Page 51 of Promise Me Never

“Fuck you,” she sneers. “Where the hell is Luke?”

“Hey.” I say hesitantly as I come around the corner into their view.

“Thank fuck.” Janey walks over to me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “Where’s your bag?”

“I can’t come.” I look to Sam for help, but he just stands there smiling. “I have to work.”

“Are you serious?” She looks at me, hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

“Yeah, I have to work extra hard this summer now that my parents said it was their financial contribution to my living expenses or Charlie.” I gesture at the dog at my heels.

“What?” Her jaw drops.

“That’s fucked.” The smile drops from Sam’s face.

“Yeah, well.” I throw my hands up. “I don’t need them for tuition since I have a full-ride scholarship. They had been paying living expenses. I’ll take Charlie over them any day at this point.” I look over at Janey. “But that means I just can’t take extra trips right now. Maybe we can do something fun another weekend?”

“Yeah.” She nods and looks over at Sam. “You’re not coming, though. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Like hell.” He grabs his bag and stands to his full height.

“He’s right.” Luke comes around the opposite corner. “You’re not going alone.”

“I’m twenty-three years old. You can’t stop me.”

“Sounds an awful lot like a challenge,” Sam says.

“You won’t even know he’s there,” Luke pleads.

“No.” Janey sets her feet and holds her ground against the double team.

“He could be a serial killer,” Sam tosses out.

“Or a rapist.”

“Or he could be my soulmate,” Janey says unmoved.

Sam snorts derisively and turns away.

“Janey.” Luke sets his hands on her shoulders and bends down so they’re eye to eye. “I can’t lose another woman in my life. I would not survive.”

She groans, and I know she’s about to give in. How can she argue with that?

“You fight fucking dirty, Luke.”

He pulls her in for a hug. “It’s not a lie. I wouldn’t survive losing you, too.”

I turn away from their sibling interaction and walk over to Sam. “Are you going to be on your best behavior?”

He tilts his head innocently, his warm brown eyes sparkling. “I’m always on my best behavior.”

“You seem awfully invested in this? Is there something going on between you and Janey?” I can’t help but think back to Janey’s confession.

“I don’t know, college girl. Is there anything going on between you and Luke?” He raises a challenging eyebrow.

I immediately look away, which is probably the biggest tell. I’ve never been a good liar. “Nope. He’s just my boss for the summer.”

He looks at me as if he knows I’m lying. Suddenly he pulls me in for a hug that borders on inappropriate. Our bodies are pressed firmly against each other. He spins us, so I lose my balance and have to rely on his strength to stay upright.

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