The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

For God’s sake, you’ve saved people’s lives . . . You can get on a freaking roller coaster!

“You sure you’re okay?” Cooper suddenly asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because you’re cutting off the circulation to my hand.”

“Oh, God.” Mortified, I let go of it. “I’m sorry.”

He immediately took hold of it again. “We don’t have to get on it.”

“I should try,” I insisted.

He squeezed my hand, seeming to approve, and we waited in silence as I stewed on my nerves.

Finally the ride finished and customers got out, most laughing and happy, which put me at ease a little. Cooper helped me into the ride and we strapped in.

He chuckled as I triple-checked we were safely locked in tight.

When the coaster started to roll forward, bumping us a little bit, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

Then of course it picked up speed and suddenly it felt like I was flying through the air, rattling down steep hills at super speed and then roaring back upward and looping around and down again and up, ever faster, faster, the sea flashing into view, then the town, then the sky, then the sea again, faster, faster, faster . . .

I was air.

I was free.

I was exhilarated.

By the time the ride came to a stop my cheeks were hurting I was grinning so hard.

Cooper laughed as he helped me out of the car. “I take it you liked that.”

“It was wonderful.” I couldn’t stop grinning.

He chuckled again and took my hand, leading me away.

“Can we do it again?”

“Yeah.” His voice shook with amusement. “Let’s try some other stuff, though. I’m getting the feeling you’ve never been to a fun park.”

“You would be correct.”

Next up he took me to the shooting range, the one Jessica said was a fix.

Since Cooper won me a bear the first go, I was thinking she was wrong.

“Pick what you want,” the bored teenager behind the range said when Cooper told me the prize was mine.

I stared in wonder at all the soft toys. I was well past the age of wanting a soft toy, but I loved spoiling Perry, so I’d send it to her.

That was when I spotted the perfect bear. “That one.”

The bored teenager handed me the purple bear.

Cooper raised an eyebrow, warmth in his eyes.

I laughed. “It’s for my goddaughter, Perry. She loves purple.”

“I see.”

“Thank you,” I said, hugging the bear close. “I will be sure to tell her that a gallant knight won it for me to give to her.”

He snorted. “Glad you’re keeping it real with her, Doc.”

I laughed, not even bothering to pretend to put up a fight when he took my hand again.

This certainly felt like a date, and I was suddenly reminded by his warning the other night, This isn’t over, Doc.

It was wrong and confusing for me that I was so turned on and thrilled by the idea that this sexy man might be pursuing me. I pushed the thoughts out, preferring to bury my head in the sand so I could just enjoy my time with him.

I insisted on buying Cooper an ice cream and I was glad to see he had meant it earlier. He let me pay. We strolled through the park with our cones, the sun growing stronger as the morning wore closer to noon.

“You know, I would never have pegged you as a fun-park kind of guy.”

He was quiet so long I wondered if I’d inadvertently offended him, which seemed strange since Cooper didn’t strike me as the easily offended type.

A few seconds later I was relieved to see my impression had been right when he said, “I have a lot of good memories from here. Spent a lot of time here as a kid. The last time I was here I was about twenty-four.”

“Why did you want to come here today?”

“For you,” he said, completely serious. “I can only imagine what your life is like, Doc—the kind of responsibility you bear every day. Working in a prison infirmary can’t be easy on top of that. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of bad shit in your time. I wanted to take you away from all that for a few hours.”

“Thank you,” I said, the words soft with too much emotion. “I really appreciate it.”

Too much. Much too much.

I wanted to kiss the thoughtful bastard.

“Why medicine?”

I was drawn from my inner turmoil at the abrupt question. “Why did I become a doctor?”

He nodded.

Some of that warmth I’d been feeling shriveled up at the thought of telling him the biggest reason I became a doctor. But I didn’t want all the warmth to go away so I found myself needing to tell him at least a little of the truth. “I guess I wanted to make enough of a difference so that whenever I leave this world, I leave it knowing I was here. Really here. Being a doctor . . . saving someone’s life . . . knowing that that person will forever remember me . . . I know I’ve left a mark. The kind I can be proud of.”

I felt his gaze on my face and looked up at him. The look he gave me made me want to jump him. “Good reason, Doc.”

I smiled because he had this wonderful habit of making me feel great about myself without even trying. I looked away before he could read in my eyes what I was feeling. “What about you? Are you happy with Cooper’s?”

“It’s a simple life—not a noble cause—but I’m good with it.”

I caught on his words “not a noble cause” and found myself wanting to reassure him that I didn’t believe everyone needed to have a noble cause to have a good life or to be a good person. “Since I was eighteen years old I’ve been surrounded by hungry ambition. Because of that I couldn’t see any other way for the longest time. Being a surgical resident only made it worse because it’s a way of life. And yet . . . not even two weeks here and I’m questioning some of those people that I’ve worked with and I wonder if they are as content with their lives as you and Bailey seem to be with yours. Honestly, it makes me a little envious.” od’s sake, you’ve saved people’s lives . . . You can get on a freaking roller coaster!

