Watson - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,18

and she had to laugh when he said he needed to sit down. Telling him if he didn’t want to do it they didn’t have to was mean, she knew, but it got him talking again.

“Do you have any idea how many cold showers I’ve taken since I’ve met you? Several times a day, let me tell you.” She giggled, a thing she’d not done since she was a child. “I agree to that, all of it. Take your test. I’ll take you out to dinner tonight, then I will make love to you for the rest of the week. How’s that for a plan?”

“I love it.” She nearly told him she loved him as well but didn’t want to make him feel as if he had to say it back to her. Instead, she told him she didn’t know when she’d be home, but she’d let him know when she was finished. “I don’t know what I’ll do for lunch, but I’ll figure something out. Wish me luck.”

“Wishing you all the luck you’ll need. However, I think you’re going to do just fine. Let me know when you take your break, and I’ll try to come and see you. I have a terrible need for a nice long kiss from you.” She said he’d distract her. “Good point. I’ll try very hard not to do that. All right, love. I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.”

Taking the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN for short, took six hours. That was all she was allotted anyway. She’d been told by other nursing personnel she’d worked with over the years that cramming for the exam wouldn’t help. It was something you had to prepare for throughout your studies. That was exactly what she’d done. Even during the months she didn’t have a heavy load, Rayne had gotten out her old notes and read over them to be ready. She’d been trying to get ready for this for a long time.

Being seated in a cubicle, Rayne could see that there were other people in the room with her. The proctor was there, and after he handed her the thick file for her to begin, he put her name on his chalkboard and the time she started. Opening it to the first page, Rayne closed it again and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This was it, she told herself. What she’d worked for. Opening the file again, she started on the test.

“Ms. Oliver? You can take a break now if you’d like—it’s been three hours.” She looked around at the room. “You can take an hour if you wish. It won’t count against you as timed testing unless you’re late returning.”

“Yes. I’d like that.” He took her file, closed it, and put a piece of tape at every opening. After he signed his name to the strips of tape, she did as well. That way, when she returned, she’d know that no one tampered with her paperwork. Pulling out her phone, she called Wats. “I have less than an hour. I can’t be late, he told me.”

“I have ordered us some food, and all I need to do is bring it to you. I’m leaving here now.” She asked if he had gotten her something to drink. She was very thirsty. “Yes. I noticed that you like sweet tea, so I had the deli make you a gallon that you can drink while we eat. I’m pulling up in front of the offices now if you want to come out.”

Getting into the car, she laughed when he handed her a large picnic basket. As he drove down the block to the park area, he told her what he’d been doing since she’d called. Wats didn’t ask her how she thought she was doing. Nor did he mention their plans for later. Just small talk that didn’t put her on edge. In fact, it seemed to calm her in ways that she needed.

The subs were delicious, as was the tea. They talked about this and that. Wats told her how he was getting things ready for the addition he was putting on the back of his office. She asked him why he was expanding so soon.

“We’re going to start hiring the construction company to work on the private school that we’re building. I thought if we had a testing lab on site, as well as a place where workers can go for injuries that didn’t require a hospital visit, we’d