put us in a bind a couple of months ago. The accident that was out on Highway Forty. Do you remember that?”
“I’m not from around here, sir. I drove back and forth from my home in Columbus for classes. I’ve only just moved here to go to the hospital for my technical courses. I like the small-town feeling here.” He said that was why he’d called her in. “I don’t understand.”
“You and the other nursing students that have come in are being given an opportunity to take your state boards now. Today. From your grades, I believe you’d not have a bit of trouble passing. You’ve carried a good GPA since you started in this program.” Her mind went all over the place about taking her tests today. “One of the other students decided she’d not have to stress about the test if she didn’t have time to do so and is going to take hers now. I think that might be the case with you. You’re not required to do this now, nor will it be held against you if you decide you want to wait. Because of you working in the hospital for us, even if you didn’t want to go ahead and test, you’ll be paid the wages of a nurse of your caliber. And you are a high-quality nurse, Ms. Oliver. The professors have enjoyed having you in their classes. The doctors that you worked with at the other hospital had nothing but rave reviews about your work ethic. I’ve not been able to say this to any of the others, nor will I to those that are still left, but I do believe you’re going to pass this test without any trouble.”
“Thank you.” She sat there for a second. “I was going to be working for Doctor Wilkerson while I was going to school. Just answering the phone and such. May I call him and see if it would be all right with him if I were to go to the hospital instead?”
“Yes, by all means. Here, you use my phone, and I’ll give you a few minutes.” She felt like she was being rushed, and it didn’t settle well with her belly or nerves. Taking a deep breath as soon as the door closed behind Mr. Elliot, she picked up the phone to call Wats. He was laughing when he answered her.
“Professor Elliot, I was just thinking—” She cut him off and told him that it was her, that she was in his office. “Is there something wrong? Are you hurt? Do you need me to come and get you? Honey, what is it?”
“You’re wonderful. I hope you know that. No, not a thing is wrong.” She let the tears fall, another thing she did when she was stressed out. Cry. After telling him what she’d been told, she asked him about working for him. “You see, they’re short-staffed. I don’t think they want me there all the time, just until they can get some better trained nurses. I want to work with you. Very much so. I have visions of you chasing me around the desk. I’m getting off track here. I want to help you both, but I don’t think that will do me a bit of good.”
“Okay, just let my mind get out of the thought of you being naked on my desk for a moment.” He didn’t say anything for several seconds. “Not going to happen. So we might as well move on. Honey, do you want to do this today? I believe, like Professor Elliot, that you’re going to do well at it. And the fact that you’ll be finished with it all an entire eight weeks earlier would be one less stressful item off your list. Right?”
“Yes. I have been studying since I started. I think I could pass it, but how well, I have no idea. I want to do this, but I don’t want to leave you in a situation that will make you short-staffed either.” Wats told her he could find someone to work for him and that it was the desk part he was most looking forward to. “How about we do this then. I do this today, and then you move into the bedroom that I’m in, and we have this sexual tension taken care of once and for all?”
She knew he was still on the line. His breathing, harsh and quick, told her that. Rayne smiled when he asked for another minute,