Make Time For Me

“And prejudices. I’m a black woman. People will be far likelier to trust you than me. You’d find being a pediatrician far easier than I would.”

Jason considered it seriously, which she appreciated.

“I suppose so. But then people would trust you more as a gynecologist.”

“You’d think, but not always. Not really. I have to work at it. You’re right, I’m not naturally a people person. I make friends easily enough, but letting people in isn’t easy for me.”

As she said it, she realized that that was exactly what she was doing with Jason, though – she was letting him in.

“But,” she hurried on before she could think about it, “I have to work to be trusted, by people in the community, before they’ll respect my advice. It doesn’t help that I look about eighteen, either.”

Jason chuckled.

“I suppose it doesn’t.”

“Why pediatrics?” she asked.

“Why not pediatrics?”

“See? You dodge questions about yourself and crack jokes.”

Jason chuckled.

“Well, I guess I wanted to be somebody who made an immediate difference, and that’s a doctor. I love kids, so I figured a pediatrician would be a good bet. It’s as simple as that.”

“Really? Why do I feel like there’s something more to it?”

Jason shrugged, picked up a shell, rinsed it, and handed it to her.

“I don’t know. I’m not as deep as you are, Olivia. I’m just a guy. What you see is what you get. There isn’t much digging to do under the surface.”

“That’s not true.”

But she didn’t press him.

“It’s getting dark.”

“It’ll be another hour before the food is ready.”

“I know. I was hoping I could walk to the beach near our cottage, but the tide is too high.”

“It would be dangerous even at low tide. You never know.”

Olivia laughed and turned to him, her brown eyes glowing.

“What’s life without a few risks?”

“You’re right,” said Jason, and without warning, he gripped her arms, pulled her to him and up until she was standing on her toes, and kissed her.

Olivia felt the world disappear. She stopped feeling the shifting sand under her feet. She stopped feeling the water lapping at her bare feet. She stopped feeling anything but his lips against hers.

“I…”

Olivia swallowed.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“I did. But I didn’t know that would happen.”

She looked away, finally. The sand shifting under her feet was more intense. The water had risen some more. Waves swirled around her ankles, splashing the roll up of her jeans.

“I think… I don’t think…”

“We don’t have to think.”

Jason stepped towards her, and she knew he meant to pull her into his arms again, kiss her until she was helpless again. An alarmingly big part of her wanted to let him. Too much of her wanted him to do just that.

That was why she found the strength and made the effort to draw away, to step back.

It was harder than she could have expected. It shouldn’t have been that hard. She knew how to step away from people. It was practically a life skill at that point.

“We do. We have to think. Jason, we’re colleagues. We’ll be working together for a couple of years. This could end badly.”

“Or it could end well. Take a chance, Olivia. Take a chance and come home with me. Let me show you who I can be for you.”

It was an odd way of putting it, she thought, but she was tempted. She was more than a little tempted.

“Livvy! Hey, there you are, Paul says he needs you!”

“Hey, I’m coming,” she called to Angela, and, grateful that the moment was interrupted, she turned away from Jason.