The Boss and Nurse Albright by Lynne Marshall Page B

and Claire admired how she always looked perfectly put together. She’d alluded to Jason’s troubled past in prior conversations, and after Claire had fruitlessly racked her brain all weekend over the cause of Jason’s odd behavior, she needed some answers.
    Her divorce had left her wary of men, and maybe the same had happened to Jason, though he never made reference to his ex-wife, as most divorced men did.
    They’d had a great dinner together, she’d realized how much she liked him, and he’d kissed her. Then he’d stopped. From one moment to the next, things had changed. Was she a bad kisser? Or had Jason had a sudden change of heart about her?
    Something had kept Claire from writing Jason off as another of life’s disappointments wrapped in a male package. She needed to know the whole story before shedid that. She sat beside René and dipped her tea ball in the steaming mug of water.
    “You have a minute?” she asked.
    “Of course. What’s up?” René’s amber-brown eyes reminded her of a cat’s.
    “I can’t figure Jason out. He’s a grouch one minute, kind the next. Did you know that he brought me soup and my pay check when I was sick?”
    René’s perfectly made-up eyes widened and her brows rose halfway up her forehead. “Jason brought you soup?”
    Claire nodded, with a wan smile at the memory. The man thoroughly confused her.
    “He did seem to ask a lot of questions about where you were and what was wrong when you were out sick.”
    The notion of Jason worrying about her caused a warm sensation in her chest.
    René tilted her head in thought. After several moments and a sip of coffee, she looked Claire in the eyes. “Jason used to be the life of the party. He had more charm than the President,” she said. “His family is filthy rich, in case you didn’t know, and he never wanted for anything. He was a devoted family man. Completely content. And a great doctor. Still is a great doctor, just a little less accessible on the personal level.” René glanced at Claire with a rueful expression.
    “Did he get divorced?”
    René shook her head. “These days, he’s just doing the best he can.” She looked as if she wanted to say more, but before she could her nurse stuck her head around the door.
    “Dr. Munroe? Mrs. Callahan is on the phone. She thinks she’s in labor.”
    René popped up from her chair. “Looks like my day has officially begun. We’ll talk more later.”
    Claire shook her head. If he wasn’t divorced, then what was he?
    She’d give Jason some space for now but, having recently been introduced to his passion for the sea, she couldn’t let him continue to sail at half mast. He needed a friend. And if they were going to be friends, he needed to talk. She shook her head, knowing there was no way she could force him to open up and talk. The man was so closed off; he’d probably never bring the subject up. But he’d shown early signs of life at dinner the other night, and there had been passion in his kiss. And she did owe him a dinner.
    A relationship was probably the last thing he needed. Or wanted. Come to think of it, it was the last thing she needed, too. They could be friends, and together, as friends , they might find a place for him to begin to live again.
    And if she were lucky, through that friendship, maybe she could learn to trust again, too.
    After a few more moments lost in thought, Claire scrubbed her face with her palms, finished her tea, and set off for her first physical exam of the day.
    Breaking through to Jason and becoming his friend seemed too much to ask for, but she’d never shied away from challenges in her life. Why start now?
     
    As the morning wore on Claire’s insecurity got the best of her. How was she supposed to go about this? Hi, I’m Claire. Can I be your friend because I think youneed one, and I have the audacity to think I can help you? Ridiculous. She couldn’t even help herself get over her lack of trust. What made her think she