The Promise

by Robyn Carr

  “You’re angry,” she said.

  He shook his head. “I want you to know something. I want you to think about this. There is nothing you have that I can’t live without, except you.”

  “Scott...”

  Her cell phone rang.

  “Go ahead and take it,” he said. “Ted showing up rattled me, too. I’m going to walk around outside for a few minutes. We need to get a grip before we say things we can’t take back.”

  And with that, he turned and left the office.

  She stared after him for a second, then looked at her phone, saw that it was Adele calling, and she picked up. “Hey, girl.”

  “Peyton, I know this isn’t on your schedule. I’m sorry. But my water broke.”

  “You’re early!”

  “But not too early. It’s okay. I know you might not be able to come.”

  “No! I’ll come! Are you in labor?”

  “Nothing yet. But I’m going to be spending the night at the hospital.”

  “Okay, darling, okay. I’m going to throw some things in a suitcase and start driving. We don’t exactly have hourly flights out of North Bend. I’ll be there in eight hours or so and will call you for updates when I’m on the road.”

  “I’ll try to hold her back,” Adele said with a laugh. “Are you sure your doctor can spare you on such short notice?”

  He’ll probably be glad to see me go, she thought. “It’ll work out fine. Love you, kiddo.”

  Although there was a part of her that wanted to break into a run, to rush to Adele, another part hated to leave Scott like this. She went to find him. As she walked out of the office, she noticed the back door to the alley behind the small strip mall stood open. He was out there. He probably didn’t go out the front door for fear he’d run into Ted. And if he needed some time alone, he wouldn’t want to bump into his friends and neighbors.

  She peeked out. He was pacing, head down. It made her smile. He didn’t have an easy time with being angry. And no matter what he said, she knew he was mad. “Scott?”

  He stopped pacing and looked up. She wanted to smooth out those lines across his forehead.

  “I’m sorry about what I said, what I asked, about your wife.”

  “Forget it. I know you didn’t mean anything. Listen, I’m not trying to replace Serena. In fact, I didn’t think I could fall in love again. And I hoped if I did I wouldn’t fall for another woman who tripped over her own damn feet.”

  Peyton smiled in spite of herself. She hoped Serena heard all that, knew that she had been loved even for her flaws. “I’ve been called a perfectionist, which I never took as an insult until my mother told me that perfectionists are very hard on the people around them.”

  “And did she mention that perfectionists are rarely perfect?” he asked.

  “Something else came up, Scott. It’s Adele. Her water broke. She’s going to be having that baby within twenty-four hours. She’s a little early, but not too early. If she doesn’t go into labor, they’ll induce, and if that doesn’t prove productive, they’ll do a C-section.”

  “When do you have to leave?”

  “I’m afraid I have to leave right away. Babies don’t watch our schedules. I promised I’d be with her. If it was anyone else...”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll manage.”

  “Devon made several appointments for me today.”

  “The clinic has been operating on a best case schedule for the past year. I can’t be everywhere, every day. There have been times we’ve had to close up the shop and send our people to an urgent care or ER in the nearest town, just like before I got here. That’s how it is when you’re the only doctor in town. Go.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “You can’t, Scott,” she said, shaking her head. “You have patients and kids and lots going on. You took four days last week and—”

  “If you need me, I’ll find a way.”

  She tilted her head and smiled. “You’re a dear, sweet man.”

  He looked away from her, and she could see he was grinding his teeth. If he wasn’t angry, this was a very good imitation. “Scott?”

  “I don’t want to be a goddamn dear man! I want to be the one you can’t break away from, the one you can’t resist, can’t leave behind. I want to be so far under your skin you can’t escape. I want to drive you crazy with want, with lust. I want you for a lot more than your PA training, and I want you to be completely unable to say no to me.” He pulled her up in his arms and held her tight, kissing her hard, invading her mouth, groaning against her lips. Her arms wrapped around him, her mouth yielding and even deepening the kiss. He bruised her lips with the fury in his kiss. They stood like that for at least a minute. His hand rose slowly until he captured a fistful of that soft black hair and held on. Then he eased his grip. He let go reluctantly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t lash out at you.”

  “I think I understand,” she said.

  “Tell me something, and tell me the truth—were you tempted, for even a second, to follow him home and get him back on his feet?”

  She looked at him pleadingly. “I invested a lot in him, in his family. All I wanted was to be appreciated. And now he does appreciate me. Too late, but...”

  “Ouch,” Scott said.

  “But I wouldn’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t.”

  “Listen. Take some time,” he whispered. “Hold the baby, help your sister, think about what you really want. Make your next move the right one. For both our sakes.”

  “I will. I’ll call you,” she said. “I’m not running away. This is pure coincidence.”

  “I just want you to be safe. And happy. Take as much time as you need. Come back if you’re....” He swallowed. “Take your time. Be sure,” he said.

  Fifteen

  Gina watched her husband walk across the street toward the diner from his office. She admired the fine figure he cut in his deputy’s uniform. The young girls in town called him Deputy Yummy Pants.

