Page 28 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

“So… Colton.”

Bingo.

“He’s just helping, Mom.” Ruby clicked through her tabs, pretending to be busy.

“If you say so. Seems like he’s offering a lot of his time.”

“Some of the stuff is dangerous, like the ceiling panels. Better to have some help than to break my hand or get knocked out.”

Beryl shrugged. “I don’t disagree, I only find it interesting that the help is Colton Taylor.”

Ruby sighed and looked at her mom, who was casually flipping through one of the magazines.

“He happened to be around and to have the tools.”

“Of course. Just be careful, Ruby.”

“Of what? Having help?”

“Getting close to him. You and I both know where that leads.”

Disappointment.

Heartbreak.

“I’m not getting close to him.” Ruby stared at her mom before turning back to her computer. “Besides, it’s been ten years. Maybe we’re different people.” She knew as soon as she spoke that her mom would take that as an excuse for Ruby to continue spending time with Colton. Hell, when Ruby thought about it, maybe she was trying to find an excuse for why there was no issue with her spending time with the man she once called the love of her life.

Her mom sighed. “Maybe. Just be careful, Ruby.”

“Of course.” Ruby kept her eyes on her laptop, turning the conversation over in her head. “I mean, I’m not who I was ten years ago. Nowhere close. People can change.”

“Maybe.”

Ruby mulled, not seeing the screen in front of her. She knew how to read her mom — and the passive, exasperated reply was enough for Ruby to know her mom didn’t believe it. At least not when it came to Colton. Her mom had been right about a lot of things before. Paired with the reminder Ruby had when she’d seen him outside the auto shop, maybe people didn’t always change.

A knot in her stomach formed in agreement.

27

Dragan gathered the tangled sheets from his couch, remnants from Colton crashing at his apartment the last few nights. His friend was out and there was no telling if he’d be back tonight, but Dragan figured three days of couch-surfing was enough for his wealthy ass. Dragan was happy to help but couldn’t stop the itch on why Colton hadn’t just moved out from under his dad’s rule yet. It was bad enough Colt was stuck at the family business, but it’d been over a year since he moved home, six months since he’d gotten most of his old self back from the crippling knee injury and depression.

He sighed, throwing the sheets in the in-unit washer and straightening up the place. He knew how rare it was to find a nice apartment in Oak Valley. Hell, several years ago it’d taken him a year to find this little place within walking distance to Main Street with a dishwasher and in-unit laundry, and he knew Colton would want to wait out for the ideal situation so he wouldn’t have to move too much. Prices had also gone up, making Dragan more thankful that he’d secured part-time coding work for an app company based in Australia. Dragan was off work at the auto shop today, and it gave him valuable time to work on the app he and Archer were developing, a side project that could be his way out of the life he’d been born into. At least before June came over.

His heart might’ve skipped a beat at the thought of her name. His breath might have stopped at the thought of her laugh echoing through his two-bedroom apartment. Whatever it was, he needed to get himself under control. His fingers subconsciously went to his forehead, fingers finding strands to twist until knotted. June was the only one who ever caught him, a soft hand resting on his bicep or gently working the twisted pieces apart. She knew without him having to say that it was an anxious quirk, one picked up from trying to hide from the intensity in his house growing up.

Dragan started loading the dishwasher, conscious of the chip on his shoulder. Being from the wrong side of the tracks in a small town, he knew where his place was in the social hierarchy early on. It didn’t matter when he was a teenager that his grandfather in Poland passed, leaving a sizable estate in the name of Dragan’s mom. It didn’t matter that the sizable inheritance was kept in a fund his parents refused to touch, instead allowing the family to continue living in a house that was falling down or their four kids to go hungry when his dad couldn’t make ends meet. As the oldest son, he’d been expected to help support the family — especially during the times when his dad dropped out for several days at a time. Dragan had started teaching himself how to code when he was a young teenager, spending as much free time in the library computer lab when not at June’s family bookstore. He slammed a plate into the washer a little too hard, the sound reminding him to take a breath.

He got his anger from his dad but his awareness from his mom.

A knock on the door pulled him from his ego trip, and he dried his hands before seeing who it was.

The door flying open brought a wave of vanilla and wood, the scent reminiscent of being buried beneath a blanket with an old book. He smiled at the ray of sunshine before him, her blond hair brushing against his arm as she barreled in.

“I’m so sorry I’m early, I just needed to get out of that place and I need your help,” June said, the words crammed together in a huff as she set her bag down at the dining table and pulled out her laptop.

“Hello to you, too.” Dragan shut the door and closed the dishwasher before taking a seat across from her.

She shut her laptop, meeting his gaze. “Sorry, D. Hi. How are you?”

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