Page 38 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
"Since freshman year," Tyler admits. "I was helping with a river cleanup project nearby and stumbled across it. The owner makes the best comfort food in three counties, and it's quiet enough to study."
Glancing around at the eclectic decor, I see mismatched chairs, pottery on shelves, and what appears to be someone's grandmother's collection of decorative plates mounted on one wall.
"It's not exactly what I pictured as your scene."
Tyler raises an eyebrow. "Let me guess. You thought I'd take you to the steakhouse where all the athletes hang out? Or maybe that pizza place where they know the Greek alphabet by heart?"
"Maybe," I admit. "Though I would have given you more credit than that."
"Good. Because I—" Tyler starts, but is interrupted by the arrival of a silver-haired woman in an embroidered apron who slaps her hand on our table with surprising force.
"Tyler Landis!" she yells, her voice carrying the slight rasp of a former smoker. "Where have you been hiding? It's been weeks!"
Tyler's face lights up. "Rosalie, this is Ethan. He's a nursing student at PCU." The pride in his voice as he introduces me warms my cheeks.
Rosalie turns her penetrating gaze on me, sharp eyes taking in every detail. "Well, well. You've been holding out on me. Where have you been hiding this handsome young man?"
Tyler's cheeks turn red. "I haven't been hiding him anywhere. We just recently... met."
"Recently?" Rosalie winks at me conspiratorially. "This boy's been coming here since freshman year. Usually brings his textbooks; never brought a date this pretty before."
"Rosalie," Tyler groans, but there's no real irritation in it.
She pats his cheek affectionately. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you. Much." She turns to me. "What are you drinking, handsome? First one's on the house for anyone who can get this one to take a break from studying."
After Rosalie takes our drink orders and leaves with another knowing wink, I can't help but smile. "She likes you."
"She's like that with everyone."
"No, she's not. The bartender has been giving me suspicious looks since we sat down. I'm being vetted."
Tyler laughs. "Okay, maybe. Her son went to PCU about ten years ago. I helped her set up a new point-of-sale system last year when her old one crashed, so she thinks she owes me. She doesn't."
Oh no, he's hot, smart, and caring. I'm gonna fall so hard if I'm not careful.
"You know how to set up that, too? That's not exactly environmental engineering."
"My roommate freshman year was a computer science major. I picked up a few things." Tyler shrugs as if this were completely normal. "What about you? Any hidden technical talents?"
"I can perfectly time an IV drip without a pump and draw blood from even the most difficult veins," I offer. "But that's less 'hidden talent' and more 'basic job requirement.'"
"I don't know," Tyler leans forward. "The idea of you in scrubs doing medical things is pretty impressive."
"Even with 'Nurse Hottie' scrawled across my back?"
"Especially then," Tyler's eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles. "Though I prefer the regular scrubs you wear around campus. The ones that look professional are kinda hot."
Water goes down the wrong way, causing some undignified sputtering. "Wait, you mentioned seeing me before Halloween, but I thought you were just being nice. You actually remember specifics?"
Tyler looks slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, well. You make an impression. Last semester, you were crossing the quad with three other nursing students. Blue scrubs, that messenger bag you still carry, and you stopped to help some freshman who'd wiped out on their skateboard. You even had a first aid kit ready."
The memory comes back to me, a freshman who'd taken a nasty fall right before midterms. I'm stunned that Tyler remembers such specific details. "That was... months ago. And I can't believe you noticed the messenger bag."
"It has that 'In Case of Emergency: Watch Grey's Anatomy' patch on it," he says with a grin. "Made me laugh. It's how I first realized you were in nursing."
"So you've been stalking me since last semester?" I tease, secretly thrilled.
"Not stalking. Just..." he searches for the right word, "appreciating. From a distance."
