I blushed. “Well, every time I fantasized about kissing him, I imagined it with the beard there. But when he finally did kiss me in real life, he didn't have the beard, and it just didn't feel right. It felt weird. I had to break up with him.”
Eric burst out laughing. “I just hope Jesus knew how lucky he was to get to kiss you,” he said.
It was my turn to blink and stare at him. Had he really just said what I thought he had said? If Eric thought some guy was lucky enough to kiss me, did that mean that he wanted to kiss me? Or was he just saying that to be polite?
But I could tell, from how embarrassed Eric looked by the words that had slipped past his lips, that he hadn't just said that to be polite.
Suddenly, it seemed as though the whole mood of the evening shifted, with this new awareness that Eric was interested in me in that way. We weren't just friends; he at least thought I was sexy enough to kiss.
Right then and there, I decided that no matter how horrible the play was that night, it was going to be worth it. By the end of the night, I was going to kiss Eric, the handsome doctor, whether he was my mother's physician or not. I wanted to make the most of the night.
I only hoped that he felt the same, but from the way he suddenly reached over and squeezed my hand, I had the feeling that he did.
Chapter Nine
Eric
Sitting through the play was torture, for more than just the poor choreography and the creative liberties that had been taken. I had this sexy woman, in a beautiful, form-flattering dress, sitting next to me the whole night, and I didn't know where I stood with her. But things were looking promising: during the performance, our legs brushed, our knees touching, and Olivia didn't move away. In fact, if anything, she pressed her knee closer to mine so that I could feel the heat radiating between the two of us.
Emboldened by this, I casually let my arm drop around her shoulders. Not only did Olivia allow the touch, but she actively snuggled toward me, her fingers creeping over to rest on my thigh. “This is really bad,” she whispered up to me, and I stifled a laugh.
“I warned you,” I reminded her.
“Which one is your patient again?” she asked a little while later.
“He called me to let me know that he was sick and couldn't make it tonight,” I admitted.
Olivia stared up at me for a moment and then dissolved into quiet giggles, which fortunately were appropriate to what was happening on the stage at the moment. “You mean we're sitting through this for nothing?” she asked.
I shrugged. I hadn't wanted to cancel on her, and even though it might not be ethical to bring her here under false reasons, I couldn't help wanting to spend the evening with her. The real truth of it was that, when pressed, Henry had admitted that he wasn't part of the theater production at all. He'd just given me the tickets in an attempt to do a little matchmaking, because, “You seem so lonely all the time, Dr. Jones.” Typical meddling, small town elders.
Things seemed to be working out all right, though. I'd been surprised by both of us that night. I had wanted this to be a date, but because I hadn't exactly phrased things that way when I'd invited the woman, I hadn't been sure what this really was. Did she think I was just trying to pawn off that second ticket? Did she think I didn't have anyone else to ask? Did she think I felt like I owed her since she was taking care of Emma every day?
From the moment I laid eyes on her, though, I knew that she was thinking along the same lines as me. She had put time and effort into her appearance, and she looked gorgeous. She was beautiful, funny, and enticing, and I wanted to know her better.
And I could tell that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
It was a heady feeling, that tension escalating between the two of us. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, finding myself aroused before we even went to intermission.
At intermission, we filed out into the lobby with everyone else and found a quiet spot in the corner. Olivia and I exchanged a look. “It's worse than I expected,” I admitted. “I never would have dragged you along to it, if I'd known.”
“Do you even
understand what's happening?” Olivia asked. “I don't know if it's just the poorly done accents that I'm having a problem with or if it's the plot itself that's needlessly confusing, but I'm lost.”
“All I've gathered is that everyone seems to be angry with everyone else,” I said.
Olivia laughed. “Yeah, that's the point I'm at too.”
I shook my head. “Do you want to skip out early?” I asked. “Since Henry isn't here tonight anyway, I wouldn't feel bad. We could find someplace quiet to talk.” I wasn't ready for the date to end just yet, but I didn't know if I could sit through another hour or more of this.
“That would be nice,” Olivia agreed warmly. She linked arms with me, and we headed out to the parking lot.
“Where do you want to go?” I asked as we got to the car. “It's already after 7; most places around here are already closed, or about to be.” I frowned. “I think there's still a 24-hour diner over in Lakefield that caters to truckers. We could get a cup of coffee.”
Olivia shuddered. “First a terrible play, and now a terrible cup of truck stop coffee?” she teased. “What kind of a date is this?”
I laughed, but I was racking my brain for other ideas. What I'd really like, I realized, was to take her out into one of the fields, lay down a blanket on the dirt, and have my way with her. I bet she'd look incredible, sprawled out naked beneath the glow of the stars and moon. I didn't know how she would take such a forward suggestion, though. After all, this was our first date, unless you counted the dinner at her mom's place or at least the dinner at the Italian restaurant.