A Promise Kept (27 page)

“
G
race
? It’s your go.”

“Hmm? Sorry.” Grace shook herself out of the daze she was in and switched out two cards. Poker wasn’t helping her forget the man who had taken her heart and killed it with a grenade launcher. She once again looked at her hand and knew it was shit. She had no chance of winning. Now it was a matter of whether she’d bluff. Marla and Jaime concentrated on their own cards, evaluating and adjusting as necessary.

One week. It had been seven agonizing days since she had last been in the presence of Evan Matthews, and it hadn’t gotten easier. That night played in her mind on repeat. She thought of different ways she could’ve handled the situation. Yelled? Punched? Cried? No, Grace had stayed silent, and those feelings were beginning to root and fester and turn into something ugly.

She was angry—angry at him, at her parents, and at herself. She should have known better than to open up to someone like him. He had charmed his way into her heart, and now left her aching. But the truth was, she also still desperately loved him, and wanted to believe he acted with good intentions. It wasn’t the intentions that upset her, it was the fact that he went behind her back and did it without asking.

“Fold,” Jaime groaned and threw her hand down on the table.

“Marla?” Grace asked.

“I raise.” The redhead smirked. “You have to call your mom back the next time she tries to get in touch with you.”

Grace levelled in her chair and narrowed her eyes in annoyance. “Why the fuck would you even up the ante like that, Marla?”

“Why don’t we just keep to the chips, ladies?” Jaime suggested with a careful countenance.

“No, I’ve seen Grace the past seven days moping about. She’s not writing, she’s not eating, and she’s definitely not showering.”

“Ew.” Jaime grimaced. “You’ve got to fix that, Grace.”

“I’ve showered.” Grace raised her eyes to Marla and set them keenly. “Fine. If I win, you have to go on a date with Josh.”

“Ha!” Jaime pointed to Marla as she made a squinted face. “You so want to.”

“I loathe gym rats.” Marla groaned as she studied her cards. “Let’s go back to the chips.”

Grace laughed, “Nope.”

“I re-raise. You have to talk to Evan.”

Grace became immobilized as her eyes widened with fright. “I can’t do that. That’s really cruel.”

Jaime meekly responded, “You’ll have to eventually talk to him.”

“Don’t have a good hand, Grace?” Marla sneered playfully.

Grace lifted her chin in defiance. “You have to tell your boss Cameron to fuck off the next time he tries to hit on you.”

Marla gasped. “That’s my career, Grace. You can’t bet something like that.”

Grace eyed her skeptically. “Then what?”

“I don’t like this. Let’s just drop it.”

For once, Grace didn’t mind. She nodded and threw her cards down on the table. Although it was fun for a bit, the repercussions of their wagers didn’t bode very well for either of them.

“What did you have, Grace?” Jaime lifted the cards and laughed. “You were bluffing the whole time?”

“Yeah, I’m good at it, aren’t I?” Grace stretched her body and yawned in exhaustion. She wasn’t sleeping well. She felt depressed and her group of girls were helping her get through her disappointments on a Saturday afternoon. At least she thought so until Jaime added, “Almost as good as Evan.”

“What does that mean?” Grace’s heart started to flutter at the thought of him. She didn’t want to have those reactions, but couldn’t help her curiosity as she waited for more information.

Jaime closed her eyes then faced her straight on. “Um, well, remember when we first met him and played poker?”

“Of course.”

“Well, Evan pretended to lose so you could win the game.”

Grace’s air fled out of her lungs as her mind jumbled with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“He had a straight flush that night. He made me promise not to tell,” Jaime confessed.

“Bastard,” Grace whispered harshly. She then tried ignoring her tears as she began to put the cards and chips away in violent movements. “Why should I be surprised, right? I mean, he did betray me after all. And why didn’t you tell me?”

“Grace, you really suck at dating.” Marla laughed as she picked up the dishes from the table. “You needed a little push with Matthews.”

“I date. I go out. You guys just wanted me to date
him
because he’s a movie star.” She felt herself becoming defensive and had to calm herself before she got too angry. Evan had tricked her.

“No, that’s not it. You just keep yourself too guarded,” Jaime contended as she helped clean up the rest of the dishes and handed them to Marla. “Evan wanted a way to know you, and he took the opportunity presented. Admit it. You would never have let him take you out on a date, or gone to Boston with him if he was just asking.”

Grace shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.” She did though, and it was about to be reiterated to her.

“Telling yourself it was a bet you were fulfilling made you less scared in getting to know him. You were protecting yourself by saying you’d keep to that bet, but right now you had no problem calling it off with Marla.”

“I wasn’t winning right now. Of course I called it off. And I tried getting out of Evan’s stupid bet. I don’t know why you’re on his side anyway.”

“I’m not on his side when it comes to what he did with your memoir, but he did what he had to do to get to know you better. It was the only way.”

“She’s right, you know,” Marla said softly. “You don’t seem to grasp happiness for yourself too often, Grace. You deserve it.”

Tears threatened to fall over as Grace tried to understand what they were telling her. “I was happy. I was fine before Evan showed up. All he did was prove how all men are assholes.”

Marla laughed. “That’s my line, honey. Not yours. And you were lonely.”

