He paused, finally looking at her. His expression was unreadable, but the warmth from yesterday was gone.
“No. I’m good.”
Rachel tilted her head, her voice softening into a teasing purr. “You sure? You seemed kind of… stressed. I just thought maybe you could use a little sweet to start your day.”
Jake exhaled through his nose. His voice was clipped this time. “Rachel. Not today.”
She blinked, caught off guard by his sudden distance.“Okay,” she said slowly, backing off. “If you need anything…”
“I’ll ask,” he said, already walking away.
The door to his office shut firmly behind him.
He leaned against it for a long second, rubbing his hands over his face. Guilt churned in his stomach. Everything with Kylee: the silence, the absence of her usual care, the look in her eyes.
It was worse than a fight.
It was the beginning of her shutting him out completely. For the first time, he was afraid he deserved it.
Jake sat behind his desk, but he hadn’t looked at a patient file in nearly thirty minutes.
He kept staring at his phone.There were no messages from Kylee.
Usually, she’d text by now. Something small. A photo of Kayla’s messy snack face. A funny quote from Macy. An update on Jake Jr.’s homework or practice schedule. Sometimes just“Love you. Hope your day’s going okay.”
But today? Nothing.
And the silence was louder than any accusation.
He tapped the screen, opened a new message, and stared at the blinking cursor.
Jake:
Hey... I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. And I miss you.
He hovered over “send.”
Deleted it.
Started again.
Jake:
Can I take you out to dinner this weekend? Just you and me. I want to talk.
Sent.
Then waited.
The typing bubble didn’t appear.
He locked the phone. Unlocked it again. Still nothing.A quiet knock at the door made him sit up.
Rachel peeked in, holding a file, her voice sweeter than necessary. “Sorry to interrupt. Your 3:30 just checked in.”
Jake nodded, keeping his expression neutral. “I’ll be right out.”
As the door closed again, he looked down at his phone one more time.
