“Anyway, after school, I got a job at a clinic, working with a few GP doctors. That’s where I met Lance.”
Just the mention of his name makes me want to throw something. That guy’s the biggest douche I’ve ever heard about, and I don’t even know him personally. And considering I was in the military with some of the biggest egos on the planet, that’s saying something.
“He worked there?” I find myself asking, needing to hear the whole story.
“No, he did an internship through there. He was in med school, and we just sort of hit it off. Started hanging out after work when he wasn’t busy, and before I knew it, we were in a relationship.” She looks out at the water. “It wasn’t always bad, but it wasn’t always great either. He was always busy, as anyone going through a program like that is, so we didn’t spend as much time together as we both would have liked. Or at least, as much as I wanted.
“So, we’d break up and then get back together a while later. It was an exhausting cycle, but I felt like it would be worth it in the end. But the cycle just kept repeating and repeating.
“He got his residency at North Ridge, and I was going to break up with him. His schedule was insane, as we knew it would be, but then, he asked me to move here. Not with him, mind you, but near him.”
I sit up in my seat and give her my full attention. “What? After, what, six years?”
She nods. “He said he wanted me here, but he was in one of those tiny studio apartments used by the hospital, and he couldn’t add anyone to the agreement. At first, I thought…this was it. He’s actually taking the steps to move our relationship forward. I came here for an interview, thanks to a tip from Allison, and well, you know the rest.”
“That was the weekend we first met,” I say, unable to hide my smile.
She chuckles. “Yeah. The night some guy hit on me in a bar.”
“But you turned him down.”
“I did. I was seeing someone.”
I reach over and take her hand, threading her fingers with mine. It’s the first time we’ve done that, and I can’t help but notice the warmth spreading through my veins. “But you’re not now.”
She looks over and meets my gaze. “Nope. I’m not now.”
The air is charged around us as we continue to watch each other. I’m not certain what she’s thinking, but if it’s anywhere close to what’s going through my mind, it’s positive. Hopeful. And maybe with a touch of naughty mixed in.
“I didn’t mean to word-vomit all our relationship details to you.”
“I’m glad you did,” I reply honestly, glad to know the details. “Can I ask you something?” One of the things she mentioned jumps out at me, and I can’t help but circle back around to it. “When you said you wanted to do the four-year program instead of the two, what did you mean by that? Was there something more you wanted to do?”
Her entire body goes rigid, and her eyes take on a flash of panic, even though she covers it up quickly by glancing away. I hit the nail on the head with my observation, and even though I won’t push her, I hope she feels comfortable enough with me to share whatever it was.
She clears her throat and continues to watch the fishing line slowly move in the water.
That’s when it hits me.
Getting up, I retrieve the bag containing my mom’s sweet treats and pull the baggy of cookies and the container of brownies from within. I pop open the brownies and hand them toward her.
She grins, taking one of the brownies and enjoying a small bite. “Wow, these are as good as the cookies.”
“You mean, the chocolate chip cookie you stole?” I tease, hoping to make her smile again.
“I did no such thing,” she counters before enjoying a second bite. “And if memory serves correctly, you did a little stealing yourself.”
I gape at her, grabbing both a cookie and a brownie. “I thought we were sharing. I just took my half.”
“You almost ate my fingers,” she counters.
Taking my seat, I enjoy a big bite of my cookie first before glancing her way. “It’s not your fingers I enjoy eating, beautiful.”
There.
My comment triggers the blush, which makes my balls heavy and achy.
God, I love it when I say something dirty and she blushes.
