Page 29 of Wicked Promises
“Jim Masters went to school with your dad,” Mr. Black explains to Caleb. “There’s some bad blood there.”
“Did you know him back then?” I ask.
Mrs. Black shifts. “We all did. And we knew your parents, too, Margo.”
“What?”
They look guilty. Under the table, Caleb catches my fingers and squeezes.
Eli’s mom explains, “Josh, Ben Asher, and your dad, Keith, were friends in high school. Josh and Ben played football together, and Keith…”
My dad.
It’s surreal to hear his name on her lips after so many years of nothing.
“He was the smart one of the group.” She smiles.
“But you said you knew my mom, too?”
Her smile fades fast. “We didn’t meet her until after college. Your parents came back to Rose Hill engaged. They were partially proud, but he was also returning with his tail between his legs. His family disowned him in the process of their engagement.”
“Disowned?” By family? We didn’t have any family.
Mr. Black sets down his silverware. “You have a grandmother. Had? I’m not sure if she’s still around. She had a home in England, but she may have relocated or passed away… I wish I could tell you for certain.”
“That’s…”The first I’m hearing of this. I have a grandmother? Bizarre. “I always figured any grandparents I had died before I was born. Dad never mentioned having anyone, and neither did Mom.”
It’s the reason I went into the foster system. The state couldn’t find anyone who would take me. No relatives they could contact. Not on my dad’s side, and not on my mom’s either.
Another thing occurs to me. I face Caleb. “I thought we moved into your guest house because Mom got a job?”
Norah clucks her tongue. “Keith called us asking if we knew of any opportunities. From my understanding, the three of you were living in the city at the time and struggling. Josh and I didn’t have any leads for him, but we suggested he reach out to Ben.”
“But Eli and Caleb didn’t meet until later,” I say slowly. “Right?”
Mr. Black nods. “Ben and I had a falling-out when you all were young—probably in diapers. For the sake of our family, we put some distance between us and the Ashers. And then, of course, the terrible tragedy that happened to Ben…”
The true tragedy is that no one is innocent. The Blacks played a hand in getting my parents back to Rose Hill. Ben Asher and my father knew each other.Well, apparently. Even though, from my perspective, they seemed more like enemies.
If Dad was disowned, it probably meant his family had money. And the quick fall from grace with his new wife might cause some rifts between him and his friends, right?
Ben Asher most of all.
Would that have led Ben to cheat on his wife with my mom? How could he have done that to one of his oldest friends?
“Enlightening,” Eli says, breaking the silence. “But can we talk about the rumor of Amelie being engaged?”
I tune him out.
After dinner, I excuse myself and grab fresh clothes, then lock myself in the bathroom. Once I’m alone, I strip off my shirt and grip the edge of the counter. I blow out a slow breath, trying to keep control of myself.
My dad was best friends with Ben Asher in high school?
I focus on my eyes. They’re brown, which is usually nothing to write home about. Heroines in romance novels don’t often have brown eyes, or they’re described as honey, amber, or chocolate. Nothing wrong with any of those things. Mine just seem a bit more plain.
My attention drifts from my eyes to the bandage on my forehead. The nurse gave me instructions on washing—basically, try not to get it too wet. If I take a shower, avoid dousing it under the water. The stitches will come out in a few days, but already the swelling is better. My face is a patchwork of scrapes and bruises, but the gash was the worst of it.
Robert did his best to protect me. I close my eyes and see the accident in slow motion. The other vehicle coming at us, hitting our car just in front of where I sat. The way Robert’s arm banded across my chest as we careened into a ditch. We were weightless for a moment, and then it all came smashing down.