Page 16 of Broken Promises

over to the station, guiding my every movement. “Put your head over the sink, and I will pour some of the sterilized water over your eyes.” I leaned my head over the sink and Lukecarefully poured water over my eyes. The relief was immediate. I let out a groan.

“God, that feels amazing.” I sighed. “Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Luke cleared his throat. “That should do it. Hang tight, and I’ll get you a towel to wipe

your face with before we take care of your finger.” I stood up with my eyes closed until Luke handed me a towel. I put out my hand and felt a hard wall of muscle instead.

“Oh, sorry,” I said, my cheeks heating up. Instead of guiding me toward the towel, Luke gently patted it against my face. As I finally opened my eyes, I found Luke looking down at me. The height difference seemed even more prominent after the decade we spent away from each other. He stood just over 6’ while I was at a meagre 5’2’’ on a good day.

“Let’s take a peek at your finger now.”

luke

. . .

A finger cutwasn’t the end of the world, but for some reason, it felt that way when it came to Lucy. The urge to protect her had been planted in me from the first time we saw each other, and today was no exception. We made our way back to my spot, and she settled in the reclining chair.

“Are you still as squeamish as you were about blood?”

“Nah.” She waved her good hand. “When you have eighteen second graders losing teeth or scraping their knees over nine months, you tend to lose your squeamishness.”

“Second graders, huh? That’s what you do?” I knew it was what she did, but I tried to keep her distracted as I disinfected her wound. It didn’t look too good, but I hoped once I cleared the blood, I’d be able to properly see the damage.

Her mom shared details about her life here and there, but hearing it from her would’ve been nice.

“Yeah. That’s what I do. It wasn’t my original plan, but?—”

“Luke Puke,” Logan called out as he strode into the tent, and I fought the urge to groan. Ihatedthat nickname more than anything. I puked in my bed one time, and I never heard the end of it. “Mom sent me to come help you in the med-tent.”

Lucy laughed at the nickname, which instantly drew Logan’s attention. He quickly approached us, standing at a similar height to me. Where I was all dark features and hair, Logan took on the lighter features of the family. He had a bent nose from his football days, a strong jaw, and light facial hair that matched his hair.

“Lucy Goosey!” he said in surprise as he dove at her, nearly tackling the entire chair backward. Logan had a thing about nicknames. It was like he was unable to call anyone by their actual name. And Lucy, for once, didn’t seem to mind it.

“Easy,” I warned him, and only then did he retreat a step back. “She already has a cut finger; she doesn’t need a concussion, too.” The shift in Lucy’s posture was nearly instant. The moment Logan was around us, she seemed more relaxed, ignoring my warning as she reached for him.

“Aw, I missed you too, Logan. It’s good to see you.”

My brother looked at me briefly, giving me a slight smirk. “Did you hear that, big brother? Lucy Goosey missed me. Maybe that means I finally have a chance!” I glowered at him.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no one has a chance with me. I just broke up with a guy, and I’m leaving in ten days to return to Seattle.” I straightened at her words. The last thing that was currently on my mind was her finger, which I was nearly done patching up.

There was another thing that struck me. Realistically, I knew staying here was likely not her long-term plan, but only ten days wasn’t enough to win her over again. I needed more time.

Logan continued with his nonsense. “So, maybe a fling then? I’m up for anything!”

“You’re ridiculous.” Lucy couldn’t keep the smile from her face, which…bothered me. It shouldn’t have, but it did. I ached to be the reason behind smiles like that again.

“Get out of here,” I grumbled at Logan, pushing him out of the tent flap. I wanted privacy with Lucy again, especially if she was planning to leave so soon. Logan waved at both of us

“Alright, fine, Luke Puke. I’ll tell Mom you didn’t need any help. And bye, Lucy Goosey! Call me if you want to fool around.” Logan winked at her.

“Oh, now you’re asking for it.” I got out of my seat and rushed after him. I know Logan didn’t mean anything by it—he knew how much Lucy and I were in love back when we dated, just as he likely knew how much she still meant to me, but it didn’t mean he didn’t deserve to be roughed up a little bit.

I tackled him to the ground outside, and we wrestled around for a good few seconds. Neither of us could stop smiling before he finally managed to break free from my grasp and speed off to Mom. Lucy came out of the tent, her lips tugged upward.

“Roughhousing again, huh? It’s gotten you two into trouble more times than I can count,” she commented. I shrugged.

“Some things never change.”

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