The Holiday Triplets Read Free

was, but he shouldn’t be. “I am not going to spend Christmas assembling a PowerPoint presentation, I’m going to spend it throwing a party! Since I can’t celebrate with my parents in Mexico—” both doctors, they ran a charity clinic south of the border “—let’s hold a fiesta here. Piñatas, colorful paper flowers and spicy food.”
    â€œIt does sound like fun,” Mark reluctantly agreed.
    Samantha dropped her hands to his shoulders, her face inches from his, and teased him with a smile. If he didn’t know her better, he might suspect her of flirting. “It will be.”
    He’d better concede the point before he did something insane, like kiss her in the stairwell. “I’ll authorize additional security and cleaning, and I’m sure our public relations staff will be glad to spread the word. But you’ll have to come up with the food and entertainment budget.”
    She bit her lower lip, her brain clearly working hard. “I know a few sources I could tap.”
    â€œGlad we see eye to eye on this.” Given their relative positions, he couldn’t resist adding, “Literally.”
    Sam cocked her head. “You might be a fun guy if you lightened up, Mark.”
    â€œDid I ever tell you I used to be a stand-up comic?”
    That startled her into taking a step backward. “You’re kidding!”
    â€œActually, yes.” Score one for his side. “See you later.” Striding past, he went up the steps, his senses ablaze from the encounter.
    For heaven’s sake, they’d been discussing business. She’d only been trying to wheedle support out of him, not get him hot and bothered. Yet, intentionally or not, that’s what she’d accomplished.
    Mark straightened his tie, which probably didn’t need it. Nevertheless, the act reasserted his sense of control as he stepped onto the fifth floor, home to the hospital’s main offices. Immediately, he felt his administrator persona settle comfortably over him.
    Enough kidding around. He had a job to do, a job he loved.
    In the executive suite, his secretary, May Chong, handed Mark a sheaf of phone messages. As he was returning them, the center’s public relations director, Jennifer Martin, popped into his office with encouraging statistics about the hospital’s toy drive. A few minutes later, staff attorney Tony Franco arrived with a question about a lawsuit. Mark encouraged him to press for arbitration.
    He spent most of the morning going over projections for the new fertility center. Although Safe Harbor had remodeled its main building and bragged publicly about its fertility services, it wouldn’t achieve world-class status until it recruited a renowned expert to head a showcase program. He or she would bring additional staff and require more lab and office space, so plans were moving rapidly to acquire and renovate the dental building.
    Mark felt the adrenaline pulsing through his system. He loved the challenge of pulling together all these different elements and creating something that could enrich people’s lives.
    Shortly before lunch, May put through a call fromChandra Yashimoto, vice president of Medical Center Management, Inc., in Louisville. As usual, she wasted no time on small talk. “We have a problem.”
    A quick mental survey of current issues failed to raise any red flags. “What sort of problem?”
    â€œThe owner of the dental building has filed for bankruptcy. We’re back to square one on the acquisition.”
    Damn and double-damn. Yet selling the structure would be in the best interest of the man’s creditors. “We’re so close to inking a deal. Surely we can come to an understanding.”
    â€œYou’ve never dealt with a federal bankruptcy court before, have you? The whole thing could drag on for years.” Chandra released an impatient breath. “We have to look