Page 31 of A Little Bit Uncertain

21

AUDRA

Ican’t remember the last time someone did something so lovingly insignificant for me, like apply a Band-Aid, and the tiny act of service was doing things to my insides. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him handling me with such care. It wasn’t a huge deal. Some shards of glass from the broken bottle must have found their way to my ankle bone. I didn’t even feel it, but it bled a lot more than I’d expected it to. Worse was the fact that my wedges were trashed by whatever wet sludge was on the floor. Pretty sure these white shoes were irrevocably stained. Donovan was almost reverent as he squatted down and did the first aid. I felt like I was almost holding my breath as he did it, watching every move. When it was all done, he held my leg up and asked, “You can’t salvage these, can you?”

“Eh, I’ll give it my best shot, but my Magic 8 Ball says all signs point to no.”

He looked taken aback, and then a childlike grin spread across his face. “Do you know that was my favorite toy when I was younger?”

Those dimples were going to kill me. But it’d be a hell of a way to go. Death by Donovan’s Dimples. I’d seen them plenty recently, so I’m not sure why dart night is when they were really making me take notice.

“You don’t come across as a person who leaves things to chance or up for interpretation,” I stated.

That coaxed a belly laugh out of him as he held my leg. “At one point, a Magic 8 Ball decided all my life’s burning questions. Dare I ask for ice cream after dinner? Am I going to get a hit at my baseball game? Will the nanny want to play my favorite board game? Maybe I should bring that strategy back.” I could imagine a little Donovan Wright and his dimples on his bed asking his Magic 8 Ball about the chance for ice cream.

“So, what happened? How do you make decisions now?”

“A mix of trusting my gut, reading people, and research.” He gently put my foot back on the stool rung and stood up. I was expecting a silly answer in the same vein as the Magic 8 Ball, but that was a pretty serious response. Definitely one that Sir Donovan, the businessman, would give.

“Well, I think you have it down because things seem to be working out for you.”

He was about to say something when the bartender brought over a pear mule. “I hear these are a favorite,” he smiled at me. “Then after this, you have an espresso martini with your name on it, plus anything else you’d like, just say the word. Thanks again, Audra. It was impressive how you just swooped in and took control of that.” Then he handed Donovan a tumbler of amber-colored liquid. “And this is for your help, too. Thought you looked like a Weller guy.”

“For my timekeeping?” he laughed.

“And the patch job,” he winked as if they had some kind of inside joke. We thanked the bartender and turned back to the table. Donovan held his glass up to toast, and everyone joined him. “To a hero!” I shook my head no. No way was I calling myself that, and I hated that everyone was looking at me. “Ok, white knight?” Another head shake. “Role model?” I gave him a funny face. “Night Shift Ninja? Triage Trooper? Bedside Buccaneer? Lady Lifesaver? Nurse Nifty?”

The table was roaring with laughter as I caught my breath. “Holy shit, stop. How are you coming up with these on the fly?!”

“I guess I’m feeling inspired,” he laughed, looking at me. “Fine, I give up. What are we toasting to here?”

“A good night?”

“Nah, a great night,” he said with an easy confidence, and his eyes didn’t break from mine as we all clinked glasses and took a drink. My stomach was flip-flopping with a thousand butterflies as I felt the intensity of his gaze. Tonight was even more electric than last, and I was sitting on his damn lap then.

When it was the last call, I was not completely surprised to see Theo appear at our table. He was doing some kind of weird possessive thing right now, which was equal parts infuriating and amusing. He couldn’t have his cake and eat it too. Not that I had any cake left for him.

“I can give you a ride home, Audra?”

Our entire table fell silent as all eyes turned to me. For as confident as I was in emergency situations, I was terrible on the spot, and really at any kind of confrontation in general.

“No, thank you. I have a ride.”

“It’s just that I saw your car in the parking lot, and I saw how much you’ve had to drink after the seizure. It’s not safe for you to drive. I’ll just take you, Audra. Come on.” And he grabbed my wrist. It was gentle, but even so, he didn’t have the right to touch me. To boot, everything about the situation rubbed me the wrong way, just like the hospital parking lot. The way he tried to pull me away, the way he admitted he was watching and tallying what I was drinking, and the way he touched me to tell me he was taking me home without waiting for a response. For the first time ever, Theo’s touch made me recoil. I jerked my arm away from him with a force that surprised even me. “No, thank you,” I said, more forcefully this time.

His eyes narrowed at me. “What’s your deal, Audra?”

“I have no deal with you, Theo. You asked if I wanted a ride, and I said no because I have one. I’m not going with you.” He then glared at Donovan, and Donovan didn’t back down from the stare. What the hell did I miss there?

Maverick cut in, “Theo, we’ve got her. Have a good night, man.”

With five large men staring at him, he got the hint and retreated to his table. But I could feel his eyes still on me, and I didn’t like it.

“I can give you a ride if you need one, Audra.” Donovan put his hand on my arm and pulled me away from my thoughts. The warmth immediately replaced any unease I had from Theo. “I live over on Stonemill, so it’s not out of my way.” He would have to pass my place to get there. I was going the opposite way of everyone else who was heading home, so this would be convenient and I wouldn’t have to do the bar time Uber drill.

But at the same time, my heart dropped when he told me where he lived. How did this not come up when he was at my house for dinner? No “Hey, I live that way ten minutes up the road where all the mansions are. Fun tiny house with a cutesy lilac door, though.” I hung my head while thoughts raced through it.

That neighborhood was considered Millionaires’ Row, but you needed a hell of a lot more than a million to live there. Damnit. I knew he was wealthy, but not Stonemill wealthy. The knowledge boomeranged into me. This man gave me tingles, goddamnit, but there was no way I was going to set myself up for another Theo. Those words about not having the right pedigree haunted me, and I couldn’t do that again. It’s not like I was in too deep yet. Yes, he was the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen, and yes, something was swirling between us the last month, but it’s not like I’ve been pining over him forever. Disappointing but necessary. Cut my losses before I got in over my head and got hurt again.