I squint at both of them. “Rite of passage in what world?”
Holly smiles sweetly. “The one where someone clearly dropped you on your head and made you think love would magically appear between you and a sexy man when you hadzerosexual chemistry between your legs for him. You need a reboot, baby. A reset to remind you what chemistry and connection is supposed to feel like. And I think Vegas is just the place.”
“Explain to me how a city literally nicknamed for sin is where I’m supposed to find chemistry and connection?”
Tatum smirks over the rim of her cup. “Nope. You’ll just have to come and find out for yourself.”
Holly shrugs. “Seeing is believing, baby.”
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Okay,bitches. I’ll think about it.”
“Think fast,” Tatum warns. “We leave in two weeks, and the only drama I want on this trip is whether we end up on a yacht or in jail again.”
Chapter Four
Boardrooms, Blackmail + a Ball-Playin’ Zaddy
Aspen
Six months ago.
The last two weeks have vanished in a high-speed haze.
I’ve been buried under a mountain of wall-to-wall meetings, endless follow-up calls, and clinical patient reports. Between the constant staffing updates and a board of directors that seemingly exists only to undermine every damn decision I make, I haven’t had a second to breathe.
Patient numbers are up.
Nurse retention is stretched thin.
Our satisfaction ratings are the highest in the state.
But of course, none of this matters to the suits who think “patient care” is just a fancy phrase for unpaid labor.
“Alice,” Warren Wilks says, clearing his throat, “is there any way we can get more nurses trained on surgical protocol? We need to start bringing in more VIP clientele.”
I force a smile so tight my molars grind. “First of all, my name isAspen.”
No apology. No correction.
“And second, while I understand the need to increase our surgical throughput, I think we all know we’ll make more money—and save more lives—by streamlining our current intake of non-emergent cases and focusing on efficiency, rather than throwing nurses into high-risk environments before they’re ready.”
Cecilia, the only other woman of color at the table, nods supportively.
“Why would it be premature?” one of the other board members chimes in. “Didn’t you say you were expanding their training?”
“I am,” I say calmly. “But we can’t expect staff to train off the clock. We’re balancing legal compliance with the nurses’ union, their existing hours, and—oh, right—the fact that they’re humans and not robots.”
I clench my hands in my lap, reminding myself that I need this job.
I also happen to love it here.
I love this staff.
I love this place.
Or at least Iused to.
Lately, I’ve been craving something different. A space where I can put patient care at the center without having to filter every decision through budget reports and boardroom politics. I want to build something that honors the humanity in medicine.
