Where Promises Die: A Second Chance Romance

by R. C. Stephens

  Back in his room Eisav walked over to his bed and took a seat, “Okay you have my attention.”

  Ilana sat in a squat position on the floor. “The way I see it you have two options: you either confront your brother, man to man, tell him to take a step back so that you and Grace can see if there’s still something between you guys …”

  Eisav let out a loud laugh before Ilana even finished her sentence. “Seriously, did you see Jacob? There’s no way in hell he would ever take a step back.”

  “Okay, so you play hardball.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning you remind Grace of what you had, and I don’t mean getting her to cheat on Jacob. I mean get into the emotional nitty gritty with her. You said she’s been through a hard time. You need to show her that you can be there for her. She needs to know that you’re a person she can count on, not just some rock star who left her behind.”

  “Damn it, you’re right.” Eisav shot up from the bed.

  “What are you doing?” Ilana asked, staring at him through her round blue eyes.

  “I’m going to shave.” He winked.

  “Huh?”

  “She sees me as a rock star right now. I’m going to get cleaned up.” And with that, Eisav left the room.

  Ilana spent some time changing her own clothes before heading back down to the kitchen in search of some grub.

  “There’s a lot of food out in the dining room, if you like.” Marie caught her off guard from behind as she rummaged through the fridge.

  Ilana pulled her head out quickly. “Oh yeah, thanks. Would you mind coming with me? I haven’t met your mother yet. I don’t want her to think I’m free loading.” Ilana smiled sweetly.

  “Sure … of course.” Marie blushed and Ilana followed her to the family room where Dina was perched on the same chair she had been sitting on for days. It looked like she may also have been wearing the same clothes. “Mother, this is Ilana, Eisav’s friend,” Marie explained with her soft demeanor.

  Dina’s eyes hardened as she took in the young woman. Ilana was used to this kind of reaction from her own parents, so she wasn’t fazed, but she would be lying if she said it didn’t hurt.

  “Pleasure to meet you.” Ilana extended her hand.

  Dina did not oblige, which caused Marie to frown.

  “Thank you for coming,” Dina finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

  Ilana smiled to Marie, and Marie motioned for her to follow. “Please don’t pay attention to my mother. She tends to be a little on the judgmental side,” Marie explained apologetically.

  “Yeah, no worries. My own family is pretty much the same,” Ilana offered.

  Marie suddenly took interest in her words. “Where are you from?”

  “Originally, Kansas, but I left my house a long time ago. Never went back.” Ilana explained with a sadness in her tone.

  “You and my brother have some things in common,” Marie noted as she and Ilana made their way over to a long dining table covered in breakfast foods from biscuits to scrambled eggs and sausage links.

  “Ooh! This looks so good,” Ilana rubbed her palms together and took a plate. Marie followed suit. “I’m not sure if I should be saying anything,” Ilana whispered quietly, “but your brother mentioned we have something else in common too.”

  Marie flushed so red that Ilana was tempted to take her temperature. Marie was a beautiful woman. Ilana was most definitely attracted to her. She also knew that Marie was inexperienced. The thought turned Ilana on even more.

  “Um yes, I … um … never …” Marie mumbled.

  “Oh, I get it. You’ve never been with a woman. We’ve all been there.” And with those words, Marie and Ilana fell into an easy conversation where they laughed and flirted over biscuits, eggs, and sausage links.

  Eisav ordered a cab to the funeral home. The cab company knew exactly who he was when he offered to pay both ways again. Jacob and Grace had left earlier with their mother, and Ilana drove with Marie and Ida. When he approached the door of the funeral home, he noticed his mother standing in a line followed by Greta, Jacob, Grace, Marie, and Ida. This wasn’t a usual welcoming to a wake in this town. He figured that maybe his mother asked them to stand that way to show that they respected Isaac despite his many faults. It had become evident to Eisav with the passing days in Sade that the town folk knew of his father’s wrong doings. Some of his mother’s old friends had remained supportive, but it was clear by the turn out that many people weren’t so understanding.

  “Mother.” He nodded. He didn’t give her a kiss, though. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not after she revealed her truths.

