and I owe him a favor.” Please don’t ask what, please don’t ask what . . .
“What did he help you with?”
I think fast. “He asked me to take care of getting him an employee parking space, which turned out to be more complicated than I anticipated. When he came to assist me, we got to talking about what brought him to Miami. One thing led to another, and I offered to help him to thank him for helping me.” God, I hope he believes me.
He mulls that over for what feels like a full five minutes, even though it’s probably only thirty seconds. It’s long enough to send me into full-blown deodorant failure. “I like the idea of a PR campaign to redeem his image. That could be very effective in convincing the board to give him a chance to work here, which is my ultimate goal. If his research pays off the way we think it will, that could be a huge coup for us.”
He looks me in the eye. “I want you on this project full-time for the next two weeks, with a report to me at the end of each day on what’s being done. The more you can document through photos and videos, the better. We can put together a presentation for the board that shows him embracing his new community. I really like this idea. Good work, Ms. Giordino.”
“Oh, um, thank you.” It’s all I can do to refrain from giggling like a deranged lunatic. If only he knew the full story. But thank you, Jesus, he doesn’t and hopefully never will. “What about covering the department while I’m out?”
“Don’t worry about that for now. This is the priority. I want this guy—and his research—on our team. I want to see our hospital get the credit when his work pays off. If you can help to make that happen, I’ll consider you for the director position that’s recently come available. Taryn has decided to stay home with her baby for the first few years.”
My mouth falls open in shock. On day two, I’m being considered for a massive promotion? Day two is definitely shaping up to be a vast improvement over day one. “That’d be amazing. I’ll do my very best for you and for Dr. Northrup.”
“I have no doubt. You seem like a very responsible young woman, and we’re lucky to have you on our team.”
If only you knew where I was around this time yesterday . . . “Thank you. I won’t let you down, sir.”
“Excellent. Feel free to come and go from the office as needed to accomplish the assignment. I’ll let Mona know you’re working off-campus so she’s aware. Just make sure she has your cell number so she can reach you if need be.”
“I will.”
He stands to leave and reaches my door before he turns back, seeming slightly chagrined. “When I told Mrs. Augustino that you joined our team, she mentioned how difficult it is to get a reservation at Giordino’s. Our anniversary is coming up. I thought it might be nice to surprise her.”
“I’ll take care of that for you. Just let me know when you’d like to go.”
“Thank you so much. It’s nice to know people with influence. I’ll let you know.”
“Sounds good.”
He walks out of my office, leaving me momentarily stunned by our conversation. Not only did he encourage me to help Jason, but he made it my only assignment for the next two weeks and dangled a dream promotion should I succeed in rehabilitating the good doctor’s reputation.
“Holy moly,” I whisper before I reach for my cell phone to text Jason. Big news. Mr. Augustino has made you my only assignment for the next two weeks. He wants me to help you make a case to the board at their next meeting.
He responds right away. Whoa. That is big news. I sort of got the feeling he didn’t want me around any more than the board did.
Not the case. After hearing your side of the story, he seems to have changed his opinion. He’s very interested in you and your cutting-edge research and having a world-class pediatric neurosurgeon on his team.
Okay, so maybe I’m building him up a bit, but after the reception he received yesterday, he has to be feeling pretty low. I don’t mention the possible promotion that’s at stake for me, because that’s not something he needs to know. I was prepared to help him before there was a promotion on the