AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I like to think I don’t need reassurance. Or that I don’t date the type of man who would need to give me any.” Jason wouldn’t feel the need to give any. Maybe that was his thing about spark—once he’d decided on it, he would stick to it. And the woman who caught his spark would know she had it, and know it was a fire that wouldn’t burn out.
Trevor’s eyes were clearly more interested than they had been, even when he’d admired her looks. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the coziness of the bar. Whatever it was, she’d walked into a line of questioning that she wasn’t comfortable with. Not yet. Not with Trevor.
“Did you always want to be an ER doc?” she asked, to quickly change the subject.
She could tell that he noticed and thought about saying something, but decided against it. “No. I had surgery in mind. More prestige, you know.”
“I know all about searching for prestige,” she said with a nod. “I’ve done the same.”
With more sips of wine and the addition of truffle fries, Marsie and Trevor settled in to an easy conversation about their career paths. When his phone rang, she realized that an hour had passed like a blink of an eye.
And she still didn’t want to kiss him.
She couldn’t put her finger on why, especially because she could put all ten of her fingers on reasons she should want to kiss him—and have reasons left over.
“It’s the hospital,” Trevor said. “I’m sorry for the interruption, but I really need to take this.”
“Of course,” she said, moving her knees out of the way so he could stand up. As he walked to the front door, she realized she’d been carefully moving her knees out of the way so he didn’t brush against them.
“Dammit,” she said under her breath as he passed through the curtains and out the door to take his call. “He’s even courteous enough to step outside for the phone call.”
Maybe, if she was lucky, he was feeling the same way about her and there wouldn’t be an awkward dodge of his mouth when he walked her to her car.
She dug around in her purse for the phone, surprised to see that she had a series of five text messages from Beck.
Neil’s moving out
Tonight, apparently
He’s not even packing. He says he’ll come back for the stuff he wants when I’m not here
But he must have been planning it for weeks. Has an apartment lined up and everything
I’m not ready for this
Shit. Trevor came back through the curtains, shaking his head. He stopped when he looked at her. “You look almost like someone punched you in the gut. Something wrong?”
“My best friend texted me. Her husband is moving out.”
“Is it a surprise?”
“Not that it’s happening. That’s been coming for a while. That he’s moving out tonight, yes.”
“Do you need to go?” Trevor hadn’t sat down. Both their wineglasses were on the small table between their two seats, mostly empty. The fries were gone. The date was either over, or they were going to settle in for longer.
Marsie looked down at her phone. I’m not ready for this rang with desperation and pain. “Yes. I think so. I don’t think she should be alone.”
“Go, then.” He held out his hand. When she put her hand in his, he pulled her up to her feet. “I’ll cover the wine and food. It’s nice that you’re a good friend.”
“We should do this again.” Despite her hesitation about kissing him, she meant it. Trevor was everything she was looking for in a partner. As she talked with him, she could feel his algorithm score inching to 10. Perfect man, perfect score.
Except when he dropped her hand, she didn’t miss the feel of it on hers. She wouldn’t carry the memory of his skin with her.
Spark. Damn Jason for making her think she needed it. She’d go on a third date with Trevor, and he would still be perfect. A fourth. A fifth. The desire to kiss him would come. It had to. He was too perfect for it not to.
“I’d like that. I’ll send you a text and we can arrange something. Let’s not wait too long.” His smile was warm and affectionate. His eyes were a deep black that women probably thought they could get lost in. Marsie could, too, if she tried.
