Read Online Out of Practice by Penny Parkes - Free Book Online Page B

face, her skin taut and irritable, and gave herself permission to draw
comfort from her new hometown laid out before her.
    There really was something for everyone in Larkford – the statuesque Georgian townhouses at the far end of the Market Place lent a certain elegance to the town and the soaring simplicity
of the Norman church provided the perfect relief for the otherwise fussier pastel-coloured terraces that lined each side of the square and led off down the rabbit warrens of residential
side-streets that could still get Holly in a muddle.
    The acres of wooded parkland, criss-crossed by paths and running trails brought the countryside right into the town. Even the car parks had wrought-iron lamp posts and benches, and a town
ordinance from decades before prevented any local businesses using gaudy signs to promote their location. To the tourists’ eyes it was a picture-postcard scene.
    But walking the length of the town on a day like today made it all too obvious which end of Larkford belonged to the Haves and which to the Have-Nots. Even though the Pound Shop had a suitably
tasteful sign, its very presence was an indicator that not everyone in town could afford the decadently fresh sea bass from Larkford’s renowned fishmonger, Waves.
    As always, as she made her way through town, it was the bit in the middle that fascinated Holly, not the obvious issues in the outlying council estate or the genteel wealth of those Georgian
town houses. In between lay the residential streets, small shops and offices that spoke of families trying to get by – juggling time and money whilst dealing with the realities of whatever
life may throw at them.
    The bit in the middle was where Holly lived and she didn’t really think that the tourists swarming through Larkford every summer would have any interest in that at all. But, as far as she
was concerned, this was where her patients lived and where her children would grow up and, for her, it didn’t get more interesting than that.

Chapter 6
    Holly made it to work on time with moments to spare. Tom had predictably leapt from the pram with boundless enthusiasm, whilst Ben, unsettled by the tension at home, had thrown
the mother of all tantrums as she dropped them off at nursery. By mid-morning, Holly’s stomach was growling as if it were lunchtime and she was already feeling drained and exhausted. Being a
working mum was all about stamina and the ability to multi-task – Holly was unconvinced she qualified on either front this morning.
    She’d already seen a decidedly spritely and well-rested looking chap, who’d come to her desperate for help with his insomnia. Apparently the poor fellow was barely getting seven
hours sleep a night! Seven hours! It had taken a super-human amount of restraint for Holly not to give him a piece of her mind. Instead she’d given him a list of suggestions that might help
– hot milk, more fresh air during the day, stay away from cheese in the evenings, oh and get a freaking clue!
    Okay, so that last one hadn’t been said out loud, but the sleep-deprived portion of Holly’s brain had stepped in and she was aware that she was now muttering ‘seven
hours!’ incredulously under her breath at random and inopportune moments.
    On the plus side, she felt she’d been sensitive, supportive and skilled in handling several patients with depression, one with horrific acne and had passed no judgement at all on the
70-year-old resident with a raging case of gonorrhoea! She had given him a little pep talk about safe sex, but she feared he’d already nodded off by then.
    All in all, it was a slightly different pace to hospital doctoring and Holly was looking forward to finding her feet and getting to know her patients.
    She even quite liked the idea of having ‘regulars’ – feeling that she really might be able to make a significant difference to their long-term care. At the hospital, the notion
of ‘regulars’ was restricted to Mad Derek (who