“My granddaughter has good taste,” she told him. “We don’t pick out the ugly ones, but we definitely make sure they’re gentlemen, too. I know you’re going to treat my Malinda right, like a good husband. Caring for her and providing for her, that’s what she needs. She’s vulnerable at times, but you’re a strong man. I’m so happy she found you.”
Noah came to his feet. He couldn’t sit here any longer and listen to her go on and on about what a good provider and caring man he was. He wasn’t any of those things or Malinda would still be alive.
“Thelma, I have a meeting and need to be going, but I promise to come back tomorrow.” He took her tray and set it in the kitchenette. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”
She smiled up at him and shook her head. “Just make sure to bring my Malinda by and tell her I love her.”
Noah nodded, kissed her on the cheek and left. Good God. He couldn’t keep doing this. How did he release this guilt of letting down not only Malinda, but Thelma? He was a fake, sitting in there smiling, laughing with his dead fiancée’s grandmother.
He was a doctor, a profession known for healing people, but right now he felt like a complete failure. And he’d failed the one woman who loved him. He refused to fail Callie, too.
* * *
Callie slid her cell back into the pocket of her shorts and resisted the urge to throw something or just break down and cry.
When she’d called her mother to see how her parents were, Callie knew something was wrong. After getting her father on the phone, he claimed a storm had come through and torn off a piece of their roof. He’d put a tarp over it and was hoping to be able to at least patch just that part even though they couldn’t afford to do the entire house just yet.
Life was fickle. Either everything was puppy dogs and rainbows or blow after blow kept knocking you down.
On a sigh, she walked down the hall of Noah’s house toward the workout room. It had been a while since she’d been on the treadmill because she’d been so afraid to jar her shoulder. But if she just put the setting on a fast walk, she wouldn’t be bouncing so much, and honestly, it wasn’t hurting at all today. Besides, she really needed that stress reliever so she could clear her mind.
She assumed Noah wouldn’t mind if she used this room. He’d never said otherwise.
Callie entered the gym and smiled. The man had thousands of dollars of equipment in here and all she’d ever seen him use was the heavy bag in the corner. She moved to the bag and used her left hand to give it a bit of a shove. Yeah, no wonder they were called heavy bags. And no wonder Noah’s arms looked so, so fine. They’d felt pretty fine, too, beneath her fingertips as she’d gripped them while—
She closed her eyes and sighed. What was she doing? Seriously. She was living in her boss’s home, letting him care for her, getting intimate with him all the while knowing he wouldn’t commit to her beyond the present. He’d said as much, and to be honest, she didn’t want to be with someone in a committed relationship when they were holding so many secrets inside. Secrets that were obviously still very painful. So painful he couldn’t even mention them.
Or maybe that was the problem. Maybe he just didn’t want to mention them to her.
“You look like I feel.”
Callie jerked her head up and looked in the mirror-lined wall to see Noah’s reflection as he stood in the open doorway. He looked ready for a workout with his running shoes, knit shorts and no shirt. The tattoo of a dragon slid over his shoulder and down onto one pec. He only had one tattoo, but that piece of art really showcased some nice, well-toned muscles.
“Bad day?” she asked, still looking at him in the mirror since he remained in place.
He nodded. “I just got back from the assisted-living facility.”
“You go nearly every day. I never wanted to pry, but…do you have a family member there?”
“You could say that. We’re not blood related, but I’m all she has.”
A piece of Callie’s heart melted. Did the man have any flaws?
“Is she worse?” Callie asked. “Sorry, not my business. You just look…worried.”
He ran his hands over his face and sighed as he moved into the room. “She’s got Alzheimer’s and some days are worse than others. She keeps wanting to see her granddaughter.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Noah rested his hands on his hips. “Her granddaughter passed away a little over a year ago.”
“Oh, God. That’s terrible. What happened?”
Noah glanced to the floor and shook his head. “A senseless accident that should’ve been prevented.”
Alarm bells went off in her head. Was this “accident” the cause of the nightmare that plagued his life?
“Can you avoid the topic with her?” Callie asked.