“Surely you don’t need me for that.” She spoke without thinking, but as Adam and Dr. Radin roared with laughter at her words, she shrugged. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Grant.”
Unlike the others, John hadn’t laughed at Becky’s gaff, but he did give her a measuring look, still holding her hand. Becky had the impression she’d surprised him. He nodded after a moment, releasing her. “You might be just what this hospital needs.” With a mock salute, he rose and headed for the cafeteria line.
Feeling as if she’d been placed under a microscope for an exhaustive period of intense scrutiny, Becky sat back in her seat, content to let the conversation ebb and flow around her. She attempted to pay attention to the conversation Adam had with Dr. Radin, but instead she watched the line at the cashier, hoping for another glimpse of John Grant. When he did appear, he paid his tab, then glanced at their table. He raised his eyebrows when he noticed her watching him.
Becky smiled and returned her attention to Adam and Dr. Radin. She’d noticed a slight approval in his look, and though she wondered why his opinion mattered at all to her, she had to admit it did. She resolved to get more details from Adam about John Grant being a “publicity nightmare.”
* * * *
At the end of the day, Becky had heard nothing from Ellen about the possibility of a ride home. She felt uncomfortable about asking anyone, even Adam, for a favor, so she walked resolutely out the door at six o’clock only to find herself in the parking lot with no immediate way to get home. Just as she pulled her cellphone from her purse to call a cab, John Grant appeared at her elbow.
“Still here?” He raised his eyebrows. “I can’t imagine you’re any more eager than any of us are to hang around this place when you’re off the clock. So to speak, of course. I’ve found I’m never really off the clock at this hospital.”
Becky hesitated. “I’m not exactly… I mean, I was sort of waiting for my ride, but I think she’s gotten hung up. I was just going to call a cab.” She felt herself blushing again and knew by his half smile he’d noticed too.
He opened his mouth to say something, and she realized he would surely offer her a ride home, and she would feel extraordinarily awkward about it.
Then Adam came out the door nearest to them. “What’s up?” He gave them a curious look.
“I was about to offer Ms. Gray a ride home.” John gave Adam a wicked grin.
Adam narrowed his eyes at John. “Back off, Romeo. Like I’m going to let you anywhere near my new star.”
“I was just going to call a cab,” Becky said.
“Nonsense.” A quirk of a smile pulled the corner of John’s mouth up. “You’ll be perfectly safe with Adam here.” He clapped Adam on the back. “See you around, Ms. Gray.”
Adam gave him a hooded glare. “Keep your nose clean, John.”
“Will do.” John saluted, turning on his heel and heading across the nearby doctors’ parking lot. He waved over his shoulder before folding himself into a tiny yellow sports car.
Becky blinked. “Holy cow. What the hell was that all about?”
Adam laughed. “I just like giving him a hard time. You certainly made an impression on him. I’ve seldom seen him so friendly to a new staff member. Of course your little bit of flattery at lunch didn’t hurt anything.”
“I didn’t mean–”
“Don’t sweat it.”Adam waved away her protest. “It worked in your favor. And if you like John and he likes you, your life will be that much easier and so will mine.”
As they got into Adam’s car, Becky decided to broach the subject of John Grant’s previous transgressions. “Um, Adam, you mentioned Dr. Grant had been trouble for you?”
“Trouble?” Adam carefully reversed his little hatchback out of the space. “You could say that. Don’t get me wrong. John’s okay. He’s an awesome doc. He’s well-liked and respected.” He laughed. “He was even sort of voted one of Asheville’s most eligible bachelors a couple years ago.”
“Really?” Becky grinned. “Does he put that on his resume?”
Adam shrugged, pulling the car onto the highway. “Knowing John, he probably does. No, really, it was one of the women’s clubs that held a charity auction–you know, a date with a good-looking single guy. A friend called me up to be in it, but I’m, well, I’m not into that sort of thing, so I suggested they ask John. He loved it. Perfect nourishment for his ego. I’ll hand it to him, though, he actually fetched quite a price.”
“He doesn’t sound so bad.” Becky tapped her chin, thinking. In spite of her words, she had an odd feeling Dr. John Grant was dangerous, though she’d seen nothing to support her doubts about him so far.
“Well, he does have a temper. He’s punched or kicked numerous walls, thrown a telephone out a window and broken I don’t know how many coffee mugs hurling them across the room. And that’s just the stuff that gets reported. Most of it doesn’t.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Not.” His expression turned serious as he merged onto the interstate. “But that’s not so different from any doctor. They all have their moments. Hell, stay out of the radiology department in the middle of the night. But John’s a different breed of monster. He’s popular with the ladies, and he’s been known to be, well, indiscreet about his affairs.”
“Affairs?” Becky frowned at the ambiguous word.
“There was an incident with a nurse in a broom closet. And another one in a call room. And another one–”
“I get the picture.” She shook her head, rejecting the necessity for further details, and tried to banish the unwanted images from her mind. She cringed at the thought that she’d actually found the man attractive for even a millisecond. “How is it nobody’s ever charged him with sexual harassment?”
He shrugged. “He’s either very persuasive, or the women knew he’d have as good a case or better than they did.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You mean–”
Adam grinned a little. “I don’t speculate. I do know he doesn’t have any problems getting a date, so any partner he’s ever had was most likely willing and possibly the instigator of the relationship. Women like him. Hell, everyone likes him.” He laughed. “I even like him, in spite of everything.”
“You’re probably right.” She thought of her own unexpected response to John’s presence.
“I’m glad you two got along okay,” Adam said, almost as if to himself.
“Why?” She directed a suspicious glare at him.
“Just because.” He flashed her an innocent smile. “Nothing special. It’s just good to get along with the doctors is all, and John’s a tough one.”
“Oh.” Becky had an uncomfortable feeling Adam had more reason than that for making his remark, but she figured she wasn’t going to get anything out of him until he was ready, and she might as well let it drop until then.
Chapter 2
Although the public relations office was notoriously slow-paced, Becky stayed busy for the next two weeks. She ordered up-to-date brochures and handled several press releases of the “feel good” variety. She visited most of the departments, became familiar with the procedures and the doctors, established contact with the area newspapers and even took a few reporters out to lunch. As she became more comfortable in her job, Becky felt she was pulling her weight and staying prepared for anything that might be thrown at her.
Anything, that was, except what Adam brought in