mantle of the self-righteous draped over her like a misbegotten banner.
“Behaved in a highly unprofessional way.”
“I never—”
“I’m sure that’s half your problem,” Ian said. “And spewing libelous insults at a fellow employee certainly qualifies as unprofessional in my book. You can be sure I’ll be telling your supervisor all about it.” He dismissed the woman with a nod.
“And you,” he said to Allie.
“Ah, my white knight feels the need to shoot a few barbs my way as well?” Pulling herself together, she met his glare with one of her own. “I don’t answer to you, Ian. And asking Anne to room with me had nothing—not one thing in the world—to do with you. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it, but you might recall, we haven’t been really talking about anything the last few days.”
“About that . . .”
“Oh, never mind. You can join everyone else who has already tried and convicted me. I did date a married man and his dear wife did have a slight breakdown. I take responsibility for it.”
“Did you really not know he was married?” Ian asked.
“No.” He’d been handsome and charming. She’d been alone in a new city.
“You didn’t ask anyone?”
“He wanted to keep our seeing each other private. Hospital gossip and all that. I was new, he was established, and he didn’t want anyone to interfere. It sounded perfectly logical when he said it, but I should have checked. It’s my fault.”
Ian’s arm slipped around her shoulders.
Allie shrugged it off. “I don’t want your pity and I don’t need your forgiveness. If I want forgiveness, I’ll go confess my sins to my priest.”
“You are one of the strongest women I know, one of the last I’d pity. That was comfort . . . more for me than for you. And as for forgiveness, you didn’t do anything that requires it. I did. I jumped to conclusions and I’m sorry.”
She sighed. “Don’t be nice. The next thing you know you might smile and, oh, Ian, if that happens, you might do irreparable damage. I mean, your face could crack. And what if smiling leads to laughing? Perish the thought. You might actually break something.”
“You’ve got some mouth on you, lady.” Ian studied that mouth, and the urge to cover it with his own was almost overwhelming.
He wasn’t sure why. Allie wasn’t his type. His type was generally serious, like-minded women. He had never gone for women who collected stray people like others might collect stamps—women who would go to a stranger’s apartment and just take over. And he certainly didn’t go for women who kept huge stuffed pink elephants in their bedrooms.
He’d been collecting Ryane’s things from the room yesterday and had noticed it.
No, women who kept pink elephants in their rooms weren’t the type to attract him.
“Don’t you have to work?” he asked gruffly.
She nodded. “Yep. See you tomorrow. And, I told Anne already, but I’ll tell you as well, Dr. Johns said Ryane could come in a couple times a day, so you might want to bring her back later.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Oh, and Ian?” she asked, a wicked grin on her face.
“What?” he asked. She had something up her sleeve and Ian found himself more curious than worried.
“Make sure you stop at the nurses’ station and pick up all the breast milk Anne’s been expressing. Any drugs she’s still taking are compatible with breastfeeding, so you’ll want to start using the breast milk first and then formula if there’s not enough.”
Ian’s face felt warm. He’d just about gotten used to seeing Anne nurse. She was discreet, after all, and it wasn’t as if he could see anything.
But using her milk in a bottle? What if some splashed?
“I could save it for the feedings you have,” he said hopefully.
Allie’s laugh told him he was out of luck. “You’ll get used to it, big guy. See you tomorrow.”
Ian walked back to Anne’s room, muttering to himself. See what she did to him?
“Behaved in a highly unprofessional way.”
“I never—”
“I’m sure that’s half your problem,” Ian said. “And spewing libelous insults at a fellow employee certainly qualifies as unprofessional in my book. You can be sure I’ll be telling your supervisor all about it.” He dismissed the woman with a nod.
“And you,” he said to Allie.
“Ah, my white knight feels the need to shoot a few barbs my way as well?” Pulling herself together, she met his glare with one of her own. “I don’t answer to you, Ian. And asking Anne to room with me had nothing—not one thing in the world—to do with you. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it, but you might recall, we haven’t been really talking about anything the last few days.”
“About that . . .”
“Oh, never mind. You can join everyone else who has already tried and convicted me. I did date a married man and his dear wife did have a slight breakdown. I take responsibility for it.”
“Did you really not know he was married?” Ian asked.
“No.” He’d been handsome and charming. She’d been alone in a new city.
“You didn’t ask anyone?”
“He wanted to keep our seeing each other private. Hospital gossip and all that. I was new, he was established, and he didn’t want anyone to interfere. It sounded perfectly logical when he said it, but I should have checked. It’s my fault.”
Ian’s arm slipped around her shoulders.
Allie shrugged it off. “I don’t want your pity and I don’t need your forgiveness. If I want forgiveness, I’ll go confess my sins to my priest.”
“You are one of the strongest women I know, one of the last I’d pity. That was comfort . . . more for me than for you. And as for forgiveness, you didn’t do anything that requires it. I did. I jumped to conclusions and I’m sorry.”
She sighed. “Don’t be nice. The next thing you know you might smile and, oh, Ian, if that happens, you might do irreparable damage. I mean, your face could crack. And what if smiling leads to laughing? Perish the thought. You might actually break something.”
“You’ve got some mouth on you, lady.” Ian studied that mouth, and the urge to cover it with his own was almost overwhelming.
He wasn’t sure why. Allie wasn’t his type. His type was generally serious, like-minded women. He had never gone for women who collected stray people like others might collect stamps—women who would go to a stranger’s apartment and just take over. And he certainly didn’t go for women who kept huge stuffed pink elephants in their bedrooms.
He’d been collecting Ryane’s things from the room yesterday and had noticed it.
No, women who kept pink elephants in their rooms weren’t the type to attract him.
“Don’t you have to work?” he asked gruffly.
She nodded. “Yep. See you tomorrow. And, I told Anne already, but I’ll tell you as well, Dr. Johns said Ryane could come in a couple times a day, so you might want to bring her back later.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Oh, and Ian?” she asked, a wicked grin on her face.
“What?” he asked. She had something up her sleeve and Ian found himself more curious than worried.
“Make sure you stop at the nurses’ station and pick up all the breast milk Anne’s been expressing. Any drugs she’s still taking are compatible with breastfeeding, so you’ll want to start using the breast milk first and then formula if there’s not enough.”
Ian’s face felt warm. He’d just about gotten used to seeing Anne nurse. She was discreet, after all, and it wasn’t as if he could see anything.
But using her milk in a bottle? What if some splashed?
“I could save it for the feedings you have,” he said hopefully.
Allie’s laugh told him he was out of luck. “You’ll get used to it, big guy. See you tomorrow.”
Ian walked back to Anne’s room, muttering to himself. See what she did to him?
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