Page 22 of Forgot to Tell You Something

“Not that it matters, but I don’t date doctors.” I shrug, sliding off the bar stool. “That’s it, the extent of my rules. I’ll be right back. Going to analyze the bathroom for cleanliness.”

Owen nods, giving my hand a squeeze before I walk off, but he seems preoccupied. Distant, all of a sudden.

Shit. Did I say the wrong thing? Before my mind can replay every word in our conversation, I shake off the doldrums.For once, Tallulah, do not read too much into it.

4

Owen

Iwatch that tasty morsel disappear into the crowd, confident that I heard her wrong.

Tally doesn’t date doctors?

“On the house.” Dan sets a refill in front of me, but I can tell by his intense gaze that he wants to havethediscussion.

I get it. He’s friends with Tally and wants to ensure she’s safe. I admire anyone who wants to protect that adorable woman, although I plan to take over the position full-time.

“Appreciate it.”

“Did you tell Tallulah that you came back here last night?”

I nod, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. I know Dan wants to interrogate me, but I have a question of my own. “Can I ask you something?”

Dan nods, filling a glass from the tap. “Yes, she really is that kick-ass of a woman.”

I smile. That much he didn’t need to tell me. “I knew that the second I saw Tally.”

“What’s your story? Tallulah said you just moved here from San Francisco. That’s a big change.”

“I needed a big change. Besides, they offered me a position at Memorial.”

Dan pauses, the pint glass only half-filled. “You work at the hospital?”

“Well, not yet. I start in a couple of weeks.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m an interventional cardiologist.”

“You’re a doctor?”

Okay, buddy. You can pick your jaw up off the floor. Just because I’m inked doesn’t mean I’m a moron. “Don’t look so surprised.”

“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean it that way, but does Tallulah know?”

I do not like his tone with that question. “That I’m a physician? No, it hasn’t come up. I was about to tell her, celebrate my new gig.”

“Shit,” Dan huffs, grasping the edge of the bar.

That’s never a good response. “Let me guess. Tally doesn’t date cardiologists.” It’s a ridiculous statement, one I expect Dan to rebuke.

Only...he doesn’t.

“Tally doesn’t date any doctor.Ever. That’s her one unbreakable, unshakable rule.”

My stomach flips at Dan’s statement. I did hear her correctly.Focus, Owen, there has to be a reasonable explanation.“She’s sworn off all doctors? Forever? That doesn’t make any sense. Nurses date doctors all the time.”

Dan nods, wiping an invisible spot on the bar. Again and again. Apparently, he doesn’t like this conversation any more than I do. “I’m not saying that it’s fair, I’m just telling you the way it is with Tallulah. She had a real traumatic experience dating a doctor several years ago, and now, she won’t touch them with a ten-foot pole.”

---