through her body, but there was no way to camouflage the freckles she knew had to be standing out now.
With a quirk of his left eyebrow, Carter’s gaze roamed over her face, then lingered a second too long on her hair. He spoke so quietly, she almost didn’t hear him.
“You kidding me with the hair down like that?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to shush him when a tall man behind him cleared his throat and all but shoved Carter out of the way.
“Hi.” Grinning broadly, he took her hand and shook it with gusto. “Charlie Rossick.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “Regan Burke.”
“Are you the one…” A pretty woman with hazel eyes and long chestnut hair pulled back in a messy knot stepped around both men, clicking her tongue as she did. “Are you the one Carter told us about?”
“I, uh…” Regan glanced at Carter who nodded. “Yes.”
“Great. I’m Julia Dean, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Carter and Rossick continued to push each other, which made it a little difficult to focus, especially with workmen trying to grunt past them, but Regan shook Julia’s hand and smiled. “You’re obviously busy, so maybe I should come back another time.”
She started to back up, but Carter caught her wrist and pulled her back.
“Hang on.” His eyes opened a little wider, almost hopeful. “If you’re not busy, we could use your help here for a bit.”
“Sure,” she answered slowly. “What do you need, besides someone to un-Jenga this place?”
He tipped his head toward Julia and Rossick. “Before we can get privileges at Newport General, we need to meet with the administrator and get all the paperwork signed.”
“Yeah, okay. And?”
“And we were supposed to be there ten minutes ago, but with these guys coming and going—”
“No problem. I’ll stay, you guys go.”
“That’d be great, thanks.” He bobbed his head toward the door, but Julia and Rossick hesitated. “She’ll be fine; she can play Jenga if she gets bored.”
“Can I?” Regan was already sorting through the mess in her head. “I mean, I’m happy to start moving things if you like.”
“Really?” Julia stared wide-eyed for a second. “You don’t have to…everything’s marked…but don’t worry about it, we can do it when we get back.”
They hadn’t even cleared the door before Regan was slipping out of her jacket and toeing off her pumps. She tucked them off in the corner as the two workmen barely managed to squeeze through the door with another bookshelf bundled under yet more layers of bubble wrap.
“Wait,” Regan called. “Are you just going to leave that there?”
The older of the two—Adam, according to the embroidered name on his shirt—shrugged. “Normally we set up the furniture, but the other delivery guys left all that equipment blocking the hall, so the tall guy said to put everything here.”
“Hmm.” She eyed the blocked hallway, the overflowing waiting room, and the two workmen standing in front of her. “Make you a deal. Pizza’s on me if you help me get it all moved. And I’ll make sure the docs tip you extra.”
Neither man hesitated. “You got it.”
The younger guy, Kenny, ran down to lock the truck while Adam and Regan shuffled the equipment and exam tables down the hall farther so they had room to move. She wasn’t exactly dressed for this kind of work, but she just rolled up her sleeves, then twisted her hair tight and tucked it down the back of her blouse.
“Just give me a second.” Regan hurried down the halls, doing a quick survey of every room. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”
While the computer and phone guys watched, safe behind the desk, Regan put Adam to work assembling desks in the extra office while she and Kenny lifted, pulled, and dragged all of Rossick’s equipment into the exam room closest to his office, then lugged the rest over to the north hallway and repeated the process for Julia’s and Carter’s exam
With a quirk of his left eyebrow, Carter’s gaze roamed over her face, then lingered a second too long on her hair. He spoke so quietly, she almost didn’t hear him.
“You kidding me with the hair down like that?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to shush him when a tall man behind him cleared his throat and all but shoved Carter out of the way.
“Hi.” Grinning broadly, he took her hand and shook it with gusto. “Charlie Rossick.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “Regan Burke.”
“Are you the one…” A pretty woman with hazel eyes and long chestnut hair pulled back in a messy knot stepped around both men, clicking her tongue as she did. “Are you the one Carter told us about?”
“I, uh…” Regan glanced at Carter who nodded. “Yes.”
“Great. I’m Julia Dean, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Carter and Rossick continued to push each other, which made it a little difficult to focus, especially with workmen trying to grunt past them, but Regan shook Julia’s hand and smiled. “You’re obviously busy, so maybe I should come back another time.”
She started to back up, but Carter caught her wrist and pulled her back.
“Hang on.” His eyes opened a little wider, almost hopeful. “If you’re not busy, we could use your help here for a bit.”
“Sure,” she answered slowly. “What do you need, besides someone to un-Jenga this place?”
He tipped his head toward Julia and Rossick. “Before we can get privileges at Newport General, we need to meet with the administrator and get all the paperwork signed.”
“Yeah, okay. And?”
“And we were supposed to be there ten minutes ago, but with these guys coming and going—”
“No problem. I’ll stay, you guys go.”
“That’d be great, thanks.” He bobbed his head toward the door, but Julia and Rossick hesitated. “She’ll be fine; she can play Jenga if she gets bored.”
“Can I?” Regan was already sorting through the mess in her head. “I mean, I’m happy to start moving things if you like.”
“Really?” Julia stared wide-eyed for a second. “You don’t have to…everything’s marked…but don’t worry about it, we can do it when we get back.”
They hadn’t even cleared the door before Regan was slipping out of her jacket and toeing off her pumps. She tucked them off in the corner as the two workmen barely managed to squeeze through the door with another bookshelf bundled under yet more layers of bubble wrap.
“Wait,” Regan called. “Are you just going to leave that there?”
The older of the two—Adam, according to the embroidered name on his shirt—shrugged. “Normally we set up the furniture, but the other delivery guys left all that equipment blocking the hall, so the tall guy said to put everything here.”
“Hmm.” She eyed the blocked hallway, the overflowing waiting room, and the two workmen standing in front of her. “Make you a deal. Pizza’s on me if you help me get it all moved. And I’ll make sure the docs tip you extra.”
Neither man hesitated. “You got it.”
The younger guy, Kenny, ran down to lock the truck while Adam and Regan shuffled the equipment and exam tables down the hall farther so they had room to move. She wasn’t exactly dressed for this kind of work, but she just rolled up her sleeves, then twisted her hair tight and tucked it down the back of her blouse.
“Just give me a second.” Regan hurried down the halls, doing a quick survey of every room. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”
While the computer and phone guys watched, safe behind the desk, Regan put Adam to work assembling desks in the extra office while she and Kenny lifted, pulled, and dragged all of Rossick’s equipment into the exam room closest to his office, then lugged the rest over to the north hallway and repeated the process for Julia’s and Carter’s exam
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