From Lies to Promises (7 page)

  “
C-Could you come h-home.” She is crying. So help me god if that boy laid one unwanted finger on that girl, they will be throwing my ass in the pen tonight.

  “Jamie, what’s wrong? What’d he do?” I ask trying my best to restrain my voice from roaring over all the noise in the small restaurant.

“Please, just...” She pauses to sniffle, “just come home.”

  I have never driven so fast in all my life. As I pull into the driveway, I can barely believe I didn’t get pulled over. Skeigh and Lexi screamed the whole way home.

  Slow down! Kat, that’s a stop sign! Oh My God! You are trying to kill us!

 
If it wasn’t for that I would have forgot they were in the car at all. I rush through the front door where Jamie sits in a ball on the sofa, her dress pillowed out around her. Thank goodness I had shown her where that hide a key was a couple months ago.

  Once I get Jamie calmed down enough, and changed into some pajamas she had here, she tells us what happened. Her supposed date ended up coming with another girl. He said that his mother didn’t
think that Jamie was proper enough and had then proceeded to set him up with the girl he brought. She was so mortified that she went outside and called a cab from her cell. On the way here she called her mom and told her that she was staying here tonight, to have a girls night.

  Which we ended up doing. We watched ever crappy movie ever made for TV in the history of crappy movies until around three in the morning. We all passed out like
dominoes once Jamie finally closed her eyes.

             
Waking up, after my neck had been twisted in the most God awful angle on the couch arm all night, well it sucked. I reach for my phone to look at the time.
Shit.
Noon. I have two hours to get Jamie up and home, then get ready for Ryder to come and get me.

  “Would you quit moving so much, shesh.” Jamie grumbles. Ha. That is one less task to accomplish.

  “Get up. I got to get you home so I can get ready.” I holler as I start shaking her.

  “I’m up. I’m up. Gah, what is your rush?” She ask as she stretches her arms above her head.

  Skeigh sits up from the cocoon of covers on the chase, “She has a hot date today.” She pushes the covers off. “I’ll take her home. Just go get ready. We won’t let you call and give him some lame excuse.”

  “Oh.My.God. Tell me it’s that hot guy from the river the other day. Did he call you?” Jamie is completely awake now.

  “So you’re the little sneak that gave him my number. I kept meaning to ask him how he got it.” I shoot her an evil eye.

  “Soo…
rry.” She drags out. Dramatics that girl. “He is very convincing. Let me tell you, he has this pout face.” She shakes her head.

  “I know all too well about that face. How do
you think he got me to say yes?”

  Jamie gets up and heads towards the bathroom, pauses, and turns back to me. “I think I may stay tonight too. I want to know how this goes.”

  I wait for Jamie to get done in the bathroom, so I can get a shower. Sometimes I wonder how the three of us survive off one bathroom. Our different schedules help. I finish my shower and blow dry my hair. I don’t have to do much to it other than that. It is naturally straight as a board, and if I dare try to curl it within the hour it’s back flat. Sill wearing my robe I go to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and something to snack on. I still have about another 30 minutes before he gets here. On my way from the kitchen someone knocks on the door.

  “I got it!” I tell the girls in the living room. My mind didn’t even contemplate that Ryder could be early, but there he was when I opened the door. And here I am, in my robe, nothing under
it. “Hi.”   I cross my arms over my practically exposed breast. “Your half an hour early.”

  “No, I think I am just on time.” He
says in a deep husky tone, while his eyes take me in from head to toe. I need to get clothes on.
Like now.

  “Come on in. The girls are all in the living room. I’ll be back once I change.” I turn to leave, but he catches my elbow before I get completely turned.

  “You could go in what you’re wearing.” He bends his head so that his mouth is right next to my ear. “But, you would never get to see the awesome date I have planned for us.” His breath tickles against my ear as he talks and makes me shiver.

  “W-We,” I stop to clear my throat, “We wouldn’t want that.”

  He pulls his head back. “No, we wouldn’t.” With that he lets my arm go, but I find it really hard to walk away from him and head to my room.

  Once
in there I realize I don’t know where we are going, and in other words don’t know what I should wear. Crap. Thankfully, Lexi walks in before my panic attack could be set on full force. “I didn’t think to ask what to wear. What do I do? I don’t want to look like an idiot and walk back out there to ask him.” Deep breath.

  Lexi breaks out into hysterics. She is laughing so hard when she finally raises back up from being bent at the waste, and looks at me there are tears in her eyes. “You really like this Ryder fella, don’t you?”

  “No. I just don’t like looking stupid.”

  “Please, for once don’t treat me like I can’t read you like a book. I have never seen you freak out over something so tri
vial on a date before. That’s how I know you really like him. He is wearing casual clothes, so that’s what you wear.” She reaches in the closet and pulls out my black tank top that zips up the back. “I know a lot more about you than you give me credit for. Just like I know that you think that Ms. Bran is looking into your past for a story.”

  “My past isn’t worthy for one of her stories.”  I grab the shirt from her and pull it over my head. Then reach in my dresser drawer and grab my favorite pair of je
ans.

  “Look, you want to leave it behind you
. I get it. I may not have heard it from you, but me and Skeigh, we have been with you for too long not to have our own ideas what you have been through.” She almost whispers out. I zip up my shorts and turn to Lexi.

  “I know. It’s not that I want to keep you two in the dark, I
have
to. For my sake.” I explain.

  “We get it. When you’re ready, we are here for you, always.” She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes. “Now, get out there to that hot man waiting on you. Go have fun.”
She pushes me out of my own room, while I send a silent prayer to whatever greater being is out there, thanking them for sending me these girls. Lexi, Skeigh, and Jamie have been the ones keeping me sane.

