Page 20 of Every Promise Broken

The question comes out much harsher than I intended.

His brows clash, and I see the hurt written all over his face. His bottom lip quivers as he asks, “Why couldn’t we?”

Fuck, please don’t cry.I’ve never been good with people crying in front of me. It makes me so uncomfortable I could scream.

“Reggie, we live in two different towns. I have a hard enough time maintaining friendships with people who live five minutes from me. I think I owe you to be honest and say there’s no way.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “Ouch.”

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

After a moment, he nods, wiping his eyes and looking over at me. “Okay. Well, I guess, thanks for telling me. I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed, but I understand.”

My skin is crawling and all I want to do is hide. “I’ll walk you out,” I reply.

As we come to a stop at the front door, Reggie turns to face me, and I can barely look him in the eye. Just as I figured he would, he pulls me in for a hug.

“I’m always here for you,” he murmurs.

“Thanks.”

“Bye, Whit.” The sadness in his tone makes my throat tight.

“Bye, Reggie.”

It’s not until I hear his car door shut that I let out the breath I’d been holding.

At least it’s done.

A weight has been lifted, and a sense of relief washes over me. It sucked and it was hard, but I did it. And it was for the best.

With a solid plan to take a nice, hot shower and relax outside for the rest of the evening, I grab my phone with the intention of heading to my bathroom. Except, I notice a message waiting for me.

From Conrad.

My heart lurches.

Conrad: Hey, would it be okay if I stopped by for a bit? There’s something I need to talk to you about.

With shaking hands, I re-read the message. Then I glance at the time, seeing it was sent a little over twenty minutes ago.

That’s all he’s going to give me? A vague as hell “there’s something I need to talk to you about?” That could meananything! What could he possibly need to talk to me about? And at my house? If it were about the animals, he’d call the clinic and make an appointment the same way he always does.

My heart is beating so fast, I wouldn’t be surprised if it thumped right out of my chest at this point. After I’ve re-read the two sentences about a dozen times, I thumb out a response.

Me: Yeah, that’s fine.

So much for my relaxing evening.

10

Conrad Strauss

Desperate and on edge.

Those are the two feelings that have been running rampant through my body since I got the voicemail from my nana three days ago. She’s coming to visit in a month, and while I’m thrilled to get to see her for the first time in years, I’m also slightly panicking because I haven’t exactly been honest with her.

Pulling into Whit’s driveway, I park beside his truck, my heart in my throat as I climb out. I’m about to walk into a situation where I have no clue how Whit’s going to respond. What I’m about to propose is not on par for us, but I don’t know what else to do.

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