I tried to finish the next chapter of The Socialisation of Mr Hanssen but neither Hanssen or Serena wanted to play. They were however perfectly happy to go on a roadtrip with Mo and Michael - so what could I do but let them?
This will probably only be two chapters. It will be no surprise that I was stuck in car when this idea struck!
'Spence to the rescue!' Michael pulled up outside the hotel in a white Audi A5.
'Nice!' Mo said with an appreciative grin. 'I call shotgun!' She hurriedly threw her bag in the boot and rushed to the front seat.
Hanssen gave the car an unimpressed look as he placed his bag in the boot. Serena had also dumped her bag on him so he put that in too, and stepped around the door behind Mo's seat.
'Where's Her Highness?' Michael asked.
'Dealing with a phonecall.' Hanssen replied grimly. Serena Campbell seemed to be almost surgically attached to her phone.
Michael hooted the car horn when he saw Serena approaching. 'Come on Rena, I wanna be home before nightfall!'
Serena came to a halt as she observed the seating arrangements. 'I'm not sitting in the back.' she said flatly, adding in her mind 'with him' referring to Hanssen.
Mo rolled her eyes, of course it would be her who'd have to move!
'Mo called shotgun and we're all comfy now.' Michael said. 'Hop in.' he tried to give Serena his best 'Dad' look, the one that he usually saved for Jasmine.
'Do please hurry up Ms Campbell.' Hanssen said as he sat into the back seat.
'Excuse me, but we'd already be home if it wasn't for your car!' Serena retorted.
'He can't help it that his car broke down.' Mo commented but then she shrank from Serena's glare.
Serena had been in a foul mood since the evening before when, just as they prepared to travel back to Holby from a two day conference, Hanssen's car wouldn't start. After Hanssen and Michael spent what Serena considered a ridiculous and pointless amount of time looking at the engine of Hanssen's car without success (Serena was convinced neither had known what they were doing anyway), it had been too late to make alternative arrangements for travelling home.
First thing that morning Hanssen had arranged to have his car towed to his usual garage in Bristol, clearly not trusting anyone else to look at it, and Michael had gone to rent a car for them to travel in. Serena had spent the time on the phone rearranging work commitments and Mo had taken advantage of the hotel's amenities, having a long breakfast and going for a swim.
'Come on Rena,' Michael repeated. 'We all know you're a backseat kinda girl.'
Mo almost choked on the water she was drinking and Serena looked at him in disbelief.
'I mean,' Michael panicked realising what he said, 'that you're the type to be chauffeured! Like, sit in the backseat and have a driver! Not… I didn't mean… you know… that kinda backseat…'
Serena grumbled threateningly but got in.
Just forty-five minutes later the increasing heat in the car was making everyone uncomfortable. The temperature gauge said it was 25 degrees. Michael fidgeted with the air conditioning.
'How are you not roasting?' Serena asked Hanssen, who was dressed in his usual suit and tie, and even a waistcoat despite the fact that the day had been forecast as reaching high temperatures.
Hanssen shrugged, but in truth he was too warm. Serena observed him steadily.
'At least take your jacket off.' She said. 'You're making me hot just looking at you.'
'Whoa! Saucy!' Michael exclaimed having heard Serena's remark. He gave her a cheeky grin through the mirror. Mo giggled. Serena rolled her eyes at him and Hanssen pretended not to notice anything.
After a moment, Hanssen did begin to remove his jacket. He could feel Serena's eyes on him. He didn't know why she was taking such an interest; he couldn't imagine she'd care very much if he fainted from heat exhaustion. Then again, that would delay her getting home so she probably would care. He folded his jacket neatly and left in on the seat between them. He saw her raising her eyebrows at him and gave her a questioning look.
'Do you ever dress down?' she asked.
'Dress down?'
'Are you leaving that on?' she nodded at his waistcoat.
