Gina Wilkins - Surprise Partners

Lydia watched as, from behind Alexis’s back, Cameron rolled his eyes at Scott. Cameron, she thought, was not pleased with his date. Having endured a few awkward evenings with incompatible escorts herself, she was even more determined at this point to resist Larissa’s fix-up efforts. Her arrangement with Scott suited her very well for now, no matter how temporary it would turn out to be.

The evening proceeded with a great deal of teasing and conversation. The guests consumed an impressive amount of snacks and soft drinks. Scott, Lydia discovered, had a real passion for chocolate and was not averse to battling for the last piece. And she couldn’t help noticing that he rarely lost.

They split into teams for games, and Alexis’s visible lack of enthusiasm couldn’t dampen the good-naturedly fierce competition among the others. Lydia proved to be a knowledgeable contestant in the trivia game they’d selected. Especially when it came to science and medicine categories, she had almost all the answers.

“Man,” Michael groaned, having lost yet another round to Lydia and Scott, “you guys are stomping us. Lydia’s a handy person to have on your team.”

Scott grinned and draped an arm around Lydia’s shoulders. “I’ve noticed that. We make pretty good partners.”

Vividly aware of that arm around her, Lydia noticed that Heather’s smile suddenly looked forced. She wondered if she was only being paranoid, if she was only imagining that Heather disapproved of her. Maybe she should suggest to Scott that he should reassure his sister that there was nothing to worry about. That she and Scott were just friends and nothing else was likely to develop.

Because she didn’t want to foster a wrong impression, she reached for her soft drink, subtly dislodging Scott’s arm. To her relief, he immediately became involved in a spirited conversation with Shane, giving her enough time to recover her equilibrium. She didn’t know why she’d gotten so rattled just because Scott had touched her so easily. Friends touched, she reminded herself, glancing across the room to where Cameron was standing with an arm around Michael’s wife, Judy. No one seemed to think a thing about that, she told herself. They’d probably hardly noticed anything between her and Scott.

“So, Lydia,” Kelly said, sliding into a seat next to her, “you study germs and bacteria and stuff?”

Smiling, Lydia nodded. “That’s all part of the microbiology field.”

“So can you tell me about all those antibacterial products on the market now? They sound great, but some doctors seem to think they’re terrible.”

Okay, Lydia, keep it brief, she warned herself. Don’t overexplain.

Fifteen minutes later, she was still discussing the growing concern in the scientific community about the indiscriminate use of antibacterial agents and the potential increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a result. “People think coating their hands with antibacterial lotions and gels will keep them from contracting colds or flu, when those illnesses are actually caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibacterial products,” she concluded.

“But what about kitchen counters?” Judy asked, making Lydia suddenly aware that most of the others had gathered around to listen. “Isn’t it a good idea to use antibacterial cleaners there?”

“The best household cleaner is ordinary bleach,” she answered. “It kills most germs without building resistance in remaining bacteria.”

“So plain soap and water works best for hands, and bleach effectively cleans counters and bathroom fixtures,” Kelly summarized.

“Exactly. Antibiotics and antibacterial agents are best reserved for a needs-only basis to maintain their effectiveness.”

Judy still looked a bit confused. “Then why are more antibacterial products being produced all the time?”

“Because they sell merchandise,” Dr. Steve Carter answered simply, approaching the group in time to hear the question. “The manufacturers are playing on the public’s fear of germs. And people are confused about what exactly antibiotics are best used for. That’s why they pressure doctors to prescribe antibiotics for every little cough and sniffle, even those caused by viruses. Antibiotics used in those cases cause more harm than good, actually, and we’re seeing the results in bacterial infections that are not responding to longtime standard antibiotics.”

“That’s what Lydia was just explaining to us,” Kelly told him. “Thanks for clarifying this for me,” she added to Lydia. “All the conflicting news stories get confusing sometimes.”

Scott crossed the room to lean cozily against the arm of Lydia’s chair. “Lydia has a knack for making complicated subjects relatively easy to understand. You should hear her talk about forensic DNA.”

Steve smiled. “I would probably find that interesting, myself.”

Heather, who’d been notably quiet for the past few minutes, suddenly spoke up. “Did I mention to anyone that Steve and I have been able to book the Elroys for our wedding reception?”

“The Elroys?” Judy Chang almost squealed the name. “Oh, they’re wonderful! But I’ve heard they’re almost impossible to book locally these days because they’ve become so popular. How did you manage?”

Looking quite pleased with herself, Heather beamed. “That’s a very funny story, actually.”

She launched into a colorfully enthusiastically embellished anecdote that soon had the others laughing. It briefly occurred to Lydia that Heather had deliberately drawn everyone’s attention to herself and away from Lydia. But then she told herself it didn’t matter—nor was it further evidence that Heather didn’t care for her. People didn’t go to parties to hear about bacteria and the other things that especially interested her, she reminded herself. They wanted to laugh and gossip and have fun, not be lectured to by a microbiology professor.

Cameron, it seemed, was still more interested in microbes than music groups. Discreetly drawing Lydia aside, he asked quietly, “I know Scott’s consulted with you occasionally about forensic DNA. Would you mind if I call you with a question now and then? In my reporting, I sometimes cover crime stories that hinge on DNA and the conflicting ‘expert opinions’ I hear in the courtroom often need clarifying.”

“Conflicting opinions are the only defense against strong DNA evidence.” She dug in her purse and drew out a business card with her office number printed on it. On the back, she scribbled her home number. “Feel free to call anytime. I’m always happy to answer questions about my work.”

Cameron pocketed the card and gave her a high-voltage smile. “That’s very generous of you.”

From across the room where he had moved to munch chips and talk to Shane, Scott suddenly reappeared at Lydia’s side. He draped an arm around her shoulders and gave Cameron a bland smile. “Trying to make time with my date, Cam?”

Cameron glanced pointedly across the room to where Alexis looked almost comatose with boredom. “Actually, I’m going to take my date home before she completely ruins the evening. She’s ticked off at me because I won’t go with her to some sort of family reunion next weekend. You know I don’t do family things.”

“So this is your last date with Alexis?”

Cameron nodded fatalistically. “I believe it is.”

Scott’s smile had a wicked edge to it. “I’ll tell Heather. I’m sure she would be absolutely delighted to fix you up with someone. She says she has a talent for that sort of thing.”

Cameron shuddered. “Thanks, but don’t bother. I’ll find my own companionship when I want it.”

Scott looked pointedly at the shirt pocket in which Cameron had slipped Lydia’s card. “Is that right?”