“It’s no problem. Water is fine with me, too.” He came back to the table with two bottles of water and unscrewed hers for her. “Eat up.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
They ate in silence, but something kept digging at her curiosity and she wanted to approach it. Even if he’d told her to back off.
“Why sell the house if you don’t really want to?” she asked.
His fork froze at his mouth before he dropped it back into the box. “What makes you think I don’t want to sell?”
“Because I’ve seen your face when you talk about the house being for sale and I saw your face when you told me the real-estate agent was coming by today. You’re not happy about this decision, so why make it?”
Noah sighed and eased back in his seat. “Part of me needs to, but the other part of me is afraid to.”
Well, that revelation shocked her. Noah Foster afraid of something? She’d seen the sadness and occasional darkness in his eyes, but she’d never believed he’d admit to fear.
“Then why the rush?” Callie asked. “Wait until you’re not afraid anymore.”
“I have a feeling that fear will never go away. It’s just something I need to do.”
“Does this have anything to do with that past you don’t want to discuss?”
His lips thinned as he eased forward in his seat and grabbed his fork. “Leave it, Callie. You’re purposely dancing on shaky ground.”
She crossed her legs and sat back in her creaky chair. “So you can pry into my life and make me face my fear, but I can’t do the same to you?”
“We don’t share the same fears,” he told her. “Not even close.”
“Really? Why don’t you try me?”
“I don’t want to try you,” he told her, his hands on his hips, his lips thin. “This is not up for debate.”
“I don’t find it fair that you can dig into my life, my personal space, and then tell me that a part of you isn’t up for discussion.” She remained in her seat because as much as she wanted to stand up and shout, at least one of them needed to remain calm. “I thought we were moving toward something, Noah.”
“We have a sexual attraction, Callie. I’m not looking for more, and honestly, I wasn’t even looking for that.”
“Okay, no need to be so blunt,” she told him, trying to hide the hurt. “I’m just trying to help you. You know, like you’re helping me?”
“I’m helping you as a doctor.”
Okay, now she did come to her feet. “Really?” she asked, resting her good hand on her hip. “So what happened on your couch last night was, what? You playing doctor?”
“Don’t make this into something it’s not.”
“And what is that? I don’t even know what the hell is going on because you’re so closed off.”
“I have to be closed off,”
he retorted, his voice booming. “You don’t know the pain I went through, the pain I still live with.”
“No, I don’t because you won’t let me. You are always flirty, always eager to make me happy, but you’re miserable, Noah. I can see it now that I’ve spent more time with you.”
“You think you know me because you shared a few nights in my house and worked for me for a few months? Because we shared an intimate evening? There’s so much, Callie. So much in my heart, in my life, that you don’t know.”
“Then tell me so I can help,” she pleaded. “This can go both ways, you know. Keeping your hurt or anger bottled up can’t be healthy.”
“Maybe not, but talking about it also makes it…”
“What? Real?”