Bad Ideas (First & Forever 4)

I said hello to a few familiar faces as we made our way through the crowd. The massive ballroom was white, gold, and sparkly, and so were the table settings and the elegant holiday decor. About four hundred people had been expected at this party, but it seemed like a lot more than that. Even though Lark was usually outgoing, both he and Kel clung tightly to my arms. Maybe the big crowd was a bit intimidating to them.

The smile on my face instantly morphed into a frown when I spotted the last person I’d expected to see at this party—Theodore Koenig. He was wearing a perfect, dark gray suit that must have cost a fortune, along with a pale gray shirt and tie. It figured that he’d dressed like a rain cloud for a holiday party.

He’d noticed me too, and he stared daggers at me as he ground his teeth. While it wasn’t news that he hated me, he usually did a better job of disguising it. But whatever. I turned my attention away from him and just kept walking.

After a minute, we spotted Yolanda and JoJo. They’d claimed a round table that seated eight and waved us over. Once we took a seat, we intercepted a waiter circulating with wine. After we all drank a toast to “the pink Victorian crew,” Yolanda stood up and said, “I want to introduce JoJo to a few people. If any waiters with appetizers pass by, your job is to intercept them and get enough for all of us.” Lark promised to do that with the utmost seriousness, like he was swearing an oath.

After the couple wandered off, Lark and Kel, who were seated side by side, began chatting excitedly about the decorations and how fabulous it all was. Meanwhile, I leaned back in my chair and scanned the crowd.

Even though the whole point of this event was for everyone to intermingle, the various departments had all separated into their own cliques. Administration was gathered at one end of the long, rectangular room, doctors at the other. In between were the worker bees—us nurses, and all the people we worked with on a daily basis, including the various technicians, assistants, and so on.

A large group of doctors was directly in my line of sight. They were all chatting and appeared to be having a good time—except for Doctor Koenig. He stood slightly apart from the group, wine glass in hand. There was an aristocratic air to him, something in his rigid posture, the faint look of contempt on his face, and the upward tilt of his chin. It was as if all of this was beneath him, even the other doctors. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d been a trust fund kid, raised with obscene wealth and taught he was better than everyone else. It was written all over him.

My thoughts were interrupted when a gorgeous Black couple stepped into my line of sight. It turned out to be Darice and her handsome husband, dressed to the nines. I waved to them, and when they came over, I got up and gave my coworker a hug as I exclaimed, “You look sensational!” She always wore her hair in a lot of thin braids, and now they were swept into an elegant up-do. Her bronze silk cocktail dress looked classy and sophisticated, and she’d put on makeup and flashy jewelry, which she never wore to work.

“I know,” she said with a grin, as we let go of each other. “Casey, meet my husband, Donald.”

After we shook hands, I gestured at my companions and said, “These are two of my housemates, Kel and Lark. We all rent rooms from Yolanda and her girlfriend, and since we’d been talking about the party all afternoon, we didn’t want to leave them out.”

Greetings were exchanged all around, and then Darice said, “So, that explains it. Everybody’s talking about you, saying you rolled up in here with a hottie on each arm like some bigtime playboy. I told them that didn’t sound like the Casey I know.”

“Yeah, not at all. If you don’t already have a table, you should join us.” As she and Donald sat down, I said, “Yolanda and JoJo are mingling, have you seen them yet?”

“No, not yet.” Darice waved at someone at a nearby table before scanning the crowd. Then her expression soured, and she muttered, “Doctor Koenig keeps looking over here. What the hell does he want?”

“I was trying to figure out why he even came to this party in the first place.”

Darice smirked and told me, “He didn’t have a choice. His department head told him he had to at least put in an appearance. Apparently some of the other doctors are annoyed with him because he’s quote-unquote ‘not a team player.’ As if showing up here and acting aloof for an hour or two is going to change anyone’s opinion.” I nodded in agreement.