  Ever since he’d moved to town over four years ago, he had occupied that office, and from the beginning, before they’d become a couple, he’d been having his morning coffee break with Gina unless there was other pressing police business. Mac had four deputies working for him, and between them, the town was always covered. Mac had taken good care of the town.

  And now this was going to change. He was moving on. Moving up.

  He walked in, took his usual seat at the counter and collected his kiss. It was the public kiss—just a little matrimonial smack.

  “I got the call¸” he said. “Would you like to sleep with Lieutenant McCain tonight?”

  “Is he as lovely as Sergeant McCain? Or should I just put a call in to Mac, who always steps up? When is it happening?”

  “Soon. A couple of weeks. My replacement is coming in about a week. He’s held a satellite office like this before, though in a smaller town, so it shouldn’t be a big transition for him. And then I start working in Coquille.”

  Gina and Mac had been talking about the possibility for months. This promotion gave Mac more responsibility, worse hours and a small raise. “It feels like the end of an era to me,” Gina said. “We did our whole courtship right here at this lunch counter.”

  “Except for the really good parts,” he said with a distinct twinkle in his eye.

  Mac and Gina had been good friends, both single parents whose teenage daughters were best friends. They were in love for years, neither of them daring enough to cross the line from friends to lovers. Gina took all the credit for finally making him see they had much more potential. Once she pushed him, Mac was ready to marry her right away. The funniest part was that the whole town had known they were in love before they did.

  “I bet you know the new guy pretty well—Seth Sileski,” Mac said.

  Her mouth dropped open. She was speechless. She knew Seth worked for the county sheriff’s department, but she’d seen him very rarely over the years. It wasn’t as though they’d
ever been friends. They hadn’t been in the same class in high school, and he ran with an entirely different crowd.

  “He’s been trying to get back this way for years,” Mac said. “I can’t wait to talk to his dad.”

  “Ah, you might want to brace yourself,” Gina said. “There’s some bad blood between father and son.”

  “Really? He seems anxious to get over here. He’s even talking about moving. What’s up with that?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure of the details. I mean, I’m aware of the gossip, but I wasn’t part of the in crowd when Seth was the town football hero—I was a high school dropout with a baby. But gossip is an equal opportunity sport—of course I heard it. He’s the youngest of three Sileski boys, and he went to the University of Oregon on a scholarship, quit school to take a nice pro contract, then something went wrong. He was in some kind of accident, he couldn’t play ball anymore and lost the contract. I gather it was his fault or something. Norm’s been pissed off ever since.”

  “Is that so?” Mac asked. “Well, Norm’s a little on the cantankerous side even when he’s happy. I don’t know Seth that well, but he’s a good enough guy. He’s respected in the department. I know he hasn’t had an easy time—took him a long time to get hired on, but he was determined. I wonder if that’s what’s wrong with his leg—the accident.”

  “What about his leg?”

  “He has a limp,” Mac said. “Haven’t you noticed?”

  “I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him in the last fifteen years. I don’t recall noticing a limp.”

  “He must be okay—he made it through all his physicals and the academy. And he said he was looking forward to this transfer because he has family here.”

  “His mother. I think he’s close to his mother and brothers. It’s just Norm who can’t get over Seth failing at his big break. And the two older boys aren’t in Thunder Point, but they’re still around. Jeez, it’s been a good fifteen years since he went to college. Norm might be holding on to his disappointment a little over-long. Besides, I can’t imagine holding a grudge because a kid lost a football contract—no matter how stupid my kid had been, I’d be so damn grateful he wasn’t killed!”

  “I’ll say. Maybe I won’t raise the subject with old Norm.”

  “Brilliant idea,” Gina said. Then she smiled, leaned over the counter and whispered, “Congratulations, Lieutenant McCain. I’m very proud of you.”

  * * *

  Scott walked into the diner just after the lunch hour. When Gina saw him coming, she smiled and gave a little shake of her head. This was the second time he’d come in today. Gina had worked on Saturday, and he’d been in then, too. She sure hadn’t seen this much of him before Peyton left town.

  “And what can I get for you, kind doctor?” she asked.

  “Is the tuna fresh?”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “Stu may not be the best fry cook, but we’re very conscientious about the quality and freshness of the food. Have you ever been sick after eating here?”

  “Sick? No. But I had to struggle to get through his meat loaf.”

  She laughed. “I don’t recommend the meat loaf. Or the meat loaf sandwich. I don’t know what’s in that recipe, but isn’t it awful? We’ve talked about it, but obviously Stu is in denial.” She slapped a ticket on the cook’s counter and then got back to Scott. “Drink?”

  “Coke.”

  She poured it, put it in front of him and asked, “How’s Peyton?”

  “Good,” he said. “She called a little while ago. The baby is perfect, the Bay Area relatives are visiting in droves, and she’s managing them. Her sister is doing very well.”

  “When will she be back?” Gina asked.

  His gaze dropped.

  “We can either keep tiptoeing around this, or you can spit out what’s bothering you,” Gina said. “You know I only love listening to gossip, but I never repeat it. Especially when it concerns a dear friend.”

  “Be careful with that word....”

  “Friend?”

  “Dear,” he corrected. She frowned in total confusion. He took a deep breath. “You saw the Lamborghini on Friday, right?”

