TEMPTED BY HER BOSS (8 page)

He walked past an office where John was buried up to his neck in paperwork with two open laptops next to him. ‘Okay? How are you getting on?’

John stood up. ‘Exactly like we first suspected. The common denominator in everyone’s story is the caves in the State Park. But they don’t contain African fruit bats—they have Jamaican ones. What I can’t work out is why Jamaican fruit bats have made it this far up state. They’ve been spotted in Key West before, but never this far northwest.’

‘Have any of the state park staff reported being unwell?’

John pointed to the notes. ‘I’m tracking down as many as I can. Two have already been admitted as patients. David’s checking their blood results as we speak.’ He gave a little smile. ‘Grace seems to be taking samples quicker than he can analyse them.’

He mentally ticked the little box in his head. Another plus point for Grace. That reminded him. ‘John, do you know where the supplies are? I’d like to get changed into a set of scrubs.’ His voice drifted off. ‘I need to tell Grace to get changed too.’

John shrugged. ‘I think the boxes might be down at the lab.’ He gave a little smile. ‘I kinda like what Grace is wearing now.’

Donovan could feel his blood pressure start to rise. But John was watching him with a smirk on his face. He was playing him. Were his thoughts about Grace so apparent?

Darn it. He’d thought he was being cool. Romantic interludes between team members were never encouraged in the DPA. Team members were supposed to be focused and professional. Letting anything happen between him and Grace would be the quickest way to get her transferred off his team. And it would do nothing for her reputation.

Grace needed to establish herself as a solid fieldwork team member first. A year or two of experience in the field would cement her place in the agency and open a whole host of other opportunities for her.

And no matter how she looked in a red dress or how sexy her new haircut was, he had to keep his mind on the job.

The phone rang and John answered it. ‘Yes, yes, he’s with me.’ He glanced over at Donovan and started taking a few notes, which he passed over. Donovan read quickly. David had the lab tests running already. Out of twenty new samples—Grace really had worked quickly—the first few were already confirmed as Marburg virus. It would be another few hours before the rest were ready.

One of the admin staff appeared at his side. ‘We’ve got problems.’

‘What?’

‘We’re running out of IVs.’

‘You’re what?’ He’d heard it all now. What kind of a hospital didn’t have enough IV supplies?

‘Most of the patients are really dehydrated. We’re going through the infusion bags at a much quicker rate than normal and so far every single patient has an IV in place. We’re going to have to send for some more equipment from one of the other local hospitals.’

‘How quickly can it get here?’

She shrugged. ‘Hopefully within a few hours.’ She turned to leave, then spun back. ‘Oh, and the other thing, the nurse supervisor said to let you know that she can’t get enough extra nurses to cover all the shifts.’

Could this night get any worse? He took a deep breath. ‘There will be some nursing staff coming down from Atlanta. Hopefully they’ll be able to fill any gaps.’

She gave a nod. ‘I’ll let Lucy know, thanks.’

His stomach growled loudly and John smiled. Food. When was the last time they’d eaten? Probably in the airport before they’d left Atlanta.

‘There must be a canteen around here. Can I get you something to eat, John?’

He nodded. ‘Anything. And coffee. Black and lots of it.’

‘No problem, see you in five.’

He walked along the corridor, his eyes looking through all the open doors in the hope of a glimpse of red. Finally, he heard the click-clack of her stiletto heels on the floor to his right. Her feet must be killing her by now.

He could hear her talking to one of the mothers, offering some reassurance about the condition of her child. ‘Grace, can I borrow you for a second?’

She spun around and gave him a smile. At first glance she still looked as fresh as she had at the airport. But that had been hours ago now. And on closer inspection he could see the fatigue hiding behind the glaze in her eyes.

He put his arm through hers. ‘Walk with me for a second.’

‘Why, where are we going?’

Her legs kept pace with his as they turned the corner. ‘Any place that serves food.’

She stopped walking and frowned. ‘The hospital kitchen only serves the patients. Staff have to eat elsewhere.’ She pressed a hand to her stomach. ‘I already asked.’

‘Is there someplace close by?’

‘There’s apparently a coffee stand across the street, some vending machines in the ER and a twenty-four-hour diner on the corner.’

