Lauren didn’t respond right away. Her jaw was tight, but otherwise her face was devoid of obvious emotion.
Andrew had grown up around four women, and knew silence was deceptive. Any time he’d done something stupid, a calm demeanor from his mother had told him things were about to get very bad.
And if Valerie appeared cool and collected? Lord have mercy.
It was awkward just standing there, so he sat down across from her. “I’m sorry,” he added. “I know it was wrong.”
Lauren simply stared at him, her eyes moving back and forth between his, like she was searching for something. Still, she said nothing.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
She pursed her lips and took in a long, deep breath, the process seeming to take an entire minute. “Would you be?”
“Probably,” he admitted.
“Then there’s your answer,” she said stiffly.
A strange sensation of fullness lodged in Andrew’s throat. He swallowed it down. “You’re right. I’m sorry to put you in this position. I should go.”
He was halfway out of his chair when Lauren’s hand grabbed his forearm. “Wait.”
Andrew lowered himself back down. She rubbed her temple with her opposite hand, and then her green eyes met his.
“We’re both already here,” she said. “I’m starving. Let’s at least have dinner. But this doesn’t mean anything, okay?”
“Understood.” He picked up his menu and offered her a small, sincere smile as a sort of peace offering.
She tentatively returned the gesture and he thought, not for the first time, how unconventional her beauty was. Her emerald-green eyes were a little too big for her face, but in a way that made it difficult to look away from them. Several other features made a fair play to steal his attention, though. The hair, for one, made her stand out like a rose among thorns. Perfectly pink lips and a delightful collection of freckles across her cheekbones. And those curves…
The server approached the table to take their drink orders, interrupting Andrew’s silent appraisal. He gestured for Lauren to go first. He had avoided alcohol since he started chemo, and his stomach hadn’t settled from his earlier anxiety about meeting Lauren, so he asked for water.
When the server left, Lauren asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m great.”
“Are you sure? You had chemo yesterday.”
“I’m sure. I have this incredible pharmacist who hooked me up with the good drugs. Plus, she’s gorgeous, so there’s that.”
The flirtatious words just sort of came out of his mouth, and he regretted them immediately.
Surprisingly, though, she gifted him with a genuine smile. “That has nothing to do with drugs, or how you’re feeling.”
Might as well take it the full mile. “I beg to differ. Being with you right now makes me feel a hell of a lot better than any drug out there ever could.”
“I’m a professional. Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Bishop.”
Damn. It surprised him how much he liked hearing her address him like that. “We’ll see about that.”
Her smile lessened a fraction. “Seriously, do you have your nausea meds with you? Just in case?”
“Seriously. Can we pretend you don’t know that part about me? If we’re going to have dinner together, I want you to know me apart from my diagnosis. And I want to know you apart from your role as my pharmacist.”
“Oncology is a big part of my life,” she said. “It’s been the biggest part of my life for nearly the last two years. You can’t get to know me without it.”
“That’s okay, just tell me the stuff that doesn’t relate to me. Like the volunteer work you do at Children’s Hospital.”
Their drinks arrived and they placed their food order, and Lauren told him about the kids she spent time with every Saturday morning.