Chapter 2
NASH
“Talk to me, Reggie,” I call as I round the corner of one of the cubicles in the office. Harper is at the end of this aisle, scooting along. She’s never been great on the Wiggle Cars. I can’t say I fault her. They are meant for kids.
“I’m by Eli’s desk,” Reggie says across the office. “The coast is clear here.”
“Where are you hiding, Victor?” I hate losing our office version of tag, but Victor may have us beat.
When I told my assistant, Grace, that I wanted to buy twenty Wiggle Cars for the office—you know, to build team unity—I thought she would quit right then and there. But she bought the carts and even cleared out one of the storage closets to store them in. However, she’s never joined in on the games.
Grace is old school, and by that, I mean old.
She styles her graying hair in a bun and wears pencil skirts even though I’ve told her repeatedly that Superior Health is a casual work environment.
“Nash!” I hear Grace’s voice above the commotion, but I don’t stop my wiggles.
“Yeah?”
“Nash!” she scolds, and I know I’m in trouble.
My erratic hip motions stop so I can hear her better. “Yes, Grace?”
“Your new intern is here.”
“Oh, I forgot about that.” I glance at my watch. It’s noon—right when I told her to show up. “What’s her name again?”
“Sadie Bradley,” a new voice says, obviously the intern herself.
Three months ago, Grace and Eli narrowed down the internship applicants to the top ten candidates. I spent the next two weeks interviewing everyone, but Sadie Bradley was finishing her last semester at Syracuse University and couldn’t fly in to meet face to face. We decided on a Zoom interview. She apologized over and over again about her camera not working, but it was fine just to do it over the phone. I was immediately impressed by her energy. I’m curious to see if my gut reaction was right.
“Okay, guys. Game over. Green team back to work.”
Multiple people groan.
“We’ll play again on Friday.” I hop to my feet, hidden between the maze of cubicles. “Victor, where are you?”
Victor’s dark hair is the first thing I see as he slowly comes to a stand. He’s at the other end of the office, almost to the water cooler, which, if you make it to the water cooler before you get tagged, you’re the winner.
“Dude, how did you get over there so fast?”
“I like Shakira, so I know how to shake my hips.”
That’s actually a solid reason.
I spin around, ready to greet the new intern, and that’s when my mouth falls open like an idiot. “It’s you.”
The girl from the Cubs game stands in the middle of my office. Instead of shorts and a t-shirt, she’s wearing a fitted white blouse tucked into black flowy pants. It’s a different look than the one over the weekend, but she’s still a complete knockout.
Bewildered is the best way to describe her expression. “You’re Nash Carter?”
I run my fingers through my hair, suddenly feeling the urge to make myself look presentable after my time on the Wiggle Cars. “Yeah.”
“The Nash Carter who owns Superior Health?”
“Guilty.”
We stare at each other, neither of us knowing what to say. There’s a weird expression written across her face, but unlike a book, I can’t read what it’s about.
I place my hands on my hips. “Well, don’t I feel stupid?”
“I’m lost,” Harper says, joining us. “Why do you feel stupid? Do you guys know each other?”
“No way!” Reggie pops up from his spot across the office. “You’re the girl from the Cubs game.”
“Uh…” I scratch my face, debating how much I want to admit to.
“Nash saw her at the Cubs game and pretty much fell in love and?—”
“I did not fall in love,” I say to Reggie then turn to defend myself to Sadie. “I wasn’t in love. I was interested.”
Her smile is a good sign she’s not completely freaked out right now.
“After he fell in love,” Reggie continues, “Nash made a fool out of himself by hitting on her in front of everyone, but she completely shut him down.”
“Thanks for that, Reggie.” I shoot my employee, who’s really more of a friend, a tight smile.
“Anytime, boss.” Reggie looks at Sadie. “She only shut him down because she already has a boyfriend, right?”
“I kind of have a boyfriend.”
“Oh, now you just kind of have a boyfriend?” I give her a wry smile. “Sounds like you made him up, and now you’re trying to come clean with the truth.”
Laughter puffs over her pretty lips. “That is the truth. It’s complicated.”
It is complicated.
She’s my intern, and I’m her boss. Forget about her kind of boyfriend.
This is worst-case scenario.
I can’t pursue her now. Superior Health isn’t that kind of workplace, and I’m not that kind of boss.
Victor rests both his arms on the top of the nearest cubicle. “How did Nash hit on you?”
“Okay, that’s enough of this. Why don’t we go talk somewhere more private?” I gesture toward my office and hear the snickers behind me as I lead the way. It’s times like these when I wish I’d been more of a serious boss whose employees are so scared of him that they’d never dream of giggling behind his back.
Who am I kidding? I’ll never be that guy.
I hold the door open for Sadie to pass and force myself not to smell her perfume as she walks by—mouth breathing for the win. The last thing I need is to be pining over my intern.
“Take a seat.” I shut the door and make my way behind my desk. I don’t immediately sit. I feel like I need to clear the air first. “Hey, I’m super embarrassed about Saturday.”
“Don’t be.” Sadie swipes her hand in front of her, wisping it all away. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Obviously, if I had known who you were, I never would’ve hit on you…especially so aggressively.”
She laughs that same adorable laugh that killed me just two days ago. “It’s a funny story.”
Maybe for her. Not so much for me.
