Page 23 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

Was Tessa poaching my employees? What the fuck? I held my breath so I could catch her response.

“I’m not saying you should leave. I’m saying you should take advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program so you can go back to school. And consider cutting back your work hours while you take classes toward your doctorate.”

“My doctorate?” Sadie repeated.

Shit. I’d wanted to encourage Sadie to go back to school. But with everything going on, I’d forgotten. My face heated. Unless I’d secretly hoped to keep her working full time while we got this test to market. I sent up a silent apology to Simon. I’d apologize to Sadie out loud later.

“You can’t want to be a lab tech forever,” Tessa said. “You have such creative ideas. You’ll be able to champion them yourself as a full scientist. Cutting back your hours would allow you to get your doctorate in seven or eight years instead of a dozen. It’s a big difference to finish in your early thirties versus your late thirties.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Sadie said.

Neither had I. I hadn’t considered how long it might take her to finish while she worked full time. What if she had other goals, like a relationship or starting a family? Between a full-time job and school, she’d have no time for anything else.

“I know,” Tessa said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. To give you some perspective. And with your health condition, you’ve got to manage your energy. Taking on too much will exhaust you.”

Fuck.I was a selfish asshole.

“You’re right.” Sadie looked at her sneakers. “How will I tell Ollie I want to cut back my hours when the semester starts?”

“Leave it to me,” Tessa said. “I’ll deal with him.”

I cleared my throat, startling both women. Sadie’s eyes widened, and her lips parted in horror. Tessa tipped up her chin. From our previous skirmishes, I knew that meant she was preparing for battle.

“No one has to deal with me,” I said. “It makes sense to devote more time to your studies, Sadie. We can collaborate on a work schedule that will support your goals. Plus, I’ve got some contacts at Stanford. They might admit you as soon as January if we start right away.”

The tension in Sadie’s shoulders eased. “Thanks, Ollie. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. And I won’t let you down either.” I’d promised Simon’s memory I wouldn’t. “But…”

“But?” Sadie asked. Tessa seemed to grow taller as she stepped toward me.

“But we’re going to need all you can give the lab until then. We’ve got targets to meet.”

Sadie grinned. “Got it, Ollie.”

I shot a glance at Tessa. She tilted her head, those green eyes narrowed at me. She’d put on a lab coat, but her unbound hair cascaded in a red wave over her shoulder.

Glaring pointedly at it, I added, “Rule Three.”

“My god, Dr. Bond,” she said, winding her hair up into a ponytail. “Do you think this whatchamacallit”—she dipped her chin at the spectrophotometer—“is going to reach out and pull it?”

I had to shut my eyes for a moment. Why was her calling me by my title so hot? Especially while she touched her hair and talked about pulling it? Something molten bubbled in my belly. I gritted my teeth. Lab coats hid a lot, but I wouldnotget an erection in my lab. “Safety first,” I said, my voice sounding like gravel.

Sadie glanced between us. “Anything I can do right now, boss?”

I cleared my throat. “Can you start an assay for me before you go? The instructions are in my folder on the network drive.”

“Sure. I’ll get right on it.”

“No need to stay after,” I said. “I’ll be back in time to check it.”

She practically skipped off. I glanced up at the fluorescent lights.I’ve done one thing right, Simon.

But it wasn’t all my doing. Tessa was the one who’d given us both a push. Who’d noticed what Sadie needed instead of what she wanted to see. Who’d set her on the path toward her professional goals. I met Tessa’s gaze. “Thanks. That was kind of you.” I almost choked on the wordkind.It seemed so at odds with what she’d done to people at Red Rover. I’d set up a web alert on her name, and at least once a week, a disgruntled employee said something terrible about her. That was a lot of hate for something that had happened over a dozen years ago. It must have been truly traumatic.

The corner of her mouth lifted. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” She pivoted on the heel of her black boot and strode away, red ponytail swinging.

It should’ve been illegal for anyone to look that good in a lab coat.

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