When he didn’t say anything more, she felt the need to fill the awkward silence. “I would certainly never neglect my responsibilities here or my commitment to my clients.”
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “And it isn’t as if you’ve made any sort of commitment to me.”
She rubbed her hands down the sides of her black pants suit, not quite meeting his gaze now. “We haven’t really talked about commitments.”
“For some reason I thought that was implied the first time we went to bed together. I suppose, as a lawyer, I should have known not to take anything for granted that wasn’t unambiguously spelled out on paper, signed, dated and notarized.”
Caitlin didn’t know what to say to that. She’d been so careful not to analyze their relationship; it seemed Nathan hadn’t thought there was anything to analyze.
In his mind, they were a couple. Case closed.
That sort of thinking terrified her.
“I didn’t say I’m interested in moving to L.A. or joining Tom’s firm,” she said, choosing her words with care. “But I would like to think my options are still open if an exceptional opportunity comes along.”
“I see. Well, don’t worry about me standing in your way.” He turned to open the door again. “All I want is for you to be happy, Caitlin. If you can’t envision that here, with me, or with our firm, then you should definitely go find it elsewhere. God knows it would be better for you to make that decision now rather than later. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get home to Isabelle.”
“Nathan—”
The door closed behind him. The sharp snap of the latch sounded strangely petulant.
Caitlin sank into her chair again with a muttered curse. To say the least, that had not gone well. Na
than was angry and hurt that he’d heard about the offer by accident.
Though she hardly approved of his eavesdropping on a private phone call, she supposed she should have told him about Tom’s professional overtures. Lindsey had certainly urged her to do so. Caitlin suspected that the reason she hadn’t said anything to him was because she had known he wouldn’t react well.
He’d said he would prefer her to leave sooner rather than later. They had both brought emotional baggage into their affair or relationship or whatever it could be called. She carried her driving need for success, which in her mind was synonymous with personal fulfillment and security. He still remembered the pain of having someone he loved abandon him to selfishly pursue happiness elsewhere.
Someone he loved. Did Nathan love her or think he did? Even more importantly, did she love him?
Yes. That answer came to her immediately and unequivocally.
Was she ready to make a lifelong commitment to him and, of course, to Isabelle, who came as part of the package?
She simply didn’t know.
It was better to decide sooner rather than later. Nathan was absolutely right about that. They couldn’t keep drifting along this way. It seemed it was up to her to decide where they would go next.
“You’re sure you don’t want me to stay with Isabelle this evening?” Fayrene Tuckerman asked Nathan Friday evening. It was the day after he’d overheard Caitlin talking to her buddy in California. He had seen Caitlin only a couple of times since, and then only with other people around. He’d arranged that deliberately.
“No, thank you,” he said, setting down the computer case and briefcase he had brought home for the weekend. “I have no plans for the evening.”
“Ms. Briley’s coming here for the evening? Maybe I should make some of that hazelnut coffee she likes before I go.”
“Ms. Briley isn’t coming. It’s just Isabelle and me tonight.”
He tried to speak lightly, but there had been something in his voice that made his housekeeper plant her hands on her skinny hips and study him through narrowed eyes. “Is something wrong between you and Ms. Briley?”
It was absolutely none of her business, of course, and he would have told her so, but she looked too much like her sister at that moment. He shuffled his feet on the kitchen floor and muttered, “We’re…evaluating our relationship.”
At least, Caitlin was, he thought sullenly. He had thought their relationship was progressing just fine. Little had he known that while he’d been thinking of a lifelong partnership, she’d been keeping one eye on the door and both ears open to better offers.
“Okay, what did you do?” Fayrene asked with a stern shake of her head.
“What did I do?” he asked, his jaw nearly dropping. “You automatically assume it’s something I did?”
She only looked at him.