The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series Read Free

hair in a messy bun conveyed her true
identity. No frills. Average height with a slender build, Robin,
nonetheless, always attracted the attention of the opposite sex no
matter what she wore.
    She slid into the seat across from Matt and
their eyes met. A glass of water already waited for her.
    “ I take it the ankle is
better. No crutches,” he said.
    “ No crutches. I’m still
using the bandage though.”
    She picked up the glass of water and took a
drink. After sitting it back on the table, she made eye contact
with Matt again.
    “ Rough night?” she asked
thoughtfully. He looked weary, but she also saw the spark of
anticipation.
    “ Na. Nothing I’m not used
to.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Robin,” he started, “I’m sorry
if I seemed like such a freak the other night. I don’t normally ask
people out that I’ve just met.”
    She smiled, not believing a word he
said.
    “ There is just something
about you,” he continued. “I can’t explain it.”
    “ Uh huh,” she chuckled and
shook her head slightly.
    “ No, seriously, you think
it’s a line, but it’s not.”
    “ Really?” Robin
sighed.
    Even as he nodded sincerely, she still
wasn’t convinced. She had learned the hard way what type of men to
avoid.
    “ Oh come on,” she said
cynically, “You’re a doctor. All doctors seem to have a ‘God
complex’ and most think very highly of themselves.”
    “ Now,” he began, “give me
some credit. You need to give me a chance before you
start…”
    “ Judging you,” she
finished for him.
    “ Well, yeah.” His smile
never disappeared.
    “ So, tell me who you are… really,” she began. “I know we talked a little bit
the other night, but how much can you really learn from being
around someone for a few hours?”
    He cleared his throat and sat up straight as
if she were interviewing him. He folded his hands around his cup of
coffee and started.
    “ I’m 36. I went to The
Ohio State University School of medicine. I got married too young
and then got divorced much later than I should have; I guess that’s
because I’m too tolerant. I have a 6 year old daughter who comes to
see me every other weekend and throughout the summer. I haven’t
dated much since my divorce because after my ex-wife and I split
up, I started thinking that perhaps all women are evil.”
    He laughed. To acknowledge his attempts to
lighten the mood, she laughed with him.
    “ I really don’t like
working nights, but it’s hard to image myself working on any other
shift. I’ve been on that shift since med school. But, I suppose the
upside is that most of the good stuff happens at night. After all,
that’s how we met, right? If I wasn’t assigned to the night shift,
this opportunity could have sailed on by.” He smiled
sincerely.
    “ I have an older brother,”
he continued, “and my dad died of cancer two years ago. My mom is
still living and loves to visit me unannounced during the day when
I’m trying to sleep.” Again, they laughed.
    “ My brother and I are very
close, but we didn’t used to be.”
    She watched him take another sip of his
coffee.
    “ When my dad died, my
brother and his wife moved to Middletown to be closer to my mom. It
took my dad dying for my brother and I to realize how much our mom
needed us and how dumb we’d been, so we put our stupidity aside and
realized how futile the rivalry had been.
    “ I live in an apartment
here in Oxford. I can walk to work, which I like, because my truck
is a gas hog. Ultimately, I want to move to the country
someday.”
    “ You don’t seem like much
of a country boy,” she interjected.
    “ Well you just met me and
you act like you know me or something,” he joked.
    Robin felt the blood rush to her cheeks and
she covered her embarrassment with laughter.
    “ Seriously,” he continued,
“I want to be where it’s quiet. I was raised in the city. I need a
change of scenery. My dad owned a construction company and he
taught me everything, so I