How to Win the Surgeon's Heart

by Tina Beckett

  But obviously that hadn’t been on his mind. Or if it had, he’d thought better of it.

  Smart on his part.

  She took a step backward, only to find herself trapped by the metal portion of the balcony. Instead, Nate moved away, motioning for her to go through the doors where those two big beds sat. Beds that she’d seen herself writhing on moments earlier.

  God. How stupid was she?

  Hadn’t she already fallen into that trap once before, of falling in love with someone with power and money?

  Well, she wasn’t going to do that again. From now on, her heart was going to be on guard against Nate’s good looks. Against his low voice, against that seductive dimple in his cheek.

  And most of all. She was going to be on guard against herself.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “BUT WHY DO you need to bring in an outside catering service? Why not use something from here on the island?”

  Sasha could feel everyone’s eyes on her the moment she spoke. She’d vowed to herself that she’d not say anything, especially since misreading his signals last night had made it hard to sleep. Hard to even contemplate attending tonight.

  For the most part, she’d sat quietly. But she couldn’t stop herself from asking the question.

  Nate moved back to the podium, his eyes meeting hers. Something flashed in his gaze, and she wasn’t sure if it was curiosity or irritation. “Okay, tell me what you would do.”

  “I would hire local DJs or musicians, contract food and services from here, play up what we have to offer. If you’re hoping to bring in outside contributions, then you make this personal—memorable—rather than just another of a hundred fund-raisers that they’ve attended in the past.”

  His face remained passive, and she floundered a bit, wondering if maybe she was wrong. Nate had been doing this just fine, without her help for the last three years. And if what she’d seen of the clinic was anything to go by, then he’d been successful beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. But he’d wanted her input, right? Had asked her to come. The least she could do was give him what he was asking for.

  “And you know of a company here on the island that can provide services on a large scale? We’re hoping to host between eight hundred to a thousand guests. I’d asked around before and from what I understood, there isn’t a catering service that does events of this size.”

  She swallowed. Okay, so maybe she didn’t know what she was talking about. And he was probably right about there not being a catering company that specialized in massive events. But surely it was just a matter of multiplying people, resources, waitstaff, etc. If what Nate said was true, and he was doing all of this for Saint Victoria, surely the folks here would want to be involved in that. It wasn’t just a matter of having a telethon or television spot and expecting people to start pulling out their checkbooks. This should be a partnership between those on the island and those from the outside who wanted to help.

  Nate shouldn’t be carrying this on his own.

  “Have you already contracted with an outside catering company?”

  “We’ve had bids from several places. Tonight we were going to choose one of them.”

  So maybe it was too late. Maybe this was something that should be talked about for next year, not this one. But, her mom was one of the best organizers around and a super cook. If she asked her to round up people to cook and decorate, she had no doubt that Tessi James could get it done. She already made cakes for local weddings and food for several restaurants. If you got five or ten people like her, they could easily cover that kind of project. And if Nate rejected her idea outright? Well then, her opinion of him would drop back to what it had originally been: a rich man who had the money to throw at things, like caterers and fancy accoutrements, but didn’t want to actually roll his sleeves up and work alongside everyone else.

  And maybe she could get her weird attraction to him back under control.

  Except he’d worked beside her at Saint Victoria Hospital to save Bill Waddel’s life.

  That gave her the courage to speak up yet again. “What if we could pull together a team from here on the island to do that? The caterers are going to decorate, as well?”

  “Yes. They would bring in all of their own equipment and china.”

  China. Okay, so she hadn’t thought about that. Enough for eight hundred to a thousand people?

  She licked her lips. “Would it be possible to put off making the decision for a couple more days? I know someone who I think could organize something on this scale.”

  Nate crossed his arms over his chest. “You do? Can I have a name?”

  Okay, it was now or never. And he certainly had a right to know. She only hoped he didn’t see this as her wanting to throw business her mother’s way. In actuality, she needed to ask her mom before she committed her to something, which was why she’d asked for a couple of days. “Tessi James.”

  Murmurs went up around the room, and she glanced around to see nods and smiles from some of the folks from Saint Victoria Hospital. Many of them knew her mother from catering their own baby showers, weddings and family celebrations.

  Nate’s eyes were scanning the room, as well. “I see some of you know who this person is and...” His gaze swung back to her. “Tessi James. Would she happen to be any relation to you, Dr. James?”

  Oh, this was exactly what she’d been afraid of. “Yes, she’s my mom. But...” She turned to those in attendance. “How many of you have used my mom for your events?”

  Hands lifted from all over the group. Probably twenty people.

  “I see.” Nate addressed Sasha again. “And you think she could pull off a formal event for this many people?”

  He uncrossed his arms, his hands dropping to land on hips that were far too lean for comfort. Hips she’d imagined moving over hers on one of those hotel beds. His fingers tightened and her mouth went dry as shocking scenes of those hands closing on her flesh strobed through her head in snatches that were erotic beyond belief. She lost her train of thought for several scary seconds.

