Page 15 of Unbroken Promises

Theo raises a sardonic eyebrow in response, waiting. Bash glances between Jay and Theo, before sending a bemused glance in my direction. “Hey, uh, hotness. You know, I forgot I needed to show you something.” Bash rises quickly from the booth, coming to my side to pull me up and drags me over to the far side of the room, leaving Jonathan and Theo to talk.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, my words coming out in a harsh whisper.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m leaving them to duke it out.” My eyes widen at his words, and I cast a glance over his shoulder to see the two men having a heated discussion.

“Not literally. I don’t think there will be any punches thrown tonight.” I glance back up at Bash’s face, the bruises deepening into a garish purple, the swelling still pulling tight at his lip, and he winces in response. “At least, not in here. Theo may have been a bit hot-headed on the ice tonight, but that was just because we caught him off guard. He wasn’t expecting to see you there; let alone see you with another man wrapped around you. Seriously, babe, what were you thinking showing up there with Jay?”

“Me? What was I thinking?” I hiss, “What were you thinking? You were the one who wanted me to show up tonight. You knew how hard it would be for me to be there. To see him. How could I not ask Jonathan to come with me?”

I am glaring at my friend now, but it can’t be helped. I am really overwhelmed by the whole course of events that have led us here tonight. And rather than dissolving into a mess of tears and a puddle of anxiety, I am choosing to channel all of those emotions into anger, directed at one of my closest friends. Oh man, my therapist is going to have a lot to say about this at our next visit, I just know it.

Before either of us can get in another word, a notification starts loudly chiming from my phone. From the corner of my eye, I see Jay glance at his watch, a grim expression on his face as he glances back at me as their conversation comes to an abrupt halt. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the phone as Jonathan quickly stands and walks over to us, Theo following close behind.

I feel Jonathan's hand glide across my waist as he draws me close, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “There’s been another one. I’ll handle it. You stay here, I’ll fill you in as soon as I can.” He places a chaste kiss on my temple before stepping away. “Bash, it’s been great to catch up. Theo.” He nods at the two men. “Something’s come up with work and unfortunately, I have to head out. Danni, you good?”

I give him a sharp nod, my mind traveling to the security alert that had chimed on my phone and the knowledge that Jonathan once again is heading to clean up my mess. “I should come with you.”

Another buzz, and a quick glance at his watch. “Not this time. Seriously, I’ve got this. You stay and catch up with your friends. I’ll call you later, okay?” Not giving me a chance to respond, Jonathan quickly makes his way out of the building while we all just stand there, staring at his retreating form.

“Everything okay?” Bash interrupts my muddled thoughts as I stare at the door that Jonathan disappeared through. Well damn. Something is going on, and it seems like it had to have been more than just another ‘gift’ left for me to find like the ones that have been popping up at my apartment. I nod absentmindedly.

“Danica?”

“Hotness?”

“Diavoletta.” Theo’s voice cuts through the haze of worry oozing through my pores. I feel warmth spreading along my arm, and glance down to see that Theo had reached out to grab it, steadying me with his warm presence. “What’s going on?”

Shaking my head, I pull away from his comforting touch, cutting a tight smile to both of them. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I-” Unsure of what to say, I simply shakemy head, forcing the muscles in my face to relax. “Jonathan just had to see to a security issue. It happens sometimes.” I shrug nonchalantly, feigning an indifference that I don’t actually feel.

Bash and Theo exchange a glance, before turning to me with narrowed gazes.

“You’re sure everything’s okay?” Bash knows about the gifts I have been left in the past, but I don’t want to go into it. Not here, and not with Theo.

“Yep. All good. You guys want dessert?” I nod in the direction of the booth that we had just vacated.

Theo seems unsure, concern still written on his features, but I cut a look to Bash and he finally catches on. “Oh yeah, you know me. I always have room for dessert.” Grabbing my arm, he leads me back to the booth, sliding in next to Theo once more, while I return to my seat opposite them.

A waitress comes over to take our order, and despite my lack of appetite, I order a small slice of cheesecake and coffee. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long night. Bash and Theo both place their orders, deflecting the flirtatious innuendo of the waitress, giving her a dismissive glance.

“So, Danica, what have you been up to lately?”

Though Theo’s question is polite, I shift uncomfortably in my seat as he gazes at me with pointed interest. Somehow, I had managed to not be the focus of conversation for most of the evening but now it seems I can’t avoid his attention any longer. I nod a polite thank you at the waitress as she quietly sets our desserts and coffee down before leaving without another word.

“Oh, you know.” I shrug. “Just the usual. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it; it’s still pretty new. But I opened a small gymnastics center a few years ago, Prism Tumbling. Our focus is local, small community engagement. Primarily, we outreach to families with special needs children and low-income families within the local area. I want to provide access to a safe and fun learning environment for as many children as possible. It has actually grown three times the original size over the last few years, and we just moved into our new building last spring.”

Theo nods, “That’s great. I heard about it from Caleb. It sounds like you have really been thriving in your new building. Lots of room for future growth too. Do you have plans to continue expanding?”

I smile, thinking of all the children I get to work with. “Yes, actually. The focus for the last year has been partnering with local therapy clinics, working to combine treatment plans with various forms of tumbling exercises to help our kiddos work on sensory processing and building tools for success when being introduced to newelements outside of their normal routines. We have a bigfundraiser coming up in the spring to really network and spread engagement with other businesses in the area.”

Bash jumps in, “I’m planning on attending this year. I double-checked to make sure it doesn’t overlap with our schedule. Even if we make it into the playoffs, I should still be able to swing it for the big event. I’m really looking forward to going after having to miss the last two years.”

Theo looks at Bash, before turning to me, a smile on his face. “That’s really great, Danica. You should consider reaching out to all the different pro teams in the city. If even a few of the players showed up, you could really raise some major awareness for the program from their press attendance.”

Hmm. I hadn’t considered that. “Thanks. I’ll definitely think about it.”

My phone buzzes again, and without a word to the men sitting across from me, I finally unlock my phone to pull up the security feed, and my face blanches.

“I, uh.” I glance back up to find Theo and Bash eyeing me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. “I should really call it a night. Aw, shit. Jay was my ride. Ugh- Bash, are you guys still gonna be awhile? If you’re about done, we can catch an Uber together.” I gaze over at my friend who is giving me an assessing look.

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