A Promise To Keep

by Christina Tetreault

  “Yeah, she’s closing. I keep expecting her to call and cancel on us so she can work instead,” Ella said.

  “She won’t cancel. This will be the first weekend she’s had off since Christmas. She’s been talking about it for weeks,” Cat said. “She’s coming tomorrow.”

  Cat’s comment settled a new load of guilt on his shoulders. He’d gotten the first dose when he’d found out Kelsey was working two jobs instead of finishing her doctorate. From the sound of it, so far he was doing a terrible of job of keeping his promise to Ian. Now that he was back in town, he’d fix all that.

  “I left her a message,” Jessie said. “After I pick her up, I’ll come by your house, Ella.”

  “Saving the best for last?” Cat said with a laugh.

  “More like getting you last because you take the longest to get ready,” Ella said. “Am I right, Tony? Doesn’t she take forever to get ready?”

  Tony looked up from his cards. “Do not drag me into this.” He looked toward Drew. “The bet is to you.”

  Drew checked his cards again. Sunday afternoon, he’d focus on Kelsey. Tonight he had a card game to win.

  ***

  Kelsey picked up her cheeseburger and retreated to the employee break room. She had a little over fifteen minutes before her shift started. More than enough time to enjoy her dinner before she started the second half of her day.

  She’d come in early hoping to catch either Lou or Junior so they could discuss her reduced hours. Junior had already left for the day, but when she approached Lou, he’d invited her back to the office. He’d guessed what she wanted to discuss before she sat down. With their conversation behind her, she needed to decide her next move. While Lou had been apologetic and understanding, he hadn’t been able to tell her when her hours would go back to normal. Instead, he’d said that for the foreseeable future Penny would be on the schedule. In her mind, it sounded like Penny would be there for a long time. If that was the case, she needed to consider making some changes. There were other restaurants in North Salem, but she didn’t think any were hiring. Searching for a position outside of town would take time. She didn’t have much of a desire to drive back and forth to Danvers or Salem every day after teaching.

  Maybe it is time to sell. Mom had always said things happened for a reason. Kelsey had always ignored her when she spouted the line. Maybe Mom had been right after all. Perhaps her cut in hours was fate’s way of telling her the time had come to sell at least Bancroft Automotive. She’d have to pay off the business loan Mom and Dad took out to expand the garage, but whatever money was leftover from the sale she could put toward the home equity loan. Depending on how much the business sold for, maybe she could take care of both loans. She’d still need a job, but if both loans where gone, she could work part-time here or maybe somewhere closer to Brandeis while she finished her doctorate.

  Kelsey retrieved her cell phone from her locker. At home she had the name of two real estate agents. She should have time to call them tomorrow before Jessie picked her up. However, she’d like to speak with more than two before she made any final decisions. In order to do that, she needed to find a few more. Sitting back down, she took a bite of her cheeseburger while she waited for her cell phone’s search engine to open up. Once it did, she started to type in her request. She managed to get the first five letters typed in and then her hand froze.

  “I’m only getting some phone numbers,” she said, glad there was no one else in the room to hear her talking to herself. She typed the rest of her search request. While she waited, she pulled out a pen and the business card Del had given her. She’d stuffed it into her apron last night and never got around to throwing it away. At least now it would serve a purpose. On the screen, several names popped up, each one with stars underneath indicting their customer ratings. Kelsey jotted the numbers for the two agents with the highest ratings down on the back of the business card. She’d call them soon as well.

  Kelsey shoved everything back into her purse and was closing her locker when the door behind her opened. Del and Cora entered the room. Even though they wore the standard Masterson’s uniform, both looked gorgeous. She didn’t know how they managed it considering the uniform consisted of either a black or white polo shirt with the word Masterson’s embroidered on the pocket, paired with either black pants or black jeans.

  “Kelsey, I figured you’d be here tonight too,” Del said, heading for her locker. “Did you ever talk to Junior about your hours?”

  “I talked to Lou tonight.” Kelsey dipped a french fry in the puddle of mustard on the plate.

  “And?”

  Kelsey didn’t know why Del cared what Lou had said, since she was leaving soon. “At least for a little while my hours are going to be on the low side.”

  Del tied her apron around her waist and checked her reflection in her locker mirror before closing the door. “Did you call my cousin?” She glanced at Cora and said, “I told Kelsey to come work with us at the Purple Cat. She’d make a lot more in tips there.”

  “I agree with Del. You’re beautiful, Kelsey. Put on some makeup, the right outfit, and the guys will be coming to see you.”

  “She doesn’t want to dance, but I told her Roxanne would hire her as a waitress.”

  “Oh. Well still, the right outfit and some flirting and every guy will want you waiting on them.”

  “I still have the business card, Del. It’s in my purse.” She never planned to call the number listed on the front, but Del didn’t need to know that. Kelsey tossed the rest of her fries in the trash. “Time to get to work. Talk to you both later.”

  Before either woman could offer up more reasons for why she should follow them to the Purple Cat, she exited the room. Other women may be comfortable working at a gentleman’s club, but she wasn’t, regardless of the position. She’d sell both her family home and the business before she’d ever consider joining Del and Cora.

