Page 10 of Happily Ever Never

Chapter 3

May

Round four hundred and thirty-two of my dating experience.

I didn’t know the exact number of first dates I had been on,but that sounded about right.

Brian sat in front of me with a sweet smile as he spokeabout his job. He was a pediatric nurse who worked long hours and lovedchildren.

We had hit it off immediately, given our interests in thedevelopment and well-being of children. We smiled and laughed over our desireto enrich our lives and the lives of the children in our care.

We were careful not to talk directly about those under ourwing, aware of privacy issues, but there were certain stories we could share.Anecdotes that let me know more about Brian.

His dark hair was swept back from his face, slightly grayingat his temples. He had kind, bright blue eyes and a square jaw that lookedstrong.

He was gorgeous, his skin a light brown. He’d told me thathe tanned easily whenever he was in the sun but that he hadn’t done much of theoutdoor thing lately due to the demands of his job.

That might be a con on my list of pros and cons becausedating would be difficult if we never had time to spend with each other, but hewas also starting a new job soon that would cut back on his overtime hours.

“You’re okay with that? I don’t mean to pry.”

He smiled at me. He had such a great smile. And that spark?Oh. I felt it. Or maybe I was trying too hard. Either way, there was something here.Something that hadn’t been there on my previous dates. I’d reallyonly felt something like this once before. But I wasn’t thinking aboutthat. It had been adrenaline and confusion. Not a spark.

“I’m excited about this new phase. I loved the hospital, butit was hard for me to step away when I needed to. With the way they’rerestructuring, it’s going to be great for the children, and now I’m able towork with this new practice. Yes, it’s still long hours, but not so many that Iforget what my bedroom looks like—or not have time to actuallyshow someone else.” His eyes widened, and he spluttered. “I did not meanto sound as creepy as I did just then. I’m so sorry. I’m not saying that I wantyou in my bedroom. Not that I don’t want you in my bedroom. But thisis a first date. And now I’m rambling.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “At least I’m not the onlyone who gets rambly and awkward on first dates.”

“That makes me feel a little better. I’m sorry I put you onthe spot there. Back to the subject. I know this practice well, and I’m happyto start working with them. It also means more time for other people in mylife.” He smiled as he said it, and something in me warmed.

That was another pro. He was kind and excited to have timefor others. Yes, he seemed to put work first, but so did I. Finding the balancewas key, and he looked to be trying. That was a plus.

“Anyway, how did you like the fish? I can’t believe they gotgrouper all the way out here.”

“I know, right? The best I ever had was near Clearwater,Florida. A friend took me to a place on a pier. I don’t remember how we gotthere or what it was called, but I had the best fish tacos there. And everyonekept pointing down, saying they just go out and pluck the things from thewater.”

He smiled. “Considering the size of grouper, I don’t reallyknow if that’s quite accurate.”

“That was exactly my worry. I remember one time when I wasin the Atlanta aquarium—did you know you can go scuba diving in the big sharktank?”

His eyes went wide. “You went scuba diving in the big sharktank?”

I shook my head, laughing. “Not even close. I am certified,but considering we’re in a landlocked state, I don’t use it very often.”

“I’m certified, as well, though I don’t use it that ofteneither, like you said.”

I smiled, thinking that a trip with friends could be fun.But that was far off. We hadn’t even made it to a second date. I needed to stopthinking so hard. “Anyway, my friend went into the tank and said the sharksweren’t hostile. They didn’t even bother them. But the guide said they had tobe careful with the grouper and had a stick of some sort to keep them away fromthe divers. I don’t know if they bite or try to drown you. Either way, italways put me off it.”

“And now, here you are, eating grouper in Denver, Coloradobecause they got fresh fish overnighted.”

“Sounds a little bit like payback to me,” I whispered. “Andnow I feel terrible for even thinking that. I used to be fully vegetarian, butI eat meat on occasion now.”

“I tend to like a good steak. I don’t eat meat every day,though. That’s something I’ve changed over the past few years.”

“Same here. The family I work for is trying, as well. Wehave vegetarian family dinners. Sometimes even vegan.”

“So, you eat with them?”

I held back a wince, wondering how much to reveal. Noteverybody understood what it meant to be a nanny. But he was a pediatric nurse.He should understand. “Sometimes. Though I work for this family solely becauseof the time commitment at the moment, we share thecooking duties depending on how late they work. It just makes sense for us todo that so nobody goes hungry.”