Page 31 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

When she pulled back, Colton could swear there were tears in her eyes. She rubbed his arm and fixed his hair.

“My boy.”

“Always.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and opened the door. “I’ll be back home tonight, want me to stop at the store or anything?”

“No, thank you. Just bring yourself. Do you want an apron or are you heading out?”

Colton hesitated, knowing he should probably just head home and pretend he was sick, which had been the reason he called out of work anyway.

A sense of pride rose through him. Nah, fuck that. He was going to do what he wanted, when he wanted. This was his life, and he was tired of tiptoeing around his dad. He owed himself.

“Apron me, let’s bake up a storm.”

His mom beamed, passing him the only apron he’d ever thought of as his. Its navy was faded, but it was still there. Still his. The one he wore when his mom first showed him her ways, the one he used to fold over his torso as a kid and wrap the waist straps around twice.

In most ways, the bakery was the only true home he’d ever known, made complete with his mom by his side. He tried to ignore the pang in his heart when he thought of leaving her — again — and used her wanting what was best for him as the consolation. She’d want him to follow his dream, even if that meant moving across the country. He’d done something similar once before, although two towns over for school and playing for the New York Giants was a far cry from California.

He could do it again. He knew that. But listening to his mom sing along to Springsteen while she pulled out ingredients instilled doubt he hadn’t felt before.

29

Ruby looked around her childhood bedroom, the white walls still hung with found paintings and a bulletin board covered in scraps of… wrapping paper? Postcards, ribbon, necklaces. She smiled at the odd assortment of items she’d once found inspiration and, ten years later, had yet to go through. She’d always been a ship passing in the night, coming home for holidays and then escaping back to whatever apartment she was living in at the time.

And now with the bus, she figured she’d just put off the deep clean of her room until it was time to move into what would be her home. Although maybe she should consider a trip to the City to empty out her storage unit, $125 a month was still money that could be in her pocket. She could probably rent a UHaul and get it done in a day, shorter if she had help.

Speaking of. She checked her phone, having sent a text to Colton the night before saying she was working on the bus today. The warring sides of her wanted him there to help while also wanting to keep him at arm’s length, so giving him the option of working on the bus during a work day seemed like a good compromise. She could feel okay about including him while knowing he wouldn’t be able to show.

But that didn’t stop the sliver of hope from creeping into her stomach.

Fixing her ponytail, she scolded herself and went into the basement to get a crowbar. Her mom was resting, having taken the week off work to adjust to the chemotherapy, and hopefully removing the bus floors wouldn’t be too noisy. Ruby didn’t think she’d need power tools for this part of the job, but with demolishing a school bus, you just never knew what you needed until you needed it.

Ruby opened the back emergency door of the bus and tried to determine the best place to start. The utility knife was in the toolbox she’d left behind the driver’s seat, crowbar heavy as she pushed it farther into the bus and hauled herself in. The rubber flooring was nasty, streaked with mud from countless shoes and the occasional dead bug. The floor aisle was striped rubber, and upon closer inspection Ruby found a seam on either side between that and the rest of the rubber floor. As good a starting point as any.

She cut and peeled the rubber flooring, revealing the plywood underneath. It was hard and sticky and exhausting. Some pieces refused to come up, and Ruby had to sit on the ground and slam the crowbar wedge beneath the rubber to loosen it. By the time she took a break, only half of the rubber was removed and she was covered in sweat. Seeing the plywood underneath made her want to stay sitting forever, to pretend she hadn’t gotten herself into this mess.

The familiar rumble of an Audi made her smile despite her best efforts to not give in, knowing the sleek black vehicle carried a knight in shining armor. As much as she hated to admit it, she could use a good pair of muscles to help finish this demo job.

The slam of a car door was followed by her name, not long before his chiseled jaw and mop of brown hair appeared in the rear door entrance. He folded his arms in the entryway, all dimples and flexed muscle stretching against his long-sleeve.

“A regular ol’ Bob the Builder,” he teased.

“Shut up,” she smiled back, starting to breathe normally again. “Come on and help if you’re going to be here.”

“You know I took off work for this right?” He hopped into the bus, effortless despite Ruby cringing at something wrong happening to his knee. But he still moved with the grace of professional athlete, sauntering down the walkway until he reached her. He stood before her, his heated gaze making her hot enough she wanted to strip.

No. Nope. This was not good.

She swallowed and regained her composer. “Congrats, want a gold star?”

Colton shrugged and stood, his dimples still in full force. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no.”

He reached out a hand to help her stand. Ruby hesitated, but as soon as she shifted and felt her jelly legs, she opted for his hand. His warm, strong hand that lifted her like she didn’t weigh a thing. And pulled her a little too close to his chest when she was finally on two feet, trying to find her balance.

Reflexively, a hand went to his chest. The smooth surface of his pec beneath his shirt, the beat of his heart against her palm. She was flooded with her body screamingmorewhile her brain screamedstep back. Ruby was suspended between the two, staring at the space she touched while her breath quickened. His fingers brushed her arm before growing bolder, hesitantly finding their way to her neck.

“Ruby.” The whisper of her name on his lips brought her eyes to meet his, something inside her cracking.

All at once, in those pleading eyes, was the fourteen-year-old boy she’d fallen in love with, the eighteen-year-old she’d let go of, and the man he’d become. Ruby felt the world spin, the walls cave in, the need to be wrapped in every part of this person she still so desperately loved without knowing why or how, or even who he was.

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