Page 62 of Love Letters on Hazel Lane

‘Do you keep a record of when these headaches occur, Mrs Green? Do they happen at a particular time of day?’

Four minutes later, he dispatched Mrs Green with an assurance that there was no need to give up Cheddar just yet and instructions to take the occasional paracetamol if the pain was really bad, keep a headache diary and make a follow-up appointment if things didn’t improve in a fortnight. He then phoned through to reception and requested a three-minute break between patients, saying he had to write up some notes. Then he flicked screens to the online local radio station and raised the volume on his computer.

‘…and that was, of course, the wonderful Etta James singing “At Last”,’ intoned the DJ, ‘and our lovely guest this afternoon, Jo Knox, was just telling me that that song was very special to her. Jo, would you like to tell the listeners why?’

‘Er, no, not really,’ said Jo. ‘It’s a bit personal.’

Rasmus couldn’t help smiling to himself. He could imagine Jo’s face as she said that. He could feel the awkwardness in the radio studio as acutely as if he were there.

There was silence for a moment before the presenter said, ‘So you’re here to tell us about a very unusual event that’s happening this weekend in Hebbleswick.’

‘Er, yeah.’

Rasmus realised that he was holding his breath. He was as nervous as if he were giving this interview himself. ‘Come on, Jo, you can do this,’ he said out loud. ‘Tell them it’s a Scrabble festival.’

‘And what’s the event?’ said the presenter.

‘A Scrabble festival.’

‘Tell them about the tournament.’ Rasmus was practically shouting at the screen now. ‘The speed-dating. The craft room.’

‘There’ll be a Scrabble tournament,’ said Jo.

There was a moment’s silence. Rasmus could picture her in the studio. She’d be fiddling with her hair or her hands. She always did that when she was feeling anxious. His heart went out to her. Jo. Lovely Jo. She might have grown in confidence recently, but this was quite clearly out of her comfort zone.

He was very much a man of science and didn’t believe in telepathy, but he willed her to continue now. Go on, Jo. Go on. You’ve got this.

Through his speakers, he heard her clear her throat. Then suddenly her voice came again, hesitant but clear. ‘Though not everyone is competitive so if you just want to come along…’

She cleared her throat again. ‘…and play a game of Scrabble for fun, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to do that. There’s also a craft room…’

‘A craft room?’ said the presenter.

‘Yes. You’ll be able to make necklaces and pictures and greeting cards using letter tiles.’

She sounded more confident now.

‘Well done, Jo. Keep going,’ urged Rasmus. His fists were clenched and he was shaking his hands, as if he were cheering on an athlete in a race.

‘That’s an interesting idea,’ said the presenter.

‘And then tomorrow evening, we’ll be running Scrabble speed-dating.’

She was really getting into her stride now, thought Rasmus. He felt a surge of pride; he knew she could do this.

‘Scrabble speed-dating?’ said the presenter. ‘How does that work?’

‘In normal speed-dating, you basically get three minutes to talk to each of the men in the room – or each of the women, if you’re a man obviously – and then the organiser rings a bell and you move on to the next person…’

Rasmus had rehearsed with her several times, but she was managing somehow to say all this as if she were saying it for the first time. It not only sounded natural but he could hear the excitement in her voice and hoped that other people would pick up on that too.

‘During those three minutes,’ she continued, ‘you can talk about whatever you like, only not everyone is good at small talk and it’s sometimes a bit awkward. So we’re doing Scrabble speed-dating. You have ten minutes with each person instead of three so you have a little longer to get to know them and see if you like them, but you also have to play Scrabble at the same time. The Scrabble is a kind of ice-breaker.’

Rasmus punched the air. She was nailing it.

‘That’s a genius idea. Did you come up with it?’

‘I did actually. I’m glad you like it. If you’re single, you could come along yourself.’