Page 69 of The Promises We Break

His short black hair and dark skin contrast his bright golden eyes. There is a kindness to them, like he’s always smiling, without actually smiling.

“Morning, Ember. We’re just showing Corbin Maren around while he’s here. He is the?—”

“Director for Ford Enterprises, East Coast operations,” I excitedly interrupt Elena as I hold my hand out toward him. “Yes, I know. It’s great to meet you.”

His eyes light up in surprise at the fact that I know who he is. I know who everyone is. I studied everything about Ford Enterprises when I applied here.

A blinding smile crosses his face when he slips his hand into mine and gives me a kind handshake.

Christian turns to me. “I’m glad you weren’t in a meeting this morning?—”

“She was, but I guess I’m leaving since I’m invisible here until one of you needs work done.”

Christian grants Cruz a ‘you know what I meant’ look, with a slight smirk and head shake before Corbin interjects.

“Ah, you must be Cruz.” Corbin holds his hand out to him. Another kind smile, but this one with a bit more humor behind it, because, well, Cruz does that to you.

Cruz stalls for a brief moment, sliding his hand into Corbin’s. He’s looking down at their hands, Corbin’s completely engulfing Cruz’s, before glancing back up to his face. Cruz’s usual smile fading into a tight-lipped grin before clearing his throat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cruz shy before. “Great to meet you, sir.” His voice a notch over a whisper. Then he peers over to me. “I’ll be at my desk.”

He looks between the three of us, avoiding Corbin, before leaving.

Corbin’s gaze consumes Cruz as he leaves the office before blinking a few times, then finally turns back to me. “Mrs. Byrnes, I’ve heard you are leading the XConnect club project?”

“I am,” I say proudly. “It’s going well, and we should be ready for opening night in about six weeks. We’re going to announce the opening date here in the next,” I bounce my head back and forth and purse my lips, as I peer over at Elena, “week or so?” It’s a question because Elena has been guiding me through that process to make sure I nail down a proper opening night based on the timeline for everything we need to finish.

“Yes, we’re aiming for the last weekend of next month, and we’re planning a soft opening and masquerade ball,” she replies with effortless confidence.

“I’d love to check it out. Will you send me an invite?” Corbin asks.

“Of course, definitely,” I reply, unable to read his expressionon whether or not he wants to inspect or support opening night.

Corbin continues to lead the conversation, asking so many different questions about the idea of the club, how the memberships will work, and questions about the city’s approval. His questions are never ending and have me feeling on edge.

The confident woman that I’ve grown into is telling herself he’s asking questions because he’s curious. The girl from Weston, Missouri is trying to make an appearance to remind me I’m nothing special and not capable.

We continue chatting about the project and a few details before he thanks me for my time and they leave.

The tightness in my shoulders releases, and I slouch slightly forward. All the tension in my body visibly diminishes the moment my door closes. I can lead my peers and teams easily, but the moment my bosses walk in the door, I swear I’m a gibbering mess. Like they are going to see through my scam and finally realize they hired someone completely unqualified to complete this project or work for this company. Someone not worthy of learning from someone as amazing as Elena or grow into something similar to her, while finding my own version of myself. To do something special with my life and create something that I can be proud of. Instead, they probably all see a little girl, with more ambition than wit, who will fail at anything she attempts.

Or maybe that’s just my parents’ voices floating around in my head, reminding me I’m good for nothing. Reminding me to stop trying to be something I’m not.

And now, I feel like I’m not only faking my marriage, but lying to myself about everything.

35

HUDSON

Even though Ember has her car now, I still find every excuse to drive her to work. Today’s excuse was the fact we are flying out to her hometown for her parents’ wedding anniversary this weekend, and she wanted to stop by the XConnect building for a walk through before heading out.

She’s been here every day, multiple times a day, over the course of the last few weeks. Creating every detail as she goes along, using all the information she’s researched both online and, my personal favorite, in our bedroom. The intense rubbing of her thumbs over her fingers is a direct sign of how nervous she is to show me what she’s been doing, and I have no doubt I’m going to be so impressed.

“It’s not fully completed yet. There are still some rooms that need finishing touches. We’re missing the art shipments from overseas for rooms two, six, and ten. The paint we used for the main hall was too dark, so I had to order a cooler tone, which we’re still waiting for. Mostly, it’s decor delays since we built most of the devices and furniture in each room. The lobby is still missing the table and chairs I ordered from this smallbusiness that I knew would take longer than it would if I went with a bigger company, but the design was just so perfect, so we’re still waiting for that. And…” She’s so nervous about showing me, and it’s adorable, but so unnecessary. I reach over and press my fingertips between her fingers, weaving our hands together. That accomplishes both me touching her and stopping her from chafing the skin off her palm.

“I know it’s not fully done yet, and I’m excited that you’re sharing this with me earlier than anyone else. I mean, honorary member perks, right?” A shy blush bites at her cheeks.

As we come up on the building, I turn on my blinker to turn into the parking lot. There are a handful of people lined up on the sidewalk that surround the lot. They are holding signs and screaming at passing cars.

“NO TO PORNO!” “SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!” “PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!” “SEX CLUBS ARE THE DOORWAY TO HELL.” “THEY WANT OUR DAUGHTERS.”

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