A Promise Made (Promise #2)

by Anissa Garcia

  I kissed her lightly, my teeth grazing her lower lip. “I’ll go to yoga if you go to kickboxing.”

  “Deal,” she moaned. “Just move.”

  “How was kickboxing?” Holden asked as he walked in with the paperwork needed for Blencher.

  “I’m incredibly sore. But it was amazing.” I smiled wide. Josh and I had attended yoga the other day, then I tried kickboxing and absolutely loved it. Punching something felt so damn good. I wished I had taken it up when Cameron was giving me a harder time, it definitely would have released some of my stress.

  In the past week, work had been going well. Cameron had backed off, only saying a few things to me. When looking over my projects, he gave a nod of approval. Roger was happy with me, said he had big plans for the company, and was figuring out some logistics. I had a feeling that raise I wanted was right around the corner.

  And things with Josh, well, they were beyond wonderful. The way we connected to each other inside and outside of the bedroom was something I’d never experienced before. Grace and Jaime had said when I met the guy that just got me, any past romances were inferior. That was true. I understood now. Only problem was his pesky past.

  My brain thought over what skeletons could lie in his closet. What did he not want to talk about? I could easily Google what Saint Maria Goretti meant, but it wouldn’t matter. The only way it would matter was if he told me the significance behind why he wore it. Just like all those tattoos. They were there, but it was the intention behind them that I wanted. Some of them were tribal marks, done after some project he did that were important to him, but unless he wanted to tell me, I wouldn’t ask.

  “Amazing?” Holden laughed sitting on the chair opposite my desk. “I think you might be confusing it with your sex life.”

  “Well, right now it’s better than yours,” I smirked.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t know Ana was a waiting til marriage girl. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I crossed my arms, my foot tapped on the floor. “Does it change anything?”

  “It only makes me want her that much more.”

  “Men and the challenge,” I huffed. Honestly, not even I knew that Ana was waiting, but it made sense to me now why she was so shy around Holden. He radiated sex appeal. I wondered if a guy like him and a girl like her could work. I wasn’t even totally convinced that Josh and I would work.

  Holden played with the pen in his hand, twirling it through his fingers with nerves. His gaze locked on mine. “It’s not just that, Marla. She’s that woman I’ve always fantasized about, but never thought I could get. The whole package. I can’t screw this up.”

  “You’d be stupid to, you know.” I sipped of my coffee, shuffling through emails. “For months, you guys skirted around each other, and I had to watch. Just let me know when the wedding is so I can make time to get a gift.”

  “It’ll be sooner than later. If I can get her to say yes,” he chuckled as I rummaged through my inbox and growled. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t find some of my emails. I swear something is going on with this computer,” I said. “I checked all the folders, typed in the search bar. Nothing.”

  Holden stood and leaned over me, peering into the screen. “Do you leave the computer on all night?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Well, do you log out?”

  “Yes, Holden. I’m not an idiot.”

  He moved away from me then turned toward the door making sure nobody was near. “I’m not making you out to be one, it’s just…you can’t trust everyone in this building. Maybe they hacked into it or something. I’d make sure to change your password.”

  The thought of someone breaking into my office to go through my reports was absurd. But then again, there were plenty of confidential emails that were sent to me on a daily basis. I don’t know why, but I felt like Cameron had something to do with this. I let the idea go. I couldn’t judge him just because he was difficult to work with.

  The rest of the day was typical. Except for a missed call from my sister, not much else had taken place. I went home, called Josh, letting him know he could head over. Perhaps a stroll down Congress and getting a bite to eat would be nice. I tried to keep my choices healthy around him. I knew at times he gave in eating what I did, but only a little so he stayed on his game. He charged a lot for what he did, so I understood his need to be an example. And I enjoyed his body way more than I should.

  The sound of the doorbell caught me off guard. I knew Josh wouldn’t be around until later, and I quietly walked over peeking through the window. The sight of long, champagne pink hair gave me a shock and I pulled open the door with my mouth ajar. “Ally? What are you doing here?”

