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Lauren fanned her face. “Damn. I’m jealous. I’m so busy here, I haven’t had a man-induced orgasm in months.”
“Not going to lie, the sex is amazing. But that’s not the only reason I’ve been avoiding you.”
“Uh oh,” Lauren said, walking around the counter. “I know that look. Sit.” She pulled out a chair at one of the bistro tables and pushed me into it before taking a seat across from me. My back protested the sudden movement, but I did my best to keep my face neutral.
“What’s going on?” Lauren asked. “You got pale. Well, paler than usual. Did Brad do something?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t realized how much blood had rushed from my head to my stomach until Lauren forced me into the chair. “He and Kelli got fired.”
“What! When?”
“On Saturday. Which now that I think about it, is pretty unusual. HR must have been really pissed if they couldn’t wait until after the weekend. Apparently, Brad was creeping on his intern in addition to sleeping with my boss.”
Lauren slapped my arm, hard. “I don’t care how magical Cal’s dick is, you do not keep info like that from your best friend.”
“Well, it’s more than that. Remember my mentor, Gwen?”
Lauren nodded.
“She offered me a job. Not my old job. Kelli’s. I got the official letter on Monday. The pay jump is enough I could afford rent in Dupont Circle or even buy a townhouse in Arlington. I’d get to hire a new member for the team and choose them myself. It’s a huge opportunity.”
“Sounds like it,” Lauren said, softly.
“I have until the end of next week to accept. I’m not sure what I want to do. The job would be a giant leap for my career.”
“What does Cal think?”
“I haven’t told him.”
Lauren pushed back from the table and blew out a breath. “Damn, Rowan. That feels a little cold. You’ve been riding him all week, and it never crossed your mind to mention you might leave soon?”
“He knows I’m job hunting, and that I’ll probably move as soon as I find one.”
Lauren nodded. “Which fits with the whole casual hook up, I guess.”
“It’s just, it doesn’t feel casual,” I whispered. “At least not to me.”
Lauren’s face softened. “You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”
I nodded and swiped at my eyes. “He says he doesn’t do relationships, but he’s so caring and thoughtful. And when we’re together, we have conversations about things that are so personal, like losing my dad or his recovery from the accident.”
“Did he say why he wants to keep things casual? I bet it’s because of Avery. Cammie showed me Cal’s online reviews. We’re trying to get his patients to leave good ones, but Avery is a piece of work. She buries anything positive with terrible comments.”
I shook my head. “She’s an awful person, but he told her the same thing he told me. I bet she’s angry because it felt like a real relationship to her. He hurt her. That’s the only reason she’d go to so much trouble to ruin him. I never thought I’d have so much in common with Avery Peterson.”
“You aren’t Avery. Who knows what she thought or how he felt. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. But understanding why he’s so against committing to someone would.”
I let out a huge sigh. The problem was I think I did know. Cal clearly hadn’t worked through his grief from the accident enough to let anyone get close, yet what we had didn’t feelcasual. “I don’t know what to do. This job would be amazing for me, career wise. It should be an easy yes. But I’ve really enjoyed being home, spending time with Cal and my family and you, of course.”
“When you’re not avoiding me,” Lauren said with a laugh.
I cringed and nodded.
“I almost don’t want to ask this, because you know I’m biased and want you to stay here, but did you like the work you did with Pinnacle?”
I chewed my bottom lip as I considered her question. “I didn’t dislike it. Finance pays well, especially with the promotion. I worked really hard to get to this point in my career, and people respect the work I do.”
Lauren nodded. “But you don’t love it.”