  Clearing her throat, she managed to find her voice again. “It...um...depends what you mean by formal. If you’re talking formal by Saint Victoria standards, then yes. But that might not look like what you’re used to.” She heaved a breath and forced her eyes back to his face. “I would venture to say, however, that it will be memorable and special...and it won’t embarrass you.”

  Nate’s brows went up. “That never even crossed my mind. I was merely talking numbers, not whether or not your mother was capable of hosting an event.”

  “Which is why I’d like a day or two to talk to her. To talk to you, to see what you’ve done in the past and what you’re hoping to accomplish at this year’s event.”

  Was she crazy? She actually wanted to meet with him...alone? After last night? After the thoughts she’d just had about him?

  And by committing her mom to having a part in the planning process, she’d committed herself to meeting with him on more occasions. So much for guarding her heart.

  “Okay, let’s put it to a vote. If you would like to explore keeping the catering local, raise your hands.”

  Every hand in the room went up, even people she didn’t recognize, who probably worked here at The Island Clinic, most of whom had been brought in from other countries.

  Her chest tightened, and her attitude took another slight shift.

  “It seems it’s unanimous. I’ll give you three days to explore this avenue. But I’d like to meet with you after we’re done here to discuss the particulars, okay?”

  The way he said that made her shiver. She wasn’t sure if he was angry or amenable to her suggestion. But she guessed she would find out soon enough.

  Nate had been at Saint Victoria Hospital again today, so he had to be exhausted. She hadn’t worked with him, this time, but she had caught glimpses of him
every so often. She’d been relieved to be away from him. That encounter in the hotel room had been...

  Fabulously sexy. If they’d actually kissed, maybe she could have put it behind her and moved on. As it was, she was picturing him doing a lot more than just kissing her.

  But she knew how easily things could go from fabulous to horrifying, so she was better off not having any of those thoughts come to fruition.

  He was waiting for her response. So she said the only thing she could think of. “Yes, of course.”

  While the meeting continued, revolving around timing and guest accommodations, she sent a quick text to her mom.

  Hey, how do you feel about getting a catering crew together to serve one thousand people? Formal, islander style.

  There was a pause, then her phone vibrated.

  When?

  Ha! Her mom had not batted an eye. Just like Sasha had suspected. Her fingers moved over the phone’s keypad.

  About a month away.

  Let me check with some people and look at my calendar, but I think it’s doable. When do you need an answer?

  After Sasha’s dad died, her mom had thrown herself into her little business, and had made a name for herself in terms of catering and party planning and cake decorating.

  In just a couple of days. It’s for The Island Clinic’s yearly gala.

  I’ll get right on it and have an answer by Monday, if you can get me the details.

  Whew. Sasha had wondered if she’d opened her big mouth before engaging her brain...which she had, but her mom was covering her back. I’ll text you when I get home and can come by the house tomorrow, if that’s okay.

  She had the day off, although if the hospital got too busy, she was willing to work through it. There was no word yet on when Dr. Warren would be back to work. Hopefully his family member was doing better.

  See you then. Mwen renmen ou.

  Love you too, Mom!

  The meeting dismissed soon afterward, with people going their separate ways. Patty Cohen sidled up to her. “Good idea suggesting your mom head up the catering. Will she do it, do you think?”

  Sasha laughed. “I was being bad and texting her during part of the meeting. If her calendar is clear, and she can get enough help, I think she’ll agree to do it.”

  “That’s really great. And I’m glad you decided to come to the meeting, for once.” The exasperated face Patty made was totally fake.

  Her friend had been trying to coax her to be more involved with things that went on at The Island Clinic for quite a while and hadn’t understood why Sasha was so resistant to the idea. Or why she’d taken a dislike to its chief of staff.

  Well, even Sasha couldn’t understand it. It probably had something to do with Austin and the pain he’d inflicted on her. Five years of dating, and just when she’d been expecting a marriage proposal, she’d gotten a breakup text instead, saying he’d decided to go on staff at a large New York hospital.

  He’d had the audacity to conclude with an invitation for her to drop by, if she were ever in New York. They could get together for drinks. She was pretty sure she knew what the invitation entailed: sex with no strings attached. So much for his talk of coming to Saint Victoria to work.

  It was the first time she’d realized how big a rift there was between her and some of her wealthier classmates. And it had been just in time for her to leave for Beth Israel. Everything about her experience at Harvard had been tainted by what Austin had done.

  It had probably also tainted her view of Nate and his clinic.

  “I’m glad I came too.”

  Patty took a step back. “Looks like you’re being paged, and Dax is waiting for me at home, so I’m going to head out. We need to have lunch. It feels like we haven’t gotten together in ages.”

  Her friend’s whirlwind romance with an old flame had been the talk of Saint Victoria Hospital. But from the look of it, her friend was deliriously happy. And she was genuinely glad for them both.

  She glanced to the side to see that Nate was standing a short distance away, waiting for her.

  “It’s been busy with Marcus gone. Hopefully he’ll be back soon. But yes, let’s plan lunch once my schedule clears out a bit.” She gave Patty a quick hug and then said goodbye, moving toward Nate.

