The Two-Night One-Night Stand

by Ryan Ringbloom

  * * * *

  The Two Night Stand

  Copyright © 2016 by Ryan Ringbloom

  Cover Design Image by Wicked by Design

  Formatting by JT Formatting

  Editing by HotTreeEditing.com

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is dedicated to

  the one-night stand I fell in love with

  and married.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Coming Soon

  Acknowledgements

  Have You Read Ryan?

  About the Author

  “BUT IT WAS negative,” I say for the tenth time, staring in disbelief at the cool, collected man in front of me.

  “Yes, thankfully it was.” Tyler remains stone-faced, unaffected. His deep voice echoes off the walls of the great room in his three-story brownstone. The brownstone I had never been invited to move into despite the grand size and countless insinuations. “It was a real eye-opener for the future. Had that pregnancy test been positive, I would have felt trapped.”

  “Trapped?” I pull a deep breath in through my nose, inhaling the strong scent of pine as my insides begin to crumble.

  “Yes, trapped.” He pushes a button and the room fills with the soft instrumental sound of holiday music. Stepping back, he studies the nine-foot Douglas fir that he had custom decorated and adjusts two crooked ornaments.

  Precise, perfect Tyler does not like it when things are out of place. I’m falling apart right in front of him, but God forbid an ornament is crooked. His lack of emotion shouldn’t surprise me after two years, but his callous reaction fuels me with anger.

  “I moved here for you, Tyler.” He hates when I raise my voice. I do it anyway. “I left my friends and family, and settled for a job I didn’t like. I’m renting an overpriced apartment, even though you have more than enough room here,” I sweep my arm in a swirling gesture, “I moved all the way to Bumblefuck, Pennsylvania, for you.”

  “Must you be so crass?” he snaps with an air of disgust. “Applegarth is a beautiful town.”

  “Yes, with wonderful school districts. Isn’t that what you said when enticing me to move here?”

  “Award winning.”

  “Well, if you didn’t want children, why would that matter?”

  “Slow down.” He pushes a hand out in my direction. “I never said I didn’t want children.”

  The holiday music playing in the background suddenly seems deafening, the large room closing in on me as I struggle to digest what it is he’s saying. “But... then?” My eyes fill.

  His head dips down and a look of pity spreads across his chiseled face. The realization creeps over me like a virus, shrouding me in a black fog, eating away at my flesh. He doesn’t want children with me. It wasn’t the idea of a baby that made him feel trapped, it was me.

  “I’m sorry, Holly. When I look into my future, I just don’t see you in it.”

  A CHILL RUNS up my spine as I adjust the little white cap on my head. What I’m about to do is frightening. Beyond frightening. It brings new meaning to the word terrifying. My stomach twists in knots. The hairs on my arms stand up straight.

  I’m being set up.

  On Halloween.

  At a bar where I don’t know anyone.

  Shriek!

  Like Halloween isn’t scary enough. What the hell am I thinking? I scan the bar for the millionth time and my heart sinks. I know a total of zero people here and trying to keep up the façade that I’m confident and not a pathetic loser is getting harder and harder to accomplish.

  It was originally supposed to be five of us, then two backed out last-minute, leaving just myself, my friend Jayne, and the brother she claims I have to meet. According to her, we’re perfect for each other.

  Another hour passes with still no sign of my friend Jayne or this brother I’m destined for. The phone clutched firmly in my hand vibrates and Jayne’s name flashes across the screen. Thank God. I press Accept, answering immediately.

  “Where are you?”

  “Don’t hate me, Holly. I have to bail.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” The high pitch of my voice makes a few heads turn in my direction. I lower my voice to an angry whisper. “Jayne, you can’t bail on me. I’ve been sitting here half the night like an idiot in some slutty nurse’s uniform where I don’t know a single person. It’s nothing but freaks and weirdos in here tonight. Seriously, you can’t do this.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to. Um…work shit came up.” Her voice wavers on the vague excuse. “But don’t worry, Nick is still coming. He should be there any minute now and he’ll be able to recognize you right away.

  “How?”

  “I sent him tons of pics.”

  Tons of pictures? Really? ’Cause all she had sent me was a blurry pic of her brother on the beach where a surfboard covered half his body and sunglasses covered most of his face.

  Is this a joke? Some sick Halloween prank? This ridiculous night is starting to ooze suspiciously. Or perhaps this is what she had planned on all along. That bitch.

  I never should’ve agreed to this. I don’t even know Jayne all that well. We only met a few months ago at yoga. Grabbing coffee and meeting for drinks a few times is really not enough of a friendship that I should be putting my trust—I glance down at the fishnets going midway up my thighs—and dignity on the line.