  “Thank you.” She smiled, her dark eyes wrinkling on the sides, gesturing to his black button-down shirt and dark jeans and the fact that he shaved and smirked.

  “I didn’t do this for you,” he answered curtly as his eyes landed on Grace.

  He watched as Grace gave him a searing look. Her throat bobbed as she took him in. Ilana walked up to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek, and he watched as Grace’s demeanor fell. That was when he continued inside, placing a small kiss on Grace’s cheek followed by Greta, Marie, and Ida. He passed his brother without a word.

  When it appeared that all of five people arrived for the viewing, the family dispersed. Eisav needed some space, so he went to look for a restroom. He found one at the back of the funeral home on the lower level. In the restroom he went straight for the sink to splash some water on his face. Watching Grace stand beside his brother as if she belonged there made him feel out of sorts. Eisav walked over to the paper towel dispenser and pulled on the paper to dry his face. Despite his attempt at a pep talk, telling himself he can win her back, Eisav still felt like his gut was twisting. As he gazed in the mirror, he reassured himself that he wasn’t a quitter and that he would do what was necessary to restore Grace to her rightful place beside him. He walked out of the restroom on better footing … until his eyes landed on Grace exiting the ladies’ room. Her chestnut hair was tied back, and she was wearing a simple black dress that hit just above her knees. Even dressed so simply, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Hey.” His voice came out as a wistful sigh.

  “Hi,” Grace replied, a little hesitant.

  “How are you holding up with all of this?”

  Grace shrugged her shoulders and her demeanor relaxed somewhat, “I’ve had time to digest everything, you know. It is what it is. I think Isaac wanted to be a father to me. I think he loved me the best way he knew how. He just had a distorted perception of what love was and how to show it. He was a man with faults, and we clearly all have our faults.”

  Eisav’s eyes turned warm as he gazed at her. “Always seeing the best in everyone. Can’t you see the best in me?” He took a step toward her and cupped her face. “Can’t you understand how much I’ve ached for you these past three years? Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive me?” Eisav continued to plead with her as his thumb thrummed back and forth along the soft skin of her jawline. It was taking every ounce of power inside him not to lean forward and claim her lips. He was sure if he did give into his temptation, she wouldn’t reject him. He could feel the way her breaths quickened when he was near, how her throat bobbed and salivated for him. It turned him on like crazy, but he also knew she was vulnerable and he wasn’t going to put her in a position where she felt like she was cheating on his brother.

  “What’s going on here?” Jacob’s voice pulled the old lovers from the trance that had taken over them.

  Eisav quickly took a step back. “Nothing, I was just using the washroom.” Eisav shrugged and turned to leave back up the stairs.

  Grace felt her entire body shaking, but she forced a smile for Jacob.

  “What the hell, Grace!” he snapped. His face had turned a fiery red and his jaw was pulsing. “Did he come on to you?” Jacob asked, looking past her toward the stairs with a suspicious glare. His tone was accsuing
and jealous and made Grace cringe.

  “No,” she retorted, even though she hated to defend herself when it came to Eisav.

  “Are you going to tell him the truth?” he snapped, referring to a secret he was keeping. A secret he promised Grace he would take to the grave if he had to. Now in his jealous state, Grace worried that he wouldn’t keep his word.

  Grace felt her irritation growing, and she furrowed her brows. “Not now, Jacob, please. You promised.”

  Jacob’s lips turned up at the corners but his smile wasn’t genuine. “You’re right. You have my word.” He led her up the stairs where they mingled with some guests. The townspeople knew Isaac was a fraud, but they didn’t know Grace was his daughter. Their mother convinced them to keep the indiscretion a secret.

  While Grace and Eisav mingled between guests, the tension between them was palpable. Yes, she wore Jacob’s ring on her finger but deep down a familiar emotion was stirring inside her. An emotion she wanted to quickly brush away. She wasn’t going to let a string of promises or the fact that Eisav branded her heart from a young age to get in the way of the new future she had planned for herself. No, Grace was determined to keep her promises to Jacob.