  She threw him an apologetic look. “I hope I didn’t mess anything up with my suggestion. And really, I probably had no right to make it, since I haven’t been to any of the other meetings. Or any of the galas.”

  “It’s why I asked you to come. I did see you texting during the last part of it.”

  So he had noticed. “Sorry, I was texting my mom. If there wasn’t any possibility she could do it, I was going to withdraw the idea.”

  “I thought that might be it. It was a good idea, and I’m not sure why I didn’t check any further when I was told there wasn’t a caterer large enough to handle it.”

  Because he knew one way of doing things, and it was hard to think of what you didn’t know. She was pretty sure it really had been just an oversight, rather than a snub. “What you don’t know, you don’t know.”

  “Thanks for that. I never want to seem like a bulldozer coming in and running over people.” He tilted his head. “And I somehow get the idea that’s what you’ve thought of me.”

  Time to tread lightly. “Maybe. I’m hoping I was wrong about you.”

  His mouth quirked. “I’m hoping you were wrong too.” He glanced at the phone in her hand. “So what did she say? Your mom, I mean?”

  “She’s going to check with some folks and said she’d have an answer to me by Monday.”

  “Good. I set another meeting for Tuesday. Can you have some ideas back to me before then?”

  “How about if I bring her in to meet with you that morning, if she’s free?”

  He nodded. “She can do it that quickly?”

  Sasha laughed. “You might not be a bulldozer, but my mom has been known to flatten anyone who gets in her way.”

  “In that case, remind me never to stand in her path. Seriously, though, it won’t leave her much time to get a menu and plans in place. Can she do the cutlery and so forth?”

  “I think so. I’ll need to know exactly what she needs, if you have time to give me a rundown.”

  “Yes, let’s go back to my office. Most of the paperwork is in there, and they need to clean the conference room.”

  Sasha turned and noted there were people already stacking chairs and picking up discarded coffee cups. “Oh, of course.”

  A frisson of excitement went through her as she followed Nate down the hallway. She hoped it was due to the idea of helping plan a small part of the gala, but she was pretty sure most of it had to do with the man himself. She’d dreamed about that almost kiss last night. Except it hadn’t stopped at a kiss. It had turned hot and wet and wicked. Her face heated and she was glad, very glad, he wasn’t looking at her right now.

  At the very end of the hallway, Nate used his key card to open a door on the right and stood back to let her move past him. She walked in, and frowned, all thoughts of her dream disappearing. His office was huge, with a long leather sofa and seating area off to the left, and a heavy wooden desk and matching leather chairs to the right.

  The carpet was the same thick pile as what she’d seen in the hotel and cushioned her every step. Thank God, because her feet were killing her.

  He must have noticed her reaction, because he moved around to grab some file folders from the desk and motioned her toward the seating area. “I meet with people in here all the time.”

  She could imagine he did. How better to coax checkbooks to open than to meet them in a place where things looked like they did in their own fancy offices.

  But it also was a reminder of how different they were. Of how alike he and Austin were. Both presented themselves as wealthy philanthropists. Austi
n’s was just a thin, shiny layer that didn’t go more than skin deep. And Nate’s? Well, the jury was still out on that.

  The bottom line was, she and Nate were from two different worlds, and she’d better stop dreaming about the man before she did something stupid. Or got hurt all over again. So she paid careful attention to the things in the room. Custom artwork that looked to be done by local artisans decorated the walls. On a set of shelves behind the sofa were colorful bottles that probably contained various types of liquor.

  As if reading her thoughts, he said, “Would you like something to drink?”

  Suddenly she did. And since she’d come to the clinic via the shuttle, she’d be taking it back home again, which meant she wouldn’t have to drive. It also made her realize the vehicle would probably be making that trip just for her. “I hate to ask the shuttle to come back—”

  “I’ll take you back to the hospital. Or you can stay in one of the guest rooms here.”

  Like in Room 201? The one he’d shown her yesterday? No. She wouldn’t be doing that. “I’d appreciate the ride, if that’s okay.”

  “I am the one who asked you to stay after class, so it’s the least I can do.”

  That made her smile. “I was the one who volunteered up my mom. But thank you. And I’d like a glass of red wine, if you have it.” It had been a long day, and she could use something to help her unwind a bit.

  “I do.” He went over to the seating area and reached into a small glass-fronted refrigerator. Ah, a wine cooler.

  While he retrieved a footed glass and a tumbler and fixed their drinks, she walked around the office. Her big toe twinged as it hit the end of her shoe. These were coming off as soon as she got home.

  Something on a shelf behind his desk caught her eye. Something that didn’t match the rest of the sumptuous surroundings. The discomfort in her feet disappeared as she moved closer.

  A small cloth doll sat on top of a book that had been tipped on its side. Its hair was cut from pieces of brown yarn and stuck up in all directions, and the undyed muslin of the body and dress were simple. It looked like a doll that some of the moms on the island fashioned for their daughters. She couldn’t picture him buying something like this.