“I’ve tried. Every time I visit, I dodge it, but that’s the one thing she’s noticed is missing from her life. Of all the things she’s forgotten, she’s never forgotten Malinda.”
“Families have strong bonds,” she murmured. “Some stronger than others.”
Noah tipped his head. “Everything okay back home?”
She wasn’t ashamed of her background, but she’d never really gotten into the whole situation about how her father lost his job and her mother had to take on an extra one. There was no need to pull out the “I was a poor kid” card. She didn’t want pity from anyone. For any reason.
“Not really,” she told him honestly. “I may have to go home for a few days.”
His brows drew in. “What’s wrong?”
Callie shrugged, not wanting to get into too many details because she’d bet every dollar left in her checking account that he’d never had to worry about his electricity or water getting shut off.
“Just some issues I need to deal with and I can’t do it from here. Not sure what I can do while I’m there, but I just can’t ignore my parents when they need help.”
Noah crossed the room and held her gaze in the mirror. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, but thanks.”
He studied her as if he knew she was hiding something. “I can come with you. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’d like to help.”
Okay, she’d known he was very generous, very caring, but to offer to fly to Kansas to help people he didn’t know with a situation he knew nothing about? God, he really was the proverbial knight in shining armor.
But the last thing she wanted was for him to see where she grew up, because it was the polar opposite of this cushy twelve-thousand-square-foot home.
“You don’t need to come,” she told him. “You have work and you’ve taken off enough time to be with me.”
“And a few more days won’t matter.”
She smiled. “Really. I’ll be fine and I’ll only be gone a couple days. You won’t even miss me.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue, but then he glanced down to her shoulder.
“How’s the collarbone?” he asked.
Apparently, he was very good at reading women and knew when not to start an argument, but she had no doubt he’d get back on the topic of her home life soon…just as she would circle back to his issues, as well.
She lifted her arm until she felt pain. “Feeling much better. It’s healing quicker than I thought it would.”
“That’s because the more it’s immobilized, the quicker it can heal. Plus, you’re still young and fit. That always helps.”
“Maybe being cared for by the best doctor in town helps, too,” she told him with a smile.
He returned her grin and stepped forward, coming up directly behind her. “Are you flirting with me?” he asked.
Callie smoothed her hair back from her forehead and shrugged. “What if I was?”
Sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her back against his hard body, Noah leaned down to her ear, all the while keeping his eyes locked on hers in the mirror.
“Then I’d have to do something about that,” he whispered. “Are you looking for something beyond flirting?”
Warmth spread through her body at his words, his presence. “Maybe we’ve both had a bad day. It’s never too late to turn it around.”
His hand spread across her flat abdomen; his pinkie finger dipped into the waistband of her shorts. “I’m all for making your day better.”
He snaked his hand up her shirt, his fingertips grazing the bottom of her breast and sending shivers through her. “Are you sure you can handle everything? I have a feeling this could take a while.”
Callie dropped her head back to his shoulder and groaned as his finger and thumb found her nipple. “I’m sure,” she murmured, unable to really think, let alone form more than a two-word sentence.