Page 19 of The Promises We Break

I click on the Uber app and pin my location before confirming the car, and it gives me an ETA of eight minutes.

That’s so fast.

In Weston, you have to schedule your Uber a day in advance.

Pulling the hair tie from my messy bun, I shake my hair out and click on the voicemail button, placing the phone between my ear and shoulder.

Good morning, Ms. Riley. This is Rowena Sutter from Ford Enterprises. My apologies for calling you on Sunday, however I wanted to share some great news. Please give me a call back at your convenience.

Oh my god.

Dropping the phone back into my hand, I hit the green phone symbol and dial the number back immediately.

“This is Rowena.”

“Hi, Rowena, this is Ember Riley. I’m returning your call.”

“Yes, thank you for calling me back. I do apologize for calling you on a Sunday, however the executive team has made their decision to bring you on as the new Technology and Marketing Manager and wanted to share with you immediately due to the timeline of the upcoming project.”

I bite into my fist to prevent myself from squealing. How I manage to stay quiet and maintain my excitement is beyond me.

“That is great news, Rowena. Thank you for letting me know.” My excitement is evident, but I maintain my poise. A complete miracle.

“You mentioned in your interview you were in the process of a move, and I wanted to confirm there wouldn’t be any challenges with starting on Wednesday. That was a concern during the decision-making process.”

“This Wednesday?” I swallow hard. Christ, wow. That is fast. I have two days to get home, pack, then drive to Seattle. I’llnever make it. Maybe I’ll fly then go back to pick up my car on the next long weekend. But, I would need longer than a weekend. Okay, I’ll just need to fly and be without a car until I figure things out. I’ll stay in a hotel for the first few days until I find an apartment. I have a small,really small, savings account I can tap into.

As I continue my overthinking, Hudson walks into his room that I’ve been pacing for the last few minutes. He is still shirtless. Damn his pecs, still on full display. And frankly, there were way too many pectorals out there. All the guys were shirtless, like this is some Vegas male topless bar. What is that nonsense?

Rowena asks me if I’m still here, reminding me she is still on the phone and I never replied with my no-brainer answer.

“That’s not a problem at all. See you on Wednesday. And thank you!” Pressing theendbutton, I glance at Hudson, my newlywed husband, and begin to panic. I can’t afford the mistake I made last night. Not only can I not afford to pay for it, but I have been working far too hard to get an opportunity like the one Rowena just offered.

How could I be so stupid?

I grab my clutch and open the pocket to slip my phone inside. The Big Red gum pack sits tucked inside and I pull it out, tossing it onto the bed. It lands upright with the flap open. Our Tic Tac Toe games reveal themselves, reminding me of how much fun we had in those two incredibly short hours and just how easy everything was with him.

Hudson looks down at the pack of gum, then returns his gaze to me. He senses more urgency in me. The same flight or fight response I had on the plane, and he’s not moving from the doorway. Which he happens to take a majority of the space in.

“Stay. At least for breakfast,” he offers subtly.

Staying means giving up the promise I made to myself. I was with Elliot for so long during high school and college, I felt like I lost a piece of myself. It took me long enough to get outfrom under the prison of that relationship that was so heavily guarded by my parents. It was like breaking up with them when I broke up with him.

“I can’t,” I reply. His eyes slowly close, and he throws his head back, placing his hands on his hips.

“Are you going to run on me?” he asks, and I bite my lip and shake my head in response.

“No, I just have to go.” My phone beeps inside my clutch, and we both look down at it, like it’s a ticking time bomb.

“My Uber is here.” Closing the clutch, I step toward the door.

“How do I get in touch with you?” he says urgently, as he shifts so his body is now fully blocking the doorway. “The paperwork for...” He waves his left hand in the air, the aluminum foil still wrapped around the base of his ring finger.

“Right…” I can’t avoid this. “... give me your phone.” I hold my hand out. He places it in my palm, and I plug my first name and phone number in as a contact.

Handing the phone back to him, my lips thin as I press them together, showing more nerves than I’d like. He looks down at the entry and frowns.

“What’s your last name?”

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