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He dropped her hands. If Jason had done that on a date, he would have held them a little longer, searching for his mysterious spark. “I get work and clothes. I’m lucky that I don’t end up at dates in scrubs. It’s been a close call several times.”
“Ha. I’m sure. Should we get a drink?”
“Yes. I need one. It’s been a day.”
“Sit down.” She gestured to the chair she’d just heaved herself out of. “I’ll get you something. Preference?”
“Red, please. Pinot, if they’ve got one.”
“Of course. And I’ll get some snacks.” She headed to the bar, then turned around to look back at him. “Be careful of that chair. It will eat you alive.”
“Warning taken. Thanks.”
She returned to their seats, a glass of wine in each hand and an order of fries placed at the bar. His glass clicked against the small table between the seats. She held on to hers as she sat on the couch running perpendicular to his chair. Their knees could touch, if the night was going to go that way. But right now, she kept her knees firmly pointed the other way.
Maybe she was overthinking it. No, she was definitely overthinking it. Concentrating too much on the possibility of three months and bragging rights and what Jason would think of for a romantic, creative date.
She needed to be thinking more about Trevor, the man who was in front of her right now. Though she still didn’t move her knees so they were touching his.
“Why such a terrible day?” she asked, pushing Jason and their bet out of her head.
“Did you hear about the big wreck on the highway?”
“Yeah, but wasn’t that rush hour this morning?”
“Right at the end of my shift, and there were so many people going in to all the area hospitals. I was at the hospital late, helping out. So of course it took me forever to fall asleep, and then I slept too hard.” He took a sip of his wine, holding it in his mouth and clearly appreciating both the flavor and the feel of it.
Then he swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bounced. “I was nearly late for our date. And I was looking forward to it. Being late would have been terrible. A bad ending to a stressful day.”
“Well, I’m glad you weren’t late.” She took a long sip of her own wine, enjoying the way the alcohol slipped down the back of her throat and warmed her all the way down to her stomach. “I was looking forward to the date, too.”
The red bra had lace along the back and a bow in the front. She’d put it on because she had really liked Trevor when they’d met for coffee. He’d been smart and interesting. He was well-educated. He had a job she respected.
But now that they were sitting here, wine in hand, she was wondering what she had been thinking about with the bra. She tried to imagine kissing him and couldn’t get any further in her mind than the lean in.
Probably because she didn’t know him well enough. Jason and his stupid spark was messing with her brain.
“What’s your schedule like? If that accident was early this morning, then do you always work the night shift?” Would she want to date someone who only ever worked the night shift? Would they ever see each other? Could that go anywhere?
Marsie Penny, you are overthinking this.
“No. We work rotating schedules. So I’m not always on nights.” His wine swished around his glass as he shrugged. “But I do work nights and weekends frequently. Holidays, too. It’s the life of an ER doc. It makes dating hard and the nurses more attractive than they should be.”
“So ER wasn’t a joke?”
“Not in that regard. It’s the schedule and the adrenaline that get you, even when you know that getting your bread where you get your butter isn’t smart.”
She laughed. “That’s an interesting phrase.”
“It was my grandma’s. Sound advice.” He took another sip of wine and eyed her over the edge. “Not that I’m the type of guy to ogle nurses. Just in case you’re wondering and that would be a strike against me.”
She waved him off. “We’re too early for me to worry about that. You can reassure me later, if needed.”
“Oh—” he raised a brow “—is that so?”