  Chapter Four

  “Thank you. I’ll see you Monday at three thirty.” Kelsey ended the call then jotted the date and time next to the real estate agent’s name. She now had three appointments set up for next week. The first was Monday right after school. The second she’d scheduled for Tuesday, and the final one for Thursday. Hopefully, three would be enough. She’d never worked with a realtor before and honestly didn’t know what to expect next week. She did plan on being prepared though. She’d already started a list of questions she wanted answered. She expected more would be added before the first appointment on Monday.

  With the first thing off her to-do list accomplished, she left the kitchen, a room that often doubled as her office. Friday after school she’d left her bag with all the papers she needed to correct in the living room. She hadn’t touched it since. Most Sundays she would’ve already had the thing emptied out, and she’d be working her way through the piles by this time.

  Carrying the bag back over to the sofa, she pulled out the first stack of papers as the grandfather clock in the corner chimed one.

  Darn it. Half the day is already gone. “That’s what happens when you go to bed after four and sleep until almost eleven.” It was a good thing she didn’t go out with her friends every Saturday night. She’d never get anything done. Despite oversleeping this morning, she was glad she’d gone last night. The concert and the after-party had been fantastic. She couldn’t see the future, but judging by the crowd’s reaction to the band’s performance, she guessed Gage and his bandmates had a long, successful career ahead of them.

  Kelsey put the first stack of papers down and pulled out the second. She eyed the exams in her hand and then the lab reports on the coffee table. Where should she start this morning? The exams consisted of multiple-choice questions and fill in the blanks. They’d be much quicker and easier to correct than the lab reports. Considering her brain still remained half asleep thanks to her unusually late night, easier was probably better.

  “Exams it is.” She’d always talked to herself, but in the past few years she’d
been doing it more and more. She figured it was a side effect of living alone. One of these days she should get a pet. A dog or cat might not be able to answer her, but at least she wouldn’t always be talking to herself either.

  Settled on the sofa, her favorite purple pen in one hand and the exam answer key in the other, she got to work. She zipped through the first page of William Doyle’s exam. All year he’d been the top student out of all her sixth-grade science classes. If the first page was any indication, he’d nailed this exam too.

  She’d just put a check mark beside the first question on the next page when the doorbell rang. None of her friends had mentioned coming over today, so she doubted it was one of them. Lilly, the Girl Scout down the street, had stopped by two weeks ago selling cookies, and she’d bought three boxes. Lilly wouldn’t be ringing the bell this afternoon. Maybe it was a high school student looking to sell her something. Every year the various athletic teams did fundraisers and went door to door. Last year she’d bought two pies from a field hockey player, and a coupon book from a lacrosse player. If it was a student athlete, she hoped they were selling the pies again. They’d been delicious and just the right size for one person. With a yawn, she left her work behind and shuffled toward the front door, the hardwood floor cool beneath her bare feet.

  Kelsey opened the door and cringed. Drew. Shoot. Her brain was more than just half asleep today. It remained in bed. He’d told her Thursday he’d be over today, but she hadn’t thought about it again since then.

  “Wow. Most men would think you weren’t happy to see them after an expression like that.”

  And they wouldn’t be wrong either. “Sorry. I forgot you were coming over.” She took a few steps back and pulled the door open further. “I got home late last night, or more like early this morning. I guess I’m not fully awake. Come on in.”

  Drew looked past her and into the house. His eyes searched the space behind her, and she wondered what he was looking for. After a second or two, he swallowed and then met her eyes again. “How was the concert?” He stepped inside and shrugged off his winter jacket as he followed her into the living room.

  “Fantastic.” She dropped back into her favorite spot on the sofa. “And how was the poker game?” She’d learned from Ella and Cat that he’d unexpectedly joined their poker game Friday night.

  He looked away as he sat in what had been her dad’s favorite recliner. “Not my best night of cards. Cat walked away with plenty of my money.”

  “I heard. Playing poker with her is always risky.”

  “I wouldn’t have pegged her for such a card shark.” Drew’s eyes darted around the room, his unease written on his face. “Ella did well too.”

  “Be glad I wasn’t there. I would’ve taken whatever money they didn’t. Striker taught Cat how to play poker. And she taught us.”

  A smile finally spread across his face. “Really? I already told them I want a rematch next month. You’ll have to come too. I offered to host next time.”

  Every month she got invited to the friendly poker game her friends participated in. In the past year, she’d managed to make it to only two. Depending on what happened next week with the real estate agents, maybe she’d be making it to a lot more. “Maybe.”

  His smile disappeared, and his lips turned downward. “Let me guess, you work every Friday?”

  When she worked or didn’t work wasn’t any of his business. “No, not every Friday. I have this upcoming Friday off.” He didn’t need to know it was the first Friday she’d had off in six months.

  “That’s not what I heard. Cat said this was your first weekend off since Christmas.”

  What else did her friends tell him? She trusted them and knew they’d never tell him the reason she worked two jobs, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t share other information with him.