  “Fine, I’ll wait until he gets here but I can’t promise that I’ll be staying very long,” I say, followed by a frustrated sigh. I don’t even know what Nick looks like, let alone the fact that he’ll most likely be in costume. “So, tell me, what should I be on the lookout for? Is he dressing up?”

  Jayne’s wicked laugh
only annoys me further. “I told him you’d be dressed as a nurse… so be on the lookout for….” Her voice trails off with more cackling laughter. “A doctor! Isn’t that funny?”

  “Hysterical,” I grumble, rubbing my temple where a headache is slowly starting to form. “Remind me to find a new yoga studio next week.”

  “Oh, relax, Holly. He’ll be there any minute and then you’ll be thanking me for introducing you two. I really think you guys will be great together.”

  “Sure,” I reply flatly. I’m having some serious doubts and would give anything to be home in bed watching reruns of old sitcoms instead of being stuck here on this blind-sided date.

  “Okay, I have to run. Good luck and call me tomorrow.” She makes a kissy sound and disconnects, leading me back to the tedious game of looking busy while I wait for the mystery doctor to show. Thank God for iPhones.

  Instead of returning to Yahtzee with Buddies!, I open up my pictures and begin to scroll. Tyler’s stoic face stares back at me, making my heart sink into a sad little puddle. Our breakup is still brand-new. All right, maybe not brand-new, but it’s been ten months and anything under a year is still considered new in my book.

  Why? My brain scrambles for the millionth time to understand what went wrong. Everything between us had seemed so on target. I had been mentally ring shopping for months. Leaving him little hints about the three-stone platinum ring of my dreams. I even had bridal magazines stashed under my mattress. White strapless dresses on thick glossy pages were circled with black marker. My color theme was all picked out. He had been so close to proposing, I knew it was only a matter of time, but that pregnancy scare changed everything.

  My mother, my sister, even Jayne have all tried to convince me that it’s for the best. And it is.

  I think.

  Three witches lean in to take a selfie a few steps away. The last thing I need is to be the sad slutty nurse photobombing in the background. I do my best to mop up my heart puddle and shove my phone back in my purse. A quick sweep of my surroundings shows no sign of Nick, so I decide now is as good a time as any to head to the bar.

  “Can I get a Cosmo?” I call out and wave my hand at a bartender wearing black cat ears, who completely ignores me, shaking the tail pinned to her ass as she walks the other way. A second bartender with a bright green wig approaches but ignores me as well, taking the order of the guy pushed up next to me. The guy gets his drinks and once he steps away two girls dressed as geishas rush to where he was and squeeze me out of my place. Dammit. By the time they get their drinks, spill some on me, and stumble away, one of the bartenders finally acknowledges me. About fricking time. My patience is all but gone. Fuck it. I change up my drink order. “Can I get a shot of Fireball?” The elbow of a nearby werewolf gets me in the ribs. “Make that two.”

  Balancing the two shots, I step away from the crowded bar and back over to my sad, pathetic booth to continue my sad, pathetic wait. Shot one goes down rough. My body shakes as the liquid burns a fiery line all the way down my throat. Once the alcohol reaches my stomach, I convulse with the aftershock, blinking my eyes until they stop watering. Fuck. Me. There’s no way I’m doing the second shot. I push it across the table and sit back in the booth.

  If this guy doesn’t get here in the next five minutes, I’m so outta here.

  Warmth in my belly travels slowly up to my chest. I can actually feel it coursing through my veins. The heat continues its journey and soon my shoulders drop as I relax into the feeling, a smile stretching across my face. It’s funny, but suddenly, my situation isn’t quite as awkward as it was just a minute ago. On second thought.... I reach over for the shot I pushed away and bring it up to my lips. It goes down rough as well, but not as rough as the first one. More warmth spreads.

  Okay, Dr. Nick, I’m ready for you.

  A GUY WALKS into a bar.

  What’s the punchline of this joke? That I just worked a fourteen-hour shift and yet was still somehow coerced into showing up at a packed bar on Halloween night. Not my scene at all.

  One drink. Two, tops. My bed’s been calling my name ever since the X-ray that revealed a peanut M&M lodged in the nostril of a nine-year-old boy. Three doctors on staff, but of course I was the lucky one assigned the M&M-ectomy. And maybe if he hadn’t squirmed so much it would have only taken one minute to remove versus sixty.

  Beer. Now.

  Patrick waves me over, and as I move through the crowed bar I spot Kent leaning on the bar next to him.

  “You made it.” Patrick pats me on the back, moving over to welcome me into the space between him and Kent. “And you’re in costume.” He laughs, referring to my blue scrubs.

  Kent lifts the plastic ID badge clipped to my chest pocket. “Oh, I see you’re going as Dr. Daniels this year.”

  I unclip my badge and tuck it inside my pocket. Why must my brothers tease over every little thing? “I’m a PA.”