  My little sister gave a crooked smile, her brown eyes gazed at me. “Are you going to invite me in or what? I tried calling you.”

  All I could think of was what she might need now and why she hadn’t gone to our parents. Then again, perhaps they stopped helping her. During grad school, I was working two jobs, could barely make ends meet, and was living off of ramen noodles. Grace let me stay at her apartment until I got on my feet. I never once asked for their help, but that was my own doing.

  Ally strolled in and plopped her oversized suede purse on the couch. She followed and lifted her spiked high heeled ankle boots on my French styled ottoman. “Get your feet off, please.”

  “Hey to you too, sis.” She glanced around and chewed on a wad of gum in her mouth. “This is a nice place. Since you never invite me over, I took it upon myself to surprise you.”

  “Well, I’m surprised.” I sat across from her on the matching chair. “How long are you in town?”

  She shrugged, a sleeve from her overlarge shirt drooped showcasing her small shoulder. “Not long, I hope.” Her eyes caught mine and I knew she needed money. “What are you up to? Working hard, like usual?”

  “Well, some of us do have to work hard to make a living.”

  Her eyes navigated to the table beside her and she snatched up a copy of In Style. “I don’t understand how you like this shit. It’s all this fancy clothing on these pretentious women who make way more money than we ever will. At least my crap is original.”

  At one time, she and I spent our days looking at those magazines. We talked about moving to New York, becoming the hottest sister duo fashion designers, and taking flights to Paris for fashion week. That was before I went to school, leaving her alone. I gave my parents a piece of my mind before I left. They could make me work however hard in order to earn my way, but I begged them to take care of Ally. I promised I would never ask for their help, but in return they had to support her with whatever she needed. I wasn’t sure if that had been the best thing for me to do. On one hand, she was fed with a silver spoon. On the other, she continued to think she would forever be able to live that way.

  “What are you doing here, Ally?”

  She chewed on her lip and put the magazine down. “Since you don’t mess around, I guess I’ll tell you that Richard and I broke up.”

  “Which one is Richard?” I asked, genuinely unable to recall any of her past boyfriends.

  “The bass player from Modesto. God, don’t you remember anything I ever tell you?” She bobbed her ripped jean covered leg, jitters running through her. Bags were evident under her eyes, her nails had chipped bright purple polish, and some piercings had been added to her ears, as well a small diamond stud on her nose.

  “I’m sorry.” I got up and walked to the kitchen. “Want something to drink?”

  “Got scotch?”

  “No, I have wine.” I lifted the bottle and she smirked, rolling her eyes at me. “I guess that’s a no.”

  “So, don’t you have anything to ask about Richard?” She played with the stacks of plastic and leather bracelets on her wrists as I sat back down with the glass I served myself.

  “Well, what happened with Richard?”

  “He left me. Took everything. All my jewelry, my TV, DVD Player. He maxed out
my credit and debit cards.” The sadness in her eyes came through and there was my sister, the girl I grew up with. Wetness showed in them as she tried to push them away. “I trusted him.”

  My sister did have a tendency to go for the biggest douches in history. She trusted everyone. Too quick to give her heart away, each guy was chipping away at her. Then again, my track record wasn’t any better. “Did you call the cops?” I asked.

  “Yes. They’re looking for him.”

  “Did you call Mom and Dad?”

  She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t. I’m too embarrassed.” Tears poured down her sharp cheekbones and she looked at her fumbling hands. “Marla, I need your help.”

  I inhaled, putting my wine glass aside. She knew how to lay it on, I’d give her that. Maybe it was time to let her fend for herself, just the way I had. “Ally, I can’t—”

  Her defenses immediately kicked in, her voice raising as she wiped her eyes. “You have all these things. You have shoes! I see your shoes in the corner, those aren’t just DSW buys, those are Nordstrom, those are Neiman, and they’re expensive. They’re In Style buys, Marla!”

