‘And what’s wrong with that?’ She spread her hands in a gesture of disbelief. ‘I was going to work with the guy. I was supposed to like him. Or is that what this is all about?’ Her hands fell to her sides and she glared at him. ‘Is it jealousy, McKenna? Is that’s what’s wrong?’
They were both breathing rapidly, eyes locked in combat, totally indifferent to their growing audience.
Polly cleared her throat. ‘Sam, your new trailer is on air in about two minutes. Why don’t we all watch it?’
Sam sucked in a breath, his eyes still on Anna’s. ‘Fine. Let’s watch it.’
Anna had to stop herself from screaming. She didn’t want to watch his trailer. She didn’t want to see what his plans for the future were because she knew they didn’t involve her and that knowledge made her want to cry like a baby.
She stuck her chin in the air. ‘Fine. Let’s watch the trailer.’
She stalked into the staffroom where Glenda was already glued to the screen. ‘Here we go…’
‘This autumn, Medical Matters moves from London to the seaside, following the trials and tribulations of life in a busy harbour practice…’
The narrator’s voice droned on and then there was Sam, standing on the beach, his dark hair blowing
in the wind as he talked.
When he’d finished, Glenda pressed the ‘pause’ button and stared at Anna.
Anna stood in silence.
She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again.
Sam’s eyes were fixed on her face. ‘Say something.’
She swallowed. ‘You’re going to make the programme here?’
Polly grinned. ‘It was that or he was going to resign, and I’m not about to lose my best medical presenter.’
Anna stared at him. ‘You were going to resign?’ She stared at the TV. ‘It said this autumn.’
‘The trailer is for you, Riggs,’ Sam said roughly. ‘We made it just for you. The real series and trailer won’t be shown until next summer.’
Her expression was blank. ‘Sorry?’
He glared at her in exasperation. ‘It’s a message from me to you,’ he shouted, ‘but you’re so damn stupid you can’t even see it!’
‘If you stopped yelling, maybe I’d be able to concentrate,’ Anna yelled, lifting a hand to her chest. Suddenly it was difficult to breathe. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘I didn’t give the guy the job because I decided that I wanted it myself!’ Sam paced the room, his hands thrust in his pockets, his eyes stormy. ‘I decided that everything he was gaining I was losing, and I discovered that I didn’t want to lose it.’ He stopped pacing and looked at her. ‘I discovered that I wanted it for myself.’
Anna went still. ‘What did you want for yourself?’
‘The practice.’ He ran a hand over the back of his neck and swore softly. ‘And you. I wanted you. Which makes me an idiot, I know, because you’ve made it perfectly obvious that you don’t want me.’
He wanted her?
Anna struggled to speak. ‘Hold on.’ Her voice was scratchy. ‘When did I make it perfectly obvious that I didn’t want you? When?’
He shrugged. ‘When you started advertising for new partners.’
‘I was forced to look for another partner because you were leaving, McKenna!’
‘I never said I was leaving.’
‘Well, you never said you might stay.’ She lifted a shaking hand to her hair and scooped it back. ‘And—and you stopped sleeping with me.’