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“I can’t,” he said, reaching around me to open the front door. He motioned for me to walk through, and I did, confused by what he’d said and the fact he’d followed me out.
I walked a few steps on the sidewalk and spun to face him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m assessing your walk to see if it’s improved after the heat mat.”
“Did you miss the part where I stormed out? You’re not my physical therapist anymore.”
“About that,” he said, taking a step forward. “I know our first sessions have been tense, but I promise I’ll never ask about the accident again. It’s clear you’re in pain, and I want to help you.”
My cheeks flushed at the mention of the accident, but I straightened as much as my aching back allowed. I couldn’t let embarrassment keep me from moving forward with my life. And since Cal turned me into a flustered mess every time we saw each other, I needed to find another PT. “I’m sorry, Dr. Cardoso. This isn’t working.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, placing his hands on his chest. “Shit. I should have said that first.” He gripped his thick hair and blew out a breath. “I’m really fucking this up, aren’t I?”
He let his hands fall, leaving his hair an adorable mess. I hardly recognize this version of Caleb Cardoso. On Tuesday, I noticed he’d dropped the cocky strut of a high school football star, but he still moved with smooth confidence. Standing before me now, he looked rattled, almost awkward.
“Do you usually curse so much with patients?”
His eyes widened. His expression screamed “Oh shit” but he pressed his full lips together and didn’t say the words.
“Goodbye, Dr. Cardoso,” I said and started walking again. At first, I thought he’d gone back to his office, but before long, I heard him walking behind me again. He followed me into the park before he spoke.
“You’re not as hunched as you were when you arrived.”
I stopped and took a deep breath before turning around. Cal had a dangerous power over me. I didn’t want him as my PT, and I had every right to go somewhere else. “Look, I’m trying to be as civil as possible here. We live on the same street for now, and Chris really looks up to you, for some reason. Please, don’t make this weird. Just leave me alone.”
“I can’t,” he said.
Ok, this was getting a little creepy. Several moms chatted nearby while their toddlers ran in and out of the playhouse that had been in the park since I was a kid. An older couple held hands as they admired a row of rose bushes. I wasn’t used to ridding myself of persistent men, but this seemed as good a place as any. “Um, that’s flattering, I guess, but we barely know each other. You didn’t even recognize me on Tuesday. You need to go now.”
Cal’s eyes widened again. “I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“You seem surprised. I’m guessing you don’t usually follow women after they tell you to leave them alone.”
“I don’t think a woman has ever told me that,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and started walking deeper into the park.
“If you don’t come back with me, I’ll lose my job.”
I stopped and turned to face him. That didn’t make any sense. Surely one patient leaving wouldn’t be a big deal. It had to happen all the time. Maybe not to Cal, but often enough his job shouldn’t be in danger if I wanted a different PT. “Really?”
He nodded.
My brain and body went to battle, and yet again, my body won. Instead of walking away, I found myself walking toward him. “I don’t understand. Mom made it sound like you were so busy you were doing her a favor fitting me in. Why would you get fired if I left?”
“A couple months ago, she’d have been right. And I’d have squeezed you in if she asked. Your family has done a lot for me since I moved to Sullivan Street.”
“What changed?”
He took a deep breath as though giving himself time to decide where to start and how much to share. “Do you remember Avery Peterson?”
I couldn’t forget Avery if I wanted. Bullies left an impression long after the daily torture ended. “Your high school girlfriend.”
He nodded. “We started seeing each other again, casually, at the beginning of the year. At least, I thought it was casual. After what happened—” He shook his head as if to shake the memories from his mind. “Anyway, I realized she thought it was more than it was, so I ended things. She didn’t take it well.”
“Ok,” I said more confused than when we started the conversation. I had zero interest in the details of Cal and Avery’s relationship, past or present. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“I’ll show you,” he said pulling his phone from his pocket and typing. After a moment he handed it to me. He’d entered his name in a search engine along withphysical therapist in Peace Falls, VA. The site had returned several review pages. Cal had terrible cumulative ratings on all of them. I clicked on one and started reading the comments accompanying the one-star reviews.
