metal cabinets. The labels indicated that two of them held legal documents, while the third contained personnel files. Of course it was locked. That wasn’t a hindrance, though. It wouldn’t take more than thirty seconds to get it open, but it would be a reckless move that could get her thrown out on her ear.
Oh, what the hell. She made sure no one was coming, closed the door and rushed to the cabinet.
She had the right tool in her purse. Bless her brother’s training. He could break into anything in any office, and now she was pretty good at it herself. While it wasn’t a tactic she was entirely comfortable using, she would know a lot more about Dr. Cassidy after a quick peek at his file.
Before she’d even finished the thought, the cabinet lock popped to the open position. Just as she was about to pull out the drawer, she heard a brief knock. She spun around and pushed the lock in with her shoulder as Dr. Cassidy himself walked into the room.
His gaze was on an open file in his hand, but when he looked up, he seemed surprised. Did she look guilty? She gave him a tentative smile and inched away from the cabinets.
Whoa—howdy—he was good-looking. Even more so than in the picture on the trading card. She was compelled to take a few steps closer, just to confirm that his eyes truly were the color of whiskey. Oh, yes. A well-aged whiskey at that.
He cleared his throat, and she realized she was all up in his personal space. She retreated. Unfortunately, she backed into a cabinet, which then hit the wall behind it with a loud clunk.
Dr. Cassidy didn’t seem fazed. He caught her gaze again and with a puzzled frown said, “I’ll need you to take off your clothes.”
“Wow.” Lisa arched her brows. “You guys really take your volunteer screening seriously.”
DANIEL ALMOST CHOKED on his laugh. He glanced down at the file then back at the gorgeous blonde. “I take it you’re not Yolanda.”
All she did was smile and he was caught off guard again. It was her lips. They weren’t all shiny and covered in goop, just pink and kissable. Not that he had any damn business thinking of her in those terms. She shook her head and her pale hair swept her narrow shoulders, further distracting him.
Damn it, this wasn’t like him. Not on the job, patient or not.
“Uh...I assume there’s someone who needs an exam, and I’m in the wrong room?” she said.
“That’s true.” Jesus. Clearly he needed more sleep. “Why don’t you follow me and we’ll see if we can get this straightened out, Ms....?”
She held out her hand. “Lisa Pine.”
“Daniel Cassidy. So, you’re here to volunteer?”
“Yes.” She let go of his hand. “If you can point me in the right direction...”
“Of course.” He led her into the hall when all he should’ve done was gesture to the adjacent office. “We’re supposed to be getting doorplates,” he said, wondering when he’d reverted to an awkward teenager. “Are you a medical professional?”
“Nope. Just want to help.”
“That’s great,” he said. “We’re perpetually understaffed and overtaxed. A lot of people depend on the free clinics.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Here you are.” He opened the door and the woman sitting behind the desk looked up. “Valeria will take care of you,” he said and caught the woman’s startled expression. Had he gotten her name wrong? No, he was pretty sure that was right. With her side-shaved haircut, the streak of silver in her long black bangs and her numerous tattoos, it wasn’t as if he was likely to confuse her with someone else.
“Hello.” Lisa moved into the room and glanced over her shoulder the moment his willpower slipped and his gaze landed on her curvy backside. “Thank you, Dr. Cassidy.”
He quickly brought his eyes up to her face. “You’re welcome. And thank you,” he said. “For volunteering.”
She smiled.
“Well, I’ve got patients to see.” He backed into the hall and almost took out a passing nurse.
Annoyed and embarrassed, he headed for exam room 4, where his patient had been waiting too long. Before he entered, he gave her file a second look.
According to Yolanda’s intake papers, she was a sex worker. A number of them came to the clinic for their health needs. He’d order blood work on her, if she’d let him. Probably not, as all she wanted was antibiotics for chlamydia. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” he said. “There was a mix-up.”
Her disgusted laugh told him he could take his mix-up and put it somewhere uncomfortable. This time, he deserved it.
For the next three hours Daniel barely had time to take a breath between patients. No neurological crises arose, but that was true most days. He was technically here as a specialist, but he’d done a lot of family medicine during his training. Another neurologist, Joseph Glick, usually volunteered twice a month, but he was taking a break for the duration of Daniel’s stay.
And Daniel had no idea how long he would be staying. For now, he was content to be there. He liked the freedom and the challenge of this understaffed madhouse. It had no MRIs or CT scanners. Half the equipment didn’t work, forcing them to improvise. It certainly kept him on his toes.
Which was probably what bothered his brother about his job. Warren was as concerned about his professional status as he was about his patients. Actually, that wasn’t fair. Warren was a great neurosurgeon, in one of the most prestigious practices in New York, and he lived for the work. Daniel had begun to prefer his life to be a little more real, a little less neat.
Like his newest patient, Mr. Kennedy. The old man was snoring up a storm on the table in room 5. Mr. Kennedy squatted in a condemned building a couple of blocks away. He came to Moss Street on a regular basis, sometimes to get a hot drink, sometimes to get some sleep, and mostly because he was a diabetic who didn’t take his medication.
It would be a shame to wake him. Which made this a good opportunity for Daniel to grab a quick cup of coffee in what they laughingly called the lounge. Maybe find out more about that new volunteer. His need for caffeine abated as he discovered the woman still in Valeria’s office. Filing. “You didn’t waste any time jumping into the fray,” he said.
Lisa turned at his voice, that smile of hers drawing him inside the office. “Seems they’ll take just about anyone.”
Valeria’s laugh reminded Daniel they weren’t alone. “No offense, but that’s truer than you know.”
“She’s signed up for three whole days,” Valeria said, and there was nothing feigned about her enthusiasm.
“Excellent. I’m sure she told you about the coffee in the lounge. I was just heading over there.”
Lisa blinked and nodded.
He glanced at Valeria, who was watching him closely. The woman
