Calling Me Back by Louise Bay Read Free Book Online Page A

what?” Luke asked, poking me in the waist as he walked toward the fridge.
    “Did I tell you?” I asked him. “I’m thinking about doing an MBA.”
    “You are? Wow,” he said as he turned his attention away from refrigerator. He rarely shaved on a Sunday, and the stubble on his jaw looked long enough to feel good against my skin. I needed to focus.
    “You think I shouldn’t?” I asked. I hadn’t mentioned it to Richard because I hadn’t decided whether or not I should apply yet.
    “God, no. I think it would be awesome. You should definitely do it. Do you want to change jobs, or will it help you get promoted and stuff?” he asked, setting two cold beers on the counter and staring at me.
    “If I really want to be a director of nursing in a hospital, then it’s what they look for, and if I want to get out of nursing and do something wider in healthcare, I guess it will help too. We can’t stay still, can we? I can’t be wiping puke from my uniform for the rest of my career.”
    His eyes were bright and his whole body seemed focused on me. I loved it when I had his full attention. “How come you haven’t told me about this? When do you start?”
    Haven pretended not to watch us as she set about slicing the onions I’d asked her to deal with.
    “I haven’t decided whether or not I should do it.”
    “Why wouldn’t you? I mean, I think you’re totally awesome at wiping vomit and myriad of other bodily fluids from your uniform, and I’m sure your patients would miss you, but you’re a smart girl. You can do anything you want to.”
    “You think? I mean, I know I’m a good nurse, but I worried that in a class with a bunch of crazy-clever people, I would . . .” Look foolish? Be the class dunce?
    “ You’re crazy clever. You could have done anything you wanted in your career. You can hold your own against a room full of management consultants. The thing is your heart is even bigger than your brain. That’s why you’re a nurse.”
    I loved that that’s how he saw me. Luke always knew the right thing to say, and when he put it like that, I didn’t have a good reason not to apply, apart from the cost. I shrugged. “I have to sit a test and fill out an application form. The deadline is coming up.”
    “You’d start in January?”
    I nodded.
    “Isn’t this great, Haven?” Luke asked.
    “Yeah, she should totally do it.”
    I grinned at them both. If I told them I was going to fly to the moon, they’d think it was a wonderful idea.

    As promised, Richard had arranged a weekend in the Lake District for us. He picked a beautiful country hotel that felt as if it was in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t have asked for a more romantic setting.
    “Wow, what a view,” I said, staring out of our bedroom window across the mountains and down to the lake. I loved the way the sun turned everything yellow before it hit the horizon.
    “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Richard asked as he came up behind me and put his hands around my waist. It didn’t feel entirely natural, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Just unfamiliar.
    “How did you find this place?”
    “A guy at work had his honeymoon here.”
    I could see why. Our room was huge, but cozy with an open fire and a four-poster bed. It was something that would pop up if you typed romantic country hotel into Google. In the same way, if you typed romantic, attentive, kind and generous man into Google, Richard would pop up. He was all those things.
    “I thought we could just hang out here for the night. The restaurant downstairs is meant to be good. I made reservations for eight if that works for you.”
    “Sure,” I said as I laid my head back on his chest. He was so thoughtful and kind.
    “Or we don’t have to go anywhere. I’m sure they do room service.” He swept my hair to one side and pressed his lips to my neck.
    We were three months in and this was our first weekend away together. I should be desperate to keep room service busy, but I