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I take it gingerly, glancing at him from under my lashes as I type in my mom’s number. Instead of giving me privacy, he eavesdrops unabashedly.
“Put it on speaker,” he instructs, ignoring the cutting look I give him.
Not wanting him to snatch the phone away, I do as he says.
The call connects, and the ringtone sounds.
My mom answers with an uncertain, “Hello?”
“Hi, Mom.” It’s a battle to keep my voice normal. “It’s Kate.”
“Katie!” She sounds upbeat. “This is a surprise. I didn’t recognize this number.”
“I’m calling from Alex’s phone.”
I briefly meet his eyes. His intense gaze is unnerving.
“Aren’t you at work?” Worry filters into her tone. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” I force a smile onto my face, hoping she’ll hear it in my voice. “Don’t worry, nothing is wrong.” Flinching, I brace myself for the lie. “Quite the contrary, in fact. We’ve taken an impromptu vacation.” I’ve never lied to my mom, and I hate both myself and Alex for starting now. “A trip to Russia.”
“Russia?” she exclaims. “Where in Russia?”
“St. Petersburg,” I say brightly, trying to sound like an excited tourist. “Alex has a house here.”
He holds up a finger and shakes his head, indicating I shouldn’t say more.
“What about your job?” Mom asks.
I imagine the confusion on her face. “I really needed this vacation.”
Her voice softens. “Yes, honey. You’re right. You’ve been working too hard.”
“If you need me…” I swallow, biting back an uninvited bout of tears. “I didn’t activate roaming on my phone.” I give Alex an inquiring look.
He nods.
“You can reach me on this number,” I continue.
“All right,” she says slowly. “But why doesn’t Alex activate the roaming for you?”
The lies are piling up, drawing tighter around me in a web. Flustered, I look at Alex, who faces me stoically. My brain shuts down, unable to come up with a plausible explanation.
“You don’t want calls from work,” Alex whispers.
“I-I don’t want the hospital to bother me on our break,” I say.
“Oh.” My mom pauses. “That makes sense, but it doesn’t sound like you, honey. You’re normally so dedicated to your job, you even go in on your off weekends when they ask.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s exactly why I don’t want them to be able to call me. I’m taking a long, much-needed vacation with Alex to recharge, and I don’t want work problems in the back of my mind.”
“That certainly is a wise attitude.” Mom sounds considerably more at ease. “I’m glad Alex has such a positive influence on you. I’ve been nagging you for years to take a proper vacation.”
“Enough about me.” Turning my back on Alex, I face the window. “How are you?”
“Wonderful. I’m already so much better, and with the new diet, I’m losing weight.”
“That’s great,” I say, my chest warming with gratitude. All the more reason for keeping up the charade. If the treatment is working, I can’t take this opportunity away from her. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
Alex lays a hand on my shoulder, tightening his fingers lightly. In the reflection of the glass, I see him extending his other hand, asking for the phone.
“Listen,” I say, holding back a fresh surge of tears, “I have to go. Promise you’ll call me if you need anything, or if you don’t feel well.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m having the time of my life. Just enjoy your vacation with that generous and amazing man of yours. You deserve it.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “I love you.”
“Love you too, honey. Say hi to Alex for me.”
I cling to the phone, unable to end the call.
Turning me toward him, Alex takes the phone gently and pushes on the red button. His gaze isn’t entirely without sympathy when he asks, “Who’s next? Your supervisor?”
Unable to speak with the tears clogging up my throat, I nod.
He swipes a thumb over the screen and selects a number. It doesn’t surprise me that he has June’s contact info programmed into his phone. When it rings, he gives me the phone.
“June Wallers,” my supervisor answers. It’s clear from her brusque but not unfriendly tone that she’s busy and tired.
My guilt doubles. “Hi, June. It’s Kate.”
“Kate? Please tell me you’re making your shift at ten. Rose is sick and Lettie is stuck in some mountain resort where the roads are snowed over. It’s chaos here today.”
Biting my lip, I drag in another long breath. “I’m so sorry. I have a family emergency. I’m afraid I have to take a leave of absence. I don’t have a choice.”
“Wow.” A beat of silence follows. “I hope it’s nothing too serious?”
“I can’t—” Checking myself, I say, “I’d prefer not to discuss it. All I can say is that it’s a private matter.”
“If it were anyone else, I would have doubts, but you’re one of our best and most serious nurses. For all the times you sacrificed your days off to stand in when we were short-staffed, I can only say take as much time as you need.”
