Page 20 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

Chapter

Eleven

A utumn saved the file she was working on and leaned back in her chair.

Everything had gone extremely well the past two days.

The entire staff of Triple H had reported, being greeted by Eli and all department heads.

They had gone over the necessary training from human resources and headed to their various departments and positions.

She had met with the entire nursing staff separately, laying out her expectations and those of Hogan Health.

She also spoke to those nurses as a Hawthorne native, telling them just how grateful the community was to have this medical facility in their town.

Though they weren’t officially open for business yet and were simply going through dry runs of various situations, a few people had seen the lights on and stopped by the ER.

One child had broken his foot at soccer practice.

Another senior citizen had fallen while out walking her dog, becoming entangled in the leash and breaking her wrist. A third man had fallen off a ladder while changing lightbulbs, breaking his elbow.

These patients were seen and tended to, but Triple H would officially begin seeing patients tomorrow.

First, however, they needed to get through tonight’s opening reception.

Eli had asked Autumn to sit in on a Zoom meeting he had with Dr. Peter Richards, a VP of personnel for the corporate office, as well as his assistant Nancy Nichols.

Dr. Richards had wanted a grand affair, but Autumn convinced him that was not the Hawthorne way, sharing that dressing up for most people in town meant church clothes for women and the newest, cleanest boots a man possessed.

She explained that she knew what she was talking about, having come from the world of a prestigious Houston hospital and having attended several galas held there.

This grand opening reception would be held at six this evening, less than an hour from now.

People would most like stop by on their way home from work and take a tour with a staff member, becoming familiar with the offerings Triple H possessed.

The food would be simple, again thanks to Autumn’s intervention, consisting of cookies and cupcakes provided by Luscious Layers, accompanied by what the town called Firecracker Punch.

It was a mixture of cranberry and pineapple juice, with ginger ale and almond flavoring, and had been the go-to beverage to serve from everything to wedding receptions to school functions for as long as Autumn could remember.

Her cell rang, and she saw Summer’s name and photo light up the screen. Picking it up, she said, “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself.”

“How is the world of publishing?” she asked her twin.

“It’s still here. I’m still here. I spent two hours today at war with an author over some changes which need to be made to his manuscript.

Granted, he is a bestseller. He’s published five books, and the last two have graced The New York Times bestseller list. Still, he doesn’t know everything, and I did my best to try and convince him to make the necessary changes so the plot would flow better. ”

“You can be stubborn when you dig in your heels. If he’s going to work with you, he’ll need to realize that.”

“The thing is, I’m a new editor to him. His previous one recently left our publishing house and went freelance.

I’m sure he would have followed her if he had the choice, but he still owes us this current book, plus one more.

But enough about me. I’m calling to hear how things are going with you, especially with the hospital’s reception tonight. ”

“We’ve had the entire staff present the past two days,” she shared.

“I’ve met with my nursing staff as a whole, then the charge nurses as a group, talking about scheduling needs, trying to balance people’s strengths and weaknesses with others on their team.

At this point, every nurse has been placed with a unit, and we’ll see how they perform in that assigned area.

It’ll take some tinkering to get things right, though. It always does.”

“And how is the elusive medical director?” Summer asked.

“Eli’s not elusive,” she said defensively. “He’s merely reserved. Like me.” She hesitated. “I kissed him.”

“You did what? Way to bury the lead, Twinnie. Spill. Now. I want all the details.”

Even though this was her twin, Autumn felt odd talking about the situation. Then again, her sister knew her better than anyone. It would be good to get Summer’s opinion.

“Eli had a barbeque for department heads and administrators this past weekend,” she began. “It went really well. I like the group he’s pulled together to run Triple H.”

“Quit stalling,” her sister ordered.

“Okay. Anyway, I volunteered to help clean up after everyone left. We did so. And then … I … kissed him.”

“Interesting. So, you made the first move. What kind of kiss was it?”

Autumn paused before answering, already having relived the kiss over and over.

“The kiss was really good. I wanted more of it. More of him,” she admitted.

“But we both kept our heads. I have to think really hard about this, Summer. He’s my boss.

