Where Promises Die: A Second Chance Romance

by R. C. Stephens

  “I don’t want you giving up your dreams on my account.” An eerie sense of worry and fear washed over Grace. She knew what singing meant to him. She understood how he felt when he was in his special place of words and sound. She couldn’t be the reason for ruining his dreams. “Let’s see what the agent tells you. Then we’ll decide. Okay?” she asked, waiting for his confirmation. It was important to her.

  “Okay.” He smiled, but she could tell it was forced and that worried her too. “I love you, Grace. Always have. You need to know that.”

  “I know.” She closed her eyes and gave his lips a kiss. “I love you too.” Breathing those words were so easy for her. So natural. It was the first time they were declaring their love out loud, but it didn’t change anything. They had always been in love, even if they hadn’t said the words out loud. The only difference was that it was more like a promise of a future together than a mere fact. Another promise to add to their long list of promises.

  “We have to be careful. We can’t let my parents, Jacob, or my sisters find out what happened here today. My father may kill me if he finds out I touched you. He considers you a daughter. We need to act normal, like we’ve been drifting apart. We need to continue playing that role. Especially in front of my brother. He has always wanted you and if he finds out we’re together, I’m afraid he’ll scheme to break us up. Please promise me,” Eisav pleaded. “The consequences can be severe if we’re caught,” he repeated, looking to her for understanding.

  “I promise,” she replied with a nod. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and the stubble pricked her lips. Even the stubble lining his jaw was sexy. “And you promise me we decide together when an opportunity arises for you with singing.”

  “Promise,” he responded. “And you promise you’ll always be in my life,” he said, sealing his request with a quick, chaste kiss to her lips.

  “Promise.” She smiled into his mouth.

  “We better get back to the house before we raise suspicion,” Eisav said, getting to his feet and extending a hand to Grace to help her up.

  Her bra and panties had dried from the hot sun, and she quickly dressed herself and straightened her hair while Eisav quickly dressed himself. They began their way back to the main house, strolling a few feet apart. The two lovebirds wore silly grins on their young faces as they walked by the chicken coop and passed Jacob feeding the chickens.

  “Everything good?” he asked.

  Grace and Eisav barely looked at each other before responding in unison, “All good.”

  Their unifying response caused a nervous shiver to pass over Grace. Jacob was smart and intuitive. She had to do something and quick or else he would detect the shift in her relationship with Eisav.

  “Well, I better go get ready for my date,” she called out to both boys.

  Eisav’s eyes widened before coming down to size. His jaw clenched, and Jacob frowned. “So my brother couldn’t talk you out of that Declan guy? Huh?”

  She quickly glanced over to Eisav then turned her attention back to Jacob. “I’m an independent woman. It’s just a movie.”

  “Don’t let my parents find out. You know they’d never let you date. You’re still too young to court. Heck, Marie is nineteen and they barely let her out of their sight,” Jacob chortled as he poured the feed for the chickens.

  “Marie’s their youngest daughter. They’re over protective after learning about Ida, and let’s not even go there because you know that was seriously messed-up. I swear I can’t even bear looking at Father Joseph in church anymore. What kind of priest would tell parents to do that to their own child?” she exclaimed sadly.

  Ida’s frivolous ways eventually got her caught. After dating a boy from the next town for several months, her parents realized she wasn’t a virgin and banished her from the house, offering no support from that day forward. It was later learned that Father Joseph gave the detrimental piece of advice that had gotten Ida banished. It made the rest of the Duncan kids look at Father Joseph through a different lens because of the cruel nature of the punishment.

  The Duncan girls had gone to the local Christian Academy. They had heard stories at school about students from other schools who had weekend parties where they drank and had sex. They understood that their parents had chosen a stricter Christian lifestyle than their Catholic friends. When Grace, Greta, Marie, Jacob, and Eisav all gathered in Greta’s room to discuss their poor sister’s fate, Grace had noticed Eisav kept quiet. Jacob had raised the issue of how unfair it was that Ida was punished for the same behavior that Eisav displayed and continued to display. The siblings had chalked it up to their father being sexist, but Grace sensed it was something else. Like Eisav was privy to something that no one else knew. She wanted to call him on it, but then they drifted apart and she reasoned in her mind that Eisav probably had reasons for keeping quiet. Now that she was finding herself in a similar predicament, she felt the need to know what truly happened.

