Page 8 of Broken Promise

“I’ll buy it,” I say the moment he picksup.

“Buy what?”

“Karmen’s house.”

“You’ll buy her house, but you won’t tellher how you feel? Why do I get the feeling that all of this issomehow your fault?”

“I didn’t call to ask your opinion onmatters that have nothing to do with you.”

“You sound just like her, you know?” he sayssoftly.

I know my brothers love me and they onlywant to help but I wish they would stay out of my fuckingbusiness.

“Let me know when the paperwork isready.”

I end the call without listening to whateverelse he has to say. I have the money and I don’t care what itcosts. I was saving to buy a house, so I don’t have to live overthe bar for the rest of my life. Now I have a house, even if Iwon’t ever live in it.

Chapter Four

Karmen Jones

It amazes me that I have lived in this housemy entire life. I have always thought I would be lost without thissafe space and now I am leaving it behind. It has taken me lessthan six hours to pack up my entire life and find a suitableapartment in the city.

I never would have imagined that changing myentire life would be this easy, but I even have a job interviewnext week. It’s like everything is just falling into place, likethis is exactly the path I should be following.

My phone rings and Shane’s name flashes onthe screen.

“I swear, Shane, if you’re calling to talkme out of this, I will burn this house to the ground.”

“Not at all,” he replies calmly, not evenacknowledging my threat. “I’m actually calling to tell you I soldyour house.”

“Jesus, you’re fast.”

“I’m good at my job. It helps that you havea great house,” he replies with a chuckle. “The new owner will signthe paperwork on Monday, but you can stop by whenever you havetime.”

“I’m heading out of town in an hour. Are youstill at the office?”

“I’ll wait.”

He ends the call before I can argue butthat’s just Shane. He has always been abrupt and to the point andI’m used to it.

Grabbing the last two boxes I carry them outto my little red hatchback and put them on the back seat. I’ve leftthe trunk empty because I don’t know how much stuff Lenor will wantto take with her, and I wanted her to have enough space.

I walk through the house and make sure thereisn’t anything I forgot before heading out on the back porch with aglass of iced tea to wait another ten minutes before heading to myfriend’s house.

My heart almost burst out of my chest when Isee a man sitting on one of the deck chairs, but I quickly realizeit’s Wesley, the one person I don’t want to see today, or everagain for that matter. Taking a seat on one of the other chairs, Isip my drink in silence. I have nothing more to say to him, but hemust be here for a reason. I’ve already put my heart on the line,and it wasn’t enough for him.

“Do you remember the day I broke my legwhile Tommy and I were trying to build a treehouse?”

His words draw my gaze to the oak tree inthe far corner of the yard. The ladder they built still sits thereas well as the frame, but they never finished it.

“Why are you here, Wesley?”

“You cried harder than I did,” he says notanswering my question. “I never understood why. I was seventeen soyou were only twelve.”

“What is the point of this walk down memorylane? I have places to be.”

I vividly remember that day. It was thefirst time I realized I loved Wesley. I was terrified that hewouldn’t be okay no matter what my parents said. I won’t be tellinghim that, though.

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