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She pointed her fork at him. “You need a partner.”
“It’s too soon.”
“Is it?” Her brown eyes darkened. “You’ve been running yourself ragged for months now, and you’re not hurting for profit.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she waved a hand. “I know that you’ve got student loans and bills to pay, but come on, Steven. You can’t keep this pace up. You’ll work yourself into an early grave.”
With a sigh, he sliced off another piece of cake with his fork. Red velvet, if his limited knowledge of cakes didn’t deceive him. He took a bite, more to avoid responding to her than because he wanted it. Their conversation had caused him to lose his appetite.
“New businesses always have a hard time getting off the ground. I just want to make sure things are stable before I bring someone else in.”
“I understand that.” Rose laid a hand on his arm. “But speaking as both your loving fiancée and as a nurse, I’m concerned. I’ve seen what happens to people who don’t take care of themselves, who work too hard. You need to find ways to ease the burden, give yourself some breathing room.”
After setting his fork down, he covered her hand with his own. “I promise I’ll consider it.”
Her forehead creased, but she nodded. “I suppose that’s better than a flat-out no.”
Just then, Lanie and Carissa returned, and the former grabbed another piece of cake. “Everything’s worked out with the caterer. Did you choose a cake?”
“I’m partial to red velvet,” he said, even though that was literally the only flavor he’d tried.
“Me too.” Rose squeezed his arm.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. They were on the same page once more.
Chapter Two
Rose walked quickly through the hospital ward. Rounds were starting soon, and she wanted to check in on her favorite patient before they got underway. Mrs. Winslow was propped up in her bed with the sheet tucked around her legs. Her watery blue eyes struggled to focus as Rose came in, but her smile brightened the room.
“Good morning, Mrs. Winslow,” Rose said as she moved to her bedside. “How are you feeling today?”
“Same as yesterday.” Mrs. Winslow waved a hand over her face. “My eyesight is still poor, but the doctor said tomorrow’s surgery will help.”
“I’ve no doubt about that.” After checking her vitals, Rose pulled up a chair. “Any new gossip since I last saw you?”
“I think Dr. Bryant has the hots for Nurse Claire,” Mrs. Winslow whispered conspiratorially. “They were canoodling just outside my door late last evening.”
Rose laughed. “Oh, that’s old news. They’ve been dating for some time now, though they think they’re being discreet.”
“Well, they need to find a better dark corner because I could see them plain as day from here.” Running a hand through her thinning blond hair, Mrs. Winslow raised an eyebrow. “And what of you and your fiancé? How are the wedding plans coming?”
“Oh, we met with the caterer and made our final choices for the menu,” Rose said, forcing a smile. Her conversation with Steven had done little to assuage her constant worrying about him. Since the estate had finalized, she’d hoped he would have an easier time juggling his work and the wedding, but instead, his caseload had only gotten worse. The circles under his eyes grew darker every time she saw him.
“You don’t seem as excited as I expected you to,” Mrs. Winslow said with a frown.
“I’m excited!” But it sounded fake even to Rose’s ears. “Steven has been a bit preoccupied with work lately. I’m afraid he’s neglecting his health.”
“He’s lucky to have you to care for him.”
Rose bristled, and she worked to keep her temper in check. Nursing was her job, one she preferred to leave at the end of her shift. Of course she would care for Steven if he needed her, but she would prefer him to take preventative measures before he worked himself into an illness.
Stifling a sigh, she stood. “I best get to my rounds.” She patted Mrs. Winslow’s hand. “I’ll check with the doc on whether there’s anything I need to do to prep you for surgery, but hopefully, we’ll have you seeing clearly in no time.”
Mrs. Winslow gave her a grateful smile before leaning back on her pillow and closing her eyes. Rose envied her calm nature. If she was facing complicated eye surgery, she wasn’t sure she would be able to appear so serene.
Rose left the room to begin her rounds, mentally counting down the days until she had some time off for the wedding and honeymoon. The last winter had been rough, and she desperately needed a vacation.
As she picked up the clipboard outside the next patient’s room, she wondered how much different her life would be once she and Steven tied the knot. They’d discussed children, but with their schedules, she didn’t know when they might find the time. And the last thing she wanted to do was add to his stress load by bringing it up.
But she wanted children, at least two and close together. She hoped to start trying for them right away. An only child herself, she had come to the US from South Korea with her parents and had stayed on to finish her nursing degree when her parents returned to take care of her grandparents. Her family was planning to come to the wedding, but part of her worried the travel would prove too expensive. The price of flights had risen substantially in the last year, and she was glad she had locked in their honeymoon tickets when she did.
