He was about to sit back down at his desk when the phone on his desk went off. He picked it up. “Dr. Stanhope.”
“Dr. Stanhope, this is Dr. Miller. Dr. Jenkins had an emergency come up and can’t work his shift tonight. I know this is last minute, but could you give me at least four hours tonight? Anytime between the hours of eleven and seven? And of course, you’ll have tomorrow off.”
Parker figured he could go home and grab a few hours of sleep before returning. “Sure. How about between three and seven?”
“That’s great. I really appreciate it, Dr. Stanhope.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Parker leaned against his desk. He’d deliberately chosen that particular block of hours because that meant he would be getting off in the morning about the same time as Sebrina. He wanted to see her again. And this would be the perfect opportunity to invite her to breakfast at the café she had taken him to that first day.
Hopefully, she would accept his invitation.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“MR. FLETCHER SEEMS TO be doing better tonight.”
Sebrina glanced up from reviewing a patient’s chart to smile at Ravene Gillespie, the head floor nurse for the night shift. She’d worked with Ravene for the past three years and Sebrina was lucky to have her. They worked well together and Sebrina appreciated that.
It would be nice if all their patients slept through the night without any medical flare-ups, but that was not usually the case. It was often during the wee hours that emergencies happened.
“I’m glad of that, but I’ll check on him anyway,” Sebrina said, placing the chart back in the assigned slot.
“Please do. He’s been asking where you were. I think he’s sweet on you.”
Sebrina chuckled. “I wished some guy was sweet on me, but I’ll pass on an eighty-four-year-old man.”
She saw Ravene glance to her right and then to her left to make sure the two of them were alone, before saying, “You haven’t told me anything about your new housemate.”
Sebrina sighed, wondering how the conversation had moved from someone being sweet on her to the topic of Dr. Parker Stanhope. Ravene and Sebrina shared a personal friendship in addition to their working relationship. She had been in Ravene’s wedding last year and Ravene was the only person she’d confided in that the new doctor at the hospital was her housemate.
“What’s there to tell?” Sebrina asked.
“A lot, from what I’m hearing. Word around the hospital is that he is handsome as sin. I saw a picture of him and will have to concur.”
Sebrina lifted a brow. “A picture of him?”
“Yes. Marla Douglas took a picture of him that first day—without his knowledge—and sent it to some of the nurses.”
“Did you get it?”
“No, it was only sent to the single ones. But my friend Iris showed it to me. He is definitely a hottie. But no one mentioned he was your housemate, so I figured the two of you are keeping your lips sealed on that.”
Sebrina shrugged. “I honestly don’t care. All we are is housemates—really. I just don’t put all my business out there, like some people.”
“Still, I’m wondering how you can share a living space with all that fineness and not be affected by it,” Ravene said grinning.
“That’s easy enough—we barely see each other. He’s gone when I come home and then I leave after he’s gone to bed.” Though she had seen him a couple of nights ago before she’d left for work. She hadn’t been able to get him off her mind since.
“Well, just so you know, rumors are circulating that he and Dr. Nestor are dating.”
Sebrina shrugged again. “Good for them.”
“I’m not saying it’s true. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past Dr. Rosemarie Nestor, knowing her like we all do, that she’s the one who started the rumor just so everyone else would back off,” Ravene said, pulling another patient’s chart out the rack.
“Well, like I said, good for—”
“Hello.”
Sebrina jerked around to find Parker standing there. Had he overheard their conversation? She glanced at Ravene to see if she was wondering the same thing, only to find her friend staring at Parker speechless, as if in total awe.
Deciding to speak up for the both of them, Sebrina said, “Hello, Dr. Stanhope. What are you doing here this 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.”