Promises_A friends to lovers romance.

by Michelle MacQueen

  Elijah spent the rest of the day and Monday laying carpet upstairs in the house. It was something his father taught him to do years ago. He smiled at the memory. It had taken quite a while to get it right, but his father had endless patience with him. It had been a learning curve for him too when he came over from Cuba. But then he was able to make a living selling and installing carpet. It wasn’t much, but it put food on their table and a roof over their head.

  Elijah missed his parents. They’d always been a close family. He called his mother last week and told her that he and Maggie were together. He swore he heard her crying into the phone, but she denied it. She’d known how Elijah felt about Maggie longer than Elijah had himself, when he was barely a teenager.

  His mother asked how Maggie was doing with the death of her father, but Elijah didn’t know what to tell her. Maggie wouldn’t talk about it. She was either trying to be strong or trying to forget about it. He couldn’t tell which.

  Not wanting to push too far, he’d stopped bringing it up. Things were great between them, and he still couldn’t believe it was happening. The two of them spent the past week working on the house side by side during the day and making up for lost time at night. They hadn’t answered their phones, and Elijah hadn’t taken any remodeling jobs.

  If he cut some corners, he’d have the money to finish the house. Then he’d work remodeling for a while to be able to afford his next flip. Usually, he had the money he made from the sale. This time he’d have a home.

  Elijah glanced up at the door when he heard footsteps downstairs. Maggie wasn’t coming until later, but he was expecting Jason. Running a sweaty hand through his hair, he stood. Jason was bringing the letter from Maggie’s father, and Elijah knew it was going to be hard on her. But bad feeling or no, she deserved to have it so she could decide what to do with it. It wasn’t his choice.

  Someone stomped up the stairs and then a tall, blond man appeared in the doorway. Elijah sighed in relief, not quite ready for Jason to show up.

  Josh walked into the room in his black sweatpants and Columbus Blue Jackets t-shirt. The last time Elijah had seen him, his face had been streaked with tears.

  “Hey, man,” Elijah said when Josh just looked at him. “When did you get back in town?”

  “Yesterday,” Josh responded. “The funeral was a few days ago, but my friend Sarah needed me to stay a little longer. She’s the one who called me. It’s been hard on her.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “I was hoping you had something for me to do here. I just got done with my morning conditioning session and I don’t have to be back at the rink until this evening. I need something to keep my mind busy.”

  “Sure. You can help me with this carpet.”

  Elijah showed him what to do, and they worked in silence. He learned weeks ago that Josh was a quick study when it came to things like this. If he wasn’t a hockey player, he’d make a good flipper.

  “Have you talked to Jason today?” Elijah asked after a while. “He’s supposed to be here at some point.”

  “No.” Josh looked up briefly. “I haven’t seen him or Michaela since I’ve been back. Chris said he was heading over though.”

  “Oh, good.” Elijah looked back at the door again. Where was Jason?

  Josh worked with what seemed like grim determination. He was a serious kid. Elijah had learned he was quick to smile but even quicker to brood. Michaela had told them about the kind of training and dedication it had taken him to get where he was. It fit.

  “You must’ve been close to the kid who died.” Elijah wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, but he got the impression that Josh needed to talk. Sometimes it was easier to talk to someone you barely knew.

  “I only met him once.” Josh didn’t stop working as he spoke, and he didn’t look up.

  Elijah didn’t think he was going to say anything else as the silence stretched between them.

  “When you’re living so far from home at such a young age to play hockey, the family you live with becomes like your family,” he went on, surprising Elijah. “Sarah and her parents were actually more of a family to me than my own at times. Sarah was like a sister. Danny’s death was sudden and it hurt them. It could’ve been anyone. He’s not the first kid to go into cardiac arrest on the ice.”

  He stopped talking for a minute.

  “There are risks to this game we play.”

  The conversation was ended by shouting from downstairs.

  “Elijah!” Chris’s voice drifted up the stairs.