  “Keep it down, Grace. We don’t need my parents catching you talking about him that way,” Jacob warned.

  “Seriously, Grace, no more talk of Ida,” Eisav agreed.

  If the Duncan’s purpose was to make an example out of poor Ida, it had worked. Now Grace worried about her and Eisav getting caught. She would be thrown out of the only family she ever had. Despite their strict ways, Grace had come to think of the Duncan farm as home and the Duncan’s as the closest thing she would ever have to parents, despite their questionable ways. Deep down she didn’t want to disappoint them.

  “I’ll see you two later.” She nodded to the men then continued toward the house. From the corner of her eye, she watched Eisav make his way into the stables. It must have been his turn to take care of the horses.

  She went straight to her room and prepared her clothes on the bed. After what happened this afternoon with Eisav, she couldn’t imagine going out with Declan but she knew she had to or else she’d raise suspicion from Jacob. Eisav was going to be fuming mad at her when she left the house. She would have to explain to him that the date with Declan was a good cover-up for their own relationship. Grace just had to figure out a way to deal with Declan since he was a known male slut, which translated into him wanting to make the moves on her. The thought caused her to cringe. She realized that she had gotten herself into a bind and would have to figure a way out.

  As Grace walked down the upstairs hall, destined for a shower, Eisav’s bedroom door suddenly swung open and strong arms grabbed her, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her. A hand came up to cover her mouth. “Don’t scream,” Eisav warned, removing his hand from her mouth.

  “I hadn’t planned on it,” she whispered sarcastically. “What the hell are you thinking? Jacob, Marie, your mother, any of them could see us,” she admonished him.

  “I know. Look I’m sorry.” He ran his fingers through his messy head of hair. “You can’t go out with Declan. You already said you wouldn’t.”

  “Really? Well, what do you suggest I do? Should I remind you how perceptive Jacob is? Do you want him finding out about us?” she whisper-screamed at Eisav, who was being unreasonable considering the circumstances.

  “No, No.” Eisav shook his head. “Fine, then. I’m going to the theater to make sure Declan keeps his hands to himself,” he responded, guiding Grace to his door and pushing her out of his room without another word.

  Grace wanted to yell at him and tell him that coming to the movie was a colossally bad idea, but it was too late. She would just have to deal with an overprotective Eisav.

  During dinner, Grace’s mind was preoccupied. She had to figure out a way to leave the house tonight without alarming Dina and Isaac. She had been out on school nights before, like when she went to Addison’s house to study. The problem was sometimes Dina would call their house and ask if she needed a ride home, and she didn’t want to risk a lie. As she played with the chicken and potatoes on her plate, Jacob’s voice pulled her from her reverie.

  “Father, Eisav a
nd I were thinking of going to the movies tonight if that’s okay? They’re playing a rendition of Jacob and the Technicolor Dream Coat,” Jacob continued, and Grace’s stomach sank. How had Eisav managed to enlist his brother on his ‘spy on Grace’ mission? And why was Jacob outright lying to his father to get out of the house? Jacob knew his father would never check which movie was playing at the theater, but mentioning the movie was biblical meant Isaac would be more obliging. Jacob was damn brilliant for that.

  “That sounds nice, boys. I’m glad to see you two finally getting along.” Isaac grinned at his sons.

  “Sounds interesting,” Grace suddenly cut in. When she realized she actually spoke before her mind had a chance to process what she was saying, she bit down hard on her tongue. Her comment caught Isaac’s attention.

  “Would you like to join your brothers, Grace?” he asked, looking to her inquisitively. At the mention of the word brothers, Grace cringed. Eisav had never been like a brother. The thought of Isaac ever finding out her true feelings for Eisav scared her even more now.

