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Marin laughed. “I’m afraid to ask what’s involved in that.”
She sniffed. “Mostly longing looks from me as I pass him in the hallway. We’re both too smart to risk our jobs over a hot interlude in the supply closet. Though, sometimes I wonder . . . May be worth it.”
Marin scrubbed a hand through her hair, the humidity making it stick to her forehead. “So they’re pretty strict about interoffice stuff here, huh?”
A picture of Donovan rumpled and covered with lipstick marks ran through her mind. She had no idea where he’d been coming from that morning, but it was pretty obvious it was from some woman’s bed.
She shrugged. “I’m not going to say it never happens. With so many of us working long hours and living on-site, it can be a little like boarding school. But it’s best not to get caught. The head honchos don’t want the drama. The clients provide enough of that.”
“I’m sure.”
“Mar, have you seen the charger for my computer? I just lost the—” Nate stepped into the kitchen and stopped talking when he saw Oriana there. “Oh, sorry.”
“Nate, this is Oriana. She’s another psychologist who works here. Oriana, my brother, Nathan.”
Oriana smiled and put her hand out. “You can call me Ori.”
Nate gave her hand a quick shake. “Nice to meet you.”
Marin was pleased to see that despite his pouty mood, he hadn’t forgotten his manners. “I think the charger is in the backseat of the car.”
“Cool. Thanks.” He jogged out the back door, no doubt in a hurry to reconnect his call with Henry.
Ori watched him leave and sent Marin a questioning look. “He’s staying with you?”
“Yeah, he starts art school in New Orleans in the fall, so he’ll be here for the summer.”
“He didn’t want to stay with your family?”
“I am his family. Our mom passed away when he was nine, and no dad in the picture, so I’ve been raising him since then.”
“Wow. I’m sorry about your mom.”
“We’ve done all right.”
“Yeah, he seems like a nice kid. Good looking, too. You better keep him away from east campus. We have a residential teen program, and those girls will fall on him like starving tigers.”
Marin laughed. “He has a boyfriend, so I think he’s safe.”
“Ah, well keep him away from west campus then where the teen boys are. Same threats apply.”
Marin smirked. “Noted. Hey, you want some coffee or something? I think I can find the coffeepot.”
Ori waved a dismissive hand. “No, I’m heading into town to do some shopping. I’m on call tonight, so I have to get out while the getting’s good. I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the insanity since I know it can be a little intimidating to start here. The place can be kind of cliquey. So know you have at least one friend already.”
Marin reached out and gave Ori’s hand a squeeze
. “Thanks. That means a lot. Believe me.”
“We’ll do coffee soon. I expect sordid stories from the X-wing.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She gave one last wave and headed out the door. Marin let out a breath and sat down at the small dining table in the kitchen nook, the drive to Louisiana, the move, and all the transition over the last month catching up to her. She’d been so focused on the money and getting her and Nathan here that she hadn’t let the reality of what was in front of her sink in.
Monday she was starting a job that she had no experience in. And the person responsible for training her didn’t really want her here. Over the past few years, she’d walked into things with confidence because she could stuff her head with the knowledge she needed beforehand. She never had to be off the cuff. She had the tools in her pocket at all times when she went into a research environment. For her dissertation defense, she’d practiced so much that she could’ve recited the thick document by heart. There was no question they could’ve thrown at her that she hadn’t prepared for. But there was no armor she could walk in with Monday.
People were going to want her to fix their sex lives.
