Chapter 2
TWO
ALLY
Dr. Malone’s eyes move from my face to my latte.
“I said don’t worry about it,” he says gruffly, before turning back to scowl at his computer screen.
“Oh,” I glance at my latte. It’s cooled down now, but for some reason the cup feels like it’s burning my hand. “That’s not actually why I’m here.”
His gaze lifts back up to me, as though he can’t imagine why else I could possibly be in his office. “It’s not?”
“No. But obviously, I’d like to repay you . . . ” I scrabble in my bag for my wallet, which seems to have disappeared again.
He gives a sigh of resignation. “Look, Miss—”
“Parker. Alexandra Parker. I’m—”
He interrupts before I can tell him I’m his new administrative assistant. “Look, Miss Parker, I really don’t need your money. You can pay it forward and buy someone else’s coffee tomorrow.” His lips twitch a little. “Or maybe put it toward the cost of a smaller purse.”
Haha. What a wit.
“Here!” I say triumphantly, pulling my wallet from my purse. I hold my breath as I flip it open—I don’t usually carry cash—but it’s my lucky day. I have a ten dollar bill.
I set the money down on the desk.
“That’s too much,” Dr. Malone says, trying to hand it back to me. “Your drink cost less than eight dollars.”
“You can keep the change.”
He sets my ten back on the desk and pulls a leather wallet from his pocket. “Here,” he says, handing me a five dollar bill.
“But then I’ll still owe you almost three dollars.”
He rolls his eyes. “Take it, before this turns into a farce.”
“But—”
He walks around his desk and tucks the five into my purse, then sits back down in front of his computer. “Time is money, Miss Parker. If you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot to do this morning.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here. I’m your new admin assistant.”
“No, you’re not.” He barely looks up at me this time. “I’m sorry, Miss Parker, but I already have an assistant.” His eyes flicker to the open door. “Her name is Celine, and since she can probably hear me, I’ll make a point of saying that she’s very good at her job.”
“Oh, not for your clinical work, for the department admin,” I explain. “Heather Larkin hired me—”
“Of course she did,” he mutters.
Okay, then. Dr. Malone clearly doesn’t like Heather. Maybe that explains Celine’s attitude toward her.
“I assumed Heather had told you about me,” I say defensively. “She brought me down to introduce me to you, but Celine said you were in the operating room.”
That earns a smirk from Dr. Malone. “Like I said, Celine’s very good at her job.”
Right. Definitely no love lost between Dr. Malone and Heather Larkin.
“Well. Ms. Larkin explained that you’re the only department chief without an assistant, and you haven’t had time to hire anyone, so—”
“I’ve had plenty of time to hire someone, Miss Parker,” he says curtly. “What I don’t have time for is an assistant.”
There’s a beat of silence while I process that. “Uh, I think an assistant could save you time, Dr. Malone. Heather mentioned you might need help managing your calendar . . .”
His eyebrows draw together. Point taken. Dr. Malone doesn’t like to be told he needs help with anything.
“Go on,” he says, but his voice is anything but inviting. “What else does Heather think I need help with?”
Ha. I’m not going to fall into that trap. “Uh, she suggested I ask you what you need.”
He sighs, and doesn’t answer immediately. I swallow past a lump in my throat and force myself to stand tall.
It’s just my luck. I’m going to lose my job on my first day. I wonder if Heather will find me something else to do, or if this will be it. She must know Dr. Malone’s difficult, so she can’t blame me for this.
She shouldn’t blame me for it, but maybe she will. No one ever said life was fair.
I knew this job was too good to be true. The pay’s pretty good for an assistant, and if I can get through the three month probation period, I’ll have great job security.
But if I can’t convince Dr. Malone I can make his life easier, I might not last a week. And if I can’t find another job, I’ll have to move back in with my parents, and I really don’t want to do that again.
“That purse is too heavy for you,” Dr. Malone says abruptly.
“I can handle it, thanks.”
“Miss Parker,” he says with a sigh. “You’re tilting your neck to compensate for the weight, and it’s putting stress on your cervical spine.”
“Don’t worry, I’m stronger than I look. I’m not going to be your next patient.”
Instead of answering, he stands and holds out his hand for my purse. I slip it off my shoulder and give it to him, and our fingers brush.
I’m suddenly very aware of him as a man, and a powerful one. The sort of man who expects a woman to give him her purse if he holds out his hand.
And I guess there’s a reason he expects it, because I handed him my purse without hesitation.
But it’s an understandable decision, I think.
