Page 38 of Dark Princess: Shadows

Gertrude preferred to have her fun away from where she lived.

It used to be that clan females hunted for one-night stands in bars, but in recent years the internet, with its endless parade of dating apps, was the way to go. It was even less personal than meeting a guy in a club, but that was how it was done these days.

As if sensing her scrutiny, Rob turned, his face lighting up with a smile that did funny things to her insides. "I brought you coffee." He held up the tray. Then uncertainty crept into his expression. "I hope that's okay. Are you allowed to have coffee on the job?"

He looked like a shy boy trying to do something nice for the girl he liked, and the wall Gertrude tried to keep up around her heart crumbled a little. "Yes, I'm allowed to have coffee, and I'm also allowed to take breaks." She glanced toward Bridget's office, where the doctor sat working at her desk with the door open as usual. "Dr. Bridget, I'm done with both patients. Can I take my break now?"

"Of course," Bridget replied without looking up from her computer. "Enjoy your break."

Gertrude turned to Brandon. "Can I get you something from the café?"

"No, thank you. I'm meeting Kalugal there later, so I'll grab something then."

She didn't have to ask Ell-rom because his vegan meals were being delivered to the clinic now, and she knew he had eaten lunch already.

Rob said goodbye to Brandon, and as they stepped outside, he cast her an apologetic look. "I didn't bring you anything to eat. I assumed that coffee would be fine, but I wasn't sure about food in a hospital setting."

"It's fine." Gertrude placed her hand on his arm, then quickly withdrew it. Professional. She could be friendly but needed to stay professional. "We can get sandwiches from the vending machine. It'll save us the time of standing in line at the counter."

"Great idea."

After selecting sandwiches from the machine, they found a table and sat down.

"I've met William." Rob unwrapped his sandwich. "His lab is like a fortress and a factory all in one. The place is insane. It looks like every person in the clan is working down there."

Gertrude smiled at his enthusiasm. "Not everyone, but many. William is constantly recruiting. He's convinced several people to study mechanical engineering and software development. Some of those working at his lab are still students."

Rob nodded. "I can see how such a limited pool of people might hamper his hiring progress. Maybe that's why they are working on robots, not that robots can do what people can. They can be good for menial jobs, and artificial intelligence is advancing at a frightening rate, but I still believe that humans are much better at generating fresh ideas. They can literarily think outside the box, while AI is limited to what's inside the box." He tilted his head. "Do you get what I mean?"

"I think so."

He grinned. "It's such a pleasure to talk with an intelligent person." Rob launched into a detailed explanation about some interface that went mostly over her head, but his passion was infectious. His hands moved animatedly as he spoke, his eyes bright with excitement.

Gertrude couldn't help but smile when his face lit up while he described particularly interesting aspects of technology, or when his voice rose slightly when he got to something that really impressed him. It was endearing, and dangerous territory for her thoughts to wander into.

"Sorry," he said suddenly, cutting himself off mid-sentence. "I'm probably boring you with all the technical details."

"Not at all," Gertrude assured him, and it wasn't entirely a lie. While she might not understand everything he had been talking about, his enthusiasm made it interesting. "It's nice to see someone so passionate about their work."

Rob ducked his head. "My former fiancée accused me of being unable to talk about anything other than my work, and she wasn't wrong. I tend to get carried away."

Gertrude had heard about Rob's canceled wedding and the betrayal he'd experienced.

"We are all like that. I used to freak people out talking about the things I did in nursing school and later when I worked for a human doctor to improve my skills. I loved describing the open wounds and the puss I cleaned—" His horrified expression stopped her, and she laughed. "Yeah, that face you just made is what usually happened, so I learned to only talk shop with other medical practitioners."

Looking slightly green, Rob let out a breath. "You should teach me that trick. I need something to talk about that inspires me, but that is easy for everyone to understand. Any suggestions?"

Gertrude laughed again. "That's why men talk about sports. Religion and politics are a no-no in polite company so that leaves sports, food, and kids, if you are lucky enough to have them."

26

KIAN

Kian had managed to go over two more contracts when another knock sounded on the door.

Onegus was right on time for their meeting.

"Chief," Kian greeted him, rising to his feet. "Perfect timing." He reached into his drawer and pulled out his box of cigarillos. "I've been waiting for you to get here to go on the roof and indulge in a smoke. You don't mind, right?" He pulled a small bottle of fine whiskey from another drawer and put it in the pocket of his jacket. Two shot glasses went into the other.