  “I’ve had those shoes for years, Ally. I saved up for them. I hardly ever buy myself much else. I don’t go on vacation. I don’t spend on anything else but the necessities. I work hard, and I need a bit of money to enjoy the little things.” I kept my voice amazingly level wondering why I even felt like I had to explain to her. It was my living, my choice, my money. I could spend the way I wanted. My savings was for emergencies only, but lately I had quite the urge to dip in and take a damn vacation. I needed it.

  Ally took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I just… I really need help. I was saving that money.”

  “For what?”

  She timidly spoke, “For school.”

  “School?” I was left staggered by those two words. My little sister was trying to earn her way through school. I felt pride rush through me and I reached out to grab her hand. “How much did you have saved up?”

  “Almost nine grand.”

  “Ally, what the hell? You had nine grand sitting around in your apartment? How did you even afford to fly out to see me?”

  She shook her head. “I put most of it in the bank, but had about two thousand out. Classes were starting this week. All I have is that stash. It’s getting me through for now, but I don’t have a way to pay for school.”

  I was working my brain trying to think of ideas. This was important. It was her future, and I wanted to help her any way I could. “Okay, what about financial aid?”

  “They don’t cover, and it’s been my dream to go there. I still can’t believe I even got accepted.”

  I stopped and stared at her in confusion. “Why wouldn’t they cover?”

  She picked at her chewed nails. “It’s a makeup school.”

  Oh, crap. Bye, bye Tahiti.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to a community college or something? Get some prerequisite courses or go into like…med school?” I chugged the rest of my wine trying to get a handle on what she was telling me.

  “Marla,” she cried, lifting off of the couch and pacing the floor. “Please, I need this. I saved up for over a year. I just made a stupid mistake with that asshole. I promise I’ll pay you back.”

  “Since when did you get into all this? I mean, I see you’re still into fashion, and your hair and makeup are definitely on point, but cosmetology school?”

  I couldn’t see her as a beautician. She didn’t seem like the type. Ally was a good listener, and she was personable, but I wasn’t too sure about her ability to serve others.

  “It’s not a cosmetology school. I started helping a friend of a friend with her makeup for a play, and I just fell in love with it. I want to work in movies, theatre, runway, and professional photography. This school is the best. I’ll learn everything I need. It’ll help build up my portfolio.”

  That made more sense to me. She had always been interested in the making-of featurettes in movies, wanting to see how they recreated certain prosthetics, cuts, and bruises. She always had the best Halloween costumes and played with different makeup looks. She was braver than I was when it came to that stuff. I only knew how to achieve a killer smoky-eye. “How much is it total?” I was afraid to hear the amount so I went back to the kitchen and poured myself another glass of wine. “How much do you need?”

  She followed, her shoulders tense as she folded her arms around her sinewy form. “Tuition is nine grand, my makeup kit is two grand.”

  I groaned, “You’ve got to be joking.”

  “I’m sorry, Marla. I’d ask Mom and Dad, but I just can’t anymore. I’ve heard enough of their lectures to last a lifetime. I really tried to do this for myself.”

  So long white sands and aqua oceans. So long emergency fund. There was no way I was going to tell my little sister that she couldn’t go for her dreams. “Give me the information, and I’ll pay for it.”

  Her squeal filled the room as she jumped and clapped her hands as if she was a little girl. In many ways she still was—or at least the way I saw her. She had a lot to learn, but I raised her myself, and I wasn’t going to deny her an opportunity just because I wanted to go on a vacation. She hugged me tightly and then snatched the bottle of wine. “I think I’ll have one with you after all.”

  I laughed as she looked through my cupboards and found a wine glass and served herself. “When does your flight leave?”

  “Day after tomorrow. I just wanted to talk to you in person about everything. I wasn’t sure how busy you were, so I didn’t want to intrude. I asked a friend of mine if I could stay at her place.” She took a sip of merlot and smiled. “This is really smooth, and I usually don’t like wine.”

