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orchids?” he asked, interrupting her wayward thoughts.
    She forced herself to concentrate on the subject. What was the matter with her? She hardly knew him. Think plants, not sex, she ordered herself. “I got into them by chance. When I was a child I visited an African violet nursery in Dallas. It was love at first sight.”
    “What about the herbs?”
    Frowning, she said, “I thought you said tonight wasn’t about the formula?” She should have known he had an ulterior motive when he asked her out. So much for her idea that he might be interested in her .
    “It’s not,” he said, smiling at her. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll drop the subject forever, Piper, even if we don’t talk about it tonight.”
    “It won’t do any good to badger me.”
    “Don’t you think we could have a civil discussion about the formula without my badgering you?”
    “I don’t know.” No, he wouldn’t badger. More likely he’d try to charm it out of her. The knowledge that he might be successful at that irritated her.
    “No badgering and no more formula talk,” Eric said. “All right?”
    She let the subject drop, noticing that he kept glancing over her shoulder as they talked. “What are you looking at?”
    “That woman.” He nodded at a group of women a few tables away. “I’m wondering why she’s staring at us.”
    Turning, Piper encountered a malevolent glare. “That’s Mrs. Croaker. Just ignore her. She always does that.”
    “Piper! Long time no see,” the waitress said as she reached the table. She cracked her gum and winked. “What’ve you been up to?”
    “Hi, Marge.” Silently, Piper blessed the other woman’s timing. “Work.”
    Marge took their order, popping her gum while she wrote. “Got it. Back in a jiff,” she said, winking again as she left.
    Eric’s gaze strayed again to Mrs. Croaker. He seemed about to say something, but Piper spoke hastily. “Did you always know you wanted to be a doctor?”
    He glanced at her sharply. “Pretty much. My uncle was a doctor. We were close, so I grew up around medicine.”
    “Were you one of those intense pre-med students in college?”
    “You have to be kind of intense to get into med school.”
    “Where did you do your training?” She wasn’t just asking to distract him. She wanted to know more about him.
    “Galveston for medical school, San Antonio for residency. Then I practiced in Dallas for several years.”
    “Why did you move from Dallas?” Piper asked him.
    He didn’t look entirely happy when he answered. “I wanted a change from the University system. I’d been in it since I started in medicine and I wanted more patient contact. When the opportunity in Capistrano came up, I took it.”
    They talked for a while longer and then Marge returned, tilting Eric’s plate back just before the contents landed in his lap. She slammed it on the table with an “Oops, sorry,” and slapped Piper’s dish down in front of her.
    “That was close.” Eric viewed his lap with relief before glancing up. “Looks like your friend is coming over.”
    “Hello, Piper,” Mrs. Croaker said in a voice that matched her name. Piper stared at her in silence. “Same poor manners, I see. Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
    “No,” Piper said. She wouldn’t pretend to be friendly. Eric gave her a curious look.
    Mrs. Croaker sniffed and said to Eric, “I’m Mrs. Blair Croaker.” Her rather protuberant eyes bulged.
    “Eric Chambers.” He shook the hand she thrust forward.
    “Chambers? The new doctor in Capistrano?” Her mouth formed a smirking smile that Piper imagined she thought was pleasant.
    “That’s right.”
    “We’ve heard so much about you. My daughter-in-law is having a baby and wants you to be her doctor. Their second child,” she said, with a pointed look at Piper. “And you so new to town and you’ve already met Piper. What a coincidence, ” she said in a tone of honeyed venom. “Did you know each other before you came here,