****
"She really called him Dr. Cocoa?!" Jackie Collette let out a pealing squawk of laughter as she sipped at her mojito. "Oh God I would have LOVED to have seen that showdown!"
"Oh stop it Jackie!" Jules giggled. "She was so frustrated and tongue-tied she couldn't get 'Kokoris' out of her lips. Oh God you should have seen her when he called her ugly…" Jules broke out in full-blown fits of laughter.
Letty spit the sip of margarita she had just taken. "You're not serious?! OH GOD YOU ARE!!"
"Yup," Harriet chuckled. "Right there, in the middle of the hallway, with nursing staff, Jules and myself, and half the patients either watching or listening, Dr. Nick Kokoris said something that caused Dr. Cori Eleszara to turn around and snarl at him. To which he replied after balling up his fists on his hips in a mimic of her own posture, 'Well, will you look at that.' " Harriet deepened her own voice to imitate Nick's. " 'Those flashing eyes, those flushed cheeks. You're breathing hard and growling too. You know what Dr. Cori? You are ugly when you're angry.' "
The entire table burst out in instantaneous laughter until their cheeks were beet red.
"Yeah… and she just could not answer him. She squeaked!" Jules gasped out between breaths. "And then… and then, oh goodness, she turned and headed towards the bathroom, with Nick on her tail like he had no clue where she was going."
"He didn't Jules. You couldn't see his face when he realized she was going into the women's bathroom. He turned as red as she was already. I'm telling you ladies, I think Nick Kokoris is on the Single Men Endangered Species List and Coriandra Eleszara is just the Huntress to catch him."
"I'm surprised someone hasn't snatched up that Greek bod of his already. Hell Ladies, if I weren't married, I'd have made a pass at him myself." Letty winked with a laugh. "I might be married, but damn I know a hot man when I see one."
"Ain't that the truth." Jackie piped up. "Working with him on that burn case last year, I discovered just what kind of man he is. Oh baby, those eyes, that mouth…" She moaned and reached for her drink. "I get hot just thinking about that mouth. And when he licks his lips? Girrrl get out of the way!"
While Harriet, Letty and Jackie were laughing again, Jules snuck a look over at Rae. Ever since she'd found out that Kokoris and Rae'd had a fling, she'd been real careful about making eyes at the handsome surgeon. And it seemed that either Rae was still in love, or not quite willing to let go of him. She thought it odd, that Rae would act like that. She wasn't still sleeping with him, that much was certain. And there definitely was a tension between them. Jules remembered the discussion about seeking a sperm donor and the way she acted when his name came up. But, that was last year, wasn't it? Shouldn't she have moved on? "Hey," she whispered to Rae. "Are you alright?"
Rae smiled and nodded. She wasn't about to let on that she still felt possessive towards Nick. After all, she was still married and trying to make it work, right? It wouldn't do for her to act that way towards a single man that only Jules knew she'd slept with. Why did the thought of Nick moving on bother her? Why did the thought of Nick and Coriandra Eleszara just rub her the wrong way?
Jules noticed that Rae was looking a bit uncomfortable. "I think I'm gonna head home girls. Got a long day. Rae? Why don't you walk me out?"
Everyone else watched as Rae and Jules got up and left. "What's up her craw?" Letty asked.
"You didn't know?" Jackie whispered.
At Letty's 'duh' look, Harriet leaned over. "She and Kokoris had a fling before he came to Presidio."
"NO!" she gasped. "She had a… with THAT Greek Bod? And she let him go?!" Letty's eyes were wide as silver dollars in amazement. "Honey, if I'd had that man in MY bed, he'd still be there with me all over him."
Jackie and Harriet sputtered, Jackie turning to laughter. "Yeah, rumor has it that he left his practice behind in Athens, followed her out here, and then got dumped on royally. Man," Jackie sobered up and sighed. "I can't for the life of me see why she'd do that. Having an affair, yeah, I can see it. Her marriage is in the toilet. But really, she's been so nasty to him and he hasn't done anything to deserve it.
"Jackie, it's not for us to judge her," Harriet said. "I like Nick, he's a fascinating guy. But you have to fault him all the same for getting involved with a married woman. And probably even more for coming out here and putting her on the spot like that."
"I don't care one way or the other." Letty sniffed as she reached for her drink. "If I divorce my husband, can I have Dr. Koko?"
All three women burst out in laughter again
****