There is one spot left on the street in front of the diner, and I swipe it. There is a parking lot a couple of blocks down, but I don’t want to walk there. It’s still hot outside, and in Texas, that’s pretty much normal in the summer.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” Jeremy says, leaning up against his truck with a smile. “I thought you were going to ditch me for a minute.”
I close my door and walk over to him. “It’s not a date, so why would I do that?”
“Things are complicated. Like you said.”
I shake my head, and he opens the door for me and follows me to the back booth. The same server from this afternoon is still here.
“Back again, darling?”
Jeremy looks at me. “Again?”
“She was just here for lunch. Our food is good, but not that good,” the waitress laughs. She sets down the menus and walks away.
“Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve gone somewhere else.”
I don’t even respond, but pick up the menu and start browsing. I had a burger earlier, so breakfast it is.
“Breakfast platter for me. What about you?” I ask, laying down the menu toward the edge of the table.
“I always get breakfast. Never fails,” he responds, putting his menu on top of mine.
He puts his elbow on the table, and his hand on his chin. “So, tell me all about you. What made you decide to move to Grapevine? Why did you want to become a nurse?”
This sounds a lot like date talk, but can be construed as getting to know a friend as well. I take his questions and decide to answer them as honestly as possible. He knows I’m divorced, so that’s off the table, but he doesn’t know the whole story. When Dean and I met, things didn’t start out romantic. When I went to work at Dallas Memorial, he was my attending doctor, and we worked together.
The server interrupts us by bringing us coffee.
After she walks away, I continue. It was within a few weeks, we started sneaking around, and then stupid me fell in love with the guy, and we got married. The biggest mistake of my life. Not only did I fuck and marry one of my bosses, but I couldn’t stay at the hospital after that. Seeing his damn face every day, no thanks.
“Holy shit. So, you came to Grapevine to be closer to your brother then?” he asks.
“Yeah, my parents live in Washington, so he is the closest relative to me. Plus, I like Texas.”
He seems interested in me, and it’s refreshing for a change. Dean had always been very focused on himself in conversation and the bedroom. I wish I had noticed the signs before we got married, but love clouds our judgment sometimes.
“Ain’t that the truth? So, what made you want to become a nurse?”
My fingers tap on the table, making me remember my first run in with a hospital. When I was about seven years old, we were in a car accident. We were on our way back from a dance recital of mine, and someone fell asleep at the wheel and hit us. My mother called 911, and they took us to the hospital. My nurse’s name was Paula, and she took great care of me. Somehow, she inspired me at such a young age to want to become a nurse. Over my childhood, seeing the brave women on tv and movies helping save lives, it just motivated me to pursue it. I felt like it was my calling. Just like working at memory care. The residents need someone on their side, and I can be that person.
The conversation is flowing great, and we do have a connection, but we aren’t here to harp on that. Questions are important to get to know someone, and I still know nothing about Jeremy. Time to dive in.