  “Up here,” Elijah called back.

  Chris took the stairs two at a time and then stood, panting and staring at them.

  “Where’s my sister?” he asked once he caught his breath.

  Elijah sat back on his heels and shrugged.

  “I thought she and Jason would be here,” Chris continued.

  “Me too.”

  “They aren’t answering their phones.” Chris pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked for missed calls.

  Elijah just shrugged again, and Josh kept on working.

  Maggie showed up an hour later with lunch for the boys. Elijah went to her as soon as she arrived and gave her a long kiss, punctuated by a grin.

  “Do I get one of those, Maggie?” Chris asked, arching one thick brow. He was not talking about the food.

  “From Elijah?” she asked innocently. “Have at it.”

  Elijah gave her a deadpan stare, and she laughed.

  “The boyfriend might have a problem with that one,” Chris smirked. “Sorry, pretty boy.”

  “Pretty boy?” Elijah scoffed. “That’s a new one.”

  “He’s right,” Chris said, looking at Maggie. “He’s only got the face of some Spanish pretty boy -”

  “I’m half-Cuban, not Spanish,” Elijah interjected irritably.

  “Anyways,” Chris said, acting like Elijah hadn’t said anything. “Pretty face, but the body of a meathead.”

  “You’re right,” Maggie said, circling Elijah.

  He felt like he was on display.

  She grabbed his ass as she circled back around to the front, and he felt his cheeks heating up. “Too muscly for a pretty boy.”

  “Jason is the pretty boy of the group,” Chris said, turning away.

  “You got that right,” Maggie laughed. “Speaking of, he isn’t answering my calls. Neither is Michaela.”

  Something’s up, Elijah thought and he knew what that something might be. Jason was supposed to meet him today to bring the letter from Maggie’s father. They’d decided not to read it unless Maggie wanted them to, but he had no clue if Jason had stuck to that.

  What could be in that letter that would affect Jason? Elijah knew the manipulations of Maggie’s father all too well.

  He ran a shaky hand across his brow and tried to force a smile when he looked at Maggie. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  She didn’t look convinced.

  Maggie hadn’t seen Jason all week, and she was getting worried. It wasn’t like him. Especially during the summer, when she didn’t have work, they usually touched base every day. He was a little needy, but then, she needed him too.

  The ring vibrated through her ear as Maggie tried to call her cousin for the millionth time. Only one ring before she heard his smooth voice tell her to leave a message. So, he hit ignore, she thought. Something is up.

  “Jason,” Maggie said to his voice mail. “It’s your cousin. Remember me? I’m the short blonde who likes to yell at you. You’re worrying me. Call me back. Please.”

  She tried Michaela next. No answer.

  Who else could she call? Chris was out of town for a few days. She didn’t have Josh’s number.

  With a sigh, she put her phone down on the coffee table and sank back into the couch. Scenarios of what could’ve happened ran through her head, each one worse than the one before. No, she told herself. Jason was fine. He hit ignore on his phone. She couldn’t think of a reason for him to be mad. Jason h
ad very little anger in that brain of his - at least these days. A deep resentment had controlled his life many years ago, but that had long since disappeared. He was one of the calmest, most logical people she knew. And anger was illogical... at least, that’s what he always said.

  Maggie had only seen him truly angry once - when a guy in his bar couldn’t keep his hands off Michaela. That was when Maggie knew Jason was going to fall for that girl. It had already started, and they barely knew each other at that point.

  He’d been hurt a lot in his life, but he was one of the few people she knew who could channel that into something other than anger and hate. She envied that in him. For so long, she’d hated both Jake and her father. It consumed her, leaving her only with regret.

  Her father was dead. She’d loved him in spite of everything he’d done to her. But she also hated him. When someone dies, it isn’t the hate that stays with you, it’s the love. That’s what creates grief. They’re no longer with you and you wish more than anything for just one more conversation.