  Kelsey picked her cell phone up. “In case you didn’t know, Friday isn’t technically part of the weekend. People just often think of it that way. We can look it up if you don’t believe me.” She held up her cell phone and waited.

  When a dirty look was his only response, she put the device down, prepared to take control of their conversation before he asked questions she didn’t want to answer. “Judging by your tan, you’ve been on vacation recently.” She’d noticed his golden brown coloring the night he came into the restaurant too. “Where did you go?”

  “I went to Hawaii last month, but didn’t stay as long as I intended.”

  Last month, and he still had color. Some things never changed. When she’d been younger, she hated how she tanned in the summer but the moment school started her tan faded completely. Thanks to their slightly darker complexions, Drew and Ian had kept their tans throughout September and into October. She’d always been envious of their good fortune.

  “Hawaii. If I wanted to celebrate a great season like the one you had, I’d probably pick it too. Someday I’ll make it there. It’s on my bucket list of places to see.”

  Drew settled farther back in the recliner. “Great season? Did you not follow the team this year? We lost the division game.”

  Drew sounded pissed. He’d managed to lead his team to three consecutive Super Bowl wins, something no other quarterback had ever done, and that didn’t take into account the first Super Bowl he won his second year with the New England Rebels.

  “Please. The Rebels had an undefeated season. That’s incredible, especially since Hebert and Major were out the last two games of the regular season. Everyone knows they’re your go-to guys. They were only two of the players out with injuries. If the team had been healthy going into the playoffs, you would’ve clinched the division. You probably would’ve gone to the Super Bowl again.”

  Drew shrugged. “We did have a lot of injuries this year. But we should’ve won the game against Houston.”

  If she looked up the words stubborn and determined in a dictionary, she’d find a picture of Drew McKenzie. Trying to change his mind about his season was pointless. “As long as the team stays healthy, you’ll have a great season this year. Maybe even win the Super Bowl again.”

  Considering his view of the team’s performance, perhaps football wasn’t the best topic. What else could she get him talking about? He’d bought a new house in town. She’d move on to that. “How’s the new house? Did your furniture arrive?”

  “What I’ve purchased so far came. I’ll need more, but I’ve got what I need to stay there.” He glanced around the room, his eyes stopping on the cans of paint she’d left in the corner. “Doing a little painting?”

  She’d bought the paint in December with the intention of painting her bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room first. Those rooms needed a fresh coat the most, and then maybe in the summer she’d tackle the rest.

  During the holiday break from school, she’d managed to get her bedroom finished. She hadn’t started on either of the other rooms yet. Instead the cans of paint sat in the corner collecting dust. The only time she moved them was when she vacuumed. She kept telling herself she’d tackle at least the kitchen in March during school break. However, if she put the house on the market, she’d need to start on the projects sooner.

  “Working on it. I did my bedroom over Christmas break, but I still need to do the kitchen and living room.”

  Drew looked back at her. “February vacation is in another week or two, right? I’ll come over and help you. We’ll get it done twice as fast working together.”

  “Nope. Our next week off is in March. Last year the district did away with February and April vacations. Now we get a week off in March, a long weekend in February, and one in April.”

  “Ouch.” He shook his head. “Glad I’m not in school anymore. I’d hate the new calendar.”

  “Trust me, a lot of us do.”

  “If you want, I’ll come by and do the painting while you’re at work. Or we can work on it together on the weekends when you’re not at the restaurant.”

  The man owned four Super Bowl rings, and made commercials
for sneaker companies, but wanted to spend his free time painting her kitchen? Either he got extremely bored during the off-season, or he had some unspoken reason for offering. “Seriously? You want to paint my kitchen?”

  “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” he asked, his voice taking on a defensive tone.

  “Nothing, but wouldn’t it be more fun to go back to Hawaii or some other warm, exotic place? If I had the choice between painting and going on vacation, I know which I’d pick.” Her eyes darted to the cans of paint. She disliked painting, but did want it done. If he wanted to spend his free time doing it, she’d let him. “But if you really want to do it, knock yourself out. I’ll give you a key, and you can come over while I’m at school.” She’d be useless working alongside him. While he painted she’d only stand around and watch him.

  Drew rolled his shoulders. Every muscle in his body was tense. Today was the first time he’d stepped foot in Kelsey’s house since Ian’s death. He hadn’t expected it to be so difficult. It didn’t help that everything remained unchanged. When he’d walked in, he half expected to see Mr. Bancroft sitting in his favorite recliner reading the newspaper.

  “I’ll start this week,” he answered, disgusted with himself. He’d left his house with a vision of how today’s conversation would proceed. So far the visit and his vision weren’t even in the same stadium. Distracted by the feelings being inside the house brought up, he’d let her set the tone of their conversation. It was time to change that.

  “Can I help you with anything else?” He’d asked a similar question the night he drove her home. Then she said no, and he let the matter go. He had other plans this afternoon.

  Kelsey didn’t hesitate to answer. “Nope. I’m good.” She pulled her legs up against her chest and pasted a smile on her face.

  “Ella said you’ve got a lot on your plate. Maybe I can help you with some of it. We won’t know if you don’t ask.”