Page 10 of Mine to Share

“Didn’t you say you moved here?” I said once I could talk.

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Hey there, Dr. Evans.” I twisted in my seat, smiling up at the young officer who’d stepped up to our table. “Good to see you out with the living tonight instead of being stuck in the morgue.”

If this date had been going well, that statement would’ve made me cringe. But as it stood, I was grateful and didn’t give two shits that the officer had just outed me.

“Yeah, well.” I shrugged. “Can’t let you guys have all the fun, and I’m not the dead one unable to go out and live life.”

“Just those you spend your days with?” He chuckled with a genuine smile that made his icy blue eyes sparkle.

“What the hell is he talking about?” Tyler asked.Oh shit, forgot he was here.“What does he mean ‘out with the living’ and ‘the morgue’?”

The officer’s smile fell as he turned to my so-called date. “Meaning she’s the queen of the dead, man. If there was foul play involved, this amazing woman will figure it out. She’s the best medical examiner ever to come through Santa Coasta—hell, maybe the entire state of California.”

I almost preened at the officer’s words until I noticed all the blood had suddenly drained from Tyler’s face. I scooted to the edge of the stool, prepared to catch him if he passed out.

I am totally “not it” for administering CPR if he falls off the barstool and hits his head.

“You said you were a doctor,” he accused, eyes narrowed in my direction as he slowly inched back, putting more distance between us, as if that would change the reality of my job.

A job that he, and most people, were repulsed by but I liked, thank you very much. Even if others saw it as disturbing. I didn’t. I gave a voice to the dead, helped grieving family members find closure, put bad guys away because of things I found.

So, screw this Excel-obsessed jackass for making me feel anything but proud of my career choice.

“Iama doctor. I have the medical degree to prove it.”

His trembling fingers rose to hover in front of his face. “Oh fuck. I touched you.” His eyes were now the size of saucers. It would be funny if it weren’t insulting.

My abrasive snort snagged his attention back to me instead of the hand he was certain would melt off because it pressed against my skin. This man was the most ridiculous person I’d ever met. “You can’t catch death, you idiot. Plus, I washed my hands before leaving work.” Teeth sunk into my lower lip, I searched the ceiling as if trying to remember. “At least I think I did.”

“Oh fuck no. I’m out of here.” With a scathing glare, he hopped off the stool and shoved his way toward the front door, not caring who he pushed out of his way in his desperate attempt to leave my orbit.

Just like that, my first date in almost two years walked out of the bar.

And I wasn’t sad about it.

Slowly, the rolling laughter and loud voices filtered in, reminding me that I was in the middle of a packed bar. Embarrassment heated my cheeks. Hopefully, no one but the officer still hovering close by noticed me getting left in the middle of a date.

“Sorry I just ruined your night,” he offered, kind enough to glance away as my embarrassment mounted.

Reaching up, I patted his shoulder, loving that he didn’t instinctually flinch away from my touch. “You actually made it better. Want to stick around and have a drink with me?”

His eyes widened ever so slightly. “Um, no. Can’t.”

“Right.” I waved him off with a lopsided smile. “I’m sure you’re here meeting friends or something. Don’t worry about me. Go have fun. Live life to the fullest and all that. Enjoy your youth.”

His laugh carried over the other sounds of the loud bar. “Enjoy my youth? Who says that?”

“Me, apparently,” I grumbled. “Please go before I say anything else embarrassing that will confirm I belong with the dead more than I do the living.”

“Jenson, what the hell are you doing bothering the good doctor here?” A familiar female detective bumped her slim shoulder against the officer’s. “Did you really run off her date?”

“He saved me from my date,” I corrected while flagging down our server and ordering another beer.

The detective’s dark brown eyes narrowed. “Why did you need saving? What did he do, Dr. Evans? I can arrest—”

“Nothing besides being an arrogant, self-centered asshole.”

---