Free Promise Me (The Me Novellas) by Shelby Gates Page B

were going to different homes around Puerto Vallarta through PHP. Three. One was an older couple, close to my parents age, baby boomers who’d found themselves with an empty nest and wanted to start doing some charity work. And another was a guy from Colombia. He’d been studying on a student visa at SDSU and had never been to Mexico. We’d all chatted on the flight down to Puerto Vallarta and then gone our separate ways. No lasting connection, no hooking up while in Mexico, and no comparing stories after our visits were complete.
    “You had the guts to realize you wanted to do something different,” Dex said. “And I’m not talking about switching majors or switching schools. That stuff is easy. You did a complete one-eighty. Walked away from everything to try something new.”
    “ I guess.”
    “ Don’t guess. Know. You did it.”
    I did. The problem wasn’t recognizing that. The problem was trying to figure out what the hell to do next.
    Dex leveled his eyes on me. It was the first time I noticed what color they were. Green. Not just any green. Green like the fields in Mexico. I couldn’t look away. “And so now you’re at a new crossroads, aren’t you?”
    “ What do you mean?”
    “ You know exactly what I mean,” he said. “You need to figure out just what’s next for you, Emma.”

    THIRTEEN
     
     
    What was next was calling Sage. I’d sidestepped the question posed by Dex, muttering something about not knowing or still trying to figure it out. And then his phone had buzzed and he’d jumped, realizing he was almost late for some finance meeting he’d scheduled.
    “ Is it OK if I call you?” he’d asked. “I’d like to hear a little more about your time in Mexico. The family you lived with.”
    I’d nodded and gave him my number. And then I’d gone to my car, turned on the engine so the air conditioning blasted cool, and called Sage.
    “Slow down,” she commanded.
    Words had spilled out of my mouth, tumbling over each other.
    “What the hell are you talking about?” she asked. “Who is Dex?”
    I filled her in.
    “Jesus, Em. And why am I just now hearing about this?”
    “ About what?” I asked.
    She sighed loudly. “A guy.”
    I shook my head, even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “It was just some guy I ran into at school. Not like I hooked up on a dating service or something.”
    “ Now there’s an idea,” she said. “Make sure you look for someone who doesn’t need a hazmat suit to kiss you.”
    “ Shut up.”
    She laughed. “Alright, whatever. So this Dex guy. You were talking to him. And Grant came in?”
    “Yeah.”
    “ And how did the Germinator react?”
    I ignored her nickname for him. “He looked a little pissed.”
    “Good.”
    I rolled my eyes. “How on earth is that good?”
    “Hang on. Other line is ringing.” She switched me to a Muzak track and I waited, my fingers drumming the steering wheel.
    I hadn’t told her about the missing application. And I wasn’t going to. She was already on fire about the Dex and Grant situation. I didn’t need to give her any more fuel.
    “I hate customers,” she said when she clicked back over.
    “ Probably not a good attitude to have when you’re in the customer service business.”
    “ No shit,” she said. “Alright, back to Grant being pissed.”
    “ Yes. Apparently, you’re thrilled that he was ticked. Is this just because you hate him? Or is there an actual reason?”
    “ Give me a little credit,” she said. I couldn’t see her but I knew she was rolling her eyes at me. “Look, if he was pissed, it means he cares. He was jealous.”
    She had a point.
    “Now, see, there’s your proof that I do care about you and that I don’t totally hate him.” Her voice was smug.
    “ Uh. What?”
    She tsked at me. “If I hated him so much, I’d secretly want him to not care if he saw you with another guy. And I certainly wouldn’t have pointed it out to you. Duh.”
    I grinned. “Good point.”
    “