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She walked over, allowing him to see behind her in time to watch Dr. McPherson waylay Cole once more. “What’s her deal?”
Lainie turned. “The doctor talking to Cole?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s Dr. Bridgette McPherson.” She closed the door enough to shut off his view.
“We’ve met, but why do you say her name like that?”
She turned back, innocence on her face. “Like what?”
He laughed, then regretted it when the area on his back protested. “Like you could do without her presence contaminating your space.”
“Ouch, that’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?”
“But accurate?”
She grimaced. “Okay, you got me. Yes, Bridgette is one of my least favorite surgeons.”
“A surgeon.” So, she probably had been making a pass at him. At least she’d backed off when he’d indicated his disinterest. “Let me guess. A god complex?”
“Something like that.” She paused and shrugged. “Okay, exactly like that. I’m not one to bash a fellow employee, but the truth is, she’s too convinced she can do no wrong.”
“Can she?”
“It doesn’t appear that she can. That’s the part that stinks—but is also a huge plus for her patients’ welfare ... for now. If she’s ever done anything wrong, I haven’t seen it or heard about it.” Her jaw tightened, then she shook her head. “But my fear is that she will one day, and I just pray it’s not a patient who pays the price withtheir life. The bad thing is, she’s gotten a lot worse since her sister’s death.” She snapped her lips shut, her expression betraying that she thought she’d said too much.
“What happened?”
She paused, and he figured she was trying to decide whether to continue talking about the subject. Then she sighed. “A freak accident. Something happened with the gas in her house and the carbon monoxide alarm didn’t go off. Bridgette is the one who found her.”
“That’s really sad.”
“Very. Which is why, even though I don’t care for her attitude, I try to be patient and have compassion for her, because I know she and her sister were really close.”
The door opened and a nurse stuck her head in. “Just checking to see if you need anything.”
“No, thank you, we’re good.”
The woman nodded and left, leaving the door open enough that James could see Cole still talking to the pretty doctor. He frowned. “She seems to like Cole.”
Lainie followed his gaze. “She likes any handsome man who has the misfortune to cross her path. And besides, I have a feeling most women probably like Cole.”
The smirk on her lips intrigued him. She was right. Most women fell all over themselves to get his way-too-good-looking-for-anyone’s-good partner to notice them. But not Lainie. Why not? He almost asked her, but said, “What’s interesting is that Cole seems to like her as well.”
Lainie hesitated. Then bit her lip.
“What?” James asked. “You’re dying to say something.”
“Well, since I’m on a roll in speaking out of turn, I might as well look out for a friend’s friend.”
“Might as well.”
“Just warn him that as soon as he falls short of her expectations, she’ll have no trouble chewing him up and spitting him out like a bad piece of meat. Now, that Ihaveseen firsthand and it’s not pretty.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll make sure to have his back.” And he was glad his instincts were still spot-on when it came to dangerous women.
The door opened and a woman stepped inside, her gaze frosty. “Lainie, I need your signature, please.” She held out the iPad.
