Page 26 of A Diagnosis Dark & Deadly

Chapter14

It wasFriday night when Olivia remembered why she either liked to be single and not looking or comfortable in a long-term relationship; she hated dating. She wasn’t sure of herself which wasn’t exactly normal. As a doctor, she was confident in diagnosing and treating patients, could stand up to anyone who questioned her judgment, but this… How long had it been since her first date? A year and a half? Two years? And Owen really wasn’t a dater; the nicest place he ever took her to was an Olive Garden, so she never worried about her appearance. Butnow…

“What about this?” Olivia asked, walking back into her bedroom where none other than Shelby was waiting patiently. A cup of homemade coffee was resting on Olivia’s dresser with Shelby’s fingers coiled around the cup and the latest issue of Cosmo was resting in her lap. She looked up when she saw her friend walkin.

Shelby scrunched her nose, immediately shaking her head. “He knows what you look like out of your clothes,” she commented as she watched her friend swagger back into the bathroom, where three other outfits were waiting.

Slinking out of the tight, short red dress, Olivia began to muse over what Mason was doing right now. Probably enjoying a nice beer, sitting in front of the television, waiting until the last moment to get ready. She smiled at that; guys had iteasy.

“You need to show him what you look like in a dress,” Shelby continued. “Something nice. Make him realize you’re sexy naked and you’re beautiful dressed. The whole package.”

Olivia pressed her lips together and went back to her closet. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Shelby was right. If this was going somewhere romantic on top of somewhere intimate, she needed to learn to be both girlfriend and lover. She came out a few minutes later in a simple white summer dress with thick straps that hugged her curves and reached her knee. If she threw her doctor’s white coat over it, it might be passable as professional attire. On her feet were simple red high heels. She pinned her bangs back and curled her hair, wearing minimal makeup.

When she emerged, Shelby whistled. “Yup,” she said. “That’s it. You look stunning. He won’t be able to keep his eyes off ofyou.”

Despite herself, Olivia blushed.

“So is he picking you up or are you meeting there?” Shelby asked, shifting herself around so she was more comfortable on thebed.

“Picking me up,” Olivia replied, glancing at herself in the mirror. “I already know I like him. I don’t have to worry about bailing at the end of the date – or at the beginning, if I really don’t likehim.”

Shelby nodded. “I’ll turn on my ringer, just in case you change your mind,” she said. “But for now, I better skedaddle. I don’t want to be here when he picks you up and make things awkward. Plus, Andy is in the middle of making dinner before I have to go back to theER.”

Olivia pouted. “I thought you were off,” shesaid.

Shelby rolled her eyes. “So did I,” she muttered. “But they scheduled me for a graveyard and then I get the next forty-eight off. For sure, this time.” She gave Olivia’s forearm and squeeze. “Call me after and tell me how it goes. Do not hold any detail back, like how did his hands feel and what kind of flower did he bringyou?”

Olivia laughed. “I don’t think Hadley is a flower guy,” shesaid.

Shelby shrugged. “When a man is crazy about a woman, you’d be surprised what they’ll do for her.” Shelby gave her friend a quick hug. "Don't be afraid of this, Livl. You deserve happiness - even if it is with a cantankerous asshole."

Olivia laughed and watched as her friend left. She locked the door behind her and pressed her back against it, taking a deep breath. Her stomach rumbled with butterflies and hunger. Hadley was supposed to be here any minute and she wanted him to be both extremely late and already here. She kept going back and forth. How was it that it was easy to figure out what he liked in the bedroom, how to bring him to his knees, how to get the great Doctor Mason Hadley to beg, but she couldn't figure out the concept of how to act around him on the first date. She wondered if he felt the same way. Was he nervous? Was there a part of him that wished they had only kept it sexual between them? Or did he want this to work just as much as shedid?

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she jumped away from the door and nearly tripped in her heels. She needed to grab her jacket and a purse. Other than that, she was ready.

Did that make her look too eager? Should she pretend to fix her makeup and make him wait in the lobby when she was actually ready togo?

This was why she hated dating. The expectations. The games. She shook her head. This was ridiculous. If he wanted a girl who was going to play stupid dating games, she wasn't the right fit for him. For one, she didn't even know how to play those games. And number two, if she did, she thought they were a waste of time and would decide notto.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her stuff, and opened the door. There stood Hadley, wearing a white collared shirt, dark blue jeans, sneakers, and a dark blazer. His brown hair was brushed and he was holding a sunflower in his hand. He gave it to her almost shyly but Hadley and shy in the same sentence seemed impossible.

She took it from him with a small smile on her face and placed it just under her nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled wonderful.

"My favorite," she said with a smile. "How did youknow?"

"I guessed based on your sunny personality," he says drolly. "Also, I remember things aboutyou."

Olivia rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. She slid her arm through Hadley's offered arm and closed the door behind them. She paused briefly to lock the door but didn't remove her arm from his. Once her door was securely locked, they walked down to the parking structure, over to the visitor parking where he unlocked his car - a Dodge Charger - and opened the door for her. She was somewhat surprised by the chivalrous gesture but then she realized she shouldn't have been. He was slightly older than she was and even though he was prickly didn't automatically mean he had a hard shell. She quietly thanked him and slid into the leather seat, buckling her seatbelt. Her hands folded in her lap and she interlaced her fingers to keep herself from playing with the hemline of her dress.

"So," Hadley said as he took his seat and started the engine. Olivia shot him a look when he didn't immediately buckle his seatbelt, but Hadley pointedly ignored her and continued back out of the stall. "We have a couple of options for dinner. I made a reservation at La Belle Chateau -"

"You got a reservation at La Belle Chateau?" Olivia asked, her mouth unhinging from her jaw in surprise. La Belle Chateau was an expensive French restaurant that catered to the elite in Boulder. It was incredibly romantic, with candles for light and the best wine in the city. It was impossible to get reservations at La Belle Chateau unless you were a celebrity of some sort. There was no way Mason Hadley got reservations at La Belle Chateau when they had just decided to go on a date a couple of daysago.

"I had to do some things I'll never speak of," Hadley said in his typical snarky tone, "but yes, I did. The owner is an old, personal friend. I saved his son by diagnosing him with lupus when nobody else could figure it out. He seems to think he's forever in my debt in though his medical bills were astronomical."

Olivia shook her head, a surprised smile on her face. "Okay," she said. "What's the other option?"

"You want to hear about something other than La Belle Chateau?" he asked, wrinkling his brow in surprise.