LITMIR.BIZ

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was a glow to Ella these days, which was undoubtedly due to the “special man” in her own life, J. D. Sumner, who had recently resigned from his position with Northeastern HealthCare, the conglomerate hoping to take over Walnut River General.

      But Ella was jumping to a conclusion Simone didn’t want anyone to make.

      “I hate to blow your theory to smithereens,” Simone said, “but my special someone is a puppy.”

      “Oh, really?” Ella closed the file in which she’d been writing. “You adopted another dog, a playmate for Woofer?”

      “No. I’m puppy-sitting for Mike O’Rourke.”

      Ella’s grin broadened, and her eyes glimmered. “I was wondering how you two were doing. That guy is crazy about you.”

      The day after Peter’s cocktail party, while talking privately to Ella, Simone had let it slip that she and Mike had slept together. After all, Ella had seen the two of them locked in a heated kiss beside Mike’s Jeep the night before.

      Simone couldn’t blame Ella for wondering, but not everyone was destined for a romantic happy ending.

      “Mike’s a wonderful man,” Simone admitted. “And he’ll be a great catch for some lucky woman. But I’m a loner, and I always have been.”

      Hooking up with anyone, even a female roommate, would be tough on Simone, who’d grown comfortable with the peace and quiet at home. Of course, having an additional dog around was going to push her comfort level to the limit, but Mike was supposed to be looking for a place that would allow him to keep Wags. So, hopefully, her life would be back on track soon.

      “You’ll have to forgive me for wishing it had been the man keeping you awake instead of his dog.”

      Simone yawned again. “And you’ll have to excuse me. Boy, what I wouldn’t give to go home early and call it a night.”

      “Give me a moment to check that X-ray of Jeffrey’s thumb,” Ella said, “then you can join me for a cup of coffee in the doctors’ lounge.”

      “All right.” Simone doubted that the caffeine would be good for the baby, but she also needed to be able to function while at work. She wasn’t going to get off until eleven. Maybe half a cup would be okay.

      Fifteen minutes later, as Jeffrey and his mother prepared to head home with his hand stabilized in a cast, Ella returned. “Come on. Let’s take a quick break before we get another rush.”

      After letting the E.R. resident and a fellow nurse know where she could be found, Simone joined Ella in the employee lounge, where they poured two cups of coffee and took a seat at the table.

      “I’ve been off for a couple of days,” Simone said. “So fill me in. What’s the latest news about Northeastern HealthCare?”

      The question shouldn’t have surprised Ella. After all, it was on everyone’s mind.

      The threatened NHC takeover had many of the medical staff up in arms. The hospital had a reputation of providing the human touch and the kind of medical treatment patients deserved, while NHC was known in the industry for focusing on the bottom line at the expense of patient care.

      “Well,” Ella said, taking a sip of her coffee, “the attorney general’s office has decided to investigate the claims of insurance fraud.”

      Simone had known that the state examiner’s office claimed that the hospital was keeping patients longer than necessary and billing for treatment that wasn’t given. She blew out a sigh. “I know we tend to keep patients longer than the average, but that’s because we don’t want to rush them out of the hospital too soon. I can’t believe there’s anything fraudulent going on here.”

      “I can’t, either,” Ella said. “But I don’t like what a charge like that means in regard to an NHC takeover.”

      “Neither do I.” Simone rested her cup on the table, yet held it in both hands. “If the hospital is found to be at fault, profits will go down and we’ll have problems operating. Then NHC can swoop in like a superhero and save the hospital’s reputation by including it in their ‘family.’”

      “Exactly.” Ella glanced at her watch. “Where did the last hour go? I need to call it a day. I’ve been here since early this morning.”

      “You’ve got to be tired, too,” Simone said. “Maybe you shouldn’t have had the coffee.”

      “It’s definitely been a long shift, which is the reason I wanted a bit of caffeine.” Ella smiled, her eyes glimmering and her cheeks taking on a pretty flush. “J.D. has been staying with his dad since he quit NHC, but today we started living together, and we’re having a celebratory dinner as soon as I get home.”

      The couple had been seeing a lot of each other for the past two months, and apparently things had gotten serious. Ella’s happiness was impossible to ignore.

      “Congratulations,” Simone said. “Is he taking you out?”

      “No, we’re eating in. In fact, he’s cooking and even has a bottle of champagne chilling. Apparently, I’m in for a romantic evening.” She grinned. “So I need to get out of here.”

      Simone could understand why. “Have a wonderful night.”

      “Thanks. I intend to.”

      Simone’s thoughts drifted to the man who was waiting at her house.

      Of course, it wasn’t the same.

      Even if Mike thought that it should be.

       Chapter Five

      Mike, whose primary motivation for being at Simone’s house wasn’t because of the dogs, had gone grocery shopping when he’d gotten off work. And now that Simone was due home within minutes, he had a late-night snack ready for her.

      He’d prepared a platter of cheese, crackers and fresh fruit for them to munch on, and if she was really hungry, he had all the fixings for a Dagwood-style sandwich.

      Now all he had to do was wait.

      Ever since he’d picked up Wags from the pet shop, where the puppy had been harassing Popeye Baxter all day rather than Woofer, the little guy had been playing hard. And now both dogs were resting near the hearth, where a steady flame licked the logs Mike had just added to the fire.

      Simone’s little house looked especially warm and cozy tonight. The candles he’d lit and placed on the fireplace mantel gave it a romantic glow.

      In truth, Mike hoped Simone liked the idea of coming home to a guy who loved her, a guy who knew what she needed without being asked.

      As a car sounded outside, alerting him to her arrival, he met her at the door. Wags, apparently, was too tuckered out to even care that someone had entered, and Woofer merely raised his head and assured himself that Simone was home and that all was now well in his world.

      “Good evening,” Mike said as Simone hung up her jacket on a hook by the door.

      Even after a tiring shift at work and wearing a pair of blue scrubs, she was an attractive woman who could turn his heart on end with a smile.

      She scanned the small living room, took in the sight of the fresh flowers he’d placed on the coffee table. “What’s that?”

      “A peace offering,” Mike said. “From Wags. He may not look very contrite at the moment, but he’s very sorry for being such a pain in the butt last night.”

      A smile stretched across Simone’s face, but he couldn’t help noting the hint of crescent shadows under her eyes. He suspected they looked worse in the warm glow from the flickering candles.

      He didn’t mention how worn and tired she appeared, though. But he would do whatever he could to see that she got plenty of sleep tonight.

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