Page 95 of A Forgotten Promise

I push to stand, and Ethel gestures for me to stay still. “Look, he crawled closer.”

Carefully, I lower myself to the floor, and sure enough, Rolfie did move. “What should I do?”

“Nothing. Just stay with him if you want. He usually cowers, so him moving toward you is a great step forward. But I understand if you’re busy.”

“I can stay a bit.”

This may not be my life’s purpose, but it’s a purpose that warms my soul. Perhaps Rolfie is helping me more than I’m helping him.

“Wow, not making much effort.” Cora waves her hand in front of me.

I look down at my hoodie covered in cat hair and some other stains. “What? I combed my hair today.” I shrug, grinning, and make my way to our table where Celeste munches happily on a croissant.

She kisses my cheek as I sit beside her. “I think Cora makes the best pastries in the world.”

“These are from a supermarket,” Cora whispers, and Celeste’s eyes widen.

I bite my lip, trying not to smile. “You’ll give her a heart attack.”

Cora laughs, and I join in while Celeste scowls at us. “Don’t do that to me. I can’t have my blood pressure spiking.”

“Does Cal have a monitor attached to you so he knows everything about your bodily functions?” I try to keep a straight face.

“Merde. That hasn’t occurred to him yet. Don’t tease him about it, because he just might…” She takes another huge bite, flakes of the soft dough falling to the plate.

“Never have I pictured my brothers settled with families. They were such players.” I shake my head.

“Don’t remind me he slept with other women.” Celeste pokes my ribs.

“But all that practice, and now you’re reaping the benefits.” Cora laughs, sitting across from us, and I shudder at the idea of my brother having sex.

“Are you reaping the benefits yet?” Celeste turns to me.

Shit. “I reaped one, and then we had the worst argument.”

They both stare at me. “You slept with Quinn?” Celeste shuffles her chair to face me.

I shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Are you okay? Why did you argue?” Cora asks.

“I’m okay. It was just a hookup. But then he asked me to delete my last post.”

“What?” Cora shakes her head and stands up as the door opens. When she realizes it’s Lily, not a random customer, she plops back down.

“That post is gold. You can’t remove it. It’s public service,” Celeste says.

Lily slides into the empty seat. “I’m sorry I’m late. Are you telling them about the wedding?”

I look at her, deadpan. “Hardly. Corm doesn’t even want to set the date until I remove the post.”

“What do you mean?” Lily looks at me, frowning.

“What a controlling bastard.” Celeste pushes the empty plate away.

“But—” Lily pulls her phone and scrolls. “What about this? It’s trending even better than your last one.” She turns the screen to me.

I blink, my jaw slacking.

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