Читать книгу Case of Desire - Jacquelin Thomas, Jacquelin Thomas - Страница 9

Maxwell found his little exchange with Camille humorous.

He was delighted at the thought of her being jealous. He wasn’t sure why the thought pleased him, but it did. It thrilled him that Camille wasn’t immune to him like he had originally assumed.

He spotted his friend Thomas and another doctor, Lucien De Winter, talking in an office. Thomas gestured for Maxwell to join them.

“Lucien was just telling me about Dudley and how he’s trying to make life difficult for him and Jaclyn since their engagement.”

“He’s also harassing Victor Aguilar and Tamara St. John,” Lucien stated. “They just recently got engaged.”

“I’m not a fan of non-fraternization policies,” Maxwell interjected. “I think the workplace is one of the logical locations for people to meet and fall in love, as long as the employees engaged in the relationship follow common-sense guidelines.”

“I agree,” Lucien said. “The employees have asked him to remove the ban on fraternization for years, but Dudley refuses. He and his watchdog, Nurse Tsang, are making everyone miserable.”

“The only thing I’ve agreed with Dudley on is how he handled Terrence,” Thomas confessed. “Although I appreciate all he did for me and Lia.”

“Lucien, I’d like to speak with you about Dr. Matthews,” Maxwell said. “If you have another minute, I want to ask you some questions.”

“Sure.”

Thomas made his way to the door. “I need to make my rounds, so I’ll call you later, Maxwell.”

“What can you tell me about Dr. Matthews, Lucien?”

“He was a promising doctor with a bedside manner that all of his patients appreciated.” Lucien shook his head sadly. “If only we could have found a way to help him.”

“Did you notice anything?”

Lucien nodded. “He was no longer as reliable. For example, he used to be the first one to arrive at staff meetings, but then he was either late or a no-show. He was also the doctor who gave that patient the wrong medication. Because of his family, Dudley made sure that was never made public.”

“What steps did you take at that point?” Maxwell questioned.

“We had Terrence take a drug test, although we had a witness to him stealing the drugs. His test came back positive. Terrence maintains that we faked the results, however. He has had some independent tests done and the results show that he’s clean.”

“Do you think he paid someone to change the results?”

“Or take the test for him,” Lucien offered. “When I asked Terrence about the charges, he never denied them. He didn’t feel the need to deny them as his family was the hospital’s biggest benefactor.”

“He was offered the chance to go into rehab?”

Lucien nodded. “He flat-out refused. He would probably still have his job if he had taken a medical leave and gone into rehab. When he didn’t, we had no choice but to let him go.”

Maxwell opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the words out, Lucien’s pager went off.

“I’m sorry but I have to leave.”

Maxwell opened the door to the office. “Thanks for your time.”

He walked out after Lucien and returned to his own office. For a split second, Maxwell considered going back to Camille’s office.

She was right.

Although he and Isabelle were innocent of any wrongdoing, had someone walked by his office, they could have easily drawn the wrong conclusions. Worse, Isabelle could accuse him of sexual harassment, although he doubted she would make such a claim.

Seated at his desk, Maxwell went through his list of witnesses. There were still several he wanted to speak with. He preferred doing his own interviews and not just relying on statements. Body language often presented the real story.

He tried to keep his mind on his work, but an image of Camille kept popping up in his head.

She was jealous.

It surprised and pleased him that she was attracted to him. However, Maxwell felt like he had been doused with a bucket of ice water when he realized that the attraction was mutual.

Camille tried to concentrate on her work, but couldn’t. She was furious with herself for allowing Maxwell Wade to get under her skin.

She picked up the apple on her desk and bit into it.

“Hey, there you are,” a woman’s voice called. “I came by here earlier and you were gone. I wanted to see if you had time to have lunch with me.”

Camille looked up and saw Tamara St. John walking into her office. “I didn’t know you were working today, Tamara,” she said. She tossed the apple into the trash. “Sure. This apple really wasn’t doing it for me.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Camille responded. “Why do you ask?”

“Something’s bothering you,” Tamara said. “You look upset.”

“I’m fine. I just need to get away from this place for a little while.” Camille rose to her feet and grabbed her purse.

They left the hospital.