Dr. Malone is unlikely to be a purse thief—he doesn’t strike me as the type of man who’d want a thrift-store cardigan, or any of the other junk I’m carrying around.
And if he managed to hack the passwords for my debit and credit cards, he wouldn’t get much of a payoff.
And the fact that he set my purse on his desk must mean he doesn’t expect me to leave right away. I have a little more time to plead my case.
I take a deep breath and meet his eye. “I’ll be an excellent assistant, Dr. Malone. I’m reliable and organized—”
“Organized?” he asks, with a speaking look at my overstuffed purse.
“The purse isn’t reflective of my organizational skills.”
He smirks a little. “You mean you can usually find your wallet?”
“Of course.” It’s mostly true. I can usually find my wallet when I’m carrying my smaller bag.
“I’m sure you’re very qualified, Miss Parker, but—”
“Oh, I am,” I interrupt. “I have a diploma in Medical Office Administration, and I have an excellent reference letter from Dr. Lisa Harrington. I was an office assistant at the Harrington Medical Clinic for almost a year, until they shut down.”
Dr. Malone frowns. “I heard about that. It sounded like a mess.”
“Yeah, it was.” The Harrington Clinic was run by a husband and wife team, Drs.
Paul and Lisa Harrington. Three months ago, both the clinic and the marriage fell apart when Lisa learned that Paul was having an affair with his personal trainer.
Paul moved to Ottawa, and Lisa joined a local clinic that didn’t need another office assistant.
So I lost my job, and I quickly learned that none of the other clinics in Somerset were hiring. The first time I applied to the hospital, I didn’t even get a reply; the job market’s incredibly competitive right now.
So I finally went back to Lisa Harrington and asked if she had any other leads. I think she felt sorry for me, so she put in a word with Heather Larkin, an old friend from school.
And Heather assigned me to Dr. Drew Malone. Who’s looking at me like he doesn’t quite know what to do with me.
“It’s not personal, Miss Parker,” he says with a sigh.
“It feels personal.”
He sighs again. “Look. It really isn’t you. Heather’s been nagging me to hire another assistant for weeks, and I’ve said no.”
“Can I ask why? I think the hospital’s paying my salary, right? So I won’t cost you anything?”
“You’re right, and that’s part of the issue. Heather hired you, and your salary comes from the hospital. So your loyalty will be to Heather, not to me. And if I have an admin assistant, Heather will expect me to do more admin work, and I really don’t have time for it.”
I wonder why he wanted to be the chief of the department if he hates administrative work so much, but that’s probably a question for another day.
“I don’t think that’s the goal,” I say cautiously.
The ghost of a smile crosses his lips. “So Heather’s not hoping you’ll persuade me to go to meetings, shit like that?”
“Oh. Well . . .” I’d love to deny it, but Heather specifically mentioned getting him to meetings. “I’m just an assistant, Dr. Malone. I doubt I could persuade you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”
“You should have been a diplomat, Miss Parker. Heather’s already talked to you about meetings, hasn’t she?”
I decide to deflect that one. “You’re welcome to call me Alexandra, you know. Miss Parker sounds much too formal.”
I study his face, hoping for some encouragement, but he’s staring down at his desk, apparently deep in thought.
I glance around the office, hoping to find things that need doing—papers to be filed, or desktop photos that need dusting.
But the office is entirely free of clutter, and his desk is clear apart from his computer and an unopened bottle of Perrier.
There’s a notable lack of personal touches; in fact, the only decoration is a generic landscape print on one wall, and I’d bet that came with the office.
I realize his office door is still open, and Celine’s probably listening to every word I’m saying. I quickly cross the room and shut the door. I don’t want Celine to hear me beg.
Dr. Malone looks up when the door snicks shut.
“Miss Parker—” he says, looking a little unsettled.
“Please, Dr. Malone, I’m just asking for a chance. There must be something I could do to help free up some of your time. It doesn’t need to be traditional admin assistant work. I’ll could clean your office—”
“The hospital cleaners come through every night.”
“Your house, then.”
“I have a cleaning lady.”
“Buy your tea in the morning, so you don’t have to waste time in line behind people who can’t find their wallets.”
He doesn’t exactly smile at that, but his eyes crinkle at the corners a little.
“And I could get your lunch, too,” I suggest. “Save you the cafeteria line.”
“I never eat at the cafeteria.”
“Well, that’s probably smart,” I acknowledge. “I heard a rumor that the cafeteria food comes from the same company that supplies the federal prisons, but the prisoners get a higher quality plan.”
“Sounds about right,” he mutters. “Look, Alexandra—”