Of course, before Callie’s accident he’d wondered where all her money was going and he’d even considered the possibility of her using, but he wanted to dismiss those tainted thoughts. His past with Malinda just made him skeptical, and where Callie was concerned, he had a gut feeling what he saw was what he got. Perhaps that was why he found her so refreshing. She’d never tried to be fake and she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve.
Grabbing the antibiotic and the mild painkiller from the top of his chest of drawers, he headed next door to her room. There were five spare bedrooms in his house and for some reason he’d chosen to put her right beside him.
There were so many underlying reasons. He’d told her it was because he wanted to be near in case she needed help, but in actuality, he wanted to be close because this was Callie, and he’d envisioned something more intimate between them. He had ever since she’d come to work for him six months ago.
Now, though, his rational mind told him he had to put that desire on a back burner. It wasn’t that the accident had diminished his attraction; he simply realized the timing was off. The man in him, however, could hardly ignore the desire he felt for her.
And now that she was under his roof, he could choose to either be a man and potential lover or be her doctor and caring friend.
His sense of responsibility made that decision for him.
With the bottles in one hand, he tapped on her door with the other.
* * *
Callie looked away from her breathtaking view from the window seat toward the door when Noah knocked. He’d been trying to get her to come out, but she just wasn’t in the mood. Besides, this bedroom was the size of her apartment and the view of the pool complete with waterfall and hot tub was rather relaxing to stare at.
“I’m fine, Noah,” she called without getting up.
“I need to look at your bandage and I have something for your pain.”
Of course he would have to come in. She glanced down to her less-than-sexy attire of black yoga capris and a T-shirt, She only had one arm through because she refused to call for Noah to help her dress. At some point, she feared she’d have to suck it up and let him assist her.
She crossed to the door and pulled it open to see Noah leaning against the doorjamb holding a small container with gauze, tape, ointment and pills. His eyes raked over her appearance.
“Why didn’t you tell me you needed help dressing?”
She tilted her chin up. “Because I didn’t.”
“Don’t start this arrangement off by being stubborn and ridiculous.”
Instead of retorting, because it would just cause an argument, she eyed his inventory.
“I was just dismissed this morning,” she told him. “Surely this doesn’t need to be looked at already.”
“I want to make sure there’s enough antibiotic on it. If it gets too dry, the scar can be harder to repair.”
Callie rolled her eyes. “You’re not actually thinking this is repairable, are you? I know the odds, Noah.”
Noah sat his stuff down on the desk a little harder than he should’ve and Callie jumped.
“Listen to me,” he said, taking her by her one good shoulder. “I am going into this with a positive attitude and you need to, as well. Until or unless I see that your scar is indeed irreparable, we will approach this as if everything is going to be fine. Understand?”
Callie refused to allow the warmth of his strong hand to seep in any farther than her T-shirt. She couldn’t let that fantasy of the two of them together come into play just because she was staying at his house…especially because she was staying at his house and he was taking care of her.
“If you want to stay optimistic, go ahead.” She stepped away and walked over to the window seat she’d just vacated. “I’m going to be a realist here and try to come up with a plan B.”
“What do you mean, plan B?” he asked.
Callie leaned her back against the warm glass and pulled her knees up to rest her feet on the cushion. “I can’t very well model for you, act or work in an office that promotes beauty and perfection. And going back home to Kansas is even more depressing, so I need to figure out where to go from here.”
Noah crossed the room and took a seat beside her. “The modeling and the acting might be out for now, but who said you can’t work in my office? I certainly never said, nor did I imply, that you were goin
g to be replaced. God, Callie, did you think because you have an injury that I’d ask you to leave? I’m sure Marie will be more than happy to cover for you until you’re ready to come back to work. Besides, with the other office opening there will be plenty of work.”
Callie stared back into those dark, sexy eyes. “I wasn’t talking about when my arm heals, Noah. Do you really want your clients to see this ugly, marred face as soon as they come in the door?”
Noah slid a stray hair behind her ear and ran a fingertip down her uninjured cheek. “What I want my clients to see is a woman with a bubbly personality who will put them at ease and make them feel welcome. That’s why I hired you to begin with.”