  Maybe if she hadn’t completely forsaken him, she would’ve been there when he got sober. She would’ve been able to talk to him and know if he ever loved her. That was a question she knew she’d never know the answer to. Was it the alcohol that made him cruel, or had she really meant nothing to him?

  Her phone vibrated against the table, and Maggie squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Michaela’s name on the screen. She picked it up slowly, answered it, and held it to her ear, afraid she’d hear that something had happened to Jason.

  “Maggie,” Michaela said, her voice clipped.

  “Is Jason okay?” she asked.

  “He’s fine, just busy.”

  “You guys had me worried.”

  “Listen, something came up last minute on a case, and it’s all hands on deck. I have Kimberly today, and I don’t want her to have to come to the office again. Can you come get her?”

  “No problem.” Maggie was about to ask something about Jason, but Michaela cut her off.

  “Just meet me at the bar.” She hung up without another word.

  Maggie sighed. Something was definitely going on. Michaela probably wouldn’t have even called her if she hadn’t been desperate. She was only a volunteer at Legal Services while she finished her law degree, but she was dedicated. She loved the work she was doing, and there were a lot of kids that needed help. Kids like Kimberly.

  “Was that Jason?” Elijah asked, striding out of the bathroom. His hair was still damp from the shower and, as he got closer, she could smell the mint from his shampoo. He wore cut-up jeans and a paint-stained T-shirt.

  Maggie rose from the couch and crossed the room to him. “It was Michaela,” she said, giving him a quick kiss. She couldn’t resist when he smelled so good. “Something is up, though.”

  He nodded absently, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, but didn’t say anything.

  Maggie cocked her head, eyes narrowed, and watched him. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “What do you know?” she asked.

  “What? Nothing.” He removed his hands from her and stepped back. “A few of the guys from the remodeling crew I work with are waiting on me at the house. They’re helping me out on their day off, so I really should get going.”

  “Fine.” Maggie walked towards the door and grabbed her keys angrily. “I have to go to. But we are not done with this conversation.”

  With that, she stormed out without looking back. There was something these boys weren’t telling her, and she was going to figure out what it was.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Her irritation only got worse the closer she got to Jason’s. She had to park a block away, which gave her plenty of time to think of what to say as she walked down the crowded street. She hated this part of the city because there were so many damned people everywhere. They had no qualms about bumping into you and didn’t bother getting out of her way even though she was obviously ready to explode. A suit-clad man cut in front of her and she stopped, clenching her fists at her sides. When he finally moved, she kept going.

  Jason’s was closed, but the front door was unlocked when Maggie yanked it open. Michaela glanced up from the table she was sitting at and a blank look crossed her face. Maggie didn’t have time to dwell on it because a little girl was barreling right towards her.

  “Maggie!” Kimberly threw her arms around Maggie’s waist, and Maggie hugged her back.

  She bent down to look in the sweet girl’s face. Behind the smile there was a sadness that Maggie found so familiar. It was one of the reasons she felt so much for this girl. She reminded her of herself. She deserved better.

  “I’m bored,” Kimberly whispered in that way that children do. It was loud and audible to anyone in the near vicinity, but she didn’t know that. That’s what mattered.

  “Jason isn’t hanging out with you today?” Maggie felt a little bad for shamelessly pumping the girl for information.

  “No, he went out.” Kimberly’s bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “I don’t want him to anyways. He’s sooooo grumpy today.”

  “He’s just tired, Kimberly,” Michaela said, appearing beside her. She set her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

  Maggie straightened up. Michaela was dressed smartly in a tight black skirt and deep blue blouse. Her auburn hair was tied back from her face but draped over one shoulder. It was a simple look that fit her.

  “What’s going on, Michaela?” Maggie asked.

  “Hey, Kimberly, why don’t you go eat your bagel?” Michaela pointed to the table where a plain, white bag sat unopened.

  “Can I have the cinnamon crunch?” The girl’s voice rose in excitement.