“He’s not an asshole,” Jaime corrected. “He did what he did because he loves you.”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but how would you feel if Dean took your journal and gave it to your parents when he knew there was stuff written in there about them?” Grace’s temper began to flare the more she spoke. “That’s what I thought. It would suck, wouldn’t it? Evan took that and gave it away to them.”

“Grace, sorry to say this, but I think you’re being a bit of a coward.” Marla said as she sat down and chewed on a brownie she had made from scratch.

Grace gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

“This isn’t a journal. You’re turning down a lucrative book deal. It could make your career. No more property managing, no more scraped up old Honda, no more scrounging for cash. You get to tell your story and help others, and you’re not taking the risk because of your parents.”

“So, obviously, Marla’s on Evan’s side, too.” Grace’s voice was strained as she tried to keep control of her emotions.

“It’s not about sides. It’s about you doing what you were meant to do. Evan pushed you toward it, and you won’t even talk to your mom. She’s calling you for a reason, and you’re too chicken to find out why.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m going to take a nap.” Grace made her way to Marla’s guestroom and lay there thinking over everything. She reached to her phone and saw it void of texts and calls. Her mother stopped bothering her, Evan had cut his contact with her, and she had nobody to blame but herself.

She felt prickling in the back of her eyes and tried to ignore the feeling of her heart squeezing tight. She missed Evan beyond what she could admit to herself. He was her constant, her safe zone, the man she thought would perhaps be her forever. But happily ever after didn’t exist, and she knew the risks she had taken in falling for him. She had kept her promise to Nathan, but she was also breaking it, and she was confused as to whether that was a good or a bad thing.

* * *

T
he air brushed
against Grace’s skin caressing her face as she leapt into the clear water below. It hit her with a cooling effect, its ripples taking her in, surrounding her. She felt weightless, tranquil, as the water framed her. Her eyes opened and she spotted a hand waiting for her to grasp it. She contemplated whether to grab hold or stay put. It was more peaceful down here, and though she couldn’t breathe, she found solace in surrender. It would be easier to submit. Eyes that matched the water stared directly at her.
Nathan
. He shook his head and gripped her, pushing her up toward the surface as he stayed behind. She tried to cry out, reaching back for him, but when she saw him again he looked different.
Evan?

Grace gasped as she startled awake. Her shaky breath calmed down and goosebumps covered her skin. Her blanket had fallen to the floor, and she felt her body chill from the cold air around her. She sat up and glanced at the time on the alarm clock nearby. Her nap lasted over three hours. There went her sleep schedule. It was early evening, and Grace could smell something heavenly drifting from the kitchen.

Marla was a goddess when it came to cooking. It was too bad Grace hadn’t been taking pleasure in food over the past week. Marla usually forced her to eat, so it wasn’t a surprise when she heard a knock at her door.

Marla peered in, her eyes concerned as Grace sat on the edge of her bed and ran her hand through her messy hair. “Grace? You have a visitor.”

The tone of Marla’s voice hadn’t gone unnoticed. Grace shook her head, her brows furrowed in curiosity. She knew it wasn’t Evan. There was no way Marla would do that to her. “Who is it?”

Her lips mouthed the words as she stayed in the doorway. “Your mom.”

Grace’s eyes widened as she stood up and violently responded in a harsh whisper. “What? Are you kidding me?”

Marla shook her head. “She’s in the living room,” Marla responded quietly. “I only recognized her because you both look similar. Anyway, she seems pleasant. She’s out there waiting for you.”

“Give me a moment.” Grace’s breathing accelerated at the thought of seeing her mom. What would she say to her? What would she do? How would she react? She moved to the vanity in the corner of the room and looked herself over in the mirror.

Untidy hair, pasty skin, no makeup, bags under her eyes, she was a mess. Her mother wouldn’t approve. Grace looked over her warmups and Texas shirt and stood up tall. She needed to put on her suit of armor—steel herself, get ready to fight, and be who she was. Evan was right about her. She was resilient, and she would get through this just like she got through most of her life, fighting for what her heart believed in.

Grace tried to remember not to fidget as she made her way over to the living area. The windows let in streams of the setting sun, and in front of one of them stood Nancy Clark. She could only see the back of her as she approached, but she was still as thin and regal as Grace remembered. Dressed in some fancy designer blouse and slacks that probably cost more than Grace’s car, Nancy was always one to keep up with the Joneses. She was a lawyer’s wife, after all. Grace wondered what her father would think if he saw her now, and wasn’t surprised about his absence.

Grace stopped midway from the window and chewed on the bottom of her lip. She clasped her hands in front of her to keep from moving around. It wasn’t until she cleared her throat that Nancy turned and gazed at her daughter. Sixteen years changed a person, but she had seen much of her mother preserved with cosmetics and plastic surgery. It wasn’t an overabundance of it. In fact, she was just as beautiful as ever.

The mossy green color with the flecks of yellow and brown dispersed through Nancy’s eyes were unerringly like Nathan’s. What stunned Grace was the look that radiated through them as her mother studied her. It was kind, and loving. “Hello, Grace.” Her voice had changed. It was softer, more soothing, like the sun warming your skin when you exited a freezing room.

“Mom. How did you know where I was?”

Nancy’s full lips turned into a smile as she moved closer. “Evan was staying at your home. He told me where I could find you.”