Page 1 of Just Say Yes

ONE

MJ

Due to recent personal events,I will be going off the fucking rails.

There was no other explanation for why I was slipping out of my comfy teal scrubs and into a skintight bodycon dress when my shift at the assisted-living facility wasn’t even over. The tight quarters of the staff bathroom had me sweating. I balled up my scrubs and shoved them into my backpack.

Looking myself over in the mirror, I ignored the gnawing realization that I hadn’t been on arealdate in months. Not that it mattered ... in a small tourist town my options were men I’d practically grown up with or tourists looking only for a good time. Neither option appealed to me—I wasovermen seeing me as one of the guys, and I still hadn’t talked myself into being a one-night-stand kind of woman.

Yet.

Plus, it was damn difficult to date when you had four ridiculous older brothers who loved to insert themselves into your business.

A soft knock at the door rattled me. “One second!” I called and zipped my bag.

I haphazardly fluffed my mousy brown hair. It was flat and lifeless after my nursing shift at Haven Pines, but it would have to do.

I blew out a breath when a second knock sounded at the door.

I grabbed my bag and opened the door. Another nurse, Carol, stepped back with wide eyes and a surprised laugh.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even ask.”

She smirked and moved into the doorway. “I thought your shift wasn’t over until seven.”

“Abbey is covering the last half hour.” I balanced in my heels.

Carol looked me over, waggling her eyebrows. “Hot date tonight?”

I smoothed a hand down my hips and tugged at the hemline that had somehow gotten shorter since I slipped on the dress.

I pinned her with a playful look. “Arthur Brown.”

Carol tossed her head back and cackled. “Well, that makes sense. He’s a charmer.”

I pointed a playful finger at her and smiled. “He’s a menace.”

We shared a laugh as Carol disappeared into the staff bathroom. Arthur Brown was an elderly resident at Haven Pines, and in the few months he’d been with us, he had charmed a dinner date out of at least six other nurses.

I was lucky fool number seven.

In truth, Arthur was one of the sweetest residents at Haven Pines. He was polite, gracious, and wickedly funny. My shifts had become a bit lonely since my longtime favorite patient, Red Sullivan, had moved into one of the semi-independent houses on the outskirts of Haven Pines. I was so happy for Red but found I missed having a crappy cup of cafeteria coffee with him during my shifts. I made a mental note to swing by his place this week to say hello.

As my shoes clacked across the linoleum floor, the sky-high pointy heels pinched my toes. They were uncomfortable but gave me a few much-needed inches on my short frame. I lifted my chin and blew out an unsteady breath as I walked toward the nurses’ station.

I slipped my badge from the pocket of my backpack. “Hey, Beth.” I scanned the badge to unlock the hallway door that led to the corridor where Arthur’s room was located. “I’ll be in room forty-two if anyone needs me.”

Beth didn’t even look up from her phone, but she waved a dismissive hand and continued scrolling.

I gritted my teeth and stifled a sigh. Beth was new—and a pain in my side. She looked at her job as a stepping stone for something better. I’d overheard her making comments about how nursing at an assisted-living facility was beneath her and she couldn’t wait to bag a wealthy neurosurgeon.

As far as I was concerned, she could take one.

I much preferred caring for the elderly—most were quiet, many were simply looking for a thoughtful ear, and they always had thebeststories.

I loved my job.

Which was why, when Arthur sweet-talked me into having dinner with him, I couldn’t say no. He also let it slip that he planned to dress up for the occasion. I found it endearing and figured faded, stained scrubs just wouldn’t do.

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