Rock Bottom (Dawson Family 6)

“He probably doesn’t know,” Rory says, and the bartender brings me my Jack and Coke. “Another nurse was going to go and had to back out like a week ago. I was randomly chosen to go in her place.”

Random means this was all up to chance, and I’m getting the feeling something bigger is at play here.

“Wait, why would Quinn mastermind you coming to Miami?”

“She knows you’ve piqued my interest.”

“Piqued your interest?” Rory repeats. “So she’d want you to come all the way to Miami for someone you’re interested in?”

“She’s always trying to set me up with someone and she knows I like you.”

There I said it. Both to her…and to myself.

“Does that matter, though?” The bartender set some sort of frozen pink drink in front of Rory. “Ohhh that looks good. Thank you!” She takes a sip and looks at me, waiting for an answer.

“Does what matter?”

“If you like me or not. You said you’re not into relationships or whatever. So what does it matter if you like me or not?”

“Because I’d like to take you out.”

Rory takes a sip of her drink. “I’m confused. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to give me a chance.”

She takes another drink, brows pushing together. “I’m gonna be honest here. My last boyfriend broke up with me because he decided I wasn’t worthy of committing to. So, sorry if I’m a little leery.”

We’re all damaged.

“No need to apologize. And let’s start slow. Have a drink with me?” I hold up my Jack and Coke.

“Sure. Can we move into the sun first? I almost forgot what warmth feels like.”

I laugh and get out my wallet, paying for both our drinks despite Rory’s protests, and take our drinks onto the patio by the pool.

“Why don’t we live here?” Rory leans on the railing and looks out at the ocean.

“We like torture?”

“I think so. I never thought I’d be able to leave Silver Ridge because the thought of leaving my family was scary. But then I took the job in Eastwood and I regret not getting out of that town sooner.”

“Why did you want to get out of town?”

She takes a slow drink and looks up at me. I’m having a hard time not checking out her ass, which is bent up in the air a bit from her leaning over. She really doesn’t have a clue just how banging her body is, and it makes me all the more attracted to her.

“This might shock you,” she says sarcastically, “but I wasn’t one of the popular girls in school, and the mean girls never lost their, well, mean girl mentality.”

“How were you not popular?” I ask.

“Let me guess: you were?”

I shrug. “I guess so. I was on the football team and—”

“That’s all you have to say.” She looks back out at the ocean again. “I liked nonconventional things, so I didn’t fit in, but I think the fact that I didn’t want to fit in bothered the bullies the most.”

“You were bullied?” High school was years ago, but the thought of someone bullying Rory makes me angry.

“Yeah. Amber McMillan was the crux of it, and she still lives in Silver Ridge and is just perfect. Don’t worry, I’m not carrying around ten-plus years of baggage, but it’s nice being in a new town where people don’t refer to me as Weird Rory.”

I playfully nudge her. “What if I like Weird Rory?”

“Then I would think you’re much cooler than I gave you credit for.”

“We’re all weird. How much you show it depends on how comfortable you are in your own skin. Amber McWhat’s-her-face was probably jealous you were able to be you.”

“My mom says the same thing,” Rory laughs. “But yeah…I can’t imagine not being me.”

“Like I said, you made an impression on me.”

“No, Blaire did,” she says seriously and we both laugh. A few minutes pass by before either of us speak again, but the silence isn’t awkward. It’s peaceful.

“Can I take you out?” I ask her. “Tomorrow.”

She smiles. “I have panels to sit in on, but I’ll be free around five.”

“It’s a date then.”

Her smiles grows. “What are you going to do all day? You’re not going to pretend to be Dr. Jones and lead a discussion on surgical techniques, are you?”

“I wasn’t, but that sounds fun now.”

She laughs and stirs her drink with the straw.

“I’ll probably do nothing,” I tell her.

“That sounds nice.”

My brows furrow. “Maybe. I haven’t done nothing in…in a while.”

Rory twists her body toward mind, eyes meeting mine. “Because of work?”

I lower my gaze, wrestling with the words inside. “Partially, but also because…” I look up, breath hitching when I meet her beautiful eyes again. “My wife cheated on me and I walked in on her with another man. After the divorce, doing nothing was when I’d remember how fucked-up my life was.”