Free HIS Desire: An H.I.S. Novel (H.I.S. series Book 1) by Sheila Kell Page B

still on for the Children’s Hospital?”
    “Of course we are.” Ariana turned toward her office. “Come on, let’s take a minute.”
    They entered Ariana’s spacious office. Her desk, a sleek cherry-wood design, sat prominently in the center of the room. Off to one side was a matching cherry-wood meeting table with six tan chairs. On the other side of the room a comfortable seating area with a couch and two Queen Anne chairs faced each other. Ariana held a lot of high profile meetings in her office, and the office had been perfectly outfitted for them. It was perfect for Ariana but not for Kate.
    She sat in a chair and accepted the bottle of water her sister had opened for her. Another inconvenience of having her right hand bandaged.
    Ariana sat on the couch, adjusted her skirt and took a sip of water. “How’s the hand?”
    “It’s just sore.” Earlier, she’d automatically reached down for the gear shift with her right hand and thought she might have busted stitches. It still throbbed terribly, but she didn’t want her sister to worry any more than she already did.
    “I still can’t believe you were shot. You’re lucky you didn’t get killed.”
    “I am lucky Jesse saw the gun in time to knock me to the ground.”
    A curious expression formed on Ariana’s face. “The guy you avoided at the hospital?”
    “How’d you know?” She should have known her sister would figure out her odd behavior in her rush to leave the hospital.
    “He wore a hole in the carpet in the waiting room while you were in surgery. I thought he was going to strangle the nurse when she wouldn’t let him back to see you in recovery.” Ariana smiled. “By the way, your partner is gorgeous.”
    She didn’t know how to address the first part of what her sister had said. “AJ’s a great guy, but he’s too young for you. Besides, he’s a ladies’ man and plays the field.”
    “Too bad. So tell me what’s up before we leave.”
    Ariana could always read Kate, knew when she had something to say or something to hide. She’d never been able to keep a secret from her.
    Ariana raised her eyebrows. “Kate?”
    The floodgates opened and Kate told her everything. Her concern for her ability to do her job. The idea of working at Ross Communication. Catching her shooter. And, her date with Jesse and subsequent decision to keep away from him.
    Like any good sister, Ariana sat and listened.
    * * * * *
    Kate and Ariana rode in Ariana’s Mercedes to the Children’s Hospital. The agents followed, not happy Kate had ignored AJ’s order to return home. They were even less happy when she told them they would not be able to enter the children’s rooms. Luckily, they couldn’t get AJ back on the phone, or she wouldn’t get away with ordering them around, senior agent or not.
    The sisters made heavy donations to the charities they felt made a significant difference, but their parents raised them to make time to participate, give something of themselves. Volunteering at the Children’s Hospital topped their list of favorite charitable activities. Watching children fight for their lives with a positive attitude warmed their hearts. The resilience of these kids amazed them.
    They entered the hospital and stopped in the lobby. Two sides of the lobby were surrounded by windows four stories high. Dozens of blue modern chairs placed around the lobby gave it an open, bright, comfortable feeling.
    Kate greeted the receptionist by name before they walked to the large stairwell on the east side of the lobby. The new artwork in the hallway captured their attention as they made their way to Nurse Debi’s office. After knocking on the door, they entered to see a desk overflowing with paperwork. The nurse stood and hugged each of them.
    “Hi, Ariana and Kate. It’s good to see you both.”
    “Hi, Debi.” The overpowering scent of potpourri assailed Kate’s nose. She didn’t dare comment on it being too strong and too much in such a small office