Page 28 of Her Wicked Plan

That would make sense with the lack of men in this room.

“Anyway, go mingle! Introduce yourself to the others,” he suggests with a grin, then pushes me on my way.

I politely smile, nodding my head in greeting while passing people. I should stop and talk with them; normally, I’m not shy, but with colleagues in a new place, I can’t help but be nervous to meet them.

“They won’t bite.” A calming voice sounds from my left. I pause the movement of the cup right before it meets my lips.

Finding the source of the female voice, I am met with a woman around my age.

Her golden copper hair glows vibrantly against the contrast of her pale skin. It has a wave to it, and the ends meet her collarbone.

She is wearing a green sundress with tiny white flowers printed all over, which pairs well with the shade of her locks. The slightly puffed sleeves cover her shoulders, while the neckline sits above her breasts.

Jesus, Leo, stop checking her out! She’s your coworker!

Gathering myself, I finally let myself laugh at her comment. “I get it, though. Henry threw me the same welcoming party when I started working here. It was totally awkward.” She hides her smile behind her cup.

“I think I’d rather get to know everyone on my terms, you know?” I bring my cup down, letting it rest before my stomach. “Everyone in the same room can be a little...”

“Intimidating?” she finishes my sentence. “Trust me, I’ve been there. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself when you want to earn your colleague's respect.”

“Exactly,” I agree. “That, and I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

“The only way you do that is if you fall or choose to participate in karaoke.”

“Karaoke? You’re kidding.”

“Sadly, I’m not.” Her head shakes with a laugh. “It’s Henry’s idea of keeping things interesting. As if we don’t already have enough of that around here.”

“Normalcy,” I state the word, then take a long sip of the punch. Edith’s booze would do wonders for me right now. “I assume we can’t get out of here much with our jobs. He wants to add a bit of normalcy for us.”

She looks at me, bright green eyes meeting mine, trying to fight her smile. “Wise words, Doctor. Does this mean you’ll be singing for us tonight?”

“Oh, God, no!” I toss my head back with a laugh. “If I get up there, I won’t recover from the embarrassment. How about you?”

“You can count me out.” Her face twists in disgust at the thought of having to sing in front of everyone. “My name is Scarlet, by the way.”

“Leo.” I introduce myself, then point at her hair. “Your name is fitting.”

“What can I say?” She sighs playfully, picking at a strand of hair. “My parents are pretty original. My mother has a deeper shade of red, but they knew the odds of me having any red hair were in their favor.”

“I like it.” The corner of my lip pulls up. Keep it professional, buddy. “Are you a doctor or a nurse?”

“A nurse,” she answers, sipping on her punch. “One of the head nurses in a different ward than yours.”

“Are you on a higher ward?” My curiosity has peaked.

“Yes.” She nods. “I’m in Ward R.”

My eyes widen as I breathe. “Damn.”

Scarlet’s lips roll together as her head slowly moves. “It was a lot at first. I didn’t think I could handle it, but they believed in me. Dr. Bennett told me he put me in that ward because of my calming presence. He thought it would help those patients, and it has. I’ve been here for four years now and wouldn’t change a thing.”

“That’s amazing, though. You are making a difference for those patients.”

“I am, aren’t I?” A smile makes its way on her face, and I wish she would grant me more of those. Scarlet speaks again but gets cut off by a microphone screeching.

Most of the others hold their hands up to their ears, but those of us with cups don’t have that luxury. Our eyes squint at the sound, bodies flinching. It finally goes away, and Dr. Bennett apologizes.