“You can go now.”
“Oh, okay then.” She popped to her feet. “Sorry, that question threw me a bit, I guess. It never entered my mind that someone might think that about Ry.”
“I don’t. But I had to be sure.”
“Yes, I suppose you’d have to in your position.”
“I’ve been around long enough to have seen it all. But now we’re all covered. You both know it’s not against your contracts, and I know it’s consensual. That protects Ry if you decide to claim otherwise, if things go sour between the two of you.”
“Oh, I’d never do that!”
“And what if he did?”
“He’d never . . . ah, I see.” She smiled. “It’s better to be sure.”
“It is. He’s a good man. I know you don’t want to think about what I may or may not have heard about you before you started, but I want you to know Rylan Conners is one of the good ones.”
“I, um, thank you.” Mazey could feel her face heating. What had someone at Anaheim Memorial told Cochran? “I better get back.”
He smiled. “Yes, you’d better. A load of supplies is due to arrive in an hour. I’m sure you’ll want to be ready to put them all away correctly.”
Mazey laughed. “Is it just me, or are all our deliveries happening when I’m on shift now?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a smile as he turned back to his computer.
“I’ll bring the invoice in after I’m done.”
She slipped out of the office to find Rylan waiting for her. He tipped his head toward the storeroom at the end of the hall. On the way, Mazey tried to decide if she should tell him what Cochran wanted to know or not. In a way, the suggestion that Rylan had pressured her into a relationship was insulting and might drive a wedge between the two men.
In the end, she valued their developing relationship more than the one Rylan had with their boss and told him. “Cochran just wanted to be sure you, as myboss, hadn’t forced me to become involved with you,” she said as soon as he closed the door behind them.
“Ah, right. I didn’t think of that angle. Good move on his part. Protects us all if things go south, which they won’t, but you need to cover all contingencies when you’re in his position.”
“You know, I keep thinking you can’t surprise me anymore with how levelheaded you are, and yet you do.”
He shrugged. “I’ve spent years considering all angles and remaining cool under pressure, it’s second nature now.”
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to rely on your abilities a lot in the future.”
“You’ve had to be that way too. You can’t tell me you got to the top of trauma nursing in a busy ER by freaking out under pressure.”
“No, you’re right, I don’t normally crumble during stressful situations. Maybe I’m doing it now because it’s personal?”
“That could be it.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “It also might be all those pregnancy hormones hijacking your system.”
“Huh. You might be on to something there. I never considered that could be affecting the way I’m dealing with things.”
“Okay, so Cochran doesn’t have a problem with us working together and being together, so we should get back to work and prove his faith in our professionalism is warranted.”
“I’ve got a supply delivery arriving soon. Want to help me with that?”
Rylan rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m saying this...” He returned his gaze to hers. “Yes. I’ll help you count and shelve supplies.”
Laughing, Mazey elbowed her way past him. “We’ll start out in the hanger.”
“Want a drink before we head out there? Maybe something to eat?”
“A bottle of water would be good.”