  That night Eisav lay in bed looking at the ceiling. Ilana had been off somewhere with Marie for a number of hours. Ida was outside the main house smoking cigarettes like a chimney. Jacob was busy reading law books since he was a first-year law student. His mother was perched on the same chair in the family room. He didn’t know where Grace was, although he was dying to somehow find out.

  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Greta; she had gotten married while Eisav was still in high school so Eisav had met her husband Dave, who had always been a warm and friendly guy. He had also seen Bridgette as an infant and into her toddler years, but he never met his twin nephews. He wanted a chance to meet with them more intimately before he left. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he had a nephew named Cain. Greta had done that for him and it made him feel good. He wanted to meet the boy.

  The phone rang twice when he heard his brother-in-law’s voice. “Hey, Dave, how are you? It’s Eisav, Greta’s brother,” Eisav explained, thinking it was sad that he even had make that explanation.

  “Eisav … how are you?” Dave responded with a friendly tone.

  “I’m good. I was wondering if Greta was around.”

  “She’s here … yeah … just getting the kids ready for bed,” Dave responded, and Eisav looked at his watch. It was only eight o’clock. He forgot that kids went to bed this early.

  A moment later he heard Greta’s voice through the phone. “Hello.”

  “Greta, it’s Eisav. I wanted to come by and meet the boys. It looks like I’m too late though. Dave said you’re getting them ready for bed.”

  Greta let out a friendly laugh. “Yes, they’re usually sleeping by seven-thirty, but I was late with dinner today because of the wake.”

  “I’m hoping to see them soon.”

  “Uh yeah, sure … definitely. Let’s set something up. This is such a busy week with the viewing and funeral,” Greta trailed off.

  “Sure, I understand.” Eisav’s voice faded a bit.

  “It’s not like that, Eisav. I want you to meet them. We’ll make an effort. Okay?”

  Eisav sighed. “Yeah, sure.”

  He hung up the phone, thinking Greta had been friendlier when he first arrived. He wondered what her change of heart was about.

  His grumbling stomach forced him out of bed and toward the kitchen, and he swiftly got to work making himself a ham and cheese sandwich with a slice of tomato, a slice of cucumber, and some mayonnaise. Just how he liked it.

  Sitting at the kitchen table, he counted the number of times in his head that he remembered eating the exact same sandwich growing up. It was too many to count. It was his favorite sandwich. He thought of how odd it was that although this house was not his home, he still loved sitting at this table eating this sandwich. As his mind spent too much time dissecting the meaning of his favorite sandwich, the front door swung open and Grace walked in wearing a raincoat.

  “Hey.” He smiled immediately. He hadn’t expected to see her right then, assuming she was tucked away in her room upstairs.

  “Hi,” she replied curtly. He hated how closed off she was around him.

  “Where have you been?” he asked, even though he knew he didn’t have a right to ask.

  “Out,” she answered coldly, removing the wet coat. The rain had been coming down hard for hours now and there had been some sounds of far off rumbling. He was surprised she even drove in this weather since she hated the storms.

  Eisav didn’t want to push. He noticed her eyeing his sandwich. He forgot that it had been her favorite sandwich too. They had spent many a night in this very kitchen feasting on ham and cheese sandwiches.

  “You want half?” he asked, lifting it toward her.

  “Does it have tomato, cucumber, and mayo?” Her lip curved up on one side as she asked the question.

  Eisav gave her a knowing look.

  “Then yes.” She grinned widely, and Eisav stood to get her a plate then placed half his sandwich on it. Grace took a bite and moaned. “It’s so good. It’s been a while.” She took another large bite. It made Eisav smile on the inside.

  “That good, huh?” He put his half down and sat watching her. “Two halves of one whole.”

  Grace paused mid-bite and put the sandwich down on the plate. “Don’t,” she warned.

  “Why the heck not? It was always true.”

  “Things have changed. I thought I made that clear,” she bit back.

  “Okay.” Eisav raised his hands in surrender. “Eat the sandwich. I won’t say another word.”

  Grace took another big bite and groaned some more. Eisav sat quietly, enjoying his sandwich and listening to her sweet sounds. Luckily he was seated so she wouldn’t take in his growing erection.

