Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
He lifted his head after signing his name to find a woman standing in front of him, her lovely silvery-gray hair pulled up in a bun. Several strands hung down around her face, which was flushed from her fast walk from her office to the lobby of the children’s hospital.
“Good afternoon. Are you the gentleman who is interested in volunteering?” she said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Gregori smoothly rose and extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Gregori Valerii.”
“Of the Clan Valerii, right? The ice dragons who live down in Brazil,” she chimed in the second he stopped speaking.
“Yes…” He shook her hand, trying not to smile at her growing blush.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve always been a huge fan of dragons,” she gushed, erasing decades from her face. It was as if simply meeting him was fulfilling a lifelong dream for her. “I’ve been closely following all the news related to the various dragon clans ever since King Alric of the Burkhard Fire Dragons announced you all were still alive.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you…”
“Cecelia. Cecelia Brandt.” She released his hand and motioned for him to accompany her. “If you would just come with me, Mister Valerii, we’ll discuss your application.”
The office was small but cheery, with lots of pictures that looked as if they’d been drawn or painted by the young patients at this hospital. The only dreary thing about the room was the view of the gray winter sky and bare trees. He slipped into a seat in front of her desk and handed over the paperwork. She glanced over it quickly, clicking her tongue softly in the silence of the room.
With a final nod, she set it down and looked at him. “Now, as I’m sure you understand, we must run a basic background check on everyone who comes to work at the hospital, even our volunteers. Just for the safety and well-being of the children in our care. As much as I would like to skip it for you…”
Gregori waved off her comments. “No, I understand. You must do what is best for the children. I would never want to put them in any kind of danger. I have put down contact information for the head of my clan, Rodrigo Valerii, as well as my boss, Dimitri Valerii. They would be happy to provide character references for me and answer any of your questions.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be sure to give them both a call this afternoon.” She paused, her smile growing a mix of giddy and secretive. “Now, Kevin at the front desk did mention you said our wonderful Doctor Hunter is your mate. I’m sure if he were willing to vouch for you, we could speed things along.”
Gregori winced, really wishing he could curl up in a ball. He could feel the heat of Salem’s rage if he found out Gregori had dropped that bomb at his place of work. “Actually, I would rather you didn’t tell him about this. I kind of want it to be a surprise. Plus, I’m sure he would be very unhappy if everyone found out about this part of his personal life. He’s a very private person.”
Cecelia nodded. “I completely understand. I’ll keep my lips sealed.” She even made the motion of zipping her lips closed and tossing the key over her shoulder. “After our chat, I’ll make sure to have a little talk with Kevin, reminding him about the hospital’s policy about gossiping.”
A huge sigh of relief escaped Gregori and he slumped in his chair. He really didn’t want to make Salem a source of gossip in his workplace when he deserved to be respected for his knowledge and skill. Doing otherwise would only bring Salem’s wrath on Gregori’s head and undermine what he hoped to accomplish.
“I don’t have any specific training when it comes to kids, but I’m happy to read stories and play games with them. Anything to help take their minds off why they’re in the hospital in the first place,” Gregori admitted, wanting to be completely honest with her while still selling himself as a good volunteer. “I’m also happy to teach them about dragons. I’m fluent in six languages, too.”
Cecelia clapped her hands quietly and wiggled in her office chair. “Perfect. All the kids are going to be so excited to meet you. I really wish I could take you in to meet them today. But I’ll make some phone calls and see what I can do to get this background check pushed through quickly. I know the hospital would appreciate any time you can give us.”
Knowing the long hours Salem pulled as a pediatric surgeon, Gregori suspected he’d have a lot of free time on his hands. If he couldn’t spend it directly wooing Salem, then this was really the next best thing.