  “Uh, yeah … sounds … uh … great,” she muttered, her voice one octave a little too high.

  Isaac smiled widely and gave his wife a nod.

  While Grace, Marie, and Dina cleaned the table and washed dishes after dinner, the men in the family retired to their rooms.

  “Marie, why don’t you join your brothers and sister at the movie?” Dina offered. Marie had recently celebrated her nineteenth birthday and it seemed like her parents were already waiting impatiently for a respectable boy to court her. Marie never went out though, so her options remained slim. At the mention of Marie joining the movie, Grace’s heart flopped. She feared Marie would learn the truth about her date, and who knows what she would reveal to her parents. Grace was getting ready to tell another little fib when Marie replied.

  “I’m not really interested, Mother.” She lowered her voice, but her mouth hung close to her mother’s ear. “I’ve got my period. I’d prefer to stay in.”

  Grace let out the breath she had been holding.

  After cleaning up, Grace retired to her room to prepare for her date. Then she met Eisav and Jacob by the pickup truck outside.

  “Really? That’s what you’re wearing on a date with Declan?” Jacob asked. Grace had walked out of the house in a long flowy gray skirt to her ankles and a navy blue T-shirt. She looked modest as was expected of her.

  “Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “What exactly does maybe mean?” Eisav cut in, his tone angry.

  “It means I may change my outfit when we arrive to the theater. Can we stop discussing fashion and leave? I don’t want to leave Declan waiting too long.” She smiled, batting her lashes at Jacob. She knew she shouldn’t even chance a glance at Eisav. He was probably furious with her, but he would have to understand this was a sacrifice for the sake of their relationship.

  Jacob went to the driver’s seat first as he usually did. It wasn’t even an argument. Eisav’s parents had allowed him to get his license, but they didn’t allow him to take the car. They simply didn’t trust him. Eisav was indifferent either way. He had saved up enough money working with Mrs. Clarkson to buy himself a motorcycle and now that he was eighteen, it was just a matter of time before he would make the purchase.

  Grace climbed into the middle seat, and Eisav got in beside her. As they drove down the dirt road, Grace felt the tension radiating off the two men she was sandwiched between. She felt Eisav’s leg jittering close to hers and watched his fist open and clench. She could feel his heart bleeding.

  Declan York was a handsome guy with bustling self–esteem and known to have a one-track mind where girls where concerned. What originally led Grace to believe he was a sure thing was now the very root of her worry. She closed her eyes for a moment, dreaming she and Eisav were out on a date. That it would be Eisav’s lips brushing against hers in the back of a car. Brooklyn had explained all that was involved at a night out at the drive-in. Grace knew most couples made out in their cars. She was fully prepared to go through with it before Eisav professed his love. Now she was a fidgety mess in a situation she should have never put herself into in the first place.

  When the pickup pulled in to the drive-in, the place was already busy with teenagers from different counties. Music pounded from car stereos while some of the young people sat on the hood of the cars, hanging out, and others went to the concession stand to buy food and drinks. Although Grace went to school with some of these kids, she rarely socialized with them. Now that she had become privy to a more exciting nightlife, she began to understand her older sister Ida, who had stars in her eyes when she spoke of running off to Des Moines.

  Grace grabbed her shoulder bag holding a change of clothes, “Okay! I’ll see you two later,” she said, hinting for Eisav to let her out of the car.

  Eisav had no response as he kept his gaze trained on the air in front of him. It didn’t take Grace long to understand he was ignoring her request for exit. Jacob let out a deep chuckle as he took in his brooding brother.

  “It’s just a date, Eisav. Grace is a good girl. No worries. Here, you can get out on my side. Just be sure he doesn’t get his hands on you or his face will be meeting the end of my fist tonight,” Jacob muttered. Grace didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Jacob was definitely not a fighter, even though it was sweet he wanted to look out for her.

  “Sure thing!” she replied then scooted out of the truck without giving Eisav a sideward glance.

