Page 4

Paperwork is the bane of my existence, and it’s piling up because my assistant is out for the next seven weeks. I rub a hand down my face in frustration and blow out a slow breath.

Footsteps approach my office door. I set my pen down and wait as the murmuring voices near.

I see a flash of red hair and relax a fraction. It’s not the nurses here to cause a ruckus. Thank God.

I check my calendar. This is likely my new graduate student. We’ll be onboarding and giving her a tour today. Which will be a nice break from this monotony.

When she steps into the doorway, she smiles sweetly at her escort, Professor Salazar, and his returning smile is a surprise. I haven’t seen the man pay a woman this kind of attention since he started at the center.

“I certainly will ask then.” He winks at her before his attention turns my way, and he gives me a nod. I nod back and watch him disappear from sight.

The pretty woman hovering in my doorway shifts a little, and I wave her in. “Have a seat. Miss Olivia Lawless?”

“Yes. That’s me.” She steps in and sits, and when her gaze lands on the name placard in front of her, her eyes go wide. “You’re the program coordinator.”

I smile at her. It’s small, but it usually softens my face enough not to scare new people.

Usually.

“Normally, I would have someone here to help you with your onboarding paperwork and show you around, but she’s out on maternity leave, so you’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.” Although being stuck with me doesn’t seem to bother her like it would most new people.

“How trying.” Her humor is dry but her eyes twinkle with mirth, and I find myself smiling internally at her response.

“Indeed.”

She leans forward and holds a folder out to me. “I was emailed these to fill out before I arrived today.”

I take them appreciatively. It’s nice not to hold someone’s hand through this process. Even though it’s not usually my job. Flipping through the file, a quick glance at each paper shows everything in order.

Her competence thaws the icy professional in me a little. When I peer up at her again, she’s got a proud smile that she’s certainly earned.

“Well, alright, Miss Lawless. Why don’t we start with a tour, and then we’ll get you settled in your new lab.”

She dazzles me with her full smile. It’s rare that I find someone so open around me at first go. I’m not a monster of a boss or anything, but I have one of those faces. Always looks grumpy. It works for me most of the time because that means my employees don’t come to me with frivolous things.

However, I find that the majority of my employees are willing to come to me with bigger concerns. I’m not that scary, and I do enjoy the mentoring part of this job. Which is what I’m usually doing instead of being stuck in my office.

“Let me just confirm where we’re setting you up, and we can begin.” I click around on my computer for a minute and find her lab—it’s one of the shared ones we keep for graduate students, and I mark it down so she can have it for reference after we’re done.

Olivia stands when I stand, and I gesture her out of my office, closing the door behind me. “Since we’re on the top floor, we’ll make a quick lap up here and work our way down. Most of it is offices and meeting rooms. The boring stuff.”

“What kind of meetings?”

We start the lap around the floor. “Administrative stuff mostly. Occasionally, we bring coaches and trainers and the like up here for more practical meetings. The ones where we break down regimens and plans on a larger scale rather than the demonstrations we do in the AT rooms.”

“And those are on the first floor?”

“They are. Some are on the second floor as well. It’s a fifty-fifty split with the labs. But the second floor will have smaller AT rooms for more specialized care, whereas the rooms on the first floor are more open to accommodate larger groups and different varieties of physical training.”

She nods in understanding, the glow of learning radiates off her so brightly that I’m already betting she will be a fantastic asset here.

“You’ll be stationed on the first floor, because as I understand it, you plan to work with a group of twelve to fifteen individuals.” I’ve read her proposal, and her project scope is quite the undertaking. Still, Olivia doesn’t seem daunted by it.

At least, not yet.

The top floor is uneventful, but when we traverse the second floor, her excitement is much more apparent. She bounces a little when she walks, and how often she corrects herself—pushing her palms flat beside her hips—is adorable.

We peek in on a few ongoing, public sessions with small groups of athletes undergoing physical therapy with a single doctor.

“Is it common to have four or five on one like that for this kind of thing?” She blinks her green eyes at me in a thoughtful way.

“It is when they have a similar kind of injury they’re recovering from.

Some individuals need one-on-one care, but many of the patients we see here work in group settings like this.

” I steer her around for a glimpse at the labs our doctors use most often.

A few more offices litter the back of the second floor as well.

Olivia pauses at Dr. Wright’s office, which is closed up, but she moves on quickly. “Waylen is your thesis advisor, correct?”

“Yes. I didn’t know he had an office here too.”

“He does. He teaches, but he also has his own small practice that he runs out of the center as well. I’m sure you’ll run into him here quite often.”

“Hopefully that’s a good thing.” Her smile says she’s not intimidated by him like most of his students are, and I find that I like that about her too. Strong-willed and smart.

It makes me believe she’ll be successful. And that’s my ultimate hope for her.

“This way. I’ll introduce you to some of the people you need to know.” The technicians, nurses, staff scientists, and lab manager all light up when they interact with her, but I notice how she glosses over what her project is.

Embarrassment doesn’t seem to jibe with her personality, but I’ve had my share of graduate and doctoral students who keep their research close to the vest, so it’s not an uncommon behavior.

Still, I like to foster open communication and eliminate anyone who might think of stealing another researcher’s work.

When we finally make it to her shared lab and her assigned lab table, Olivia absolutely lights up in awe. Her hands grip the table’s edge, and she sways a little.

“Although this is yours, you will have to share the machines and the studios where you’ll lead your subjects through various training exercises, so just be conscious of that. Keep the spaces clean. Put them back the way you found them, et cetera, et cetera.”

The usual speech, given with another small smile, has her smiling back.

“Of course…” Her pause is weighty, so I wait her out. “You sound like you already know what I’m working on.”

“I do. I’ve read your proposal. It’s part of my job.”

Her teeth pinch her bottom lip. “How many people are privy to that?”

“Not many. Me and your thesis advisor. No one else unless you feel like sharing, but this is a safe work environment. I won’t have it any other way.” My features lose their softness, and the surprise that flashes through hers has her cheeks reddening.

“That’s good to hear. And thank you for not telling me I’m wasting my time with my project.”

She takes small steps around the room to look at each piece of equipment.

“Why would I say that when I don’t believe it?” I bet she’s had a tough time getting others to take her seriously, but I agree with her goals.

When she looks back at me, she’s beaming from the inside, and it’s a bit breathtaking. I haven’t seen passion like hers in a long time, and strangely, I feel drawn to it. To her. It has me hovering even though the tour is over.

But as the silence stretches on, I regain my control.

“I’ll leave you to become acquainted with your new space. If you need something, please feel free to come to me. About anything. Anytime. Okay?” It’s not an offer I make often, but I find myself meaning it.

It’s not that I’m not accommodating to my people’s needs, but most don’t find me too warm or approachable.

Olivia doesn’t seem to have that same bias. It has me wondering about her. How perceptive she is.

I back out to the hallway and return to my office and the endless paperwork I absolutely do not want to be doing.

But as I sit, I can’t seem to get the reverent look on her face out of my mind.