“I said it’s best to have someone with you, but the only time it was required was that first time, in case you had a reaction to any of the drugs.” She cocked an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. “Were you not paying attention when I taught you about chemo?”

He opted for honesty. “Not to your words.”

Jeni smacked him on the shoulder. “You’re such a jerk,” she muttered.

Andrew’s eyes didn’t leave Lauren’s.

She ran a hand down her hair with a small smile. “I’d better get going. I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything was going okay.” Her expression transformed to a frown. “I didn’t even ask that. How are you feeling? Any nausea? Diarrhea? Headaches?”

Andrew blinked. “No, none of your business, and no.”

“I’m a medical professional. Everything is my business.”

“Not that.”

It looked like she was going to argue, but she just squared her shoulders. “Fine. Good luck on your trial. I hope you win.” She turned to Jeni. “See you Saturday?”

Andrew spoke before Jeni could respond. “I can’t believe you two are hanging out without me.”

Jeni imparted her perfected eye roll. “You see her all the time.”

“I do not.”

“Okay, but you talk to her all the time.”

Andrew shrugged and smiled at Lauren.

She smiled back. “We’re going shopping,” Lauren said. “You’d hate it.”

“I wouldn’t hate anything, so long as I was with you.”

Apparently today he was just going to put it all out there.

“Stop it,” Jeni whined. “You’d better get going, Lauren. I think he’s about to recite the poem he wrote about you.”

With a wide smile, Lauren left and Andrew’s eyes followed her as she walked away. Just as she was about to turn the corner, that stocky blond nurse came up behind her. He seemed to whisper something in Lauren’s ear, and Andrew’s hands gripped the arms of his chair.

Lauren turned and took a step backward. She glanced in Andrew’s direction for a split second, then back at the guy. She gestured to the exit and moved to walk away, but he must have said something else, because Lauren slowly twisted toward him once more.

Her cheeks were flushed, but in a completely different way than they had been just moments before with Andrew. She looked pissed. They spoke back and forth, and the guy gave her a slow, theatrical nod, bringing to mind a villain in an action film, contemplating his next move.

Andrew didn’t like what he was seeing, but he felt helpless to do anything about it. They were in a room full of people, and Lauren and the nurse were just talking. If the dude put a hand on her, Andrew would be out of his chair and across the room in two seconds flat.