Hanssen looked down. If he were honest, had he been travelling alone he would only have worn his shirt but he didn't want it to look like he was simply doing so now because Serena told him too. But it was childish to remain uncomfortably warm on a long journey just because he didn't want to look like he was giving in to Serena.
He began unbuttoning his waistcoat. He felt oddly self-conscious doing so as Serena's gaze was still firmly fixed on him. He was relieved Michael's attention was drawn to a debate with Mo over what radio station to tune into. Folding the waistcoat and leaving it on top of his jacket, he then loosened his tie and removed it placing that carefully on top of his other clothing.
Serena smiled cheerfully at him. 'There now, isn't that better?' she asked gently.
Her tone reminded Hanssen of the way she often spoke to Arthur Digby. Or the way one might speak to a child.
The radio came on and the sound of Taylor Swift lamenting another lost love filled the car.
'Well it's clearly not working!' Serena snapped.
'It feels just fine up here.' Michael replied.
Serena had been complaining that the air-con wasn't cool enough. He had adjusted the settings several times and she still wasn't happy. Serena huffed unhappily and sat back in the seat.
Mo began singing along to a Rizzle Kicks song and Michael gave her a sideways look.
'What?' she asked.
'Really? This is your kind of music?' he asked.
'Hey, I am down with the youngsters!' she replied, bopping her head in time to the music. Michael laughed.
In the backseat Serena was wondering if this was what it felt like to have a hot flush and the music was getting on Hanssen's nerves. Hanssen gave short discontented sigh and Serena glanced at him.
'How about we stage a coup and take over the driving and passenger seat?' Serena suggested.
'I'm not sure they'll give them up easily.' Hanssen said with a hint of amusement.
Britney Spear's 'Oops I did it again' came on the radio and both Michael and Mo started singing along between bursts of laughter and teasing.
'I'm not sure they'll have a choice.' Serena said darkly. She pulled at the front of her blouse in an attempt to fan herself slightly.
'Why don't you take it off?' Hanssen asked quietly. At Serena's look of confusion he elaborated. 'Your top.'
Serena's eyebrows shot up at the suggestion.
'You are wearing something underneath.' He said.
'I might be, how do you know?' Serena asked.
'I saw the outline beneath…' Hanssen paused, taking in the look developing on Serena's face, he wondered if perhaps it would be inappropriate to continue.
'Go on.' Serena said.
'I just noticed…' he swallowed, 'the outline of… when you were standing in the sun outside the hotel.'
'I didn't realise you were scrutinising me so carefully.' Serena replied with a hint of amusement.
'I wasn't.' he told her. 'Anyway, if you're too warm isn't removing a layer of clothing the logical thing to do?'
'Oh yes, and you were so willing to do so yourself!' Serena retorted. 'You won't even undo the top buttons of your shirt. I'm not shedding a layer and showing off my lumps and bumps.' she turned away looking out the window for a moment.
Hanssen watched her for a moment and then began undoing the first three buttons of his shirt, nudging Serena with his elbow lightly. She turned and tilted her head looking at him.
'So?' she said, unimpressed.
'Your turn. And stop fretting about imaginary imperfections.' He ordered.
'If only they were imaginary.' Serena mumbled.
'Are you fishing for compliments?' Hanssen asked, raising an eyebrow.
'If I were I'm sure I'd be wasting my time with you.' Serena said dryly.
'OOPS! I did it again!' Michael and Mo shouted in synch.
Serena winced at the sound.
'I'm sure you know perfectly well how attractive you are.'
Serena did a double take. Had she heard correctly? She glanced sharply at Hanssen who was calmly facing her with an enigmatic expression.
'I'm s…' she began. 'Did you just say I'm attractive?'
'I'm surely not the first to have done so.' Hanssen answered as though he had simply said her hair was brown.
'You're the first in a long time.' Serena said, slightly stunned.
'Perhaps most think it goes without saying.' He replied matter-of-factly.