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“You should come with me to the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque this October.”
October.She’d be long gone by then. Gia’s smile faltered. “My contract’s up in six weeks. October feels like a long way off.”
“Maybe you can stay.” Jennie passed her the chart for the next patient. “God knows we need the help.”
She glanced around. “Where’s your hottie escort?”
“He had calls to make.” Gia logged out of the computer. “I think he got tired of being the object of curiosity.”
She quirked an eyebrow at her friend. “And for the record, that’s President Blackwater’s grandson you’re drooling over.”
Jennie snorted. “I’m not the one undressing him with my eyes.”
“I’m not—” Gia sputtered. “We’re not—it’s not like that.” Her face burned hotter than a day at the beach without sunscreen.
Sleep had eluded her, the memory of their kiss replaying in her mind—along with a wish she’d had the courage to take it further.
“Uh huh.” Jennie’s knowing look said it all. “You’re blushing. And I’ve seen the way you check him out when he’s not looking. Plus”—she gave a mock shiver—“I’ve seen the way he stares at you. He’s a sexy, still-waters-run-deep kind of guy. A warrior. Zach must hate him.”
Caught off guard, Gia blinked. “Why would Zach care?”
Not that Jennie was wrong. Tension crackled between the two men.
Jennie’s brows arched nearly to her hairline. “Zach has a thing for you. Surely you’ve noticed.” Her gaze darted away. “Everyone else has.”
Gia’s stomach dropped. “Zach’s a friend. Nothing more.” Had she somehow given him the wrong idea?
Vincente had accused her often enough of flirting if she so much as smiled at another man. She’d learned to suppress herself to keep the peace.
“And Caleb?” Jennie pressed.
She thought again of their kiss. The rush of need that had her wanting more. The feeling of safety she wasn’t sure she could trust.
Restless, she shifted her shoulders. Caleb was a good man. One she didn’t deserve.
“He’s leaving soon.”
Even if he wasn’t, nothing could come of it.
If Vincente found out, Caleb wouldn’t live to regret it.
She’d never have the chance at another relationship until Vincente was out of her life for good.
“What about you?” Concern replaced teasing in Jennie’s eyes—another weight added to Gia’s already heavy shoulders. “There’s talk you might leave. Who were those men who attacked you?”
Guilt pressed on Gia's lungs, making it hard to breathe. She didn’t want to lie to her friend. Only President Blackwater and the clinic’s medical director knew the truth behind her move to Arizona, and that had been a necessity to explain the name discrepancy on her medical license. If they hadn’t been so desperate for a doctor who could start immediately, they probably would have tossed her application in the trash.
The words hovered on her tongue. That it was a random attack. A case of mistaken identity. But she was tired of building relationships on lies. If she left, she didn’t want Jennie’s memories of their friendship sullied by deceit.
Shoving trembling hands into the pockets of her doctor’s coat, she forced herself to say, “They work for my ex. I left without telling him, and let’s just say, he didn’t take it well.”
Jennie’s eyes widened. “Does Zach know?”
“Zach and Caleb both know. They’re helping me figure out what to do.” Gia slid into her doctor persona, offering Jennie a confident smile at odds with her tripping pulse. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
Judging by Jennie’s pinched features, she wasn’t buying it.
Rosenda Golden, one of the other nurses, approached before Jennie could press further. “Doctor Barone, President Blackwater is here.” Her voice brimmed with curiosity. “He’d like to speak with you.”