‘But nothing on site?’ His brain was working overtime. They had a potential deadly virus with patients needing round-the-clock care and staff needing round-the-clock facilities.

She shook her head and he smiled. ‘Well, things are about to change around here. Do you know where the kitchen is?’

She nodded and pointed down the hall. ‘What are you going to do, Donovan?’ She followed as he marched towards the kitchen door. ‘We just got here—don’t go upsetting people.’

He shot her a smile—she was really cute when she was worried. ‘Don’t worry, Grace. I’m just going to get us some food.’

The kitchen door opened with a crash and a formidable woman scowled at him and started talking in rapid Spanish. He walked over, his arm extended firmly in front of him. Donovan Reid knew exactly how to use his charm to full effect.

‘Hi, there. I’m Donovan Reid from the DPA. I understand you’re in charge of the kitchen?’

The woman nodded, still scowling. ‘I’m Mara.’ She waved her other hand, ‘And staff aren’t allowed in here.’

He kept smiling and didn’t let go of her handshake, instead wrapping his other hand over hers. ‘It’s a real pleasure to meet you. I’m sure you’re aware we’ve got some really sick patients. And I’m expecting a whole host of other staff to arrive to help us take care of them.’ He gave her his best smile. ‘I absolutely don’t want to give you any extra work.’ He pointed over towards some empty workspace. ‘So, if it’s okay with you, I’ll just get my staff to come in and fend for themselves.’

He could see her taking a deep breath, ready to tell him exactly where to go. So he spoke as quickly as he could.

‘Obviously, at this time it’s really important that my staff don’t leave the premises while they are on duty. I don’t want an emergency situation when all my staff are at the diner across the street. Can you imagine how dangerous that could be?’

He could see her eyes widen and her brain start to digest his words.

He dropped her hand and moved over to the workspace. ‘You just tell me exactly where we won’t interfere with your routine and I’ll make sure my staff stay clear. I mean, some of us have been up all night travelling, and won’t be getting any help for another...’ he glanced at his watch ‘...six hours. It’s important I keep my staff hydrated, don’t you think?’

He could see Grace watching him out of the corner of his eye. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was leaning against the wall with her eyebrows partially raised. The bamboozling seemed to have worked. Mara looked lost for words.

Time to keep the momentum going. He started opening a few cupboards. ‘Do you have coffee, Mara? I’d like to make some for my staff.’

He kept moving, looking through cupboards. Everything he’d just said was true. He didn’t want his staff leaving the premises when they were on duty, and it didn’t seem too much to ask to let the staff use the kitchen to prepare food. But Mara looked like the kind of woman not to be tangled with. He only hoped she didn’t notice he was holding his breath.

Mara moved, her round body almost at odds with her lightning feet. She pulled open a door and thumped a tin of coffee down on the counter, pulling a glass coffee pot from another cupboard. ‘I don’t want anyone touching my range.’ She eyed him for a few seconds before adding, ‘I have bagels. And I can make some eggs.’

He walked over and slid an arm around her shoulders. ‘Mara, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much.’

She moved sideways. ‘Make your own coffee,’ she muttered as she started cracking some eggs into a pan.

Donovan breathed a sigh of relief as he filled up the coffee pot with water. Grace appeared at his side with a grin on her face. ‘Oh, very smooth,’ she murmured quietly.

‘I was, wasn’t I?’ With the coffee on and percolating he moved to the refrigerator and grabbed some milk.

His phone beeped and he pulled it from his pocket, half smiled and gave a little shake of his head.

She arched her eyebrows at him and he shrugged, ‘It was Hannah.’

‘How is Casey?’

‘Apparently pining for me.’

She gave a little laugh. ‘Well, somebody’s got to.’

Grace picked up some mugs, plates and cutlery. Mara was slicing and toasting bagels now with ruthless efficiency. No wonder she didn’t like people in her kitchen.

‘There’s a staffroom down the hall. I’ll go and find David and John and meet you there.’ She glanced over at Mara and gave him a wink as she disappeared out of the door.

Donovan smiled. He couldn’t help it. Just when he least expected it, Grace did something like that. It was like at the airport, when the check-in girl had looked at her as if she had been something on the bottom of her shoe. Grace had just lifted her chin and acted as though she owned the world. He liked it. He liked it a lot.