  “Same thing.” Kent exchanges a glance with Patrick, who turns his head away to hide his smile. They both know this statement irks the living hell out of me. A physician assistant is not the same thing as a doctor and I have listed out these differences many, many times. My patience is thin and my exhaustion is not making my mood any better. Patrick sees the growing frustration on my face and diffuses the situation by pulling out his phone to show me pictures of my nieces dressed up in their Halloween costumes. He played dirty and won. Their adorable little faces instantly put a smile back on my face.

  “Are all six of them princesses?” I ask, grinning down at the picture. Patrick has six girls. All blonde like their mama, each one cuter than the next.

  “Of course.” He beams.

  “And Michelle?” I ask. Kent has his phone all ready to hand over to me. His one and only is dressed once again as Superman. Not Supergirl, Superman. The same costume every year. My niece is more obsessed with Superman than my brother is. The cuteness she exudes is ridiculous. “I wish I could have seen them in person today.”

  It kills me how much I miss with my crazy schedule. Birthdays, holidays, kindergarten graduations, which are apparently a really big thing. I thought once I graduated and settled into a job all that would change, but so far it hasn’t. The ER never stops. I work long, erratic hours. My downtime often seems to always be when no one else is around. I spend a lot of time alone, reading books on history and watching DVR-ed episodes of Jeopardy!

  “It’d be nice if you stopped by a little more often in general,” Patrick says.

  “I don’t have time.”

  “You have time, you just don’t know how to manage it. When’s the last time you even went on a date?” Kent asks me, even though I’m sure he knows the answer is a long time ago. A very long time.

  “Like I said, I don’t have time.” I grab the bartender’s attention and point to Patrick and Kent’s empty beer glasses and motion for a third to be added this round.

  “You have to make time.” Kent shakes his head. “How are you so smart and so stupid at the same time?”

  Patrick jumps in. “Aren’t there girls at your job? Why not ask one of them out? There’s gotta be plenty of nurses.”

  “Dating in the workplace. Nope. No, thank you.”

  Three pint glasses are placed down in front of us. It’s automatic that Patrick hands me the glass with the most foam spilling over the top. Little brother issues. “It’s a big hospital. You could date someone who’s in a different department, on a different floor,” he says.

  I slurp at the foam to keep it from spilling any further. I’d never admit it, but I know they’re right. I should be making friends and dating, but it’s been so long I think I’ve lost my touch… if I ever even had one to begin with.

  In school, I was active in a lot of clubs and study groups; that kind of interaction was always easy for me. And thanks to some late-night cram sessions with an eager girl looking to release a little stress before final exams, I actually managed to lose my virginity before graduating college.

  At the
hospital, I’m fine when it comes to working with my colleagues and treating patients. It’s when it crosses the line into any kind of socializing that I suck. That’s usually when my awkward inner nerd comes out and scares people away. Especially girls.

  “Honestly, I don’t even know how to approach a girl. And even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to say. I think I’m a lost cause, guys.” Which is sad because I’m horny as all hell, to the point where my dick has started sending me threatening messages telepathically.

  Kent chugs his beer and wipes away at the moisture with the back of his hand. “Well, you need to get over it, little brother, because the right girl… she ain’t gonna just stroll on up and ask you out.”

  I chuckle, and am tipping my head back to drink when the glass is nearly knocked from my hand by a stumbling brunette. I clasp onto my beer with one hand and use my other hand to steady a scantily clad nurse. Fishnets being held up at midthigh with little red bows and shiny white heels that are certainly not the proper footwear of a true medical professional adorn the most beautiful legs I’ve ever laid eyes on. The cleavage bursting out of her tight-zippered dress makes me instantly glad for the extra bagginess that my scrub pants offer. I adjust my glasses and drag my gaze slowly upward to find her stunning brown eyes hooded with drunkenness.

  “There you are, Doctor,” she says, snaking her arm around mine in a possessive loop. “I’ve been waiting for you to get here all night.”

  My eyes go from the pretty little nurse in front of me over to my brothers. Patrick grins. Kent shrugs and chuckles. “Then again, maybe I was wrong.”

  I’M NOT DRUNK but I’m not exactly sober either. Somewhere in the middle. The buzzed zone, where inhibitions are low and confidence is high.

  I encourage my blind date away from his friends and over to the table I’ve been hoarding all night, pushing him down onto the cushy booth bench. Nick might have kept me waiting, but after a quick assessment, I decide he certainly is cute enough to make up for it. When Jayne said he was dressing as a doctor, I pictured the traditional store-bought Dr. Feel Good costume, but the scrubs are a nice touch. The thin material gives me a glimpse of his firm broad chest and the short sleeves show off his incredibly toned arms.