Callie closed her eyes, rubbed her temple and eased back in Noah’s cushy leather office chair. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I assume since the phone is back on you got the money from the account.”
“Yes, honey. Thank you. I just hate you’re spending your hard-earned money on us. Hopefully, your father will find something soon. He’s actually got a job interview in two days at a factory about an hour away. It would be a commute, but the pay is even better than what he was making before the layoff.”
A sliver of hope slid through her. “That’s wonderful, Mom.”
For a moment, silence entered their conversation. Callie toyed with the dark buttons on the brown leather chair, knowing she was going to have to come clean.
“Mom, I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to worry.”
“What’s wrong? Are you all right? You can’t tell a mother not to worry and expect her not to, Callie.”
Callie swallowed and eased forward in the chair, resting her elbow on the desk while holding the phone to her ear on her uninjured side.
“I was in an accident a couple weeks ago. But I’m fine,” she quickly added. “I have a broken collarbone and I had some stitches, but I’m fine.”
“Good heavens, honey. Why didn’t you text your brother and have him tell us?”
Shame. Humiliation. Risk of sounding like a failure.
“I didn’t want you all to worry. But because of the timing of the accident, I won’t be able to fulfill my role in the Anthony Price movie I told you about.”
“Oh, honey.” Erma’s tone softened and Callie imagined that tilt of the head most mothers got when they felt a twinge of regret. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know how much you wanted that.”
Wanted? No. She craved it, ached for it.
“There will be other roles,” her mother assured her. “What’s meant to be is what will happen.”
“Listen, Mom,” Callie said, trying to hold back tears, “I’m at the office and I need to go. I just wanted to touch base and let you know what was going on.”
“I’m so glad you called. I love you so much.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
Callie disconnected the call, calling herself all kinds of coward for not disclosing the full extent of her injuries. But she just couldn’t. She’d left her mother with the hope that there would be more roles, more movies. But the reality was there probably wouldn’t be.
A moment later, Noah stepped into the office and hung his lab coat on the back of his door. Without a word he moved to the desk, opened the side drawer and pulled out his keys.
“I’m ready.”
Callie watched as he walked out the door and turned to head out the back way.
Um…okay. Apparently, something was wrong, but since he was already walking away, she couldn’t ask.
She nearly chased him out the back door and into his car, which he had already started. After getting in and barely having time to put on her seat belt, she glanced over.
“I assume Marie will lock up?”
Noah nodded and maneuvered into traffic.
“Would you like to tell me what happened to make you so upset?”
“No.”
He didn’t look at her, didn’t elaborate, simply drove toward his home. Callie knew when to keep her mouth shut, though she hated that he was obviously at war with himself and it didn’t take a genius to figure out it more than likely had something to do with the young boy he’d just had a consultation with.
Callie only prayed that the boy and his mother hadn’t left on the same upsetting note that Noah had.
By the time they pulled into his garage, the tension was thick and Callie thought it best if she just went into the house. If he wanted to talk, he would. Though she wasn’t counting on it. He was closed off when it came to anything personal.