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“You would... never ask about him again?”
That was a difficult promise, but if he asked me not to, what choice would I have? “If that was what you wanted. All you have to do is ask.”
“I... guess I don’t know what I want. I’ve spent so long trying not to have to think about him, and, shocker, a lot of people only want to know me because of my famous brother, so they talk about nothing else.” He bit his lip. “But I think it would be... sad to totally bar someone you cared about from such a big part of your life.”
I ventured a step closer. “You don’t necessarily have to bar him from your life. You’re allowed to change your mind.”
Davis laughed. “I meant barring you from talking about him.”
He meant me. My heart felt so light, I had to join in his laughter, taking two tentative steps toward him. “Well, you can always take the lead in talking about your brother, whether you want to or you don’t.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze drifting away. “He texted me again, a headline about the anthrax letter.”
Um, wow. “How was that?”
His shoulders fell. “Fine. I told him I don’t have anthrax. I... don’t want to get into anything personal with him. I can’t trust him.”
I nodded. “Trust is the foundation of any solid relationship.”
“True.” He met my eyes again.
Time for the hard questions. “Could you ever trust me again?” I asked.
“What do you think I just did?” He offered half a smile and took one step closer.
“Not pick a fight.”
“Yeah, well, that was Ubercompetent Worker Davis’s favorite defense tactic.”
I furrowed my brow. “Sorry, what?”
Davis grimaced but tried again. “The person you have known up to this point—mostly—was a version of me trying to impress you into liking me by doing my job so well you wouldn’t have any other choice.” He raised his eyebrows as if to askDid it work?
“The alliterative emails were a nice touch.”
“I can’t quit it.”
“Copy that.” I broke into a grin. “If you’re not him, who am I talking to now?”
Davis froze. “Um.” He swallowed hard. “Would you leave if I said Broken Lonely Davis?”
I drew in a breath. Had he ever been that vulnerable with me? “I’m not here because you wrote the guidelines really, really well, Davis. Although you did.”
“It took a talented team.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me for picking fights and trying to keep you out?”
“If you’ll forgive me for fighting back and prying and judging you.”
A slow smile dawned on his face. And then he reached for my hand.
“Just a minute.” I stopped his advance by poking him in the chest. As he had in the break room and in the iso room, Davis clasped my hand to him. Despite the distraction, I managed to speak. “I can’t take the job.”
“Did you get a better offer?”
“Oh, no, not yet.”
“Youdobelong in patient care.”
I smiled even more. I couldn’t wait to get back to patients—but I’d already found where I belonged. “I can’t take the job because I think it’s unethical to date your supervisor. Unless that wasn’t what you intended by this little charade.”
