Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Tommy’s eyes widened slightly. “Sheriff? That’s not boring at all.”
“You’d be surprised. It’s a small town. Most of my job involves breaking up bar fights and rescuing lost hikers. It’s nothing like what you do.”
He shook his head. “Rescuing people is important work, whether it’s on the trail or in the hospital.”
The bartender brought my appetizer plate and set it between us. “Help yourself,” I offered, and Tommy eagerly reached for a pita wedge.
“Looks like you’re not getting into vacation mode, Sheriff,” he said, nodding at my jeans and the flannel button-down that still bore traces of my seatmate’s drink.
I laughed. “I’m in paradise, but my luggage still has work to do.” I explained the delays that had led to my nearly missed connection and lost bags, and he winced sympathetically.
I snuck a glance at his finely tailored pants and still-semi-crisp button-down, rolled up to expose sexy forearms. “Meanwhile, you seem remarkably put together for someone who just got off a plane. Where were you flying from?”
Tommy spread hummus onto his pita and took a bite, groaning appreciatively. “It was only a short hopper flight for me today. I was at a medical conference on the Big Island this week.”
“What kind of doctor are you?”
He nodded. “Emergency medicine. I work in the ER at a busy trauma one hospital. Though…” He hesitated before adding, “I’m considering getting dual-boarded in anesthesia.”
“You don’t sound thrilled about it,” I observed.
Tommy spun his glass on the table, his expression growing distant. “It’s complicated. I prefer emergency medicine, but anesthesia’s the smart career move if I want to settle down and have a family. More predictable hours, better pay. It’s the path upward, and I’ve always worked hard to get to the next level.”
“So you want to settle down and have a family?”
His eyes met mine, and I saw a vulnerable kind of yearning in them. “Yes,” he said simply. “Family’s everything to me.”
My heart rate kicked up. He seemed as devoted to his as I was to mine. “Same,” I murmured.
“So you know sometimes family means sacrifice,” he said with a little shrug.
While he was right, I felt like if I agreed with him, I’d be condoning a choice that would damn him to a life of compromise. Achievement and stability at the cost of his freedom and happiness.
“If your family loves you,” I hedged, “they’d want you to enjoy the journey, not just tick the boxes.”
Tommy sighed. “I don’t love living in the city,” he admitted softly.
“I couldn’t do it,” I said. “It wouldn’t be easy to have a dog, which is a dealbreaker.”
His expression brightened. “You have a dog?”
“Not currently, but I’m on the list for a Search and Rescue dog. Hopefully, I’ll get one by summer.”
“You could find a pup and train him up yourself.”
“It’s a lot of work,” I said. “I don’t have time for that. Better if I get one already trained from the program. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be ready for anything serious until summer after next.”
Tommy dredged another pita through the hummus. “Well, promise me if you get a dog, you’ll name him after this dip. It’s amazing.”
I laughed. “Hummus? Very professional name for a SAR dog.”
We continued talking as the evening progressed, ordering more drinks and appetizers.
I learned that Tommy had done a rotation in wilderness medicine in North Carolina, had a love for the outdoors that rivaled my own, and had a close-knit family who’d be arriving in the morning for a wedding. He also told me about growing up in San Francisco and the mountain lodge his family owned, where he’d spent summers hiking and climbing.
I shared stories about my family, too, of course, and the experience of being sheriff in a small tourist town. When I told him about some of the more interesting rescues I’d been involved in, he’d leaned in like he was hanging on my every word.
Hours passed, and I realized I was having more fun talking to Tommy than I’d had in a long time. His sense of humor, which had gotten me through the longest travel day ever, had me laughing out loud more than once, and there was something about his warm hazel eyes and genuine interest in what I had to say that made me feel seen in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
I started to think maybe I didn’t mind fate fucking with me after all. Not if it had led me here, with him.
As the night wore on, the bar began to fill with more people. A karaoke setup was wheeled out, and the first brave souls took to the makeshift stage.
“Oh no,” I groaned as an off-key rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’” started up. “I should have known there’d be karaoke.”
Tommy grinned. “Not a fan?”
“My ex used to drag me to karaoke bars all the time. He was terrible, but he loved the attention.”