never heard him say unless my clothes were off, the connotation much different than this one.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“When are you going to stop feeling all this guilt? If they call, you answer. If an extra shift becomes available, you take it. This has to end.” There was anger in his eyes, and I didn’t recognize it.
“I’m working on it … you know that.”
His exhale vibrated through my ears.
And my chest was tightening in the most wicked way. “Caleb, just so you know, I’m upset by this too. It hurts me to have to leave.”
“You sure about that?” He went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed another beer before leaning against the counter to look at me. “If you’re so torn up about it, then why the hell did you answer if you knew what she was going to ask?” He tossed the metal cap on the island.
“Because it’s my job.”
“Your job isn’t to pick up everyone else’s pieces and clean up their mess. Or to answer your phone every time the goddamn thing rings. Or to work yourself to death, too exhausted on your days off to barely even eat, like tonight. But you do all those things, Whitney.”
My hands began to shake. “You took a client’s call in the middle of sushi. You’re just as married to your job, probably even more so than me.”
He sighed. “That’s different.”
“Oh God.” I moved to the other side of the kitchen, holding the corner of the counter. “Now, we’re going to play double standards?”
“I own a company. I have hundreds of employees depending on me, and I control the wealth of every high roller in New England. Yes, it certainly is different.”
“So, wealth takes precedence over health? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing his shit day was the reason for this fight. The more I fed into it, the worse it was going to get. “Don’t answer that. I’m done with this argument. I have patients to care for.”
“Fucking ridiculous.”
“Would it be ridiculous if you were in the hospital, pounding on your call button and no one answered? Or you were screaming out in pain and no one came to help you? Something tells me, if that were you, you’d have a much different opinion about this.”
Instead of waiting for a response, I walked into the bedroom, locating my scrubs in the corner of his closet, and stripped off my clothes to put them on. My feet went into a pair of clogs, and I situated my workbag across my body, resting it on my hip.
When I returned to the kitchen, he hadn’t moved, and I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, intending to attempt to flush out the glass and a half of wine I’d had with dinner. “I’ll be back when there are enough nurses to relieve me,” I said and turned to leave.
“Don’t go.”
I took another step toward the elevator before turning to face him. “Don’t ask me to do that.”
“Then, I’m going to ask you to quit your job.”
My chest filled with air, as though there were a balloon inside and it was threatening to pop. “Caleb, stop.”
When he placed his beer down, the sound of the glass made me jump. “The one time I told you I needed you, and you’re walking out the fucking door.”
I felt like my body was being carved down the middle, both pieces so severed that I didn’t know which one would survive. “I’m sorry.” Tears were moving into my eyes, my hands squeezing the strap of my bag. “But I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Maybe then you’ll be ready to put this relationship first.”
My feet halted, and I glanced at him over my shoulder. I could no longer hold them back, the drips quickly falling from my eyes. “How dare you say that to me.”
“Thanks for ruining our first night. It’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.”
Each drop felt like fire on my cheeks, burning their way into my skin.
I gritted my teeth together, knowing anything else I said would just goad him more, and I rushed into the foyer. When I got off the elevator and hurried through the lobby, I took out my phone, pressed a button, and held it to my ear.
“Em,” I cried when she answered.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“We had our first major fight.” Once I was on the sidewalk, I held my arm into the air, hailing a taxi. One pulled