Page 3 of Beach Vibes

But more significantly, she just couldn’t take the risk. Since having Linnie, she’d tried hard to be careful. Sensible, even. Andher last relationship had been so unbelievably bad, she’d vowed no men ever for at least a decade.

He gave her a sweet, sad smile that made her feel like she was making a horrible mistake.

“We work in the same building, so we’re bound to run into each other,” he continued, his expression earnest. “I don’t want you to feel awkward. So I’m here to say I won’t ask you out again.” The smile widened a little. “But I might still tell you a joke or two.”

“I’d love that,” she said, trying to ignore the guilt and regret filling her.

If she was going to break her rule, this would be the guy to make her do it. She liked him. He was funny, sweet and kind. She liked how she felt when he was around. But she was stronger than his appeal. She had to be. Woman power and all that.

“Did I do it wrong?” he asked, meeting her gaze. “The way I suggested we go out. I’m only asking because I’m not good at this kind of thing.” He offered her a faint smile. “I was the smartest kid in class, and you know how that goes. Then in college, I was on a scholarship, so I spent all my time studying. After that, medical school and residency. The fellowship. I never got a chance to, you know, develop those skills.”

She was slime, she thought, coming to her feet. Mean-spirited girl slime. Worse, she was weakening. How was she supposed to resist all that?

“No, Rick. You were fine. I’m just not in a place where I’m comfortable dating anyone.” She offered a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with you. I hate to use the cliché, but in this case, it really is me, not you.”

“Yeah? Did you want to reconsider? We could go on a picnic and alpaca lunch.”

Despite her regret and determination, she laughed.

He held up a hand. “Kidding, by the way. Not asking you out again.”

This was hard, she thought, wishing there was a third choice, but it seemed dating or not dating were the only two. If only he wasn’t so…perfect. She’d always assumed surgeons were arrogant and cold, but he wasn’t either.

They’d met by chance at the downstairs coffee place in their shared medical building. She’d placed her order, then had reached for her wallet, but it wasn’t in her bag. Embarrassed, she’d started to cancel her order, only to have Rick—standing in line behind her—offer to pay. The clerk had taken his credit card before she could say no.

She’d found her wallet in the passenger wheel well of her car, where it had obviously slipped onto the floor. She’d carried ten dollars with her for two weeks, hoping she would see him so she could pay him back. When she had, he’d asked her to dinner, and she’d refused. But they’d kept running into each other and had even had a quick coffee a time or two. The more she got to know him, the more she liked him. If things had been different, she would have said yes in a heartbeat.

“I had a bad experience,” she told him. “I’m still in the feeling burned stage. That’s why I don’t want to date right now.”

“Whatever he did, he was a fool,” Rick told her earnestly. “No guy with half a brain would walk away from you.”

He hadn’t walked, Jana thought grimly. She’d dumped him after he’d slapped her daughter. Four-year-old Linnie had quickly forgotten the moment, but Jana was still living with the guilt of picking such a jerk, and she hadn’t been on a date since.

Rick took a step back. “I’ll get out of your way. I know you’re busy.” He turned away, then spun back. “It’s just there’s something about you. It’s like you glow from the inside.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”

Then he was gone.

Jana sat back down, prepared to deal with the next insurance problem on her desk. She was the medical billing clerk for a large derm practice, and patients were forever having issueswith their coverage. But her brain seemed unable to focus on her computer screen, and all she could hear was Rick saying, “You glow.”

Had a man ever thought that about her before? Her last boyfriend, in addition to slapping her daughter, had seemed to be forever putting her down in little ways she hadn’t noticed until she’d ended things. He would never have thought she glowed.

Rick was an age-appropriate, handsome, single guy who happened to be a gifted surgeon. He was sweet, funny and sincere, and he was obviously very interested in her. Did she think she could do better? Yes, her life was complicated, but honestly, was she really going to let him walk away?

She jumped out of her chair and raced down the hall. She spotted him waiting by the elevator. It was his day for office visits, because he was in dark pants, a tailored shirt and a tie. She’d never dated anyone who wore a tie before. She wasn’t sure she’d ever dated anyone who owned one.

The elevator doors opened, and he started to step inside.

“Rick! Wait!”

He turned and saw her. In that second, his entire face lit up.

She hurried to him. “If you still want to go out with me, I’d like that.”

“Yeah? You’ll have dinner with me?”

She laughed. “Yes.”

He pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number? Is that asking too much?”

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