Page 31 of Slow Burn

“I PLAYED SOCCER with your brother,” Adam reminded her as she ate her pasta. “We graduated the same year.”

Georgia did her best not to roll her eyes.

“Yes, as you’ve mentioned before.” She held back how it was perhaps the twentieth time he had brought up high school.

He had such a beautiful smile, which was a shame since he was such a dud.

“Do you remember when we won states?” Once again, Adam was sharing another story from when he was eighteen. “That was the year I also won homecoming king.”

She hummed for a second. “As you’ve said. Do you like your fish?”

A subtle change of topic that she hoped would stick.

He glanced down at his plate and quickly took a few bites.

“I left Landmere when I was seventeen, and only visited for short periods here and there through college and residency. I love how much the town has progressed. So many new restaurants, and there’s a new art museum I can’t wait to visit. Have you been?”

Yes, the plan was to throw all her dates in Elijah’s face, but it would also be nice if she had a good time. The internal optimist in her hoped she’d made a new friend. Who knew, maybe the dates would turn into something. Perhaps her attraction to a certain firefighter was only because of the chase.

Doubtful, but maybe.

Adam put his fork down after inhaling the last of his entrée. “I haven’t yet. Art isn’t really my thing.”

“Since summer just started, I wonder if they’ll have any concerts? I noticed the old farmhouse off Sunny Way is a venue now.” Georgia wasn’t giving up yet. Art wasn’t for everyone, but music was universal. Right?

“That farmhouse held so many memories for me,” Adam said over his beer. “The summer after high school…”

Georgia sipped her water, bracing herself for yet another story from his adolescence.

“We threw so many parties there. I remember sitting around the campfire out back, drinking Bud Light, and having Marcie Ramison on my lap. Those were the best times. It’s a shame kids won’t get the same experience.”

“Perhaps they would enjoy music in a controlled environment?” Without all the underage consumption, she thought. As a member of the community who promotes health and wellness, she wasn’t frowning over teenagers not getting drunk.

Adam made a face like he bit into a lemon. “I doubt it.”

Alright. She was officially giving up and was ready to read him the riot act, also known as Sophie’s verbiage of giving the brush-off.

Their server came over, picking up their dinner plates. “We have a chocolate mousse special tonight everyone is raving about. Would you like to order this or see the dessert menu?”

“Yes, we’ll have the mousse!” Adam basically shimmied in his seat, way too eager for an after-dinner treat, but maybe ending this farce would be well received after some chocolate.

He reached over the table for her hand. A little hand holding wasn’t the end of the world, but she was drawing the line at a good night kiss. In fact, she was delivering her this isn’t going to work speech once they got dessert.

“I hogged most of the conversation tonight.” He brought up the elephant in the room because, yes, the whole night has been all about him. In high school. “Do you like being a nurse?”

She gave him a soft smile. As a woman in medicine, it wasn’t uncommon to be mistaken for a nurse and not a doctor. Nurses were a backbone, an integral part of patient care, so it made her feel like a pompous ass when she corrected someone.

But in this case, she didn’t care what Adam thought of her.

“Doctor,” she reminded him of her actual job title. “I’ve been at Landmere Medical for a few months now, and I like it.”

“Oh man, I had to get emergency stitches there.”

Okay, so they were going back to the conversation being about him. Thank all things sparkly, her phone rang.

“Would you give me a second?” Georgia asked him while she pulled her phone out of her purse. Perfect timing, it was Anna.

Adam frowned. “I guess. I was going to tell you about the high school football game. It was why I needed stitches.”