A Boss Beyond Compare. Dianne Drake
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу A Boss Beyond Compare - Dianne Drake страница 10
Название: A Boss Beyond Compare
Автор: Dianne Drake
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
isbn: 9781408902462
isbn:
“Yes. And I’ll take my opportunities wherever I can get them.”
It was an honest arrangement, but it occurred to Susan that Grant didn’t know she was one of the corporate officers. Not just one of the officers, actually. One of the owners. For now, perhaps it was better that he didn’t. Especially as she was tempted to take him up on his offer. Funny how it coincided with her restlessness to get back to regular patient care.
Well, what would it hurt to give it six days then see what happened? For that experience, she’d discover if her restlessness was a passing whim or a valid problem. Maybe she’d find out she was truly cut out for admin work after all. Or maybe it would show her, once and for all, that she could be a practicing doctor. Besides that, she’d be in a good position to make recommendations to the Ridgeway board about Kahawaii, not that anybody on the board would necessarily agree with her. So, however it happened, this seemed like a good opportunity for her. “No promises, because I don’t know how these next days will turn out. I may or may not make the recommendations you want. And the board may not listen to me if I do recommend what you want. If that’s agreeable, with no strings attached to the outcome, I’ll give you my next six days.” Those words surprised her almost as much as they surprised him, judging from the look on his face. But why not? She did have the time, and she could think of worse things to do than spend a few days with Grant, in paradise no less, even though it was pretty clear they weren’t going to get along famously. How could they, given that they were at odds?
“I’m in charge,” he warned, like he had to. Of course he was in charge. She wouldn’t have had it any other way, especially given her lack of regular doctoring these past years.
“You’re in charge.”
A tight little frown popped up between his eyes, like he was adding up a list of pitfalls in this arrangement he’d just proposed. First, she wasn’t well practiced. Second, she wanted to quash the current Kahawaii operation. Third, she wanted to infuse Ridgeway practices. Yes, that was the list Susan imagined he was beginning to form, one that could have gone on and on from that, but she didn’t want to think about it because, it seemed, she was about to be put to work. That’s what was making her nervous now. Agreeing to be a practicing doctor was one thing, but actually doing it…
“The locals tell me you have another name,” she said, deliberately changing the subject for a moment. She needed time to catch her breath, to think about what she’d just done. Maybe back out once the brunt of it hit her.
“You’re backing out already,” he accused.
“I’m trying to make polite conversation,” she counted.
“In the middle of a disagreement?”
“Are we still disagreeing? I thought we’d settled all that for now.”
He chuckled. “Nothing’s settled, Susan. It’s just being avoided temporarily.”
“And in the spirit of avoidance, I was asking about your name. No ulterior motives here, Doctor. I was just curious.” He walked across the lanai, then crossed over the parking lot, stopping just a few feet in front of her, where he studied her face for a moment, making her more nervous than ever as she knew exactly what was written there. If she’d had a mirror to look in, she’d have seen a virtual masterpiece of insecurity and self-doubt. The implications of this arrangement she’d just made were beginning to set in now, and the enormity of what she’d promised to do… Crazy! What was she thinking, agreeing to work as a practicing doctor?
“My native name—Etana. It means strong, or firm. It’s what my mother called me, so most of the people here still use it.”
“Which suits you,” she said rather weakly, as her hands began to tremble.
He shrugged. “Grant’s good, too. It was my grandfather’s name. He was a missionary to the islands.”
“A haole?” she asked.
“A foreigner, yes. For a time. But once he settled here he never left. People tend to do that here. Come for a little while and never leave.” He smiled, but this time the deviousness of it was missing. It was a genuine smile, and a gentle one. “The lure of the islands.”
“And you use his name now because…?”
“Let’s just say that I wasn’t the perfect child. Got into a lot of trouble. People here still remember that and associate it with Etana. So when I returned here after medical school I had the bright idea that changing my name made me a new person.”
“Has it worked?” It hadn’t for her, because Susan Ridgeway by any other name was still Walter Ridgeway’s daughter.
He laughed, shaking his head. “Do you hear anybody calling me Grant?”
“Well, maybe in time…”
“Or not. Sometimes, you are who you are, and nothing will change that fact. Not even a different name. I treat Omar Lahani for angina, he takes my advice, takes the pills I prescribe, but he never forgets that I was the one who broke the brand-new picture window he’d just had put in his house.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.