But when he glanced over at Monica, he saw she’d already drifted off to sleep. He tightened his arms around her. The scent of sex surrounded them, and it was a luscious aroma. Tomorrow they would get off the ship to tour a beach.
His parents and sister had called earlier to wish him a happy birthday. He’d also heard from his partners and had thanked everyone for sending him on this cruise. He hadn’t elaborated but told them he was enjoying himself. They had no idea that because of their pushy, but well-meaning gift, he’d found the woman destined to share his life.
Now if he could only convince her of that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Sebrina
PARKER WAS CHECKING THE chart of one of his patients. Marilyn Sheffield had just woken up that morning after being in a coma following an auto accident a week ago. Although she had a long way to go toward total recovery, he was pleased with the good news he’d just given her family. Her husband had practically made the hospital his second home since his wife’s accident.
Parker had felt the love the man had for his wife. He’d sat tirelessly by her bedside, holding her hand while telling her over and over how much he loved her, pleading with her not to leave him and their two young sons. It wasn’t often he got to see a love like that.
Before he left her room just now, she had indicated she was hungry. He smiled. That was always a good sign.
And speaking of hungry...
He checked his watch. It was close to lunch time and he’d brought leftovers. Last night he had made spaghetti and had made sure there had been enough to share with Sebrina. He hadn’t seen her since their outing a couple of days ago.
“How are you, Dr. Stanhope?”
He glanced up when Dr. Rosemary Nestor walked up. He hadn’t seen her for a few days and had overheard one of the nurses saying, in a gleeful tone, that Dr. Nestor’s parents had come to town and she’d taken a few days off, so they could all have a break. Parker thought it was pretty damn sad when a doctor couldn’t get along with the nurses. They should be working together as a team.
“I’m fine, Dr. Nestor. How are you?”
“I’m okay. I’d like to talk to you about something, if you have the time.”
He lifted a brow. “About one of your patients?”
“No.” Then in a low voice, she said, “It’s personal.”
Personal? He wondered if he really wanted to get into this. But he might as well get it over with. Glancing at his watch again, he said, “Sure. We can use my office.”
“Thanks.”
They walked side by side down the long corridor, and he noticed she was more quiet today than usual. Opening the door to his office, he stepped aside for her to go in ahead of him and closed the door behind them. He then offered her a seat before going to sit behind his desk. “So, what is this about?”
She smiled over at him. “I’m not sure if you heard but Dr. Mark Winthrop might be looking for a roommate soon. He and his wife are getting a divorce.”
Parker had met the man when they’d been introduced in last week’s staff meeting. “Why should news of Dr. Winthrop’s divorce interest me? Or the fact he might need a roommate?”
“I honestly thought you were kidding the other day when you said you and Dr. Bennett were housemates.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Why would I do that?”
“I wasn’t aware the two of you even knew each other before you moved to St. Paul.”
He picked up a paper clip and tossed it on his desk. It took everything he possessed to keep this conversation civil, especially now that he had an idea just where it was headed. “I’m sure there are a lot of people I know that you don’t. But I can’t help wondering why it’s a concern of yours?”
“You’re new here and I like you.”
No need to tell her the verdict was still out on whether he liked her. “What does that have to do with where I live?”
“This hospital is notorious for gossip and I’m concerned for you. People talk. And I’m afraid they will assume that you and Dr. Bennett are more than just housemates.”
Parker straightened up in his chair, deciding it was time to set Dr. Rosemary Nestor straight about a few things. “First of all, Dr. Nestor, talk doesn’t bother me because it’s nobody business where I live or who I live with. Dr. Bennett and are I friends. But even if we were more than that, it’s nobody’s business but ours.”
“I’m only thinking of your reputation.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute, and then asked, “So, if I was your housemate, would that still cause talk?”
“Maybe some, but not much. Why should it?”
“Then it sounds to me that this conversation is racially motivated. Is it?”
“Of course not!”
“Then why would it not cause a stir if I was your roommate, but it would if I was Dr. Bennett’s? Think about that for a while.” Coming from around his desk, he went to the door and opened it for her to leave. “I don’t have the time or the inclination to deal with racists. Now if you don’t mind, I want to enjoy my lunch.”
She left in a huff and he closed the door behind her. Going back and sitting down in his chair, he leaned back and closed his eyes to calm his raging anger. He’d bet the only person who had a problem with his living arrangements was Dr. Nestor. If there were others, the hell with them.
Opening his eyes, he stood and walked over to look out the window. He had a feeling Dr. Nestor was going to cause trouble. And that meant he needed to let Sebrina know, so she could be ready for it.
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying the cruise, Monica,” Sebrina said as she talked to her sister while getting ready for work. She had placed the call on speaker while she moved around her bedroom. “What time is it there, anyway?”
“A little past one in the afternoon. We got off the ship for a while when it docked at Arlie Beach. We’ll be in port for three days. It’s beautiful and we had a picnic and we—”
“We? Who are we?”
“Me and Landon.”
“The stalker?”
Monica laughed. “He isn’t a stalker, Bree, so stop saying that.”
“I just find it’s strange that you ran into him again, especially on a cruise ship. The odds are astronomical. What do you know about him?”
“More than I care to share at the moment. All you need to know is that he’s a real nice guy. Yesterday was his birthday and I made it special for him. I had a cake delivered to our dinner table and the dining staff sang to him.”
“Sounds like it was nice.”
“It was. Now, what about our housemate with the Chris Hemsworth body? The one you were getting all hot and bothered about the last time we talked.”
Sebrina rolled her eyes. “I was not hot and bothered. I merely mentioned how good looking he was.”
“Whatever. So how are things working out?”
“Most of the time, we’re like two ships passing in the night. I rarely see him. He’s asleep when I leave for work and I’m gone when he comes home. However, a few days ago we did grab breakfast together, and that night, we went to see that new Marvel movie.”