is just a little longer than the forty minutes we had. Then there’s the return flight, actually getting to a restaurant there, ordering, eating. All in all, there just wasn’t time.”
“But a first date in the cafeteria?” He shook his head. “You could’ve given her so much better than that.”
“Did I mention I just ran into her and asked if I could join her? It wasn’t a date.” Not that I would’ve minded if it had been one. I simply would have done what Hunter suggested and taken her someplace nicer.
I might have run out of game but that didn’t mean I was completely clueless. I still had a brain. I just hadn’t had to exercise that part of it for a while.
He tilted his head back and laughed, his giant belly shaking. When his laughter subsided and he’d swiped his fingers below his eyes, he looked like he totally disagreed with my conclusion that I still had a brain.
“I sure hope you have something up your sleeve for when you do take her on a date,” he said as he adjusted his grip and turned back to the water. “If you’re serious about wooing this girl, the cafeteria isn’t going to hit the spot.”
“Wooing?” My eyebrows rose. “Does anyone still use that word?”
“Obviously, I do.” He grinned. “So, do you?”
“Do I what?” I frowned. “Do I use the word wooing?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes toward the clear blue sky like he was praying for patience or help from above. “No, do you have something up your sleeve for when you take her on an actual date?”
“Oh, that.” I sucked my lips into my mouth, letting my head tilt back. “No, I don’t have anything up my sleeve. I’m not even convinced I’ll ask her out on a date.”
“Why not?” His shoulders squared as his line grew taut, but then it slackened again. When he reeled the line in, his hook was empty. “Little bastards. I hate it when that happens.”
Lowering to his haunches to add more bait, he looked up at me with expectation in his eyes. “Don’t think this incident will get you out of having to answer my question. You like this woman, so why not ask her out?”
For a moment, I stared off into the distance instead of replying, watching the blue-gray water shimmer beneath the sun. Eventually, I shrugged one shoulder and gave my head a slight shake.
“I don’t know if I like her. I don’t even really know her.”
“But there’s something there,” he argued. “That much is crystal clear whenever you two are in the same room.”
“I won’t deny that I’m attracted to her,” I admitted because there was no point in even trying to deny it. “That doesn’t mean I should pursue her. We’ve both got a lot on our plates and it’s not like I can’t keep my head on straight just because I think she’s hot.”
“If having a lot on your plate was a reason for people not to date, there would be no one in a relationship anywhere on the face of the planet.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.” I reeled my line in slowly while I spoke. “She has a child and her ex is a dickhead. The child was injured because of the ex. Understandably, all her guards would be up at the moment.”
“So what you’re really saying is that you’re scared?” he asked, disbelief ringing in his tone.
“I’m not scared.” I scoffed, glancing over to give him a pointed look. “This might just not be the right time for either of us.”
“You keep saying that.” He stood up and prepared to cast his line again. “First about going into private practice and now about this.”
“You just agreed with me about not being ready to leave our patients. Until we can figure that out, neither of us are willing to leave the hospital. So it’s not the right time. As for April, her daughter is recovering from an injury that could greatly impact her mobility if it’s not treated. Do you really think she wants to think about dating right now?”
“I doubt she’s ever going to be ready to think about it if no one asks her out, but you might also be right. She has a kid and her ex is crazy. It might just not be worth the hassle.”
“I never said they wouldn’t be worth the hassle.” It really wasn’t the hassle holding me back. “I just don’t see the point in trying to