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I found my first smile in an hour. “Super thoughtful of her. She’s a good egg. I like her.”
“Yes. And she makes wicked good cookies.”
“You deserve all the cookies,” I said to her. “You guys are the heart of the hospital. Not us doctors.”
She raised her brows. “You guys are the ones that perform the surgeries.”
“You’re the ones who care for patients and comfort their loved ones. What you, Amanda, Peyton, Lizzie, and all the other amazing nurses do is special. You’re special people. I just wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that I love working with you.”
“Linden,” she said quietly.
I waved my hand at her. “Let’s not get emotional. I just—”
My phone pinged, and I riffled through my bag to find it at the bottom. It was an email notification about the following month’s hospital schedule.
I scrolled through it, my annoyance morphing into anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What’s wrong?” Amanda inquired.
“My schedule next month is an absolute nightmare. I have several shifts in a row followed by one day off. Or four days off followed by one shift.”
“That’s obnoxious,” Amanda said.
“Way obnoxious. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.” I rubbed my face. I shoved my phone back in my bag. “I better go shower.” I waved and then headed toward the locker room, munching on my cookie as I went.
Dr. Sawyer was waiting in the hallway when I stepped outside the locker room. “Hi,” he greeted. “Amanda said you were here because the water’s out at your condo?”
“Yeah.” I forced a placid expression. “What’s up?”
He fell in step beside me. “I just wanted to discuss your schedule next month. I know it’s chaotic. I’m really sorry about that.”
My gaze narrowed at his tone. Normally he yelled or berated me. And he never apologized.
“Donaldson had a family emergency and has to fly to Kansas tomorrow. Carter has a conference. And Weaver’s private practice is open now, so he’s only in rotation once a month. I did schedule Chambers and Brenner, but you’re a natural in the ER. I’ve watched you. You never lose your cool, and you don’t get flustered.”
“Oh. Thanks,” I said, wishing he hadn’t noticed.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be working alongside you. It wasn’t fair to ask you to work and not work those shifts too.”
Not only was Dr. Sawyer being pleasant, but he was also being complimentary. It felt unnatural since he was usually barking orders and criticizing me for not moving quickly enough.
“Thanks for explaining,” I said hastily. “Have a good rest of your day.”
I booked it to the elevator, wondering why it felt like he lived by the mantrakeep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Chapter 10
By midafternoon,the water was back on in my condo. The annoyance of the day melted away, and I was left with buzzy anticipation at the thought of seeing Boxer. My skin heated and my stomach flipped when I remembered how it felt to have his lips on mine, to be pressed against his strong, muscular form.
The promise of pleasure blasted through my veins, and I wanted his sweaty, naked body writhing over mine as we both erupted in pleasure. I knew it would be explosive when we were finally able to be together.
I slipped into a ruby–red satin dress that hit above the knee. It was sleeveless with an open back, and I couldn’t wear a bra with it. It was the perfect dress to seduce. It gave away just enough to entice, but also left enough of a mystery to create desire. It would tantalize and drive Boxer mad.
I twirled up my wheat blonde hair to get it out of my way while I did my makeup, something smoky and dramatic with a red lip that would inevitably draw his attention. We were playing a game of cat and mouse, but I was ready to be caught. I wanted him in my bed tonight. He’d been out of the hospital for a few weeks. He was running around with kids, so clearly he was feeling well enough for aerobic activity.
My cell phone rang as I slid the mascara wand through my lashes. Without taking my eyes off my reflection, I pressed a button and put Boxer on speaker.
“Are you on your way?” I asked in flirtatious purr.
