Page 9 of Her Heart's Desire

He places his hand on top of the one I have resting on his wheelchair. "Kimberly, I'm serious. You're going to find your soulmate soon."

Not being able to help myself, I answer him, "I hope you're right."

Once Mandy takes Mr. Reynolds out of the room, I take my time breaking it all down. When I'm finished, I head back to the nurse's station, ready to take my break. As I walk up a group of my coworkers are standing there talking. "Hey what's going on?"

They all look at me. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" I ask the group.

"That the hospital has been sold and made private." Cherry says first.

"Oh yeah, I heard that. Randall brought him by a day or so ago."

"You saw him? I heard he's hot. Is he?"

My stomach twists with jealousy. It takes everything in me to keep myself neutral when I answer her. "He's attractive."

I have to remind myself he's not yours, no matter how much I want him.

"Well, I'm going to find out for myself. I just overhead Randall say that he has a board meeting today and that the new owner is going to be there."

"Good luck with that. We should all get back to work," I say. As I turn on the balls of my feet I know damn well that I'll be slipping out later for a chance to get a glimpse of Silas Cabot.

Chapter 7

Silas

This whole day has been a nightmare. It's been meeting after meeting. If it's not for one thing, it's another. It feels like all my companies, had some sort of fire today and I was the only one who could put it out. Sometimes I'm not even sure why I have a CEO heading each one. Especially on days like these, I think about the dreaded retirement.

"Here is your lunch," Luna interrupts my pity party as she places it down in front of me. "Thanks," I murmur.

"You're welcome. You know it's okay to take a break sometimes." She says as she softens her eyes.

I drop my head in my hands. "It feels like I'm being pulled in every direction." Some days, it feels like I can't keep my head above water. When I was married to my wife, talking to her would help on days like this. Now that it's been so long, I'm ready to have someone as my anchor once again. Luna gives me a look of concern and starts to say something, but I can see the moment she changes her mind. Instead she says, "Eat. I'll be at my desk if you need me." She turns to leave, pausing at the door. "Remember, everything is an emergency to someone. You need to create boundaries."

She doesn't wait for me to respond, leaving me to contemplate why I thought it would be a great idea to add the hospital to my plate.

Then the image of Kimberly pops into my head and I can't help but think about how beautiful she is. It's not just the outside beauty that draws me to her, but her kind heart too. Anyone who comes in contact with her can't help but fall in love with her. She would be the perfect partner for me, whispers a voice across my mind. How I can make her mine? I can't help but smile knowing that right after this board meeting, I'll be taking the first steps toward my future, one with Kimberly.

Letting out a deep breath, I finish my lunch and pack up everything I've prepared for the meeting, I call out to Luna as I head out. "I'm headed to Rose Valley Hospital. I'll call when I'm done."

"Sounds good, boss," she salutes as I leave.

A quick fifteen minutes later, my driver is pulling up at the hospital. Grabbing my bag, I head directly to the administration level. As soon as the doors open, of course, Randall is standing there waiting for me. "Hello Silas. Are you ready for the meeting?"

Grunting, I push past him and start walking down the hallway that I remember from my tour leading to the conference rooms. The black cloud of Randall follows behind me. "The board is all ready for you," he says uncharacteristically calm.

I ignore his attempt at conversation. This guy is worse than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the way he keeps changing with the weather. First, he's charming, convincing me that I need to save the hospital for the people of Rose Valley. The next minute he's up my ass demanding what my plan is and having me regretting my choices. Now he's back to sucking up. Honestly, I just don't have time for all of this. He's going to find out what happens when you push me too far, and he will not like the outcome.

When we cross the threshold of the conference room, there are ten people already seated on either side of the long table taking up most of the room. The seat at the head of the table has been left empty for me. Hooking up my computer, I notice Randall sit down, choosing a chair in the back. Taking a deep breath, I'm ready to show these people what they've been doing wrong for who knows how long.

Clearing my throat I jump in, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today we're here to talk about what and how we can make the hospital of Rose Valley more profitable, and ensuring that it doesn't close."

Grabbing the packets of paper I had Luna put together, I pass them out to each member, including Randall. "The first thing we're going to go over is the budget, and how we reduce it. As you can see, the department heads," I pause looking at each person sitting at the table. Since the hospital is so small, the board members are technically the department heads. I want them to know that I understand they are the ones who made these decisions, specifically the choices that helped put the hospital in this position.

"…Have been approving purchases of things that are frivolous and unnecessary. I've been going through the budgets over the last year and these purchases are creating a deficit in the budget. Unfortunately, we will have a few layoffs, and will have to change policies to make sure that none of this happens again. As a board, we will focus on making sure our money goes to the employees and keeping up with licenses. No more extravagant parties presenting as a fundraiser. No more 'client' lunches. And new equipment will need to go through my team first. There's more, but I've outlined everything in the papers you have in front of you. These are the newest polices that we need to implement immediately. If everyone is good with these changes, things will go smoothly within the hospital. As a board, we need to present a unified front."

As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, the room erupts in outrage. Everyone's talking at the same time. I expected this. People don't like it when you tell them they're doing something wrong. I stand there, allowing them to talk out their grievances, not saying anything. Just taking it all in, and making mental notes on who might be a problem. Who just doesn't like change. Lastly, if what they're saying has any merits. But as I stand here and listen, a flash of blonde hair grabs my attention. Glancing past the sea of outrage, I see the back of Kimberly trying to make her escape.

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