  I walk up to Ryder and give him my best smile, because I am determined to exactly what Lexi said and have fun. “I’m ready if you are.”
I tell him and hope I mean it.

  “Let’s get going then!” He reaches forward, grabs my hand while opening the door. “Have a good day ladies, I know we will.”

              Walking up to Ryder’s car, which was parked on the curb, he releases my hand and opens the passenger side door for me to climb in. Before I do however I give the car a once over. It was just one of those cars that deserved appreciation, vintage, solid black, and bench seats in the front and back. It was really nice. I had forgot he told me about him and Dave owning their own restoration shop. The girls and I took a trip to Gatlinburg one year on the weekend that they had Rod Run. Granted we did not know that when we went but ever since I have had a fascination with them. Not that I know a thing about them.

  “Should I be jealous that you are looking at my car like that?” He is standing behind me and his brea
th stirs the hair around my neck. I could’ve melt into him right here.

  “I figured with a car like that you were used to it getting all the attention.” I turn my head to look at him. Our noses nearly touching.

  “I am. You’re different though. I find myself wanting every ounce of your attention.” Ryder pulls back so he can examine my reaction. Oddly, I find myself wishing that he could have it all and more. “Does that make me selfish?”

  “Maybe.” I turn and take my seat in the car, “So where are you taking me?”

  “That is for me to know.” Before he shuts the door, he gives me that smile again. The one that swears he is up to no good. The one that gets my stomach fluttering out of control. It is still on his face when he flops into the driver seat and starts driving us to our destination. “And for you to find out.”

  We ride
in comfortable silence, other than the radio playing softly. Before I know it we are coming to a stop. I look around to find where we are.

  “Do you know how to bowl?” He ask
s with excitement.

  “Honestly, I’ve only bowled once. I was nine. It was at my cousin’s birthday party and I had to use those things that come up in the gutters. Otherwise, I would have never knocked a single pin over.” I answer with laughter in my voice. It was actually a good memory from my childhood. My mom had dropped me off. It was fun, normal. That was before everything.

 
Lies!

  You’re lying!

  I hadn’t even noticed that Ryder had gotten out of the car until he opens my door and reaches for me to get out. I put my hand in his and let him help me up.

  “
Before we leave here then, my goal is to have you making strikes like a pro.” He declares. With my hand still in his he entwines our fingers and pulls me toward the bowling alley.

  Inside I let out the
breath I had been holding. The place doesn’t really have anyone here, which was what I was hoping for. Less people to witness my ever present bowling catastrophe the better.
This is not going to be good.
Before we make it to the counter, the a little old lady that is standing behind it, turns and sees Ryder. She gives him a smile that lights up her being.

  “I’ll be damned
! If it isn’t Ryder Hudson. Were in the sam hell have you been?” She hoots as she comes around the corner and gives him a hug. When she pulls away she hits him in the stomach with the back of her hand. “That is for making an old woman sick with worry.”

  I can’t help it, I start giggling. Her eyes turn to me and the scowl on her face disappears. “I know you were raised to be more polite than this
, too. Are you going to introduce me to this lovely lady you got here? Or am I going to have to do it myself?”

  Ryder isn’t fazed a bit by the woman, he just lets out a laugh and says,
“I would have already if you weren’t beating on me.”

  “Oh, hosh posh, that was no beat’n.
Do I need to remind you what one of my whippin’s are really like?” I just stand there and watch them interact with each other. I assume they are family the way that they easily go about one another. She turns to face me again, “My name is Bethany. Everyone calls me Ol’ Beth.”

  “It is nice to meet you Bethany, My name is Katrina. Everyone calls me Kat.” I put my hand out for her to shake but she pushes it away. “Dear, there is no hand
shakin’ here.” Then she pulls me down for a hug.

 
When she lets go Ryder speaks up again. “We need a lane, please ma’am.”

  She sets the lane up and hands me my shoes. Ryder leads the way to the lane on the far end of the building. When I sit down to change my shoes Ryder tells me he will be right back, to go ahead and pick out a ball. I do as he says once my shoes are on, but I really don’t know what I am looking for. There is a wall full of bowling balls in every different color you can think of. I walk over to a bright orange, when I pick it up I nearly drop it on my toe because of how heavy it is.
That one is out.
Just above it there is a white ball, with swirls in it. I pick it up to notice that it isn’t too heavy and go to put it on the ball return, just in time for Ryder to come traipsing back with a huge black bag.

  “Had to go get my stuff out of the back.” He states as he sits down and opens the bag. It has two balls inside of it, and a pair of snazzy shoes.

  “You have your own bowling equipment?” I tease and raise my eyebrow at him.

   He changes his shoes and places his fancy balls on the rack before replying. “Yea. This used to be a big hobby of mine. Ol’ Beth was a friend of my moms. When she passed, my dad would bring us here and drop us off in the summer
when he had to work. So, yea I have my own equipment.” The way he said it, I could just tell he was thinking back.

  “How old were you when your mother passed?”
I ask.

  He turns and looks at me, sadness passes in his eyes before he speaks. “Seven. Dave was eight.” For a minute I think I should say something. Sorry doesn’t seem like it would help. I have never had to comfort anyone before, and nobody sure as hell comforted me when I needed it. I just didn’t know what to do, but before I could over analyze the si
tuation his somber face sparks to life. “Off the sad subjects. It’s time to get on with the first phase of our date.” First phase?
What the hell else did he have planned?

 
He put our names on the screen, his first, then grabbed one of his bowling balls and stepped up to the line. Watching him place his fingers into the designated holes, but he doesn’t put his thumb in. Then he walks forward and releases the ball. That ball lines the edge of the gutter all the way to the end of the lane then curves out. Knocking every single pin down. That was crazy.