My boss ! If I get involved with him, tongues are going to wag.

You know what a small town’s gossip mill is like, and a hospital is like a small town, all unto itself.

I don’t want anyone to think Eli is showing any favoritism toward me.

Besides, I haven’t been divorced that long. ”

“Stop right there,” her twin commanded. “We’ve talked about this. I know you. You’re cautious by nature. How long do you believe you should wait after your divorce to date?”

“I don’t know,” she said defensively. “A year? Two?”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. In the meantime, life will just be passing you by as you cling to some stupid timeline, Autumn. Did Hot Doc seem interested in you after you initiated the kissing?”

She felt the blush flush her face. “He said he had been thinking about me but had respected the boundaries I had previously set up.”

“I don’t see what’s stopping you,” Summer declared.

“You’re two consenting adults who have a mutual interest in one another.

You both are logical and won’t do anything rash to jeopardize your careers.

Don’t twiddle your fingers, Twinnie. I know I leap before I look a lot of the time, but I’m advising you to look—and then leap.

You’re both wanting to get to know one another on a deeper level, beyond work.

I think you need to give things with Eli a chance. ”

“What if it doesn’t work out? Can you imagine how awkward that would be, coming into work and seeing Eli every day? Workplace romances which have ended put both people in a terrible position.”

“Can you think how miserable you’ll both be if you don’t take this opportunity and give this relationship a chance? It might be something you’ll regret the rest of your life. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Except wallowing in unhappiness.”

Autumn bit her lip. “I do really like him, Summer,” she said softly. “He’s intelligent. Thoughtful. Considerate.”

“Oh, you mean everything Flint wasn’t,” Summer said sarcastically.

Ignoring that remark, she added, “He also is a little lonely. Eli was in foster care growing up. He never had a family adopt him.”

“Oh, that’s rough. No emotional support growing up? I couldn’t have handled that. Mom and Dad were my rock. You and West, too. Family was everything to me.”

“He’s also off the charts. Like genius level. Skipped grades left and right. He was so much younger than his peers that he never really made friends with anyone.”

Autumn swallowed. “We have become friends. I like him as a friend, but there’s an undercurrent which is flowing between us.”

“Then you owe it to yourself and Eli to pursue it. Give this a chance,” Summer advised.

“Don’t start thinking it won’t work out and how terrible it will be to work with him if it doesn’t.

Go into the relationship with a positive attitude.

Be optimistic about it working out. I mean, come on, Autumn.

You don’t have to go on two dates and then marry the guy.

Just test the waters. See if you’re compatible.

Then call me after you’ve kissed him again.

I want to hear what kind of kisser he is since you’ve failed to elaborate on that topic now. ”

She laughed. If she were going to listen to anyone’s advice, it would be her twin’s.

“All right. I’ll give this a chance. Go out with him. Even kiss him again and report back to you.”

“It’s not as if you’ll be going out on a date with a total stranger. You said it yourself. That you’ve become friends. Hey, you even decorated part of his house and helped him with his new dog.”

Autumn smiled. “It might be worth it to start seeing him just so I can be around Atticus. That dog is a little love.”

“Keep me updated. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Summer. Thanks for listening.”

She set her cell phone back down on the desk, thinking about her twin’s advice. She didn’t want to be pessimistic about a relationship with Eli, yet she couldn’t be overly optimistic. Hopefully, if they both went into this with their eyes open, neither would get carried away.

Glancing at her watch, she saw it was time to head downstairs and check on things.

Autumn met Nancy in the foyer. Tables had been set up for the goodies from Luscious Layers.

The charge nurse from women’s services was stirring ginger ale into the punchbowl, and Autumn went to speak to the other woman now.

“How is the punch, Lucy?”

“I’ve sampled it. It’s good.” Lucy grinned. “It would be better with a little kick to it, but I know we’re in the Bible Belt and not everyone is a drinker. I do plan to try Firecracker Punch whenever I give my next party. With a touch of vodka. Or even rum.”

“I know you’re settling in at Triple H, but where are you living?” she asked.