could say.
“I made a promise to you, Kate,” he said. “Have I ever broken one of those?”
“Not yet.”
“Not ever.” He looked into my eyes. “All you have to do is wait for me, and it’ll be like it once was, sooner than you know it.” He tilted my chin up with his fingertips and looked into my eyes. “Can you promise to wait for me, for at least two years?”
“Yes...” I let out a breath.” For as long as it takes.”
I need you to listen
James
I WAS OFFICIALLY MORE confused and conflicted than I’d ever been.
Every moment I was around Kate, I was torn between letting her in again and keeping her at a distance. I never detected deception in her eyes when we scraped the surface of the past, but she’d spent more than half her life being groomed on how to react, so I wasn’t completely sure.
I’d left her Human Resources folder untouched for weeks, held back on opening the emails I sent to her graduate school and her touring company. I wanted to trust her and truly start over, for everything she said to make as much sense as my numbers did.
It still doesn’t, though...
I drove to my office late Saturday night and pulled the folder from my desk. I stared at it for several minutes, felt Blue tugging on my pants leg, as if he was begging me to walk away and let it go.
I couldn’t.
I checked my email first, opening the “Just Trust Her” folder.
SUBJECT: STUDENT INFORMATION Request: Kate Kensington
Yes, Kate Kensington was a student at our school, and she graduated magna cum laude.
Edgewood Graduate School
I DIDN’T BOTHER OPENING the Human Resources folder.
I didn’t bother checking shit else.
She’s probably been lying to me this whole time...
It wasn’t just you
Kate
JAMES: Meet me at my condo at nine o’clock. I have a gift for you.
Me: Okay. ☺ I have a gift for you, too.
I made it to James’s condo twenty minutes early with a bottle of wine in tow. Tonight was supposed to be another one of our simple, “Let’s just watch a movie together and act like the past never happened” dates, but I couldn’t take it anymore.
I needed to talk to him about why I “moved on,” and I wanted him to be completely honest about why he never came back.
When I made it to his door, I could hear the familiar sounds of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 filling the air. Typing in the security code he gave me, I stepped inside and immediately dropped my bag to the floor.
Standing straight ahead of me, right in front of the windows that overlooked the city, was my cello.
I stared at it for several minutes, unsure of how to process seeing the one thing that still tied me to my old life. I walked over and ran my fingers along its sides— admiring the signature cuts and scratches I’d placed there over the years. Wary, I slid my hand under its bottom, feeling for the last carving I’d made, to be absolutely sure that it was mine.
Mrs. Kate Garrett...Someday
“DO YOU LIKE YOUR CELLO?” James strolled into the room, scotch glass in hand. “It took me awhile to track it down, and I hope it isn’t too damaged.”
“It’s not damaged at all.” I plucked a string. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much, James. I appreciate this more than you’ll ever know.”
He nodded, and tossed back the scotch.
I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things, but he didn’t look happy to see me. He looked pissed.
“Are you feeling okay tonight?” I asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You seem upset.”
“I’m very upset.”
“You just said you were fine.” I smiled, assuming he was mad about the sixteen people who caused him trouble all the time. “Is the board going behind your back and making decisions again?”
“Not at all.” He crossed his arms, glaring at me. “In an ironic twist of fate, we’re actually getting along now. I’ve been invited to join them for Poker night.”
“Well, you’re kind of ruining my cello reunion with your glaring over there.” I lifted my bow from its case. “Would some music make you feel better?”
He didn’t answer.
“You know, I never thought I’d say it, but this cello is the only part of the past I miss.”
“I know.” He leaned back against his bookshelf, his jaw clenched. “Good to hear you finally say it, though.”
“Jesus, James.” I shot him a look. “You know I don’t mean it like that.”
“Do I?”
I dropped my bow to the floor. “What the hell is