Camille and Tamara walked across the street to the restaurant frequented by most of the hospital staff.

“So, you’re still not going to tell me what’s got you so preoccupied?” Tamara asked after they were seated.

Camille smiled at her friend. “I’m fine, really.”

“I hear we have the renowned Maxwell Wade helping the legal department. Have you met him?”

She nodded.

“So what do you think of him?” Tamara inquired.

“I don’t really have an opinion of Mr. Wade,” Camille lied. “I guess we’ll really have to wait and see if he’s as good as everyone says he is.”

“He’s very handsome from what I understand.”

“That seems to be the consensus,” Camille muttered. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her lunch hour discussing the arrogant Maxwell Wade. Changing the subject, she asked, “So have you and Victor decided on a wedding date?”

“We’re still narrowing down dates.”

Camille picked up her menu. “Just so you know …I don’t do pastels.”

Tamara laughed.

While waiting for their food, Camille scanned the dining area. The restaurant was a favorite of hospital employees and as usual it was filled with interns, doctors, nurses and other hospital staff. There were only a few people that she did not recognize.

The restaurant was not only convenient, it was warm and inviting. The soft lighting and beautiful artwork in vivid hues added to its charm. Fresh flowers on the tables welcomed every diner.

“Have you spoken to Terrence since the lawsuit?” Tamara asked in a low voice.

Camille shook her head no. “I thought he would contact me at some point, but he hasn’t.”

When their food arrived, Camille stabbed a fried shrimp and stuck it in her mouth. She loved shrimp.

“All my girl friends are engaged,” she said. “I hope when you and Jaclyn get married, we will still be able to have our monthly girls’ night out.”

“For sure,” Tamara said. “We’re just getting married—not going to prison.”

The two women shared a laugh.

“Seriously, though,” Camille said. “I’m going to be the only single one left.”

“Not for long,” Tamara predicted. She wiped her mouth on the edge of her napkin.

“I don’t know,” Camille responded. “I want a man who will treat me like a queen. I want a man who will adore me, and most of the men I’ve met seem to be lacking in those areas.”

Laughing, Tamara sliced off a piece of grilled catfish, piercing it with her fork.

Camille glanced across the room just as Maxwell and Thomas entered the restaurant.

Tamara turned, following Camille’s gaze. “He’s very handsome.”

She didn’t respond.

“You have to be blind not to notice that man,” Tamara said as she turned her attention back to her meal. “I noticed that he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off you.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

Tamara eyed her. “You didn’t notice the way he kept staring at you as he walked to his table?”

Camille shook her head. “He was most likely looking at you. You are more his type than I am.”

“No, I’m pretty sure he was looking at you.”

Shrugging, Camille responded, “It really doesn’t matter. Maxwell and I live in two very different worlds.”

“The thing that bothers me the most about the non-fraternization policy is that Dr. Dudley is a hypocrite,” Thomas was saying.

“What do you mean by that?” Maxwell picked up his menu and began scanning the entrées. He stole a peek over to where Camille was sitting with her friend.

“Dudley is sleeping with one of the staff nurses,”

Thomas announced in a low voice. “Kayla Tsang to be exact.”

Maxwell stiffened in shock. “Do you know this for sure, or is this just another hospital rumor?”

“This is no rumor,” Thomas responded. “I saw them myself one night in his office.”

“Apparently he’s not just having an affair,” Maxwell stated. “I know for a fact that he has been harassing some of the female staff. Just before lunch, an intern came to me upset. She asked me if she could pursue a legal case for harassment against Dudley.” He didn’t mention that the chief had practically attacked Camille the night of Thomas and Lia’s wedding reception.

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to have a talk with Dudley this afternoon. It’s time to put a stop to this nonsense.”

Thomas agreed.

As he scanned the menu, Maxwell couldn’t help but glance over at Camille.

“She’s looking for donations for the silent auction,” Thomas told him. “It’s always a huge hit at the hospital charity ball.”

Maxwell smiled. “I might have something to donate.”

“I thought you would,” Thomas responded, a grin on his face. “I have to admit, I’m really surprised that you’d be attracted to Camille. She’s nothing like the other women you’ve dated.”

“I’m a little surprised myself,” Maxwell confessed.