Page 33 of Rules of the Heart

“Well, you and me, for starters.”

That brought Valerie up short. Ella had a point there. What right did she have to judge others for breaking the rules when she was doing the exact same thing?

“I… Well, I suppose I can’t rightfully go after them when I… Well, shit.”

Ella chuckled. “Really, Valerie, we should be honoring the spirit of the rule rather than the letter of it. Why did you create that rule in the first place?”

“To prevent personal relationships from interfering with people’s work,” Valerie said at once.

“So as long as we don’t let this interfere with our work, what’s the problem?”

“Can we stop it from messing with our work, though? Is it really possible to separate feelings like that?”

“People have successful workplace relationships all the time. If they can do it, so can we.”

Valerie thought carefully about what she wanted to say next. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Ella’s feelings, but she had to be honest.

“Ella, we can’t be in a relationship. Not in the sense of romance. Sex, yes, but it can’t be anything more than that.”

Ella lifted her chin. “Why not?”

She clearly expected Valerie to cite the rules again, but that actually wasn’t what Valerie was worried about right now. “You may be confident in your ability to separate your feelings wellenough not to compromise patient care, but I’m not. If we were in a relationship and something happened between us, I can’t guarantee I could work effectively with you when a patient’s life is on the line. People could die, Ella. I can’t risk it. Plus, I am twenty years older than you. It would never work.”

“I didn’t hear in any of that that you don’t want it.”

Valerie did want it but admitting that to Ella wouldn’t help anything. “I don’t want to risk it, Ella. I won’t have patients dying because of decisions I make in my personal life.”

“You can’t let your job hold your personal life hostage.”

Valerie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? And when was the last time you socialized with anyone outside of work, or did anything non-work related on one of your off days?”

Ella blushed. “That’s different. I love my work.”

“And you think I don’t love mine? We’ve both made many sacrifices for our careers and will continue to do so. I’m very selfish. I’ve always been basically single and it has been very successful for me. I don’t have any intention of changing that now. This is all I can give, Ella. The question is, will it be enough for you?”

Valerie was more invested than she wanted to admit in Ella saying yes. Not only did she want the sex—and shereallywanted the sex—but she wanted the closeness and intimacy that came with it. She was only realizing now how lonely she really was, and her proposition to Ella seemed like the perfect solution.

She and Ella enjoyed each other’s company, and they were certainly physically compatible. All she’d have to do would be to make sure her feelings didn’t switch from friendship to romance, and everything would be perfect.

There was a long pause before Ella responded, during which Valerie waited nervously.

“Yes. Yes, that will be enough for me. As long as we can be friends as well; I hate fighting with you, Valerie.”

Valerie let out a slow breath of relief. “I also definitely want to maintain our friendship. We’re agreed, then? Friends with benefits?”

“Friends with benefits,” Ella agreed.

They leaned in and sealed their agreement with a kiss.

13

Ella

“You ask her.”

“No, you.”

“No way.”

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