  Ilana had crawled into bed sometime in the middle of the night. She and Marie had spent hours talking and kissing. She was sure she had never felt this way before. Eisav was talking in his sleep, and she felt bad as she heard him murmur about Grace and not giving up.

  Morning came too soon. A knock on Eisav’s bedroom caused the friends to stir.

  “What?” he growled, forgetting where he was.

  “We’re attending the viewing early today. If you’re joining us, you should be ready to leave soon,” his mother’s voice drifted through the door. Eisav hadn’t realized the viewings would last a number of days. He barely spoke to his mother since their heart-to-heart in the forest. It seemed as if his mother had prolonged the days of viewing. Maybe she thought with more time the townspeople would come around eventually and show last respects for the town attorney. After all, he did provide service to them for many years. Dina had always wanted people to respect her, only Eisav felt she did little to deserve it.

  Eisav growled some more, and Ilana chuckled beside him.

  “Aw, sunshine, too early for ya?” Ilana chortled.

  “Shut up,” Eisav grunted.

  Ilana laughed some more then gave him a shove to get him awake.

  As he trudged out of bed, Ilana sat up in the bed. “Does that mean I have to come too?”

  “You’re damn right it does.” Eisav grumbled. Ilana was used to Mr. Grouch in the morning.

  “I have a fucking brilliant idea,” Eisav said, adjusting his morning wood. Luckily, Ilana was not fazed by that either.

  “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  “It’s all good.” He patted her shoulder as he walked past her. “I know exactly how I’m going to win Grace back,” he murmured, walking out of the bedroom.

  Fresh out of the shower and wearing his signature black T-shirt and black jeans, Eisav raked his fingers through his wet hair, making his way downstairs. It was a fresh spring morning and the sun was shining bright. His mood had brightened too. He went straight for the coffeemaker and greeted Ida sitting at the br
eakfast table. She wasn’t looking too good. Her complexion was rather greenish, and Eisav began to worry.

  “Ida what’s going on?” Eisav took a seat in the chair beside her and waited for a response.

  Her hands were shaking like a leaf. “I need to get the fuck outta here, Eisav. I can’t do it. I’m jonesing bad.”

  Eisav placed his hand over Ida’s to steady her. “Ida, I’m making a phone call. There’s a clinic out in LA that’s top notch. You don’t need to wait for the funeral. I want you flying out today. It’s a really good place, and they can help you,” Eisav explained as his heart broke for his sister. It made him think of the man he considered his father and his hatred for him grew.

  “I don’t think I can go alone,” Ida responded. Her voice was shaky. She let out a sad laugh. “Look at me … I’m a fucking mess.”

  “Let me look into it, okay? Don’t worry. I can fly one of my security team out here to escort you. They’re all good men, or I can ask Ilana. We’ll see … I don’t want you worrying. I’ve got you covered.” Eisav’s gaze softened as he gave her hand a little squeeze.

  “Okay.” She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “Thank you,” she said, almost breathless.

  “Don’t thank me. Let’s just get you better. Can you go up to pack?” Eisav asked Ida as Ilana walked into the kitchen, yawning and stretching her arms out on her side. She looked like she had a rough night.

  Ilana covered her mouth quickly, realizing Ida and Eisav were seated at the able. “What’s going on?” She grimaced.

  “I’m sending Ida to the center in LA … the one Steven went to last year,” he explained then cleared his throat. “We need to pack her and get her ready.”

  Ilana immediately understood the hint. “I can help you pack.” She took Ida’s shaky hand and led her upstairs while Eisav mouthed thank you.

  He quickly called the rehab center and, of course, Ida was accepted. Then he texted the number for his security team. Within minutes Chris replied that he was in Lincoln, Nebraska visiting family but would be happy to help out. It worked out well that he was close enough to Iowa. Eisav immediately shot Ilana a text message asking her to book Chris and Ida on a flight to LA as soon as possible. Truth was he wasn’t sure if he was going back to LA, but he knew the center was world renowned and Ida would be in good hands. Eisav took a seat at the table and let his head fall forward as he thought of the weight of his father or rather Isaac Duncan’s decisions. He had ruined their lives.