Page 25 of Tempting Promises
Second thing is that there’s someone next to me.
I open my eyes and, instead of finding a man, like I expect, I see my best friend.
“Faye?” I whisper, confused and head throbbing like a bitch.
She rolls toward me and smiles. “How shitty do you feel?”
“Is there a barometer for it?”
“No, but I assume it’s pretty horrible.”
I nod.
“There’s Gatorade and Ibuprofen over there,” Faye explains.
When I roll over, another fact strikes me. We’re not in Faye’s house. In fact, I don’t know where the hell we are. I grab the Gatorade and sit up, holding my palm against my pounding temple.
“How much did I drink?”
The bed shifts, and she laughs softly. “Well, my friend, you went at least ten rounds with Jose Cuervo.”
I chug some Gatorade, swallow the pills, and then put it back on the nightstand of someone I still don’t know. The room is small, literally a bed, tall dresser, two nightstands, and a chair in the corner. A jacket is thrown over the arm of the chair, and it’s not mine or Faye’s.
“Where are we?” I ask, my voice filled with uncertainty.
“We are at a friend’s.”
“A friend? We don’t have friends.”
She smiles. “Well, you don’t, but I do.”
Fair point. “What friend?”
Faye’s smile is a little sheepish, and that causes my already roiling stomach to churn more. “Faye . . .”
Her sigh is heavy as she lifts one shoulder. “We’re at Rowan’s.”
My jaw drops, and I gasp. “What?”
“Rowan stepped in when you were being...manhandled a bit. He pushed the guy off you, and you were hammered. I mean, you couldn’t walk straight. So, he carried you out and took you to your house, but I had your keys so he couldn’t get in. That’s how you ended up here, I drove over after I’d dropped Margot off. I know you hate him, but he was really, really great.”
The worst part is that I don’t hate him. I just hate what he did to my sister. I hate that he drove away the one person I had left to help me and now I’m alone.
And broke.
And going to lose everything.
“Why did it have to be him?” I ask her.
“I don’t know, but thank God it was. He didn’t have to do any of it, Char. He didn’t even hesitate, though, and he took care of you until I got here. I’ve never seen him so protective.”
I don’t want to be in his debt.
“You really don’t know him.”
She tilts her head. “Or maybe it’s you who doesn’t. Anyway, he left early this morning, got us some coffee and bagels but then had to run. He said he’d be back after he checked in with Micah.”
That was kind of nice. “So you’re saying I need to thank him.”
