Andrew was surprised she remembered Caroline’s name. Caroline had been mentioned in front of her what, once? Nearly a month ago? “It’s been almost two months. I’m not looking for a rebound, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Was your sister right? Did she end it because of your diagnosis?” Anger flashed in her eyes, and he bit back a grin. His sisters’ overprotective natures got tiresome, but Lauren feeling defensive on his behalf was strangely satisfying.

“Not exactly,” he hedged.

Lauren lowered her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I asked that. It’s none of my business.”

He didn’t want to talk about Caroline, so he said nothing more. He watched her for a moment, unsure what else he could say to convince her. Or if he even should try to convince her. He wasn’t into forcing a woman to do something.

Then again, she said she wanted to…she was just worried about her job.

Suddenly, another thought struck him. “Are you dating someone?”

Her reply was immediate. “No.”

But he knew she had agreed to a date with Logan tomorrow night. She didn’t know Logan and Andrew knew each other, or that Andrew had been the one to end up with her phone number. His immediate goal that night at McNellie’s had been to prevent Logan from pursuing her, but later that evening he’d considered the possibilities. For himself.

After starting and deleting several texts over the course of the past two weeks, the events of this morning had finally prompted him to action. When he’d seen Lauren standing just a few feet from what appeared to be an unstable, inebriated patient, the instinct to protect her had overwhelmed him.

And then during his chemo treatment in the afternoon, he’d watched the door for her, hoping she’d pass by. When she didn’t, the disappointment that had washed through him had been considerable. He realized how deeply interested he was in her, and as a cancer patient, time wasn’t a guarantee he had the luxury of having.

So, he’d done what any level-headed man would do. He’d used the phone number she’d given to his best friend, pretended to be that friend, and charmed her into agreeing to go out with him. When she’d told “Logan” she was studying tonight, Andrew had a thought she might have come here. He had been studying on his couch at home and decided he could use a change of scenery.