The bartender places my drink down and I hand him a fifty. “Keep ‘em coming,” I tell him, scooping the beer off the bar and turning away. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not usually the creep who likes to go to bars alone, but sometimes a man just needs to get away from normal life. Had I called my friends, a few beers would have turned into a few too many, and with work scheduled for tomorrow, it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. I’ll save that shit for a day off. Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve had a big night with the boys. I think we’re overdue.
I make my way over to a vacant table where I can get a bit of peace and quiet, but a howling feminine laugh in the corner of the bar instantly grates on my nerves. I take a sip of my beer, focusing hard on tuning the obnoxious woman out.
Who comes to a bar like this to have a good time? That’s not what dive bars are for. Their sole purpose is to offer a quiet place where dickheads like me can come and ignore the rest of the world. Maybe it’s time to find a new dive bar. I’m sure there’s plenty around; it’s just a pain trying to find a good one.
I painfully get through my beer and consider leaving when the bartender places a new drink down on my table, and I remember that I told him to keep them coming. I groan at my own idiocy, but either way, I’m not going to say no to a good beer.
He takes my empty glass, and just as I relax back into my seat, the same obnoxious woman decides to speak up again. “You should have seen how arrogant this asshole was,” she says, loud enough for the whole bar to follow along with her story. “He was a complete asshole, but that’s got nothing on the size of his ego. Though, I guess when people are always kissing your ass and claiming that you’re the best, that’s bound to happen. Besides, it’s not like I wasn’t warned. Everyone in the industry knows about his douchey tendencies. I was just stupid enough to think that they wouldn’t come out to play.”
I grin to myself. Finally, this woman says something that I can relate to. I’ve been labeled the best obstetrician in the state for the past three years, and I’m not going to lie, it does wonders for my ego, but along with it comes a pressure that no one will ever understand. When you have a reputation to uphold and a title to stand by, there is absolutely no room for errors, not even the small human ones that everyone else seems to get away with.
The guy sitting with the woman laughs. “Give the guy a break. I’m sure he was just doing his job. Besides, have you met yourself? You can be an egotistical, arrogant cow when you want something.”
The woman sucks in a breath, and as I glance at the other men in the bar, I see the amused smirks on their faces. There’s nothing quite like putting someone in their place when they’re talking shit, especially when it’s shit about someone who can’t be there to defend themselves.
Just when I think that the woman has finally been shut down, she lets out another howling laugh. “Holy shit, you’re completely right. I can be like that.”
“I know,” the man says. “But that’s really beside the point. You have a job that doesn’t allow for errors, and unfortunately, arrogant assholes are just part of the territory.”
“Tell me about it,” she grumbles. “I thought he was alright at first until I realized that I was just an idiot, but I’m not going to lie, he’s certainly very pretty to look at. You should have seen him. He seriously looks like my next big mistake.”
“Nope, don’t even think about it,” the guy says with an amused chuckle. “That’s just the wine talking. How many of those have you had? Maybe you’ve already forgotten that I just booted one asshole out of your apartment. If I have to keep doing it, I’m going to have to start charging.”
“Ugh,” she groans. “Don’t remind me. Brandon was a special brand of asshole, but this guy, he’s a real dick. Dr. Dick.”
Doctor?
My brow raises and I listen a little harder. Maybe this is a little more interesting than I’d given her credit for. I always love a bit of hospital gossip. I rarely get to hear it, none of the doctors do. Usually, it’s the nurses or midwives gossiping about us while we’re too busy saving lives. Though, the only question is, who is this Dr. Dick? This bar is directly between two of the larger hospitals in Nashville, but I’m sure with just a little bit more information, I could figure it out.
I nod to the bartender and he instantly starts filling me another as I settle in for storytime.
“Don’t tell me you’re calling him that,” the guy says in disgust.
I can almost picture the woman shrugging her shoulders. “Call ‘em like I see ‘em, Breaker,” the woman says with another laugh followed by the sound of her hand slapping down on the table. She obviously finds herself funnier than the rest of the audience. “Besides, he totally earned it. I delivered my first freaking baby on the first day of my training program—while in the middle of a power outage. My first freaking day.” My eyes bug out of my head. It couldn’t be her. There’s no way ... “Did I mention that we were trapped in an elevator, and the only light I had was the flashlights on all of our phones? It was insane. I mean, I get it, he’s the woman’s cousin, or maybe it was the husband’s cousin. I forgot, but you know what I won’t forget? The fucking four folders of policies and procedures he forced me to spend my day reading when I should have been celebrating how freaking awesome I am.”
Holy shit. It is her, and I’m Dr. Dick.
Now, why the hell do I like that so much?
The bartender delivers me another beer, and as he hands it over, I rise from my chair, unable to resist. After all, if someone is going to talk about me to the whole bar, then I should have the right to sit front and center while she does.
I turn around and follow the sound of her voice, somehow finding it a shitload less obnoxious and a little more endearing now that I know it’s hers. I find her familiar mop of brunette hair in the corner of the bar and raise a brow at the company she’s keeping.
There’s an older gentleman who looks as though he steals candy from children all day long. There’s something kind in his eyes that has me oddly at ease with the thought of Autumn spending time with him, not that I should ever get a say in the company she keeps. That’s none of my damn business.
Autumn’s back is to me, and I grin, loving that I’ll be able to get the drop on her.
I get a few feet away when the scary-looking dude glances up from Autumn’s beautiful face and sees me coming. He keeps his eyes on me, realizing that I’m not just passing by, but somehow does it discreetly as to not alarm Autumn that a random man is approaching her while her back is turned.
I raise my head in greeting as I step right up behind her, then go ahead and reach around her, offering the guy my hand. He instantly takes it. “How’s it going?” I ask. “The name is Dr. Dick.”
There are a few snorts of laughter from the dickheads sitting around the bar, but I’m more interested in the way that Autumn’s back stiffens like a wooden board.
Well, well, my night just got a shitload more interesting.