Page 88 of The Wrong Promise

She nods slowly, eyeing me from head to toe. “We did, thank you.”

I hold out my hand. “Jobe Hendricks.”

“Oh, you’re the kind young man who offered his apartment for her to stay in.” She takes my hand and leads me inside. “We appreciate what you’ve done for our Zara. Please take a seat. I’m Ruby, and this is my husband, Leroy,” she introduces as a tall man enters through the backdoor with a bag in his hand. He stops moving when he lays eyes on me.

“Leroy, come and meet Jobe Hendricks,” Ruby calls out.

Leroy wipes his hands on his trousers first before shaking my hand. “Good to meet you, son.” They thank me again for helping Zara out, though something tells me they are unaware that I sometimes stay there as well.

“Is Zara here?”

“I’m so sorry,” Ruby begins. “She left an hour ago and didn’t say where she was headed. Have you tried her cell?”

“It goes straight to voicemail.”

“I expect she won’t be long, so you’re welcome to stay.”

“I wanted to check in on her after hearing about her friend, Piper. The two of them were close.”

“It hit her hard for the first few days. She seems more herself now. Going about her day quietly. She really enjoyed her days at the beach. A bit of sunshine cures everything.”

Her mother should remove her rose-colored glasses.

I stay and listen to their stories about the trip to Mexico and an hour later, I decide to leave. If Zara read my message, then she knew I was coming. I have a sinking suspicion she isn’t home because I’m here.

“Thank you for the water. Please tell Zara I came by to see her.”

The moment I’m in my car, I call Penny.

“Jobe. I’m almost at my parents’ house.”

“I decided to come and see Zara first.” I veer the car into the street and set the map toward the freeway.

“Oh. How is she?”

“She’s not here. I sent her a text to let her know I was coming to see her.” Silence. “She didn’t tell her parents where she was going.”

“Right,” she says softly.

“I’m worried about her, Pen.”

“I think I know where she might be. I’ll leave Summer with Mom and see if I can find her.”

My stomach twists, knowing she is in pain. “Please call me as soon as you do. I need to know she is okay.”

26

ZARA

Two hours have passed,and I assume it’s safe to go home.

I stare out to the ocean one last time, memories playing through my mind of Penny and me sitting here as teenagers, planning our lives, discussing colleges and our dreams. Then there were the difficult times when guys treated us like crap, and we needed the calm the Cabrillo Tidepools provided.

The sun is directly above me. The warmth touches my skin yet fails to warm my heart. I am cold inside. Lifeless.

My friend is gone. We didn’t get to see each other before Christmas, even though we made peace. I mull over her words in my head. Her warnings of Jobe and what she was implying without trying to hurt me. She was being a good friend. I’ve had days to think about it, and she was right. Sex is not a foundation to build a relationship on, especially when we have nothing else in common.

“Hey.”

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