time of night?”
“I’m covering part of Dr. Jenkins’ shift. I understand an emergency came up,” he said, looking at her with a quiet, yet intense gaze.
“Oh.”
Ravene cleared her throat. “Dr. Stanhope, we haven’t met. I’m Ravene Gillespie, head nurse on this shift,” she said, coming forward and offering Parker her hand.
Sebrina fought back a grin at the way Ravene was acting. She hadn’t seen her friend this taken with a man—other than her husband—since that time actor Jason Momoa arrived at St. Paul General to visit a sick friend. Sebrina clearly recalled several nurses coming close to passing out that day.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nurse Gillespie,” Parker said, giving her a smile that showed his drop-dead-gorgeous dimples. Ravene caught her breath. Sebrina could understand—those were the same dimples she had drooled over when she’d first seen them.
“I need to check on some of Dr. Jenkins’ patients,” he said, pulling several charts from the rack.
He was about to walk off, but then turned back to Sebrina. “I’ll be getting off in the morning about the same time you do. If you don’t have any plans, would you join me for breakfast? I’d like to try out the best breakfast in town.”
“Sure.”
Parker smiled again, then turned to walk down the hall.
“Hmm, sounds like you and Dr. Hottie have a date in the morning.”
Sebrina glanced over at Ravene. She had been so busy watching Parker’s sexy walk that for a minute she’d forgotten her friend was still standing there. “It’s not a date, Ravene, so please don’t get any ideas.”
“I can’t help it. Now that I’ve seen Dr. Hottie in the flesh, I have to admit, he is handsome and fine. He also seems really nice and he didn’t look down his nose at me.”
Sebrina hated to admit it but there were some doctors who did that to the nurses or others they thought were beneath them. “I’m surprised you recovered from your shock of seeing him long enough to notice.”
“Hey, I couldn’t help it. He looks good and you know what I noticed?”
She didn’t really want to know but decided to ask anyway. “What?”
“He likes you. I can tell.”
Sebrina smiled. “Of course, he likes me. I’m his housemate. There is no reason for us not to get alone.”
“No, Sebrina. I mean he really likes you. The sexual tension between the two of you is so thick, you’d need a surgeon’s scalpel to cut through it. Things ought to be pretty darn interesting at your house.”
Sebrina rolled her eyes. “They are not. I told you, I barely see him, and I’m sure he only invited me to breakfast just to be kind.”
“Yeah, right. You know what you were saying earlier about wishing some guy was sweet on you? Well, I think you’ve hit the jackpot.”
Parker glanced at his watch. It was quitting time.
He had enjoyed working the night shift with Sebrina and another doctor named Carla Burns. The three of them had been kept busy, but thankfully, there had only been one emergency to resolve. Other than that, the night had gone smoothly.
Parker liked Ravene—she was highly efficient. But then, he’d found that to be a common attribute among all the nurses he had been blessed to work with over the years. And that was why, when Rosemary Nestor had complained about the nurses at the hospital, he had set her straight.
“Ready?”
The corners of his lips curved into a smile when he turned and saw Sebrina. His gaze took her in, from head to toe. Even in a lab coat, she was beautiful. It had only taken one night of working with her to know what Mr. Miller and her cousin Rae’jean had said was true. She was an exceptional doctor. She had a way with her patients that was seldom seen among doctors of her caliber. And he noticed everyone she worked with treated her with the utmost respect. She never talked down to anyone, no matter who that person was. He’d even witnessed her getting a smile from the night janitor. Parker believed you could tell a lot about a person’s character by the respect they received.
It was quite obvious that like Parker, she loved being a doctor…and was very good at it.
“Yes, I’m ready. I’m also hungry. What about you?” he asked, walking beside her toward the elevator. It was the changing of the shifts and they were getting attention. He didn’t mind, and it seemed she didn’t either.
“I’ve never had what one would consider a hearty appetite,” she