His Bidding (The Best Medicine #1) by Ella Blythe Read Free Book Online Page A

you’ve been here longer than I have, haven’t you? I heard about you when I first started, and they said you were just off so you could study for exams. And I’ve worked with you, what? Maybe three times since you came back? So you could’ve been here for years already. A co-op student?”
    “Yeah, I was lucky,” Maureen said with a strangely familiar grin. “I had connections. I started here when I was fifteen. We thought it would look good on my college applications.”
    Brynn thought about asking who she meant by “we,” but the girl continued.
    “You’re lucky you weren’t here when Dr. Sandoval was running the Clinic. He wasn’t the nicest boss on earth.” Mo made a face, which made Brynn laugh again.
    “So who is?”
    “Think about that answer carefully, sweetheart.” Sam’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere, and both of his employees jumped. He chuckled.
    “That’s not fair!” Maureen crossed her arms and pretended to pout. “You’re not supposed to listen in on girl talk.”
    He stepped forward, moving behind the desk, brushing against Brynn’s knee as he did so. As he playfully mussed Maureen’s bangs, Brynn cocked her head to one side in bewilderment. What was up with this?
    “I wasn’t eavesdropping on you ladies,” Sam chided. “I was coming out here to ask Brynn a question, if that’s okay with you, Miss Nosy.”
    “I’m not the nosy one,” Maureen replied with a laugh. She shot Brynn a look. “It’s time for me to get going, anyway. Unless you need me for anything else...?”
    Her tone clearly indicated she already knew his answer, and the look was meant for Brynn alone. Sure enough, Sam said, “No, your long day has come to an end. Get home. Say hi to your mother for me.”
    Brynn turned the possibilities over in her head. Was he old enough to be Maureen’s father? Did he have an ex-wife she hadn’t heard about? Surely Mo wouldn’t have been as eager to dish about his possible interest in Brynn if her mother was an ex...
    “I will,” Maureen said, standing up and grabbing her jacket from the coat rack. Once it was on, she stood on her tiptoes to give Sam a quick kiss on the cheek. “Are you coming for dinner on Sunday? Mom wanted to know.”
    “Oh, I forgot to call her, didn’t I? Sorry about that.” He tugged at one of her braids. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”
    “Okay. I’ll R.S.V.P. for you.” Giving Brynn a knowing smile, Maureen slipped past both of them and started for the door. “I’ll lock up so you guys can go out the side. Bye, Brynn.” She raised a hand in a wave, and just as Brynn did the same, Mo added, “See you on Sunday, Uncle Sam.”
    And with that she was gone.
    Brynn felt like she’d just been hit over the head with a hammer. She’d been confiding in Sam’s niece? Oh, God. Oh, God, what had she said?
    Sam noticed the color draining out of Brynn’s face, and looked concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”
    “Yes,” Brynn murmured, lying through her teeth. She hesitated for a long moment before asking, “How much did you overhear?”
    He looked surprised. “About what? How great a boss I am?”
    Brynn managed to look at him long enough to determine that he was being sincere, and that he probably hadn’t heard anything that had come just before that part of the discussion.
    “Yeah. That.” Brynn blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind. “Uh...so you wanted to ask me something?”
    Sam seemed as though he’d lost himself in thought right then. “Hmm? Oh. Yes. I was wondering if the lab work had come back on the INRs I ran.”
    Ah. Work stuff. Good. Sort of. “Let me check the fax machine. I don’t think they’ve come through on the system yet, but maybe there are hard copies.” She rose from her position against the desk and made a move to walk past him, intending to poke her head to the small room behind reception where their fax and photocopier were stored. But she was stopped in her tracks when Sam’s hand suddenly