couldn’t catch, and a smile touched her eyes as she answered him back then said goodbye. She turned toward the door, and her eyes met his, held.
“You have something going with the pretty lady?” Dimitri asked.
The surprising question had him breaking eye contact with Laurel to stare at his friend. “I just met her two days ago.”
“Sometimes only takes two minutes.”
And damned if that wasn’t the truth. Or even two seconds, which was about how long it had taken for his interest to go from zero to sixty the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
“And if you don’t, you should,” Di said in a lower voice, grinning and waggling his thick eyebrows like Groucho Marx. “I’ll keep you posted on our patients.” He headed down the hall as Laurel joined Andros at the doorway.
“John seems to be holding his own. Doesn’t he?” Her questioning eyes seemed to be willing him to reassure her. “He doesn’t seem to have as much trouble breathing as Mel and Tom did when I first saw them in your clinic hospital.”
“Not at the moment. Hopefully he’ll stay that way.” He wrapped his fingers around her arm and drew her farther into the hall. “Di told you we just don’t know if this is the same thing the Wagners have or not. An influenza or some other virus. Bacterial infection or fungal infection.”
“When will you know?”
“Di asked to have John’s test results expedited, but that will still take a couple days.”
She nodded, that pucker of worry still on her face. “I’m so relieved, though, that Mel and Tom aren’t any worse. Do you think they’ll be released soon?”
“Hard to say. They’re getting good care, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.” He wanted tobanish, for at least a little while, that deep concern clouding her eyes. There was nothing more to do here, and a glance at his watch showed it was already well past 7:00 p.m. “How about we have dinner here before we head back?” He’d thought of that, wanted that, from the moment they’d left Delphi to drive here. Time spent with her away from her work and his, away from Kastorini, away from the serious problems on both their minds.
“I probably should get back. Update the team and make sure they’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t they be okay?”
“Well, they…” Her voice trailed off and she gave a little rueful smile. “You’re right, they’re adults. I forget sometimes I don’t have to play mom anymore.”
“When did you have to?” Surely she didn’t have children. Leaving them for the entire summer for the dig.
“Oh, for my sisters. It’s a wonder my hair’s not prematurely gray.” The tone of her voice had lightened and she smiled. “The dig team has explored a few towns outside of Delphi on weekends, but not here. So dinner sounds lovely.”
“Good.” He let go of her arm, resisting the urge to hold her hand instead, and they headed to his car. “You in the mood for seafood, or Greek food, or both?”
“Anything. Everything. I didn’t have much lunch, and I have to admit that, next to digging, eating’s one of my favorite things to do.”
“Yeah?” She’d obviously decided to let herself relax with him, to let go of her worries for a time, and he grinned at the sudden enthusiasm in her voice. “Something we have in common. I know just the place you’ll like.”
It was only about a ten-minute drive from the hospital to the waterfront, and, since it was early yet for locals to be eating dinner, he had no trouble finding a parking spot. “Sit tight,” he said to Laurel as he got out of the car, going around to her side of the car to open her door.
“More of your worrying I’m clumsy?” she asked as he held out his hand to her. “Getting out of a car isn’t quite as dangerous as walking down a rocky mountain in the dark.”
“Being a gentleman pleases me. And because I can see you’re a woman who cares about others, you won’t mind indulging me, will you?”
“Ah, the charm of
“You have something going with the pretty lady?” Dimitri asked.
The surprising question had him breaking eye contact with Laurel to stare at his friend. “I just met her two days ago.”
“Sometimes only takes two minutes.”
And damned if that wasn’t the truth. Or even two seconds, which was about how long it had taken for his interest to go from zero to sixty the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
“And if you don’t, you should,” Di said in a lower voice, grinning and waggling his thick eyebrows like Groucho Marx. “I’ll keep you posted on our patients.” He headed down the hall as Laurel joined Andros at the doorway.
“John seems to be holding his own. Doesn’t he?” Her questioning eyes seemed to be willing him to reassure her. “He doesn’t seem to have as much trouble breathing as Mel and Tom did when I first saw them in your clinic hospital.”
“Not at the moment. Hopefully he’ll stay that way.” He wrapped his fingers around her arm and drew her farther into the hall. “Di told you we just don’t know if this is the same thing the Wagners have or not. An influenza or some other virus. Bacterial infection or fungal infection.”
“When will you know?”
“Di asked to have John’s test results expedited, but that will still take a couple days.”
She nodded, that pucker of worry still on her face. “I’m so relieved, though, that Mel and Tom aren’t any worse. Do you think they’ll be released soon?”
“Hard to say. They’re getting good care, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.” He wanted tobanish, for at least a little while, that deep concern clouding her eyes. There was nothing more to do here, and a glance at his watch showed it was already well past 7:00 p.m. “How about we have dinner here before we head back?” He’d thought of that, wanted that, from the moment they’d left Delphi to drive here. Time spent with her away from her work and his, away from Kastorini, away from the serious problems on both their minds.
“I probably should get back. Update the team and make sure they’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t they be okay?”
“Well, they…” Her voice trailed off and she gave a little rueful smile. “You’re right, they’re adults. I forget sometimes I don’t have to play mom anymore.”
“When did you have to?” Surely she didn’t have children. Leaving them for the entire summer for the dig.
“Oh, for my sisters. It’s a wonder my hair’s not prematurely gray.” The tone of her voice had lightened and she smiled. “The dig team has explored a few towns outside of Delphi on weekends, but not here. So dinner sounds lovely.”
“Good.” He let go of her arm, resisting the urge to hold her hand instead, and they headed to his car. “You in the mood for seafood, or Greek food, or both?”
“Anything. Everything. I didn’t have much lunch, and I have to admit that, next to digging, eating’s one of my favorite things to do.”
“Yeah?” She’d obviously decided to let herself relax with him, to let go of her worries for a time, and he grinned at the sudden enthusiasm in her voice. “Something we have in common. I know just the place you’ll like.”
It was only about a ten-minute drive from the hospital to the waterfront, and, since it was early yet for locals to be eating dinner, he had no trouble finding a parking spot. “Sit tight,” he said to Laurel as he got out of the car, going around to her side of the car to open her door.
“More of your worrying I’m clumsy?” she asked as he held out his hand to her. “Getting out of a car isn’t quite as dangerous as walking down a rocky mountain in the dark.”
“Being a gentleman pleases me. And because I can see you’re a woman who cares about others, you won’t mind indulging me, will you?”
“Ah, the charm of
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