Page 5 of Come Back to Me

“Would you like some wine? I have white or red,” Emily asks, holding up two bottles.

“Red, please and thank you,” I answer. I smile at her. I’m immediately comfortable and I think I could get used to the idea of having girlfriends.

After we’ve chatted about the book for an hour, Emily brings out another bottle of wine and some snacks for us while we just hang out. I’ve always been one to love people-watching, so I’m enjoying listening to the conversation and observing the facial expressions of each woman.

I’ve just put a cracker in my mouth and bitten down when one of Emily’s coworkers, Christine, casually says, “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’ve been having sex for thirty-three of my fifty-one years and I’ve never seen a penis I would describe as thick, massive, or magnificent.”

Not able to stop myself from laughing, I inhale a piece of cracker and choke. I take about thirty seconds and several sips of my wine to clear my throat. I’m pretty sure Christine is secretly proud of herself for shocking me into such a laughing fit. These ladies are just what I needed tonight.

CHAPTER 3

ANNIE

God, it’s been a day around here. It’s six forty-five p.m. and these last forty-five minutes of my shift cannot go fast enough.

Cinco de Mayo is just one of those days that ER staff dread, and today has been no exception. It’s just like New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Fourth of July. These days can make a normally rational person somehow think that they can drown themselves in alcohol, act like a fool and forget that bad things can and do happen to good people. Especially when bottomless margaritas are involved.

As I sit pondering the craziness of the day, my spacing-out session is interrupted by, “Hey, beautiful, how’s the love of my life today?”

I look up and smile seeing that, finally, the cavalry has arrived, with Teddy being the first of the twelve-hour night shift crew to trickle in.

“Well,” I reply, “if you’d like me to text your fiancée and ask her for you, I’m more than happy to do that.”

He really is adorable and always has so much energy. I wish I could bottle it and borrow some, because right now I could really use it and I’m regretting that I promised to go out after work.

Teddy winks at me and smiles, leaning forward. “I told you, just say the word and I’ll call it all off and sweep you off your feet. You only have about four more weeks to take me up on it, you know.”

I roll my eyes and flick his arm with the rubber hair tie I have in my pocket just as Joel, one of our physician assistants, walks up to us and angles his upper body over the counter toward me.

I don’t have Joel quite figured out yet. I can tell that he’s probably a good guy, and he’s most definitely easy on the eyes, but he cannot take a hint.

He started asking me out around my third week here and, in the roughly six weeks I’ve been here, he has asked me out no less than five times. This is despite my very clear declaration to him I don’t date people I work with.

As in absolutely not, never again, never ever.

When everything happened with Jason back in Columbus, I created this rule, and it’s one I never intend to break. With Jason, I tried to overcome my trust issues and date, even though we worked at the same place. It blew up in my face and jacked everything up for me. Plus, I really don’t need to be the subject of any work gossip. No, thank you.

Teddy backs up and gives me the side-eye and a smirk that says, “good luck,” as he walks away to get to work. Jackass. He could have at least saved me from a one-on-one conversation with Joel by pretending he needed my help.

“Today’s been so crazy I haven’t gotten time to talk to you,” Joel says. “What’s new with you?”

“Uh… let’s see, besides successfully dodging fists from the drunk sorority girl in room three, and not successfully dodging the vomit from her frat boy boyfriend in room four, not much. You?”

He laughs as he comes around the counter and sits down next to me, seeming to settle in for the long haul. He’ll regret that when he smells the vomit on my shoe, and I secretly take some joy in that.

“Well, funny you should ask. I just put in an offer on a new sailboat, so now I’ll have thatandjet skis. You really have to come out on the lake with me sometime this summer. I’m sure you’ll love it. Maybe Memorial Day?”

Jesus, this guy doesn’t quit. “I’m not really into water activities in a dirty lake,” I say. I fake gag to get my point across. “I’m more of an ocean girl.” I’m also totally lying—I love any water, but Joel doesn’t need to know that.

His face falls a little, but he doesn’t miss a beat. “Okay then. I heard you’re going to O’Riley’s Bar with us tonight to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Do you want to ride with me so you can indulge a little without having to drive?”

I’ve already caught on that this is Joel’s modus operandi—he tries to act like he’s not really asking you out when he is. It’s almost always wrapped in some less threatening packaging like this. But this is not my first rodeo. No, sir.

The chiming of a patient call bell going off interrupts us.

“No thanks, Joel. Its Janie’s birthday and I’m going to be her designated driver so she can celebrate freely.” I stand and walk toward my patient’s room right across from us, more thankful than I’ve ever been to be saved by the patient call bell.

I glance over my shoulder and cut him off as he opens his mouth to reply. “But I’ll see you there,” I say and turn fully around. Then I make my escape into the room and pull the privacy curtain closed.

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