  “Of course you can.” She smiled as Kimberly half ran, half skipped away, and then turned back to Maggie. The smile fell from her face.

  “Why is my cousin suddenly avoiding me?” Maggie put her hands on her hips and stuck out her chin. She knew Michaela had to get to work, but she wasn’t leaving without answers.

  “Look,” Michaela started, “I’m not going to pretend I know anything about your family. Jason’s told me what he could, but he doesn’t know much either.” She walked back towards the table to dig in her purse and then came back, holding out an envelope. “He wanted me to give you this.”

  Maggie took it out of her hands and held it like it could burn her at any moment. She recognized the handwriting that spelled out her name. It had been seared into her mind when Jake first tried to give it to her. Her eyes went from the letter to Michaela and then back again.

  “This is -” she started, a lump forming in her throat.

  “Jake gave it to Jason to hold on to for you.”

  “I...” she tried to say something, anything, but the words never passed her lips. She was no longer thinking about what could be wrong with Jason, or that it could have something to do with the letter. Her mind couldn’t process anything in that moment.

  The only thing she was thinking about was the man that had failed her in every way possible. But was this letter from that man? He’d been sober for two years when he wrote it. She held it close to her chest. Maybe it was a piece of the father she had always wished she had.

  Michaela was looking at her with a peculiar expression, and she knew her eyes were getting glassy. Blinking away any oncoming tears, Maggie stuffed the envelope in the back pocket of her jeans. She needed to be alone to read it, so it’d have to wait until tonight.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t thank anyone until you read it.” Michaela walked back to the table to put her laptop in her bag.

  She had to get going, so she ushered Maggie and Kimberly out of the bar and locked the door behind them.

  “Are we going to help Jah?” Kimberly asked as they drove.

  Maggie couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips at the sound of the nickname. She decided she wouldn’t worry about the letter until later. When Jake first tried to give it to her, she was adamant about not wanting it. She wasn’t so s
ure anymore.

  “Not today,” she finally answered. Elijah didn’t need them at the house distracting him. He had friends helping him all day that actually knew what they were doing. They’d get a lot more done if they were uninterrupted. “I thought we’d go see your grandma.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Maggie laughed. “Really.”

  It was a short drive to the hospital, and they parked in the garage. Maggie took Kimberly’s hand, and the kid practically dragged her through the halls. Apparently, she wasn’t going fast enough.

  There seemed to be more machines in the room than the last time they were there. Everyone who’d been taking care of Kimberly had tried to bring her to the hospital as much as they could, but it wasn’t enough.

  The elderly woman opened her eyes when they entered the room and looked disoriented for a moment before her eyes landed on Kimberly.

  “Gram,” the young girl squeaked. She looked frightened until her grandma smiled at her. She tried to rush towards the bed, but Maggie held her back.

  “Slowly,” she said, releasing Kimberly.

  The girl heeded the warning and inched towards the bed.

  “Hi, sweetie,” her grandma said. “I’ve missed you.” She reached out and Maggie could tell it took all her strength to lift her arm to touch her granddaughter’s cheek.

  Feeling like she was intruding on a family moment, Maggie started to move towards the door. “I’ll give you two some time.”

  Kimberly’s grandma looked at her gratefully and then shifted her eyes back to the child as Maggie left.

  She turned right out of the room and started down the hallway. It was a busy place during the day, a place that no one wanted to be. She passed a man in a hospital gown who was ambling along slowly, pushing his IV stand, and rounded the corner into the waiting room.

  Maggie wanted Kimberly to be able to spend some time with her grandmother because she knew time was running short. Sitting down in the sturdy hospital furniture amongst the sterile, white walls made her think of her father. She still didn’t know much about his final weeks, but she imagined they took place in a hospital very much like this one. Had anyone been there for him? Had her stepmother left him before he got sick, or after? Had she sat in the waiting room amongst strangers, listening to the hum of the vending machine, waiting for news? Had anyone?