Page 25 of No Broken Promises

“I think we need to talk about Parker and Danny.” When Linc’s eyes meet mine, I see the truth there. The secrets he’s kept for his brother. The ones that he’s kept from me.

I fucking love her.

The words freeze in my throat before I can get them out. Before I can do anything that will hurt our friendship. So, instead, I wait. And I fucking fume. I’ve loved Parker since I didn’t know a single thing about what love really is, and I feel like I have had to push her away all because I was afraid. I pushed her right into Danny’s arms and told him to take care of her.

Even though the sight of her in his arms, crying because of me, made me want to break every bone in my friend’s face all those years ago. I did it because I thought it was the right choice. To protect her.

The next thing I knew, everyone around me was so excited, saying she and Danny were in love. Then they were pregnant and getting married, and I couldn’t even fucking stop it. How could I? I loved her, and all I wanted was for her to be happy.

Linc is staring at me while I’m enduring my own personal hell. The silence continues for what feels like a long time as he studies me as if he can see every single thought going through my head. When he’s seen everything he is going to, he smacks his lips together and then slaps the bartop twice in a quick succession.

“Yeah,” he finally says. “I guess we do.”

10

PARKER

I was right, but then again, I usually am. As soon as I see Rose and Emma sitting on my front porch with a massive pitcher of iced tea, I know they are up to something. How do I know? It is too easy. Because sweet tea is my weakness, and both of them know it.

“It better have more sugar than water in it,” I call out when I open the back passenger door for Nox to climb out of my car. Then I brace myself for the onslaught that I can see coming from a mile away.

The last week has been a nightmare. Between the concussion, catching up on work, and Nox being out of school with an ear infection, I am ready to jump on a plane and go anywhere for a vacation.

After a fake gasp of outrage, Rose fans herself dramatically. “Of course it does.” Then she puts her hand over her chest like I’ve insulted her pride. Except we aren’t from the South, and Rose most definitely isn’t a lady.

She swears more than her husband, drinks every man I know under the table, and still manages to look as good at almost sixty as she did in pictures I saw of her from thirty years ago.

So what am I right about? The fact that Rose has gotten it into her head that I need a partner.

“I set you up on a date tonight.” Rose doesn’t even bother beating around the bush, and I barely have a cup of tea in my hand before she starts in on me.

Nox stays out on the grass in the front yard, kicking his soccer ball over and over again into the net that Linc had set up for him on his birthday.

I take my time wrapping my mind around what Rose has planned, and at the same time I watch how Nox plays by himself. The kid definitely has skill, and he can run too. Just like his father had in school.

“I'm serious,” Rose starts again. “I set you up a date tonight, and I think you should go.”

With a sigh, I finish the tea she'd given me and hold out my glass, silently asking for her to refill it.

What I don't do is give her an answer. I honestly don't know what to say or if I should just go along with it to make her happy.

“She picked a hot one,” Emma volunteers. “I think you're gonna like him.” The smile on her face and the devilish gleam in her eyes makes me want to kick Emma in the shins. Only we aren't kids anymore, and since I am almost thirty, it probably isn't a good idea for me to physically assault her. Even if I really want to.

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, and I have to know. “How did you find me a date? Who is it? Someone from work?”

Rose chortles. “Not even close. You couldn't handle any of those raunchy assholes.”

She is right. I saw enough of them at Lucy's when I was covering a shift for one of my waitresses. Rose works with the outlaws. Technically, they aren't outlaws, but they form a special task force for Birch County, made up of the problem children from every department.

When the state police want to get one of their troopers off their hands, but still keep them in the department, they send them to Birch County Intelligence. When the Birch Sheriff's Department, Birch Police Department, and even Birch Fire Department want to get a problem child off their plate, they send them to BCI too. The ragtag team of investigators doesn't play by anyone's rules, not really. But Rose keeps every single one of them in check like they are her children, and that's how it will always be.

“Who, then?” I sit in one of the rocking chairs on my porch, pushing Emma out of the way with my hip to get there.

“You don't know him,” Emma squeals like a little girl. “That's the best part. He's one of my professors up at the University of Maine. Mom met him when we were doing the walk-through before I enrolled, and then yesterday we were at lunch and he walked by. She's a badass.”

Embarrassed doesn't even approach the level of mortification that I feel, and I sit there with a veil of red starting to rise on my face. It has to be someone from out of town because no one who lives in Birch would even consider dating me a possibility. Still. Even after six years. Almost no one has forgiven me for that night.

“So,” I say very carefully. “This guy thinks I'm desperate for a date.”

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