Nelson was silent for a moment.
Just as Callie realized she might have crossed a line, he grabbed her wrist again, “Come with me.”
“Hey!”
Nelson’s long strides made him walk quickly, practically dragging Callie along. She had to almost run to keep up, making them look like a father rushing with his child in tow.
“Nelson! Nelson!” Callie covered her face and called out softly, “Why are you dragging me home? It’s the weekend! I have plans!”
Nelson’s Porsche was parked right outside the mall. He opened the door, pushed Callie in, got in himself, buckled up, all in one swift motion.
“Sit tight.” After the two words, he started the car.
Nelson drove fast, weaving through traffic without a care, while Callie clutched her seatbelt, watching other cars stay far away from them.
Nelson’s car was a Porsche 911. If it got scratched, who knew how much it would cost to repair? So drivers on the road voluntarily move out of his way.
“What did you eat with Dr. Tobias?” Nelson asked suddenly.
“Mexican food. Why are you asking?” Callie blinked.
Nelson pursed his lips, not answering her.
“Nelson, please, I agreed to cooperate with you. But you never said my weekends belonged to you too. You can’t just boss me around.”
His response was silence.
Callie, anxious, kept talking, “I’ve been running around all day, gave up my part-time job at the haunted house. Now I haven’t found a new one yet. If you keep wasting my time, I won’t earn a cent!”
Thinking about how Nelson was scolding her after she’d had lunch with Dr. Tobias made Callie even angrier.
“What do you mean part-time job?” Nelson eased off the gas, surprised that Callie had to work part-time on weekends.
“Can’t you understand? A part-time job! Just like it sounds!”
“If I remember correctly, your monthly salary, including bonuses, is at least ten thousand dollars. Now that your father’s medical bills are settled, why do you still need a part-time job?” Nelson turned the steering wheel as he said.
“That’s not right,” Callie retorted as she shifted her gaze at Nelson, “Even if I have some savings now, I need to plan for the future. If you leave me one day, I’ll still have to bear the burden of life. A woman should be independent, not rely on others. Of course, I rely on you now because I have to. And Mr. Oconnor, you never need to buy groceries or necessities yourself. You have no idea how quickly prices are rising these days!”
She spoke quickly, not pausing for breath, looking smug as if asking him, ‘Am I right or what?’
Nelson listened quietly, then suddenly hit the brakes. The seatbelt dug into Callie’s shoulder, causing her pain. She looked around, realizing they were at a large mall.
“Aren’t we going home? Why are we here?”
Nelson unbuckled his seatbelt with a click, saying,”I’m personally taking you shopping for groceries today.”
This mall catered to high-end clientele, where even the simplest items could cost hundreds of dollars. Nelson had a membership here, used for buying supplies for the top floor. Usually, it was his assistant Cora who did the shopping for Nelson.
Nelson had never been here, but Callie had. She knew the prices were so high that just looking at the tags could give someone a heart attack.
She tugged at Nelson, who was pushing the shopping cart beside her, and whispered, “Prices are rising fast, but this place is too expensive! If you want to play house, we can go somewhere else. You can buy as much as you want at the market.”
Nelson placed his hand on Callie’s soft hair and said,”Didn’t you say you’d cook for me yesterday? Now you can choose the ingredients and think about what to make for me.”