Chapter Three

      Liam was early for the lunch meeting with Kate. She had called first thing that morning and said she’d come up with a plan to get him off the hook with Dunlevy. She wanted to discuss it with him.

      A plan, huh?

      Yes. One she’d rather not talk about over the phone. Or so she’d said and asked if they could meet for lunch. His first inclination, as he stood at the nurses’ station, had been to decline and tell her that he’d decided to go through with the auction, but then he decided it couldn’t hurt to hear what Kate had to say.

      Now, as he waited alone at the table for two in Luigi’s Italian Kitchen in downtown Celebration, he glanced at his watch. Eleven fifty-five. It was good to have a few minutes to take a deep breath. The morning had been hell. No different from any other day, except that he’d been forced to find a stopping place in the middle of his rounds. Usually he didn’t take a lunch break; he’d grab something in between patients or meetings. It was strange to find himself outside the hospital walls at this time of day.

      If Kate could offer a viable option other than the auction, he wanted to hear about it before he tipped his hand.

      As he took a sip of the water the server had set in front of him, he glimpsed Kate entering the restaurant and stepping up to the hostess stand. Liam stood and waved. She said something to the hostess and then flashed a smile at him as she began walking toward their table.

      He was warmed by the kindness she exuded, in spite of the fact that he’d acted like such a jackass in the meeting yesterday. Then again, she was a smart woman and probably realized it was her job to court anyone and everyone who could further her cause. The old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar came to mind. However, Kate seemed to radiate something more genuine than a person who was simply out to market her business purposes.

      “Dr. Thayer,” she said, extending her hand. “Thanks so much for agreeing to meet me on such short notice.”

      He nodded. “Please call me Liam.” He pulled out her chair and helped her settle herself before reclaiming his own seat across the table from her.

      “Actually I was glad you called,” he said.

      Her blue eyes widened, an unspoken question.

      “I feel I owe you an apology. I didn’t mean to be so difficult in the staff meeting yesterday. It was a tough morning, and your bachelor auction caught me by surprise.”

      She waved away his words. “No apology needed. After I stepped back from the situation, I realized one size doesn’t necessarily fit all when it comes to projects like this.”

      The server appeared and introduced himself. His eyes softened when he looked at Kate, and his gaze lingered a little longer on her face than was strictly professional. He wasn’t inappropriate but obviously a healthy, heterosexual man appreciating a beautiful woman. It dawned on Liam that Kate Macintyre probably had that effect on most men who crossed her path. His colleagues were cases in point.

      Liam cleared his throat.

      “Would you like some wine?” Liam opened the cordovan-colored leather-bound list of offerings that the server handed him and glanced at it. “I can’t indulge because I have to get back to the hospital after lunch, but please go ahead.”

      “I love wine,” she said. “But if I have a glass right now, I’ll have to go home and take a nap. I’m such a lightweight. So no, thank you. I’ll just have iced tea.”

      Liam snapped the list shut and their gazes connected. It was her eyes that exuded the warmth, he realized. Even though they turned down slightly at the outer edges, they were kind eyes that always seemed to be smiling.

      The way they sparkled made him think that she would probably be a fun person—an optimist...or even an instigator, but in a good way.

      Not to mention her eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue. An azure iris rimmed by a navy border. A color combination that made you look longer, trying to figure out just what made them so striking.

      And it was then he realized that, like their waiter, he also had been staring a hair too long.

      “Two iced teas, then,” he said and handed over the wine list before the server left to get their drinks.

      “So, as I was saying a minute ago,” he continued. “I’m sorry for being so difficult. Sometimes it’s a challenge getting the kids ready and out the door in time for school. Do you have any children?”

      She held the menu open in front of her, but her gaze held his. For a split second he thought the light in her eyes dimmed a bit. “No, no children of my own. But my brother and his wife have a son. I love my nephew, Cody, as fiercely as if he were my own. He’s the reason my family decided to get involved with expanding the services the hospital offers to children, but that’s another story.

      “What’s important is that I understand why you might feel uncomfortable about the bachelor auction. I didn’t realize any of the staff had children.” She tilted her head to the side and quirked a brow. “Not that anything about this auction will be scandalous. It will be completely G-rated, I assure you.”

      “No scandal, huh?” he asked.

      She shook her head. “None. Maybe a little mischief...”

      As the words hung between them, she bit her lower lip, and her blue eyes danced with what Liam imagined might be all the mischief she claimed the auction lacked. For a fraction of a second, he contemplated what sort of mischief might be running through her mind.

      Until she said, “I do have my own reputation to consider. Maybe we should go light on the mischief, too. Especially because I don’t want to scare you off. Please know I was only joking.”

      She reached out and touched his hand. Her skin was soft and warm.

      “Of course,” he said, backpedaling from all thoughts of mischief and her soft, warm skin as fast as he could, especially when she pulled her hand away.

      “Why don’t we figure out what we want to eat,” he said. “Then I’m eager to hear about this new plan.”

      Kate studied the menu so that she could regroup and gather her thoughts.

      She was nervous,