lip. It shouldn’t bother her. She already knew he was handsome. But she also knew he was one of those men who took his pleasure and avoided the consequences. He was a jerk, plain and simple.
“Really? I guess I didn’t notice his appearance all that much.”
Lisa giggled. “I guess not. You were too busy fainting.” Then she covered her lips with her free hand. “Oops, sorry, Bri.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. That about sums it up. So, did you think he was that handsome?”
“Wow, yeah! I mean, I guess he’s too old for me, but he’s very handsome. And he has just a few grey hairs at his temples. They blend in with his blond hair, but still, they make him look distinguished. I’d trust him with my life,” she added, a dreamy expression on her face.
“Good looks aren’t a lot of help in a medical emergency, Lisa,” Bri pointed out, sarcasm in her voice.
“I know, but what I meant is he looks trustworthy.”
“Even jerks can look trustworthy. That’s why they get the opportunity to be a jerk. No one trusts an ugly man.”
“That’s not true. I trust Benny, and he’s not handsome.”
“I trust Benny, too, and I think he’s kind of cute.”
Lisa giggled. “Yeah, so do I.”
Benny was a paramedic who made deliveries to the hospital. Sometimes he and his partner would go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee. His nose looked as if it had been broken, and he could use a good dentist, but he had a heart of gold.
They’d arrived at the cafeteria, and Briana immediately began checking to see if everything had been done as she’d asked. The cafeteria supervisor appeared at her side to see if there was anything else to be done.
“It looks wonderful, Mrs. C.,” Bri said at once.
Joanna Carpenter beamed at her. “Oh, thanks, Bri. I think I did everything you asked. Come have a look at the cake. Sam did a great job decorating it. He’s getting very good.”
Bri looked at the cake and offered praise for Sam, the baker in their cafeteria. It hadn’t been an easy task writing Welcome Dr. Callaghan on the cake.
Members of the staff began filling the cafeteria, many of them checking on Bri before they drifted off to chat with friends.
When the new arrival entered with R. J. Maitland, a cheer went up from everyone gathered, and helium balloons were released from bags in several corners of the room. Of course, they didn’t have far to go but soon the strings tied on them were hanging down, allowing those present to take one of them as a souvenir. And they did add a lot of color.
R. J. Maitland raised one hand for silence and again welcomed Hunter Callaghan, obstetrician extraordinaire to the staff, adding an impressive list of qualifications. Everyone cheered again when he’d finished and began shouting for Dr. Callaghan to speak.
Hunter nodded, smiled and held his hand up in appreciation for their welcome. When they quieted, he made a gracious speech about how much he was looking forward to working with them and how much he appreciated the warmth of their welcome.
Bri tried to ignore the warm tendrils of remembrance that curled around her heart as she listened to his voice. How calming that voice had been when they were stuck in the storeroom. How exciting it had been when he’d held her in his arms and made love to her.
Now it meant nothing to her, she assured herself. Nothing at all. But she didn’t approach him at once to excuse herself. She had to have time to regain control, because touching him could be even worse than hearing his voice.
Finally, she approached the table where he was eating his piece of cake and assuring Sam it was the best cake he’d ever had. Sam, beaming, backed away from the table and Bri just barely managed to sidestep him in time.
“Oh, Bri! I’m so sorry! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, Sam, not at all.”
“Did you get a piece of cake?”
“I’d love one, but my doctor said I had to give up all that sugar for a while.”
“Oh, of course. When you can eat cake again, I’ll bake you a special one.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Sam kissed her cheek and hurried off to the kitchen where he could repeat Hunter’s appreciative remarks to his friends.
Dr. Callaghan, as she was determined to think of him, had risen to his feet and stood waiting.
Bri kept about three feet of distance between her and the table. “Sorry to interrupt, R.J., Dr. Callaghan. I wanted to welcome you again to our wing, Dr. Callaghan. And to excuse myself. Abby insisted I only stay a couple of minutes.”
R.J. stood and crossed the three feet and kissed her on the cheek. “You did a bang-up job, Bri. Now go take care of those girls. I’m sure Hunter agrees that their well-being takes precedence over any party.”
“Thanks, R.J.” She immediately turned to head for the door, but she couldn’t escape quite so quickly.
“Ms. McCallum,” Hunter said, stopping her in her tracks. “Thanks for arranging such a nice party.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, backing up.
“And I believe you said you’d set aside some time in the morning for us to talk?”
Her gaze flickered to his blue eyes and hurriedly looked away. There was an edge to his words, almost threatening. “Yes, at nine in the morning, but only if you want to talk then. If you have more important things to do, we can make it when it’s more convenient for you.”
“More convenient for me? Hmm, I’ll let you know in the morning. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes, of course. Just let Lisa know.”
She hesitated, wanting to leave but not wanting to appear rude. That would start all kinds of rumors flying through the hospital. And endless questions.
Though she kept her gaze down, she couldn’t help but see the hand he held out. Oh, my. She was going to have to shake his hand after all. Maybe she could claim to have poison ivy! Or the measles. Or—or—nothing else occurred to her. And none of her ideas would work. Abby would be all over her if she heard her say any of those silly things.
Come on, Briana, where’s your courage? Just shake his hand and get out of here! She drew a deep breath and reached out to receive his offer of a handshake. It had to be her nerves that caused the trembling, not his flesh. But something happened. She felt like static electricity had shot through her.
With a gasp, she jerked her hand away and fled from Dr. Hunter Callaghan’s presence. She’d think up a good excuse later…if anyone bothered to ask.
Chapter Six
When five o’clock rolled around, Lisa stuck her head through
