“That TechGiants place, right?”
“Wow, you remembered.”
He shrugged. “I’m a doctor, I’m supposed to be able to remember a few things.”
I giggled. “I think you need to remember more than a few things.”
He chuckled. “Maybe a little more than a few.”
His green eyes sparkled as I reached for my wine glass. “How was your day today? Pretty busy at the hospital?”
His cheeks puffed out with a sigh as he reached for a piece of bread in the middle of the table. “Things are always busy at the hospital. But I consider it a good day when it’s not all hands-on deck in the E.R.”
“Like with big pile-ups and things?”
“Exactly.”
I sipped my drink. “Huh. I figured that kind of stuff was only for television’s sake. But it would make sense that it would happen in real life.”
He smoothed some butter onto his bread. “Do accountants find a life of crime in the numbers they crunch all the time? Because that’s what I see on T.V. during my cop procedurals.”
“Oh, oh! I love those kinds of shows. Do you watch NCIS?”
He scoffed playfully. “Do I watch NCIS? That was my gateway show.”
“Gibbs is fantastic. His character arc over these last few seasons has been insane.”
“And necessary. I honestly think they’re gearing up for a spin-off.”
I groaned. “No, don’t say that. So many other people are saying that.”
“Well, if it’s true, you could get a show with just Gibbs.”
I grinned. “Actually, now that doesn’t sound too bad.”
We started laughing at the table and it felt so… normal. And I should have enjoyed things that way. A dose of normal was what I needed in my life. It was what I needed in order to pull away from JoJo and the conundrum he had created in my life. But the more Michael and I talked, the more I yearned for that normal.
And I hated myself for it.
I mean, he was an amazing guy, from what I could tell. He wasn’t pushy, or bossy. He didn’t call me names or expect crazy amounts of… whatever from me. In some ways, I envisioned settling down to a bland life with a cookie-cutter home with the guy in front of me. You know, two kids—a boy and a girl—him going off to work at the hospital while I did some part-time work from home after both of the kids were in school. I saw it, and part of me enjoyed it.
But it was only a small part of me.
“Rebecca?”
I cleared my throat. “My apologies, something with work caught my attention.”
He chuckled. “Do numbers run through your head all the time like my diagnoses do?”
I furrowed my brow. “Do you second-guess yourself after work when you should be sleeping or eating?”
“All the time. You?”
I rolled my eyes. “More than I care to admit.”
He smiled and laid his hand out on top of the table for me to take. “Well, at least you aren’t alone in how your brain works.”
My eyes dropped to his offering, but I knew I couldn’t take it. He was so kind, and his presence was so comforting. Yet, all I continued to do was compare him to JoJo. Yes, Joseph was an asshole. Yes, he had a lot of growing to do. Yes, he had compartmentalized a great deal of shit that changed him at his core that he needed to unpack. But, deep down, I knew the playful, romantic, caring JoJo I saw back in high school still existed.
