Dano sipped at his coffee, and I realized my mind wandering had caused a lull, the dead-airspace thing. Natch, he didn’t fill it, but merely looked at me over the rim of his mug.

I owed Goldie for the cleavage.

“So, are you going back to the hospital to see her tonight?”

Dano looked confused, and well he should. There seemed to be no love lost between he and Pansy. Make that Pansy and any employee, so I guessed her room was not going to be filled with get-well cards, balloons or flowers.

What a sad life to be so disliked.

And, damn it, what a difficult case now, since there could possibly be a gazillion suspects! I made a mental note to ask Jagger…damn him…if he’d gotten anything from the lieutenant.

I would give Jagger credit in that he did share what he learned with me if it pertained to my case. For as competitive as he seemed, he did try to help me be the best investigator I could be. He taught me well.

But just what was he teaching Airbrush Lady?

I told myself to stop that and shoved a spoonful of my clam chowder into my mouth.

“Nice day, weather-wise,” Dano said, taking me by surprise.

I nodded, yet hadn’t paid attention. The day had flown by so far. When I looked out the diner’s window, I noticed everyone with shorts, hats, tees or sunglasses on and a gentle breeze said it must be a gorgeous New England day. Very low humidity.

I swallowed. “You’re right. It is.” After several minutes, I had finished my meal pretty much in disappointing silence. ER Dano was a pip. Quite possibly harder to figure out than Jagger-which seemed like a monumental impossibility.

He paid the check even though I insisted I should, we walked out the door-with a dull disappointment in my gut-and I turned toward my Volvo.

“Give me your address, Nightingale.”

I swung around, scowling. “Huh?”

“Be ready in an hour. Can’t let this day go to waste.” With that he turned and walked toward his white pickup truck.

Ready? Ready? How ready? “Hey, wait!”

He turned around.

“Wear what?” I shaded my eyes with my hand since the late-afternoon sun was so crisp, clear and bright. “What should I be ready for?”

He looked at me as if I should have known. “Beach.”

I gave him my address and he waved away my directions and I had no doubt ER Dano could find me. And not because he drove an ambulance and knew the entire town of Hope Valley and surrounding areas.

Nope.

ER Dano always got what he wanted. Of that I was quite certain. Always? Hmm?

Watch out, Pauline!

“I think the pink is better than the peacock blue,” Goldie said as he hustled about me, stepping over the pile of clothes on the floor. My clothes. On my bedroom floor! And me standing there in my bra and white jeans without a hint of embarrassment in front of these two jokers. I didn’t even have to tell myself it was like a bathing-suit top.

Miles hurried out of my closet. “Gold…hon, blue has always made her pale gray eyes look more silver. More noticeable. And she needs that with her hair. You know, so light next to that skin.”

Goldie leaned into me as he held up the blue spandex top close to my face. “I see what you mean, but it also makes her pale complexion look…well, forgive me, Suga, but paler. No. She needs more help than blue.”

I grabbed the top from him. “You two busybodies are going to make me late. I’ll wear yellow.”

They both screeched.

I shook my head and laughed. “Well, it’s only a trip to the beach. I’m sure we’ll just walk along the boardwalk and besides; I’ll need my denim jacket. With the sea breeze, it’s probably cooler down there. So it almost doesn’t matter what I have on underneath.”

Goldie grabbed the blue top from my hands and stuck the pink one in its place. “Jacket schmacket. Make sure you wear uncovered spandex long enough for him to get a load of your perky-”

I smacked him on the arm.

“You two are pathetic.” I looked Goldie in the eye. “And stop trying to force another guy on me ’cause you don’t want me interested in Jagger!”

Goldie’s face dropped.

“Damn it.” I hurried toward him and wrapped my arms around his gigantic frame. “Sorry. I’m sorry, Gold. I know you always have my best interest in mind and keep telling me that Jagger is addictive, like cocaine, and will mess me up. I know. I know.” I felt him lift his head and in the mirror behind him, noticed him grin. I pushed him away. “You shit!”

Miles broke out into hysterical laughter, and it was at that moment that I knew I loved these two as my best friends and couldn’t move out of there anytime soon. It really didn’t feel as if I were an intrusion.

Besides, I couldn’t freaking afford it yet.

A bad choice in cosigning a car loan for an ex-friend and a bad addiction to a shopping habit, which I’d curtailed immensely lately, would keep me there a bit longer.

“I’m gonna be late if we keep this up.” I grabbed the pink top-since in reality, Goldie was the fashion expert-and said, “Gold, do my makeup. Please? I’ll wear the stinking pink.”

After Goldie got his hands on me, I looked into the mirror and said, “Wow. You could get a job in Hollywood with your expertise. I look better than I really am!”

The doorbell rang and suddenly my stomach dropped.

We’d had a lot of fun getting me ready-but now I was actually going out with ER Dano-alone!

A girl might be taking a big chance with a guy like him…

“Cold?” Dano asked.

He pulled into the parking lot of the beach. We’d driven down to the Connecticut shoreline and stopped at Meig’s Point in the Hammonasset Beach State Park. “Uh-uh. I’m fine for now.” I could picture Goldie in my head, shaking his head at me covering up the spandex. Dano probably had been too busy driving to notice, so I’d have to tough it out for a while.

Damn. I was feeling very “naughty nurse” again.

Seems the hot, sexy, probably burned-out paramedic brought that out in me.

Consequently, no jacket schmacket for now.

He pulled the truck into a space near the brown nature-center building. Actually, we pretty much had our pick of spaces. The place wasn’t very crowded, and I guessed that was because it was a weeknight. Good. We’d have more privacy on the beach, I thought, and then I also thought, For what, Pauline? For what!

Oh well, a girl could dream, and ER Dano was definitely dream material.

He got out of the truck, and I figured I’d better get out too or be left behind, but he surprised me. ER Dano actually opened the door for me! How very un-Jaggerlike.

I decided right then-and having a visual of Airbrush Lady actually was the catalyst-that I was not going to think of Jagger again. Well, not tonight anyway.

I rather liked this guy…

We walked toward the boardwalk that led to a pavilion on the beach, and Dano placed his hand on the small of my back. I loved that! It was such a minor little thing but said a wealth of romantic stuff in my mind. Dano wanted to make physical contact and that was fine with me, so I leaned into him a bit.

When we walked through the pavilion onto the beach, a gust of sea air tousled my hair, pushed me into Dano a bit more (really!) and made my perky you-know-whats stand out in the stupid Spandex. Oh, my.

Naughty nurse versus CSIC alumni (Catholic-school-induced conscience). Talk about being conflicted!

We walked for several minutes, and then Dano stopped, held my arm, slipped his feet out of his cowboy boots and yanked off his socks. He looked at me as if we were in the throes of passion and he was waiting for me to disrobe.

Trying to ignore how hot that made me feel, I smiled, bent down and slipped my feet out of my little white flats. No nylons. The cool sand felt gritty against the soles of my feet, but it was kinda neat to be sans shoes. Dano took them from me and with his, set them on the edge of the pavilion boardwalk.