Janice Lynn - A Surgeon To Heal Her Heart

“You’re wrong.” She smiled tightly. “There’s nothing I want from you.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Because I’m a horrible liar and usually pride myself on being a person who tells the truth, but with you...

She didn’t want his pity. Or his rejection if he felt the same as Tony had.

“I don’t know,” she replied, not meeting his eyes. “Why don’t you?”

“Because you’re not telling the truth.”

She hadn’t expected him to call her bluff, and her gaze shot to his. “How dare you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s true.”

She lifted her chin in indignation, partly feigned, partly real, at his arrogance. “So your word gets taken as the truth, but not mine?”

“In this case, yes.”

“What an ego you have, Dr. Parker.”

“Stating facts doesn’t make me egotistical.”

Carly put her hands on her hips and glared at him with the sternest look she could muster. Not an easy thing to do when he was grinning at her with his brilliant smile and twinkling eyes.

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

“Just enjoying your company.” His tone was teasing, but the glint in his eyes said he told the truth.

If she were honest, she’d admit she was enjoying his company, too. Which was ridiculous considering what their actual words were. Was she really that desperate for any scrap of his attention?

“I’ve work to do.” She glanced down the hallway and caught Rosalyn and a nurse’s aide watching them.

“Am I interfering with your work, Carly?”

“Yes.” Carly’s head hurt. Or maybe it was her heart.

“How so?”

“You’re distracting me.”

His eyes danced. “You’re admitting you find me distracting? Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”

She bit the inside of her lower lip, then shook her head. “Dr. Parker, I shouldn’t be having lengthy personal conversations while on the clock.”

“Which is why you should go to dinner with me tonight. We could have lengthy personal conversations to our hearts’ content.”

She wanted to. She wanted to say yes, go to dinner with him, and stare into his eyes all evening. Longer.

But, even if she could, how unfair would that be to him? Very. To lead him, or anyone, on was wrong.

She should tell him, should apologize for smiling when he sat with her at break, for laughing at his corny jokes, for looking at him and longing for things outside her grasp.

But she couldn’t find the words, so she hurried away, dodging into a patient room to avoid both the man she could feel watching her and her two co-workers anxiously waiting to question her.

She didn’t think of herself as a woman who ran from her problems. But, at the moment, running from temptation, and the questioning thereof, seemed the best course of action.

CHAPTER THREE

“CAN I HELP you with that?”

Carly peeped at Stone from over the top of the box she carried through the hospital corridor. He’d changed out of his navy scrubs into his own clothes, black trousers and a green polo shirt that perfectly matched the color of his eyes. She fought sighing in appreciation. The man should be in movies, not a hospital operating room.

“I’ve got it,” she assured him. “Thanks anyway.”

Ignore him and maybe he’ll go away. Not likely, but maybe.

“That box is bigger than you are.”

The sturdy box was more bulky than heavy. Inside were expired medical supplies the hospital couldn’t use. Carly had gotten clearance from upper management to take the expired supplies home with her. No one at the hospital knew about her mother, but they did know she sat with someone on her days off work.

There might not be a thing she could use. But Carly would go through the box, pull out what she could use, and take the rest to a free health clinic for the uninsured that could hopefully make use of the items.

“You look like it’s all you can do to keep steady. Quit being stubborn and let me help you, Carly,” Stone insisted, his voice sounding off a little.

He had a point. Plus, Carly’s fingers ached from gripping the box so hard and she was curious why his voice wavered. “Fine.”

He took the box from her with an ease indicating it weighed no more than a feather, then beamed as if he’d done something amazingly chivalrous. Whatever had caused the waver, he was all smiles now.

“Lead the way.”

As in to her car.

She didn’t want Stone to see her reliable, but old sedan. Whereas most people didn’t notice the little details in Carly’s life that hinted things might not be fairy tales and roses, that sharp mind of his would question things she didn’t want questioned.

She didn’t want him making her question things.

Pushing the hospital door open and holding it for him, she sighed. “Of all the people who offered to help, it would have to be you.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t like me.”

“I don’t know you well enough to like or dislike you,” she said as she made sure the hospital door completely closed. “I only know you from the hospital and what little interaction we’ve had here.”

“I keep trying to correct that.”

“You want me to know you well enough to dislike you?” She pretended to misunderstand in hopes of redirecting the conversation. Besides, he deserved a little taking down.

Rather than look offended, he laughed. “I’m hoping you’ll swing the other way and like me.”

Fighting a smile, she narrowed her gaze at him. “But you’re admitting there is a distinct possibility I won’t?”

“It’s not been a big problem, but you wouldn’t be the first.” He cut his eyes toward her. “For the record, I’d prefer you like me.”

“Noted,” she said, keeping a step ahead of him as they crossed the employee parking lot.

“Go to dinner with me, Carly.”

He was asking her again. How could something be so unbelievably dreamy and such a nightmare at the same time?

“I can’t.” Part of her wanted to. Part of her wanted to grab her box and run.

Despite how she’d hightailed it from him earlier, she didn’t run from her problems. She dealt with them head on and chin up.

Just as she had with Rosalyn and the nurse’s aide’s teasing questions about Stone.

“Because?” he prompted.

Because she had to relieve Joyce. The retired nurse was wonderful, never complained if Carly worked overtime, but, otherwise, Carly always came straight home.

“Are you involved with a married man?”

Almost tripping, eyes wide, Carly spun toward Stone. “What? Are you crazy? Of course not. What would make you think that?”

His gaze, not so twinkly at the moment, stared into her eyes. “No one knows anything about your private life, yet you say you’re busy.”

She glared for real. “Because I’m not interested in you that means I must be sneaking around with a married man?” She rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself, Dr. Parker.”

He winced. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s what you implied and I don’t appreciate it.” Was that what he’d taken away from the short bits of time they’d spent together? That she was a woman who would mess around with a man who’d vowed himself to another woman?

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant to imply.”

Hanging onto her anger proved difficult when his apology was full of sincerity. Frustrated with herself, she put her hands on her hips. “Then say what you mean.”

He shifted the box. “Regardless of what I say, I upset you.”

“You should take the hint and not say anything, then.”

“What’s the fun in that?”

“What’s the fun in upsetting me?” she tossed back and took off toward her car in a fast walk.