We reached our rooms that were side by side, Callum’s on the corner and much larger than my own. Although I didn’t need a big room just for myself, especially since it didn’t seem I’d be spending much time in it with all the sightseeing we’d be doing. Plus, mine was nicer than any I’d stayed in before.
“I’ll come knock on your door once I’m ready. It won’t take me too long unless my mama calls to congratulate me.” His southern drawl came out even more when he spoke about his mom.
“Take your time; I have no problem keeping myself entertained.” It wasn’t actually entertainment but checking in on my patients. I wanted to make sure they weren’t having any crises while I was gone.
It had been a difficult decision to leave them and not be updated on their wellbeing. I only had a couple of patients who I was on call for twenty-four-seven, and with traveling all over the world, that made it difficult to be there for them. So far, I hadn’t received word there were any problems, but I still wanted to check in while I had a chance.
Slipping out of my shoes, I curled into the comfortable chair that sat out on my balcony and opened my laptop. There weren’t any messages from or about my patients. Instead, I had an email from my ex. Why was he now trying to contact me when he’d been the one to wrong me? If he thought there was a chance in hell I was going to take him back, he needed a reality check.
I thought about deleting his message, but I was curious. Plus, whenever I read a book and the person deleted or didn’t listen to a message, it always came to bite them in the ass, and I wasn’t going to be one of those people.
Taking a deep breath, I clicked his email. I only saw a flash of words before I hit delete. Alejandro had seen me on some sports show with Callum and was enraged I was with another man. I’m not sure why and I didn’t care. First of all, I wasn’t with another man, and second, we weren’t together. I understood the hurt, but he had no right to be lashing out at me. Powering down my laptop, I sat it beside the chair and stared out at the city. Our beautiful hotel rooms overlooked the harbor giving me a breathtaking view. In all truth, I could have sat there for the rest of the day and been happy, but I was sure Callum needed to expend some energy, and he seemed keen on being my tour guide even though he was used to seeing everything alone.
A loud knock on my door had me jumping in my seat before I scrambled to answer it. After Alejandro’s email, I was unnerved about how he’d somehow seen me on television. Would others feel the same way? I knew how sports fanatics worked, and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of their ire.
Swinging open the door, I took a step back to take him in. He was in a pair of dark washed jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, and a white button-down shirt, he had rolled up to his elbows. As he walked in, I turned to grab my shoes, but the moment I turned to walk away, he asked with wrinkled brows, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Why?” I walked quickly over to slip on a pair of sandals and grab my purse.
“I may not be trained at reading people, but I’m observant and a good read of character, and I can tell something’s wrong.”
Looking back one last time at my computer, I wrapped my hand around his bicep. “Can we go to wherever you’re taking me to dinner, and I’ll explain then?”
He brought his hand to rest over mine. “Only if you promise you’ll tell me what has you upset.”
“I can promise you that I’ll never lie to you.” Liars and cheaters were my biggest peeves.
“Then let’s go celebrate even though this is feeling decidedly less celebratory and more like a heart-to-heart.” He patted my hand and then let go to open the hotel room’s door. “Lady’s first.”
Callum’s sweet, gentlemanly nature put me at ease. I wasn’t one to be typically bothered, but even with that one line I’d read from Alejandro, I could tell it had set something in motion. What it was, I didn’t know. Yet.
“You don’t like opening up to people much, do you?” Callum asked as we set out on foot from the hotel.
“Not really, but especially not to my patients.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not professional. I shouldn’t be telling you about my problems.” How was that not obvious?
“So, you do admit there is a problem.” His voice was light, but the expression in his eyes was the opposite. Callum was genuinely concerned about what was troubling me.
“I’m not sure how much of a problem it is, but something has me feeling a sense of unease,” I admitted.
He nodded as if it all made sense to him when he knew nothing yet. Callum grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me to the right to where a little café had tables on the sidewalk. “It may not look like much, but I can promise you they make some mean food.”
He pulled out my seat and pushed it back in after I sat down. I looked around at the cute little table spreads they had on each of the outdoor tables and the couples who were sipping their wine until he was seated across from me.
“Does this mean you’re going to eat something maybe a little unhealthy?”
“What do you say we order a few things and share? That way, I can eat a little on the wild side and not hate myself in the morning.”
At least he was willing to try. If he could push himself to step outside his strict guideline, I could open up to him. I laughed at the notion. “Deal. I’ll let you pick.”
When our waitress stopped by our table, I ordered a white wine that would work with everything we would be eating while Callum ordered a sparkling water and four different dishes for us to share. He sat back once we were alone with his arms crossed over his chest and waited for me to speak.
Letting out a nervous laugh, I unrolled my silverware and placed my napkin on my lap to buy me a few more seconds. “I feel silly now. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?” I asked.
“Trivialize your feelings.” He tapped one finger on the crook of his elbow.
“Are you sure you’re not a therapist or haven’t seen one before? You’re pretty good at this.” The way he asked was like he’d been seeing a therapist for years and not the brief time he’d been seeing me.
“Funny,” he cocked his head and stared at me while our server sat our drinks down in front of us.
“You’re persistent, I can give you that. Fine,” I huffed. “When I got back to my room, I wanted to check in with my patients, so I opened my email and saw one from my ex-boyfriend.” Callum sat up straighter in his seat as the muscle in his jaw ticked. “I thought about deleting it, but thought better of it. I only read one line, but he was extremely mad about seeing me on TV today before your race. I’m not sure why he feels he has any right to be upset if I’m with another man, which was his assumption. I deleted it, not willing to let it affect me. So far, I’m not doing a great job of that. I haven’t figured out yet why it causes me a sense of unease.” I lifted one shoulder as I looked out onto the street. “See, it’s silly.”
Leaning forward, Callum took my hand in his. “It’s not silly. Was he ever cruel when you were with him?” His thumb caressed over the top of my hand.