There was a thump on the counter in front of him. Toasted bagels and a large bowl filled with scrambled eggs. His stomach growled loudly again. It smelled delicious—he hadn’t realised just how hungry he was.

That seemed to be the way Mara worked. Thumping. He gave her the playboy smile again. ‘Thank you so much, Mara, that was really good of you.’ He grabbed the plates and the coffee pot and juggled them in his hands as he backed out the door.

Grace was handing over a five-dollar bill to John as he reached the staffroom. ‘What’s going on?’

Grace rolled her eyes and pulled up a chair. ‘I lost a bet.’

‘What bet?’ He handed out the bagels and filled his with scrambled egg.

John grabbed the coffee pot and started pouring the tantalising liquid into mugs. ‘I bet Grace as soon as we arrived that you would commandeer the kitchen, some way or another.’

She laughed, her head going back and revealing the paler skin of her neck. ‘I’d already run into Mara when I was looking for a bottle of water. I thought you didn’t have a hope of getting in there.’

David and John clinked their coffee cups conspiratorially. ‘Let me tell you, Grace, you lucked out with this team. Donovan
always
manages to find us food. Rae Jenkins’s team? Last time they were out in the field they ate granola bars for three days.’

Donovan laughed as he took a bite of his bagel. Delicious. Mara could thump around all day if she gave him access to food that tasted like this. ‘It’s true, you know. The other team complained about it for weeks.’

Grace was looking around the table, obviously trying to figure out if they were playing her or not.

David rolled his eyes. ‘I can’t do without food. I get all cranky these days if I don’t eat. It’s not pretty.’ With his white shock of hair, David was the oldest member of the team. He was worth his weight in gold.

‘How are things in the lab?’

‘Don’t worry about the lab. I’ll be fine. Worry about staff on the floor—there aren’t enough.’

Donovan frowned. ‘I know. I spoke to the hospital director. They’re just not set up for a major incident like this. Trouble is, to move all these patients elsewhere would probably take the National Guard. We have to manage as best we can.’ He looked over at Grace. She’d finished eating and was sipping her coffee quietly. ‘How about you, Grace?’

Her tongue ran along her lips. She was thinking before she spoke. Was that because she was unsure of herself or because he’d snapped at her earlier? She still hadn’t managed to get changed into scrubs and the high humidity in Florida was making her hair start to frizz. But even he knew better than to point that out to a woman who’d had a makeover less than twenty-four hours ago.

She spoke quietly. ‘I’ve got three kids I’m quite worried about. How long until the other team arrives?’

His brain was ticking rapidly as he tried to remember what was in her file. Grace didn’t have much experience in paediatrics apart from a stint in the ER as an attending. She was obviously anxious for the team of more specialist staff to arrive. He should have thought of that.

‘I’ll come and review them with you before I go to the press conference.’

She let out her breath, her shoulders relaxing and rigid fingers loosening around the mug in her hands. She gave a grateful little nod of her head.

Their eyes met. It was a moment. A flicker. A connection.

Something about that shade of green, not pale and insipid, not deep enough to be emerald, but something in the middle. More like the colour of the ocean on a bright summer’s day. It was holding him. It was dragging him in.

She blinked. Now he was looking at her long dark eyelashes and the way they framed her eyes perfectly. She was tired—he could see the faint lines around her eyes, the little furrows across her brow. She’d tried to capture her silky curls back in a ponytail. But its new shorter style didn’t want to comply. A few random strands were still bouncing around her shoulders.

He dragged his gaze away. His brain should be computing what he was going to say at the press conference, not being distracted by the woman opposite.

John helped himself to a second toasted bagel. ‘Are you ready for the onslaught?’

He focused. It was time to keep all his attention on the job. ‘What onslaught?’

‘The five hundred and fifty questions you’re going to get about the bats. Maybe we should start calling you Dr Doolittle?’

Donovan shifted in his chair. ‘Where are we with the bats? Do we have confirmation of the primary site yet? When can we collect samples?’

John shook his head. ‘The state parks are giving me the runaround right now. I think they’ve been inundated by calls from frantic parents. About the only thing I’ve managed to accomplish so far is to get them to put a temporary closure notice on the caves. What I haven’t managed to do yet is secure us entry to collect samples.’