  Going straight for the ladies’ room, she felt her heart beat fast. She knew Eisav was hurt, and she hated it, but she saw no other way to keep their cover from being blown. She changed into a short jean skirt Brooklyn lent her and a pair of cowboy boots. She tied her T-shirt in a knot, displaying part of her navel, and let her long mane out of the bun, allowing it to flow down her back in waves. Upon leaving the bathroom, she felt the gazes of many teenage boys turning her way. It was almost impossible not to notice since some of them whistled and catcalled. Attention from the opposite sex wasn’t new. Ever since she started high school, she had many potential male suitors flirting with her on a daily basis, but that was very different from the hungry, lustful gazes she was now receiving.

  Grace took in her surroundings while trying to find Declan in the crowd. It didn’t take her long to spot him leaning on the hood of his dark blue Barracuda. It was an older car that belonged to his brother, a mechanic. Declan had mentioned that his brother rebuilt engines on old cars and allowed him to take the cars out for drives.

  As Grace made her way over to Declan, he met her halfway and greeted her with a hug and a peck on the cheek. Her response was to hug him back, but the small peck had caused her body to stiffen and she hoped Declan didn’t notice. She prayed Eisav wasn’t watching the interaction because she could only imagine how blinded with jealousy he would be. If the situation were reversed, she would be seeing colors.

  “Nice to see you, Grace,” Declan began as he pulled back to check out her entire body, allowing his gaze to skim over every inch of her covered and uncovered skin. Grace should have been flattered but instead her skin prickled as she began to realize her plan was a mistake. “You’re looking hot tonight.” He bit his bottom lip. Grace forced a smile, thinking it was showtime in her mind. “Movie’s about to start. You wanna head over to my car? Or do you want some popcorn or somethin’?” Declan offered.

  “Popcorn sounds good,” Grace responded, thinking that if she was eating popcorn it would be hard for him to put the moves on her.

  Declan’s mouth turned down and his brows furrowed, clearly surprised by Grace’s request. Still, he obliged and walked over to the concession stand for popcorn. Back in the car, Declan and Grace settled into the front seat. Because it was an older car like the pickup, it had a long bench for a front seat, which allowed Declan to shift over and put an arm around her shoulder.

  “You comfortable?” He smiled before pulling his gaze back to the screen as the movie start
ed up. The name Fast and Furious came up on the screen, and Grace soon gathered that it was a movie about race cars. It had been a long time since she had watched anything mainstream.

  “I’m good.” She smiled back to Declan then stuffed some popcorn in her mouth, wondering how unattractive she looked doing so. She felt embarrassed, thinking about what Declan must think of her hording the popcorn and stuffing her face. She worried about what he would tell the others at school. She wasn’t interested in him, but she still didn’t want to be ostracized at school. She spent too many years feeling like an outsider in this town. She was finally fitting in she didn’t want that to change.

  As they watched the movie, Grace could feel Declan turning his head to glance at her every once and a while. Deep down she knew he was going to try something soon. He had a reputation, and she had no doubt he intended to live up to it.

  “Hey, why don’t we put the popcorn on the floor for a bit?” Declan suggested. “Besides, if there are any crumbs in the car my brother will have my head on a dinner plate.” He took the popcorn out of her hands and placed it somewhere along the side of the dashboard before she could even respond.

  “Uh, yeah, sure,” she murmured quietly just as Declan’s mouth connected with her neck, causing her to freeze.

  “What are you doing?” she called out, moving closer to the door. Her heart began to race and the car begun to feel a little too small.

  “I thought you know … you uh … said you’d go out with me … I figured …” Declan began to stammer. He had clearly never had a girl pull away from him before. He seemed out of his element with an explanation.

  “You thought wrong,” Grace instantly snapped back. “I thought you wanted to get to know me.” A part of her felt guilty she had said yes to Declan, knowing what he was after, and then showed up in a sexy outfit, which must have given him all the wrong signals. Her plan was botched from the start. Now she just needed to slither her way out of this mess with as little fallout as possible.