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In fact, given her past, it was probably better for her to stay alone anyway Growing up with virtually nothing in the poorest part of Port of Spain, Trinidad, had taught her self-reliance and self-sacrifice There had only been so ot
Carh, responsible, independent woman Prudent She didn’t need a man to make her life happy And if she was lonely sometimes—well, that was the price she paid for safety and security Lord knew she couldn’t rely on anyone else to give her anything
Only problem was, she needed a favor From Zac
She bit her lip and watched hih her lashes as she finished her documentation
The guy was tes that drove her nuts about him were the very reasons he was the perfect choice for her needs He had a reputation as a player Which -term, serious relationships But he sure fit the bill for Mr Fix-It-Right-Now
“Hey, Zac,” said Priya Shaw, co out of another delivery room down the hall, and Carmen tensed
Priya was a felloife and friend She also happened to be Carest rival for the supervisor position at a new state-of-the-art birthing clinic in California The job paid that her current salary was here at Anchorage Mercy, and the extra funds would go a long way toward getting her ailing mother into an assisted-care facility for dementia patients and also help offset the tuition fees for her sister’s university education
“Hey, P,” said Zac, but his focus remained on Carmen
He leaned an elbow on the counter beside her and his scent—soap and fabric softenerher senses andher far more aware of the man than she liked
“Tell Lance I’ll call him later about this weekend,” Zac said to Priya
“Will do,” she called back, tucking her long dark hair behind her ear as she picked up a chart and headed into a delivery room
Priya was engaged to Zac’s best friend, local firefighter Lance Marranto—a fact that only made the favor Carmen needed more complicated But she’d find a way to deal with it because she was a survivor
First, though, she needed to finish this chart
Car Her norue Teena’s long delivery had burned through what little energy she’d had left, considering she’d already been up late with herin for the delivery
Ma faster recently, and the poor thing had a hard ti she was in Alaska now, and not back hoht before last she’d wanted to go outside in her nightgown and walk along the beach,Carmen had been up constantly to stop her It was only early spring, and the wilds on the outskirts of Anchorage were hardly a place for a sixty-five-year-old woht
Thankfully, Carmen’s shift was almost done now All she wanted to do was hand over Teena’s care to the nurses on duty and go ho nap Clara was on Mama-watch duty until tomorrow
She yawned before she could stop herself
“Long day?” Zac asked
His stupid di him look far too adorable Not that she noticed Nope Not at all
“Long night too Fifteen-hour labor” Carmen stretched her ar” She shuffled her sore feet, then closed the chart she’d completed and shoved it aside “Why?”
“We just brought a patient into the ER and I’ve got a few rab a coffee Looks like you need one If you drive home now, you’ll fall asleep at the wheel”
He sht in the feels No man should be allowed to be that handsome Seriously The navy blue fabric of his paralow hts, and the hlight his pure race
“Does that kind of pick-up line ell for you?” Car herself that Zac was off-limits, firmly in the friend zone And that here he needed to stay if her plan was going to work “Telling women hoful they look?”
“C’mon,” he teased “You know you want some caffeine”
She wanted to refuse, but he was right, darn it Plus, she needed to ask hiood a time as any
“Fine One coffee Let’s go”
He chuckled “You’re cute when you’re cranky”
She nudged hi on the shiny linoleum floor While they waited her pulse kicked up a notch Not because of his hotness—not entirely, anyway No, it was nerves She hated asking people for help Especially when it was for a probleht upon herself