“So…” Lauren said.

“So.” Frazer answered.

“You often leave a girl in the bathroom with her pants half-undone?”

Open-mouthed, Frazer whipped her head around to stare at her.

The thin line of Lauren’s lip twitched. And then she laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

Their pace fell back into step. Lauren was kind of evil. The antiseptic smell of the hospital surrounded them when they entered the building. Frazer bit the bullet and said, “I should say sorry, not you.”

Because it was easier than looking at Lauren, Frazer buried her hands in her jacket pockets and kept her eyes on the coffee cart set up just in front of them.

“Well, thanks.”

Lauren was apparently a better person than most. Frazer really needed to work on the whole saying sorry thing. Her mother had been saying that since she was a tiny ball of stubborn hands on hips, narrow-eyed little girl.

“Do you have spare shoes at work?” Lauren asked, her lips forming a perfect circle to blow into her fresh cup of coffee.

Leaning against the wall, Frazer nodded. Took a sip and burnt her tongue. She tried not to grimace and show her discomfort. “Yeah, midwifery rule.”

“You having one of those mornings?” Lauren looked so comfortable, shoulder pressed to the wall, watching her openly.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“The look on your face when you dropped it. Like you expected it.”

“I’ve figured it’s karma.”

“For last night? I was joking about the up and leaving. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Frazer groaned inwardly as Cora walked through the door Lauren and Frazer had just used and stopped dead at the sight of them. Lauren’s eyes, thankfully, stayed on Frazer and didn’t notice. Frazer stared back at Cora, though, as the brick against her back bit into her shoulder blade.

Even from this distance, Frazer could see how Cora’s face clouded. Her eyes were unreadable, and she turned and hurried to the elevators.

Frazer shook her head. “For that. And other things.”

“Cora?”

Frazer’s ponytail whipped her in the face again when she turned to stare at her, mouth gaping like a fish. Lauren was almost smirking. “Breathe, Frazer.”

“No. Not for Cora.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Eyes downcast, Frazer took another scalding sip.

“I won’t say anything.” Lauren ducked her head to try and catch Frazer’s eye. “But you should be careful.”

Frazer watched Alec walk through like he owned the place, tablet in hand as he swiped at it without deigning to look where he was going.

“Yeah, I know.”