I told her I loved her freckles.
Gosh, this is brutal.
“Right.” I nod. “It’s a funny story.”
“I respect that you shot your shot.”
“It was a complete airball, but I did shoot it.”
She laughs again, and I do my best to ignore the beautiful sound.
“Let’s just move on.” I pull my chair out and take a seat. “And I promise to never hit on you again at work. From here on out, I’ll be the epitome of professionalism. The most professional boss you’ve ever had.”
She points over her shoulder with a teasing smile. “Was that a Wiggle Car you were just riding?”
“Okay, not the most professional boss you’ve ever had, just a semi-professional boss. And those cars are something fun we do to build team unity and a positive work environment. I promise there’s a method to my madness.”
“I’m not giving you a hard time. I think it looks fun. I can’t wait to play too.”
She would say that.
Actually, I don’t know her at all. My opinions are based on the four hours I watched her Saturday afternoon.
Oh, man. I was in love with this woman for four hours.
Reggie wasn’t exaggerating.
I was planning the wedding.
The honeymoon.
The three kids.
It was beautiful until it wasn’t.
“So work!” I clap, scooting my chair in. “We’re excited to have you here for the next six months. As you know, you’ll primarily be working with me. I’ll teach you the ins and outs of running a healthcare staffing business and how to scale a company and manage a team.”
Her eyes beam with excitement. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
“In addition, something that’s different with my interns is that, before your time here is up, I ask you to find a weakness within my company or an area where there’s room to grow and develop a plan to elevate it. Oftentimes, I find that the best ideas come from young and eager interns with nothing to lose. It’s like a fresh pair of eyes or an outside perspective.”
“Sheesh.” She tugs at her ear like a nervous tic. “That’s a lot of pressure.”
“Don’t think of it as pressure. Think of it as an opportunity. I’ll never put you or your ideas in a box. So don’t put yourself in one. The sky is the limit.”
She nods as if my words really resonate with her.
“Besides, I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you have a ton of potential. You just need to be pushed toward it. That’s what I’m here to do during the six months you spend with me. I want to see more of the woman from the interview—the one who believed there was no one better for this internship than her.”
“There isn’t anyone better.” The cockiness behind her smile is wildly attractive.
That’s why I look down, fiddling with a few papers. “Grace will set you up with a desk and some of the accounts we’re dealing with right now.” Feeling more composed, I glance back up at her. “There are a few long-term care facilities that we have our eye on. All of this should be easy stuff for someone who graduated in healthcare administration with a business minor.”
Her mouth stretches into an adorable smile. “You remembered.”
“You had a really impressive resume.”
“Thank you. I’m trying to build my portfolio to take over my dad’s home health and hospice business back in Skaneateles.”
“Is that how you say it? Ski-nee-at-luhs?”
“Yeah, it’s easy if you just think of a skinny atlas.”
“I’ve never been to Central New York or the Finger Lakes.”
“It’s a beautiful area. My parents have a house right on the water.”
“Your family must be proud you were selected for the internship.”
“Not really. Everyone was against me moving to Chicago—except for my brother. He thought it seemed like a fun adventure.”
“It’s only for six months. You’ll be home before Christmas.”
“I know, but to them, it’s a waste of time when I already have a secure job at my father’s company.”
“And what about your kind of boyfriend? Was he against you moving here?” She said his name the other day. “Stayton or Satan or something like that.”
“Stetson.” She smiles at my poor efforts to remember.
“Much better than Satan.”
“Yes, I think so.”
Her lips press together, fighting a smile, and a touch of satisfaction washes over me from her amusement.
She smooths her pants and goes back to answering my earlier question. “Stetson didn’t want me to move to Chicago either. He actually broke up with me last week before I moved out here.”
My brows lift in interest.
“But it’s not a real breakup,” she explains.
“It’s not?”
“No, Stetson doesn’t really want to end things. He was just trying to get me to stay. Long distance is difficult on a relationship, especially since we’ve never been apart before.”
“Yeah, didn’t you say you’d been together since third grade? I thought you were lying, but is that really true?”
“We grew up next door to each other, and our families are best friends. We naturally became friends when we were kids and then more than friends.”
“Until he broke up with you.” He’s an idiot. If Sadie were mine, I’d never let her go, especially not over something as insignificant as a few hundred miles.
She gives me a pointed look. “It’s a pause. When the internship is over and I move back home, Stetson and I both know we’ll be together.”
“Sounds like you gave up a lot for this internship.”
“I did.” Her chin lifts confidently. “For me, this opportunity is about proving to everyone back home that I can run my dad’s company. I don’t want to be handed his successful healthcare business just because I’m his only interested child. I deserve it. I’ve studied and graduated in this field. I beat out hundreds of applicants for this internship, and after these six months, I’ll return to Skaneateles with even more knowledge about the healthcare industry than before. I want no doubt in anyone’s mind that I’m qualified to take over when my dad retires. That’s the goal.”
“Unless you discover that you love working here and want to come on board full-time.”
“That won’t happen. I already have everything planned out.”
“Fair enough.” My gaze casts over her face and the smattering of light freckles on her cheeks and nose so perfectly distributed they almost look painted on. “Come on. I’ll show you around the office.” I quickly stand, deciding there’s no world where studying Sadie Bradley’s freckles is appropriate—at least not for me as her boss.