Page 37 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

Slight nod.

“Do you feel sick?”

Slight shrug.

“Maybe we should go home, I’m sure you’re tired.”

Beryl tilted her head without lifting it, the spark gone from her eyes. Ruby hurt with the diminishment of her mom, who was generally feisty and full of life. It’d been silly for her to think she could ever leave Oak Valley in six months. Even a year was probably unlikely. A stone in her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

If Ruby had to stay in Oak Valley for at least the next year, what did that look like?

Anxiety gripped her as she watched her mom heave herself up, grabbing the walls and shelves as she made her way to the bathroom. If Ruby stayed, at the very least she had to check on her mom, if not continue living with her — depending on how her treatments went. They’d know more at the end, in six months.

Either way, something was changing. Ruby could only hope it was for the best, and that her days of traveling and being free weren’t completely over.

34

Over the course of the last week, the incident in Ruby’s kitchen had burned itself into Colton’s body. Now that they’d answered the primal call in their bodies, he couldn’t get enough. She was the last thing he thought of before calming himself enough to go to sleep and first thing when he woke up. Morning wood certainly didn’t help, but it was more in how he missed waking up to her, wrapped in her warmth and gentle hands, hair of fire spread across his pillow.

He’d tried to keep the texting relaxed, staying true to his word of relearning her. But the more they talked the more he wanted her. All of her. Like the floodgates had been opened and if he didn’t die by her waves he’d never be satisfied. The most he felt he could do without coming on too forward was leaving her favorite flowers on her doorstep. To let her know he never forgot the details, that he remembered everything. Even if they were just seeing where things went, he wanted her to know he wasn’t just in it for physicality.

He sighed, wishing he was wrapped up in her instead of at the auto shop. It was fairly quiet today. Katie’s laugh from outside drifted in, Damian’s low voice following. Another burst erupted from his sister. Colton ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know if Katie and Damian were harmlessly flirting or if there was something more, but he didn’t trust it. Damian had always been a little too smooth, too cocky, for Colton’s liking. And roping Colton’s sister in with charm was a surefire way to get him to put a target on Damian’s back.

His phone rang, a California number. His heart jumped into his throat. There’d been no word of the interview and Colton was sure they’d passed him up.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Taylor?”

“This is he, may I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Annette, I’m so sorry for the delay in communication. I wanted to call and formally invite you for an interview at the test kitchen in San Francisco next week.”

Despite the rushing in his ears, he could hear the smile in her voice. He felt confident that if given the chance, he could prove himself worthy of studying under one of the world’s greatest chefs.

This was it. This was his dream.

“Oh, wow. Thank you. Yes, I will be there.”

“Wonderful. The entire process will be for one day. We will be testing four others, and only three of you will be hired. Is the email we have on file still the best one to reach you at?”

“Y—Yeah. Yes, that one is good.” Colton could hardly think straight.

“Great, if you haven’t received an email by end of day tomorrow, please let us know. We look forward to seeing what you can do.”

“Okay, thank you. Thanks so much, Annette.”

They hung up and Colton stared at the desk. He wanted to walk out the door, book his ticket, not look back. He wanted to start this new life, one he wasn’t scared of, one that maybe, just maybe, included the one woman he regretted losing.

“Yo,” Katie popped her head in, cheeks flushed.

Probably from laughing with Damian.

Colton clenched his jaw at the thought. He lived at home during college, but away games gave him a taste of what his life could be. Once he was drafted to the Giants, he took off as far away from Oak Valley as he could. Which, evidently, was still only an hour and a half away. Katie had been eighteen; he thought he’d done enough to keep her from douchebags like Damian. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t worried that he hadn’t done enough. That he had and would never do enough to keep his family together. To keep them okay.

“Yo,” he sighed, leaning back in the desk chair.

She took big steps into the reception area, a goofy grin on her face. No matter how old she was, she’d always be his little sister.

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