“You sure you’re okay?” Cooper suddenly asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because you’re cutting off the circulation to my hand.”

“Oh, God.” Mortified, I let go of it. “I’m sorry.”

He immediately took hold of it again. “We don’t have to get on it.”

“I should try,” I insisted.

He squeezed my hand, seeming to approve, and we waited in silence as I stewed on my nerves.

Finally the ride finished and customers got out, most laughing and happy, which put me at ease a little. Cooper helped me into the ride and we strapped in.

He chuckled as I triple-checked we were safely locked in tight.

When the coaster started to roll forward, bumping us a little bit, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

Then of course it picked up speed and suddenly it felt like I was flying through the air, rattling down steep hills at super speed and then roaring back upward and looping around and down again and up, ever faster, faster, the sea flashing into view, then the town, then the sky, then the sea again, faster, faster, faster . . .

I was air.

I was free.

I was exhilarated.

By the time the ride came to a stop my cheeks were hurting I was grinning so hard.

Cooper laughed as he helped me out of the car. “I take it you liked that.”

“It was wonderful.” I couldn’t stop grinning.

He chuckled again and took my hand, leading me away.

“Can we do it again?”

“Yeah.” His voice shook with amusement. “Let’s try some other stuff, though. I’m getting the feeling you’ve never been to a fun park.”

“You would be correct.”

Next up he took me to the shooting range, the one Jessica said was a fix.

Since Cooper won me a bear the first go, I was thinking she was wrong.

“Pick what you want,” the bored teenager behind the range said when Cooper told me the prize was mine.

I stared in wonder at all the soft toys. I was well past the age of wanting a soft toy, but I loved spoiling Perry, so I’d send it to her.

That was when I spotted the perfect bear. “That one.”

The bored teenager handed me the purple bear.

Cooper raised an eyebrow, warmth in his eyes.

I laughed. “It’s for my goddaughter, Perry. She loves purple.”

“I see.”

“Thank you,” I said, hugging the bear close. “I will be sure to tell her that a gallant knight won it for me to give to her.”

He snorted. “Glad you’re keeping it real with her, Doc.”

I laughed, not even bothering to pretend to put up a fight when he took my hand again.

This certainly felt like a date, and I was suddenly reminded by his warning the other night, This isn’t over, Doc.

It was wrong and confusing for me that I was so turned on and thrilled by the idea that this sexy man might be pursuing me. I pushed the thoughts out, preferring to bury my head in the sand so I could just enjoy my time with him.

I insisted on buying Cooper an ice cream and I was glad to see he had meant it earlier. He let me pay. We strolled through the park with our cones, the sun growing stronger as the morning wore closer to noon.

“You know, I would never have pegged you as a fun-park kind of guy.”

He was quiet so long I wondered if I’d inadvertently offended him, which seemed strange since Cooper didn’t strike me as the easily offended type.

A few seconds later I was relieved to see my impression had been right when he said, “I have a lot of good memories from here. Spent a lot of time here as a kid. The last time I was here I was about twenty-four.”

“Why did you want to come here today?”

“For you,” he said, completely serious. “I can only imagine what your life is like, Doc—the kind of responsibility you bear every day. Working in a prison infirmary can’t be easy on top of that. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of bad shit in your time. I wanted to take you away from all that for a few hours.”

“Thank you,” I said, the words soft with too much emotion. “I really appreciate it.”

Too much. Much too much.

I wanted to kiss the thoughtful bastard.

“Why medicine?”

I was drawn from my inner turmoil at the abrupt question. “Why did I become a doctor?”

He nodded.

Some of that warmth I’d been feeling shriveled up at the thought of telling him the biggest reason I became a doctor. But I didn’t want all the warmth to go away so I found myself needing to tell him at least a little of the truth. “I guess I wanted to make enough of a difference so that whenever I leave this world, I leave it knowing I was here. Really here. Being a doctor . . . saving someone’s life . . . knowing that that person will forever remember me . . . I know I’ve left a mark. The kind I can be proud of.”

I felt his gaze on my face and looked up at him. The look he gave me made me want to jump him. “Good reason, Doc.”

I smiled because he had this wonderful habit of making me feel great about myself without even trying. I looked away before he could read in my eyes what I was feeling. “What about you? Are you happy with Cooper’s?”

“It’s a simple life—not a noble cause—but I’m good with it.”

I caught on his words “not a noble cause” and found myself wanting to reassure him that I didn’t believe everyone needed to have a noble cause to have a good life or to be a good person. “Since I was eighteen years old I’ve been surrounded by hungry ambition. Because of that I couldn’t see any other way for the longest time. Being a surgical resident only made it worse because it’s a way of life. And yet . . . not even two weeks here and I’m questioning some of those people that I’ve worked with and I wonder if they are as content with their lives as you and Bailey seem to be with yours. Honestly, it makes me a little envious.”