  “You don’t have to stay with your friend, you can stay here if you want.” I moved to the fridge and took out a pack of thawed chicken, figuring I’d be staying in tonight.

  “No, it’s okay. Zoey’s going to take me to 6th Street, so I’ll be out all night anyway.”

  The doorbell went off and I walked over to answer. “That’ll be Josh.”

  “Oh, is that the personal trainer guy you mentioned?” Ally asked as she picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite. “I get to meet the boyfriend?”

  I rolled my eyes at her and opened the door.

  “I brought Thai takeout,” he said entering my house all large and burly with bags in his hands as he leaned down to kiss me. I parted before we could get any more intimate than we should. Hank scooted past us and headed directly to the company.

  “I love Thai takeout!” Ally’s voice cried across the room, and Josh peered over trying to get a glance at the tall, thin girl in the kitchen.

  “Who’s Pinky?” Josh asked.

  I laughed. Red and Pink. How appropriate. “That’s my sister.” I reached for the bags as he ambled forward to meet her. She was kneeling near Hank, scratching behind his ears, and cooing at him.

  “You’re Ally then?” She stood and they both shook each other’s hand as my sister sized him up. I set the takeout on the table then moved to the kitchen to put the chicken back in the fridge.

  “You’re the British beast,” she smirked. His lips curled up, and I knew he enjoyed that comment. “Marla told me a little about you. She said you were pretty hot, but you’re like…a gorgeous god or something.”

  “Ally!” Heat spread to my cheeks as they both laughed. They moved slowly toward me, chatting away about her surprise trip as Hank made his way to my couch and sprawled out comfortably.

  “I’m glad I brought extra food. Ally, help yourself,” Josh said as he grabbed the silverware. I hadn’t planned on him meeting any of my family members. I talked to my sister, but not often enough. It wasn’t until now that I was realizing how much I missed her. They were getting along with such ease, as if they’d always known each other.

  “Thanks. And that guy is Hank, right? Marla mentioned he ate her Blahniks.” Ally was great at remembering the little
things. I couldn’t even keep up with the names of her boyfriends.

  Josh laughed, winking over at me as we set the dishes on the dining table. I would never find the shoe debacle as amusing as he did. He grabbed a glass of wine for himself and we all sat around the table. “Yes, he loves Marla’s shoes, but he’s getting better.”

  “And you’re a trainer to Evan Matthews, right?”

  I chimed in. “Yep. He also knows Muay Thai and teaches self-defense. He taught me some stuff.” I was proud of him. I was gushing like a school girl, but I didn’t care.

  He nodded. “Not nearly enough, love, but I’ll get you there.”

  Josh began serving each plate a spoonful of white rice. Ally grimaced, “I’m going to need more carbs than that. So is Marla.”

  He chuckled, “No problem whatsoever.” After pouring more rice on our plates, he opened another box and plopped a heap of vegetables on his, then offered to us. I said yes while Ally declined. “I’ve got noodles here too,” he said and opened another carton.

  “You thought you were feeding an army? It was just you and me, Josh.” I laughed at him and he shrugged.

  “I called to ask what you wanted, but you hadn’t answered. Wasn’t sure what to get so I brought choices,” he said.

  “Guess my phone was on silent.”

  Ally sighed, “Wow, now that’s a great guy right there. He’s nice and brings food. You’d never steal from Marla, would you, Josh?”

  He looked confused, and she began her tale about Richard and how he screwed her over. He sat down and we all began to eat. The food was incredible, and I hadn’t realized how hungry I had actually been.

  “So what was Marla like when she was a wee one?” Josh asked as I flushed crimson.

  Ally pointed at me with a smile, “Oh, she was definitely Mother Hen. She made sure I ate at the proper time, did my homework, and got my school clothes ready for the next day. She was more my mom than our own mom.”

  “So, much the same as she is now?” he teased as I hit his arm.

  Ally stood in my defense. “We had the worst nannies though. One woman tried to dress me when Marla was sick, and I got mercilessly picked on.”