Page 17 of Beach Vibes

“Smartandbeautiful. Lucky me.”

Their server appeared and asked if they wanted something to drink.

Jana ordered a glass of white wine. Rick did the same. When their server had left, he shrugged. “I’m not on call this weekend. I don’t drink when I’m on call.”

Something she hadn’t thought of. He was a surgeon—of course he would have times when he had to be available for emergencies.

“Do you have to deal with the unexpected very often?” she asked.

“Usually just a weekend a month, although if I have a patient in critical condition, I make myself available regardless of my schedule.” He looked at her. “Does it bother you?”

“That you’d have to go deal with a health emergency? No. I think it’s admirable.”

“Good.” He smiled. “Some women don’t like that I can’t always party on demand.”

“First, I’m not a party-on-demand kind of person. Second, when you get called in, lives are on the line. Your patients trust you to be sober.”

“I knew you’d get it.” He placed his hand on hers. “What else should I know about you?”

“I have a daughter. Her name is Linnie, and she’s four.”

Rick brightened. “A kid? That’s great. I bet she’s really sweet.”

“Actually, she’s both precious and precocious. My brother has three kids who are all older than her, so Linnie is forever trying to keep up with them. She wants to grow up, and I want her to never change.” She laughed. “It’s an argument she’s winning.”

“Your face lights up when you talk about her.”

“She’s my world,” she said simply.

“You see your brother a lot?”

“I live with him.” For the first time that evening, Jana felt awkward. “It’s, ah, not a traditional arrangement, but it works for us.”

Rick listened attentively without speaking, leaving her to wonder what he was thinking. Did she sound weird? Pathetic? She told herself she had nothing to be ashamed of and yet found herself adding, “He lost his wife unexpectedly shortly after I found out I was pregnant. Moving in to help him with his kids made the most sense for both of us. When Linnie was born, he helped.”

Honestly, she couldn’t have survived those first few months without him. Visiting her brother and Valonia a few times a year, hanging out with their children, hadn’t prepared her for having a newborn.

“Family matters,” Rick told her. “I have a sister, so I get it. We’ve always been there for each other. Our dad took off when we were really young, and our mom wasn’t exactly maternal.Most of the time, it was just us. You never have to apologize for loving your family.”

She relaxed. “Thank you.”

Their server returned with their wine and asked about their orders.

“We haven’t looked at the menu yet,” Rick said. “Can you give us a minute?”

When they were alone, he raised his glass. “To the best first date ever.”

She laughed. “That’s a lot of faith. Our evening has barely started.”

His gaze locked with hers. “Sometimes you know.”

Deep in her chest, her heart gave a little sigh. Wow. Just wow.

He set down his glass. “What about Linnie’s dad? Where does he fit in all this?”

The inevitable question, Jana thought, momentarily wondering if she should lie and… No, she told herself. She was who she was, and if Rick couldn’t deal with her past, then better to find out now. She’d made mistakes, and she’d learned from them. She wasn’t exactly proud of what she’d done, but she wasn’t ashamed, either. She was simply human.

“He doesn’t,” she said quietly. “Actually, I don’t know who he is. I spent a couple of weeks in Cancun nine months before Linnie was born. There was some partying and different guys. I have no idea which one is her father.” She also didn’t know any of their last names or how to get in touch with them. It had been spring break, and she’d been out to have a good time.

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