, like one of those horrible Bateman cartoons. The Woman Who Wore Jeans at Club Exclusive. You’d hate it.’
So when Richard arrived, Bella was ready in a pair of waist-hugging cigarette pants over an old silk camisole top of Lottie’s. She had found a short, fitted blazer on her Oxfam trawl. It was covered in a spray of small black beads and was one of those classic vintage numbers that managed to look both chic and casual all at once.
‘Actually, I like it,’ said Lottie, inspecting her critically. ‘Not coming from a charity shop would have been a real bonus. But you’ll definitely do.’
She even allowed Bella out with only the minimum of make-up, on the grounds that her Indian Ocean tan was as good as anything that came in a bottle.
‘Jewellery?’
But Bella had none. She’d not taken any to the island with her and she was still living out of her backpack, with a few supplements. ‘I’ll pick up all my stuff at the weekend,’ she promised.
Lottie was desperate to lend her some pearl earrings but Bella hooted with laughter and told her to get real.
‘I’m not a Jane Austen heroine. Pearls are for historical novels and grandmothers.’
‘Well, you need something. Otherwise you’ll look as if you’re going for a working lunch or something.’
‘In this jacket?’
Lottie admitted it would be a bit sparkly for the office but they settled on a pair of golden chandelier earrings from Lottie’s extensive bauble collection, just to add a sparkle or two more.
First dates always have their awkward moments and Bella braced herself. But Richard was perfectly at ease from the moment she opened the door to him. He kissed her on both cheeks, quite naturally, and flapped a cheerful hand at a hovering Lottie, saying,