“Heard you had a crazy patient in the clinic this morning. You okay?” His ice-blue eyes barely connected with hers as he spoke, which drove her crazy. Did he think she wouldn’t notice the way he watched her mouth or looked at her chest? He leered at her when he spoke, but then when she responded he often glanced around aimlessly, like what she had to say was less important. And yet, he had repeatedly heaped useless flattery upon her and had asked her out on multiple occasions.

She assumed it was an ego thing, because she always turned him down.

He didn’t know a thing about her, and his current display of concern for her well-being was almost laughable.

Instead of laughing, Lauren stiffened, feeling protective of Zeke. “He’s not crazy. He’d just received terrible news and didn’t handle it well. He’s not a bad guy.”

“Coming here wasted off his ass is pretty crazy, if you ask me. But okay.” He ran a hand through his wavy blond hair. “A bunch of us are going on the Plaza this Saturday. You should come.”

“No, thanks.”

“Got a date?”

None of your business. “I need to study.”

“For what? You’re already a pharmacist.”

She’d explained this to him no less than three times. “My oncology board exam.”

“Oh.”

The familiar beep of a pump indicating a finished infusion sliced through the air, and Lauren prayed it was one of Gavin’s patients. Thankfully, he muttered something about catching up with her later and walked off.

Lauren resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his back and continued her circuit of the infusion center. She saw two of her other patients and stopped to check on them before moving on. Mandi’s section was the last she came upon, and Mandi looked up from her computer when Lauren approached.

“Hey girl.”

“Hey,” Lauren said. “Busy day?”

“Always.” Mandi returned her attention to the computer. “I saw Gavin talking to you a minute ago…still trying to get with you, huh?”

Lauren shrugged. “I think it has less to do with me and more to do with him thinking he’s God’s gift to women.”

“Based on his success rate with dating the nursing staff, most of them agree with him.”

Lauren was well aware of the rounds he’d made through the employees throughout the cancer center. “I don’t get it. He’s not bad looking or anything, but he seems like such…”

“An asshole?”

“I was going to say son of a motherless goat, but we can use yours.”

Mandi snickered. “You and your fake cussing. I’ll never forget the first time I met you, you hit your shoulder on the doorjamb and instead of shit or dammit, the words out of your mouth were Bob Saget!”

“I’m nothing, if not original,” Lauren said with a grin. “But really, it’s because of the kids.”