Broken Promises

14 | noah

I'm a mess as I walk through the front door of my dad's house. I spent two hours overtime working at the shop, focusing all of my attention on the light blue 1970's Ford with my name on it. The hours I'd worked at the shop that I'm paid for were spent fixing the brake lights on some SUV, and I probably should have headed home after that. But the Ford was calling my name, and then I lost track of time. That's how I end up walking home in the dark, covered in grease and exhausted.

"Thank God!" Caroline exclaims upon my entrance to the kitchen, glancing at me in relief. "Your father and I were worried sick about you!"

Normally, I can't stand Caroline. The girl gets on my nerves, and I don't know if it's because she talks so much or because my dad is going to be marrying her. However, for whatever reason, hearing that she'd been worried about me sends a rush of warmth through my chest. I can't remember the last time someone cared enough to worry about me. It's a nice feeling, which is odd to admit, but undeniable all the same.

I glance over at my father, who looks back at me with an unreadable expression. I run a dirty hand through my hair, knowing that I need a long shower.

"Sorry," I find myself saying, shockingly enough. I can't remember the last time I apologized for anything. "I got caught up at the shop. Time got to me, I guess."

Dad offers me a smile of understanding. "Working on the truck?"

"Yeah," I admit. "It's gotten to me, apparently."

Caroline narrows her blue eyes as she looks up at me, shaking her head slowly. "You can't possibly be talking about that old Ford."

"I am, actually," I respond politely. Caroline seems as surprised by my change of demeanor as I am, as I notice her shoot my father an excited glance. I suppose she's happy I'm not ignoring her for once. "Dad said if I could get it running, it's all mine."

"I hope your father didn't fill you with false hope," Caroline chides. "That old thing hasn't started in years."

"I'm praying for a miracle," I admit, offering the smallest of smiles.

Caroline beams at me, and I can't help noticing little things about her I never paid any attention to before. She has a few freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Her smile is somewhat pretty. It's clear that she genuinely cares about me, and this realization hits me hard.

"Well, if you can get that thing to run you'll have me stunned, that's for sure."

Before I can respond to Caroline, my father clears his throat. "I hope you didn't have any plans this weekend," he says. "John Rhodes invited all of us over for a barbecue on Sunday, and I said we would go."

"John Rhodes?" I question. "Do I know him?"

Dad smiles faintly, as if he'd been expecting me to ask something along those lines. "I doubt you know him, but you've met his daughter. Blake Rhodes."

I blink in recognition, wondering if I heard my father correctly. I'm supposed to be going to Blake's house this Sunday? A rush of emotion flows through me at the thought. I'm almost excited at the thought, and I can't explain why.

Normally, I'd protest about going anywhere with my father, much less to a lame barbecue. And until I heard that Blake would be there, I probably would have done just that.

However, now that I know the girl who has been captivating my mind for the past week straight will be there . . . well, there's no way I could miss it.

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a/n: hi if you're reading this i'm so grateful for you.