A Surgeon to Heal Her Heart

“What do you want from me, Carly?”

She lowered her forehead to his and shrugged. “I don’t know. Sex would complicate things and I’m not ready for that complication. I’m sorry.”

He moved his hands up her back, caressing her. “It’s okay. I don’t want you to have regrets.”

Her forehead still pressed against his, she closed her eyes. “I’m going to have regrets, Stone. When I go to bed tonight and am alone and this plays through my mind, I will regret lots of things.”

* * *

“You’re Little Miss Perky today.”

Carly smiled at Rosalyn, then shrugged. “Just glad to be alive.”

“Uh-huh. A certain handsome surgeon wouldn’t have anything to do with that gladness, would he?”

Carly shrugged again. Despite how wonderful Stone had been the past week, she didn’t feel comfortable talking about him at work.

Probably because part of her didn’t believe he would stick around when her life was so crazy.

Her life was crazy. Crazier than normal.

Because she was getting even less sleep than her normal limited quantity.

Because normally she came home and spent time with her mother, and when her mother wasn’t awake, she was working on insurance claims. Every night for the past week, she’d spent two to three hours eating and playing with Stone.

Playing games.

Because every night he brought a new game for them to play.

Silly children’s games that had them laughing.

Last night he’d brought Old Maid playing cards. Old Maid.

Was that what she was going to some day be? Had he been hinting to her to hurry up and invite him into her bedroom?

Not that they hadn’t kissed in her living room, and kitchen, her front porch, and in her driveway when she’d walked him out to his car the night before.

What did all those kisses mean? That they were friends who kissed?

The man consumed her every waking thought. And a whole lot of her sleeping ones.

Not that she had much opportunity for those.

Nor would she be catching up any time soon. She was behind on the number of insurance claims she needed to have processed. Way behind. If she didn’t get with it, she’d have to dig into her tiny rainy-day fund to pay Joyce’s salary.

She had to get with it.

Tonight, she’d send him home early.

It would be easier to tell him not to come, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that.

Not when it would mean not seeing him, talking to him, sharing their day happenings, touching him, kissing him. Yeah, she wasn’t strong enough to tell him to stay away.

Which was why she’d seen him every night the past week.

She always managed to send him home by ten, but doing so was getting more and more difficult because she didn’t want him to go.

But if he left by ten that give her from ten until two to work on claims. She’d sleep from two until five-thirty when she’d get up to get ready for work, spend a few minutes with her mother, before Joyce got there. On the days Carly didn’t have to be at the hospital, she slept until seven when she’d get up and feed her mother, sponge bathe, dress, and spend time with her, process as many claims as she could, and try to keep from getting distracted by thoughts of Stone.

Not an easy thing to do.

Today was her last day of four days on, then she’d have another three days off. Three days in which she needed to buckle down and get caught up on her claims so her precarious finances wouldn’t collapse.

Fingers snapped in front of her face. “I ask you about Dr. Parker, and you totally go into la-la land. Guess that answers my question.”

Carly smiled at the too-wise-for-her-own-good nurse. “I guess it does.”

Rosalyn’s dark eyes widened. “Yes?”

“We’re just friends.” At Rosalyn’s disbelieving look, she added, “But he is a wonderful man.”

“Just friends.” Rosalyn snorted. “You keep telling yourself that, honey, if it makes you feel better.”

“It does.”

Rosalyn laughed, then sobered. “Has he met your family? Do they like him?”

Carly fought grimacing. She never talked about her family. Not ever. But what would it hurt to admit the truth?

“He met my mother.” See, that wasn’t so difficult. “He charmed her, of course.”

“Of course,” Rosalyn concurred. “His family?”

Not believing that she was opening up to her co-worker, Carly shook her head. “I’ve not met them.”

“Well, like you said, it’s early still.”

Rosalyn’s smile didn’t waver as they shared a look between friends.

Friends. Carly’s heart swelled a little. She’d become so isolated that, although she had people in her life, she couldn’t have said she had friends.