  “Scott, people took pictures of the Lamborghini. This is a little fishing village. Devon said the car belonged to the ex, who I didn’t see, but she described him as an older version of Brandon Routh. You know, Superman. And she said he wasn’t nice.”

  “Devon talked to him?” Scott asked.

  Gina took a breath. “I believe she talked to Peyton.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  “Scott! Why shouldn’t I say dear?”

  “After Adonis left, Peyton was a little upset. Understandably. She told me I was a dear, sweet man, and that was not what I what I wanted to hear. So I was an ass and jumped all over her for calling me that.”

  “Really,” she said with a cynical tone. “Lost your mind a little, huh?” She turned and picked up the sandwich from Stu’s counter and delivered it. “I guess a handsome guy driving a Lamborghini is a little in-your-face, huh?”

  He picked up his sandwich. “I could pay off the clinic and stock it with state-of-the-art equipment we need with what that car cost.” He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “I bet it’s the only one in the state.”

  “Well, I’ve never seen one before,” Gina said. “I had a similar thing happen. Not quite a Lamborghini, but still... Before the clinic was open, before Mac asked me to marry him, this woman came into the diner. I thought some movie star had missed a turn, gotten lost and ended up here. She was dressed to kill in designer clothes, jewelry, gorgeous thick dark hair, perfect makeup and a dazzling smile. I thought I’d seen her in toothpaste commercials. Great figure, too. I know this is hard to envision, but she was even more beautiful than Peyton.”

  “I’d have to see that to believe it,” he said.

  “I know. But I thought any second George Clooney might walk in to join his girlfriend. She even drove up in a Lexus convertible, one of those sporty things. And the second I saw her I felt like I should probably have a little work done.”

  “Come on,” Scott said. “You’re one of the prettiest women in town. Maybe the prettiest.”

  “Aw, that’s very kind of you to say. But, no, this woman made me feel frumpy, dumpy and pathetic. And then it got worse. She asked me if I knew the deputy because she wanted to see him and the office was closed. I told her I thought he’d be stopping by for coffee. He usually did. I asked her if she’d like me to give him a call to be sure he was headed this way, and she lit up. She’d appreciate that so much, she said. And in the meantime, she’d have a cup of coffee and piece of pie. So I served her and asked her if I could tell Mac who was waiting to see him. And she said, ‘His wife.’”

  “Mac was married?” Scott said. “I thought he was divorced.”

  “He’s been divorced for years, but the beautiful woman still thought of herself as his wife. I’m surprised I didn’t faint. She had walked out on Mac and the kids ten years before, and I knew that. That doesn’t exactly recommend her, right? But I still had visions of her moving that fabulous wardrobe into his closet. I was panicked for a while, until I remembered who Mac was. And until he had a chance to catch his breath and figure out how to deal with her. It was very hard to be patient, to trust him.”

  “I know there’s a lesson in here somewhere,” Scott said.

  “Well, you keep coming back here, and I know it’s not for the tuna!” Gina said.

  “Lay it on me,” he said.

  “You should trust Peyton,” she said. “You should believe in her if you love her. She’s a smart woman. She knows—some people are what they drive and some people are what drives them. She knows that.”

  “Have you seen what she drives?” he asked, referring to the hundred-thousand-dollar car.

  “Yup. We’ve had some laughs about it. She said it drives like a dream, but now that she’s had time to think things over, she probably wouldn’t have done it. Her f
ather calls her moneybags, and she thinks she bought it to be less lonely. My money’s on Peyton’s good sense. I know she likes nice things, but she’s not motivated by them. At least, that’s my impression. She’s not superficial.”

  “It’s not easy,” he said. He looked at her and smiled. “When you love someone you want to give them everything. You don’t want them to have to settle for less.”

  “I guess you have to know what’s more and what’s less to them.”

  “And I guess we’ll find out,” Scott said. He put down the sandwich and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

  “You finished?” she asked. “Or can I get you dessert? Maybe a little self-pity to go with that?”

  “Go easy on me, Gina. I love her. I never thought I’d find her, and now I have and I love her.”

  “I understand completely. Just don’t be a fool. Don’t judge Peyton by the short measure you’re using on yourself right now. She knows what’s really valuable. If you resembled the guy in the fancy car, she would have been out of here weeks ago. I believe that.”

  “Well, we both know I don’t resemble him.” He stood and threw a few bills on the counter. “Thanks for the tuna. And the advice.”

  * * *

  It was about nine Monday evening when Scott heard his cell phone singing. He opened his eyes, sat up and whacked his head on the dining-room table, then crawled out of the blanket fort. He was on all fours in search of his phone. He found it in the living room and answered before looking at the ID.

  “Were you in the shower?” Peyton asked. “It took you so long to answer.”

  “I was in the fort,” he said. “I fell asleep.”

  She laughed. “Did you hit your head?”

  “I did,” he said, rubbing it. “I think I’m going to get rid of the table and pitch the tent in the dining room. It’s probably safer.”

  She laughed some more. “Why don’t you do something with the basement, now that Gabby’s gone? Turn it into a playroom and pitch the tent down there? Where they’re safe and out of your hair sometimes.”