She pushed harder against the flow of traffic, ignoring the annoyed grumbling of the other students. “Dr. Winslow!”

The crowd pushed harder, and she found herself shunted to one side. Her foot caught on the leg of a chair, and she stumbled. The floor rushed up to meet her.

An arm wrapped around her waist. “Whoa. Careful there. Are you okay?”

Kathy glanced in the direction that Winslow had disappeared and her throat tightened. The anger morphed into bitter frustration as she fought to keep herself together.

“Are you okay?” the man repeated. “Did you hit your head at all?”

Kathy turned to find that the man who caught her was the Hispanic speaker. He looked concerned as his warm brown eyes inspected her as if looking for any damage.

“I’m—I’m fine.” Kathy took a deep calming breath. “I just tripped.”

“Was there something you wanted to ask Dr. Winslow? He had to run to catch a flight, but I can probably answer your questions.” He paused… and then a smile grew on his face. “You’re Katherine O’Reilly.”

Kathy wracked her brain trying to figure out how he knew her—and why he looked familiar.

He chuckled and extended his hand. “I’m the guy who found your wallet at the airport a few months back. Juan Gutierrez.”

“Oh my god!” Kathy shook his hand. “What a bizarre coincidence.”

“Indeed. So, did you have any questions I could answer for you?”

Kathy felt warmth creep up her neck and into her cheeks. She didn’t even know what she would have said to Winslow if she had caught up to him. But it wasn’t a question this man could answer. “I guess the question popped out of my head when I fell.”

“Oh.” Juan looked almost… disappointed. He hesitated, then cleared his throat. “Well, my flight isn’t until tomorrow and I’m starving. Do you… uh… do you have any recommendations for a decent meal around here?”

“Oh, sure. My roommate was gushing about the Mai Kai. It’s a new Asian fusion restaurant, supposed to be really nice. I can’t vouch for it myself though—haven’t tried it.”

Juan’s face brightened. “Well, why don’t you join me? Maybe over dinner you’ll remember what you were going to ask Winslow.”

Kathy blinked rapidly. Did he just ask me out? The last thing she wanted right now was a date.

“Umm…”

Juan gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing weird. I just hate eating alone. It kind of sucks. And bonus, the company will pay for the meal.”

Kathy had worked bars for a few years, so she’d experienced her share of sleazy bastards. This guy didn’t seem like that. He seemed… sincere. She knew better than most how being alone in a strange place really did suck.