had read between the lines; whether she kept her job or not rested on the success of this venture with Dr. Brennan.
And now she was finally going to meet the man. She reached the door with Dr. Brennan’s name on it and swallowed, feeling a wave of nerves as she prepared to meet the doctor she’d be working closely with in the months to come.
She tapped on the door and waited until she heard a muffled call for admittance. Pushing it open, she stepped inside, her gaze first falling on Ana. She smiled a greeting at her boss.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Ana, but I got tied up—” As she was speaking, her gaze automatically shifted to the man standing on the other side of the desk. She drew up short as she recognized him.
It appeared the man from the coffee shop wasn’t a CIA agent at all.
He was a doctor.
* * *
NOAH BLINKED IN surprise at the woman who had just stepped into his office. She looked equally stunned.
“Noah, this is—”
“Tessa Worth,” he interrupted Ana and then immediately winced. Tessa would probably think it strange that he had noted her name on the scrap of paper she’d given him.
“Oh, good, you two have met already,” Ana said. “Well done, Tessa, on diving right in.”
His eyes were locked on the woman standing just inside the doorway, and he couldn’t seem to tear them away. She looked as surprised as he felt, her cheeks coloring at Ana’s praise, but she also hadn’t spoken up. He wondered if she was waiting to hear how he would respond to this awkward situation. After another breath, he forced himself to look away from her and back at Ana.
“Ms. Worth and I met informally this morning.”
Ana frowned but didn’t question the explanation. “Well. Tessa is our new marketing and PR coordinator for the hospital.”
He nearly groaned aloud. This was the woman he was supposed to work so closely with? Based on their earlier encounter, he was even less thrilled than he’d been when Ana had explained the directive to him.
“Oh, well then. Tessa, Dr. Brennan is the head of our pediatric oncology ward.”
Tessa seemed to have gathered her composure as she stepped forward and raised a hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Dr. Brennan.”
He ignored her hand, stubbornly keeping his arms folded across his chest.
Ana cleared her throat, and as he caught her eye, he noted the scowl on her features. He reluctantly dropped his arms and shook Tessa’s hand. He couldn’t help noticing the softness of her skin, her fingers pleasantly cool within his. He broke the handshake as quickly as he could.
“I’d like for Tessa to shadow you today to get a better understanding of your role here at the hospital.”
Noah and Tessa both began to protest at the same time.
“I don’t think that’s warranted—”
“I’m sure Dr. Brennan has a lot to do—”
Ana’s expression silenced them both. “Let’s keep in mind what these PR campaigns are really about. It’s not about me, or either of you, or even the hospital. It is about raising money for these children. Getting them more care, better care and the very best tools to help them get well. So whatever issues you are dealing with should be set aside for the sake of this initiative. We are here to save lives.”
Noah frowned. He had to hand it to her—Ana had the guilt speech down pat. How could either of them protest when she put it like that? For the length of several heartbeats, no one said anything.
To his irritation, it was Tessa who broke it.
“I’d be happy to shadow you today, Dr. Brennan, if you don’t mind.”
Of course he minded. Not that he would say so now after Ana’s tidy little reprimand.
“That would be fine,” he replied, his voice tight. Ana picked up on his annoyance and shot him a warning look.
He ignored it. He appreciated the need for fund-raisers, and Ana was right—these children deserved every weapon the hospital could supply them in their fight against cancer. But Noah’s job was on the front lines, fighting with and for these kids. It wasn’t to be in the spotlight, promoting the hospital’s work. It only distracted him from his true purpose.
“Well then, if there’s nothing more you two need from me, I’ll leave you to get better acquainted.”
Noah felt a moment’s panic, and he could tell, from Tessa Worth’s wide eyes, that she was experiencing the same emotion.
“Maybe I should come back later, give Dr. Brennan time to...do...whatever he usually does in the morning,” she finished, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“Later would be better—” He jumped on this opportunity to delay the inevitable.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The whole point is for Tessa to get an understanding of your day,” Ana said to him. “I trust you two will figure it out.”
Before either one could protest further, Ana stepped around Tessa and out the door, leaving them alone.
He suppressed a sigh as he said, “Well, let’s get started, then.”
* * *
AS TESSA FOLLOWED Noah on his rounds, he realized she’d gotten to know far more people in a couple of weeks than he had in six months. She greeted all the staff on the floor by name, asking after their spouses, their children and their pets. One of the nurses reminded her she was supposed to email them a recipe, and Tessa complied by instantly sending it out from her phone.
The more he saw how quickly they warmed to her, the more irritated he became. Who was this woman to show up and ruin his day, starting at the coffee shop and now here, in his own hospital?
It only made him more determined not to like her, especially the times they accidentally came into contact—when their arms brushed, or she leaned toward him to ask a question. She was bright and attentive, which only made his efforts to ignore her all the more difficult.
He updated her briefly on the next patient, Kyle Miller, trying his best not to notice how long her lashes were as her brown eyes focused intently on his. Clearing his throat, he turned and walked into Kyle’s room. Kyle was ten and had been battling leukemia since his diagnosis five weeks ago.
“Hello, Dr. Brennan.”
Kyle’s mother, Sheila, greeted him warily. It was a tone he was used to hearing. He knew she’d want answers, so he focused on Kyle and put Tessa out of his head as he brought up the boy’s chart on the iPad Noah held in his hand.
Tessa shifted beside him, and when he remained absorbed in Kyle’s chart, she took it upon herself to tell the family who she was. As she chatted with the parents, he scrolled through Kyle’s latest test results, trying not to listen but finding it impossible.
