Page 109 of Promising You
“Lilly would’ve froze to death if you hadn’t found her.”
“You would’ve found her yourself if I wasn’t there.”
“Just accept the thank you, Jade.”
“Okay. You’re welcome. But if you’re thanking me with kisses, feel free to keep thanking me because I’ve really missed your lips.”
He kisses me again. “I’ve missed yours, too.”
I hobble down the hall on my crutches with Garret walking slowly beside me. “This really sucks. I feel like I’m going to fall.”
“You’ll get used to it. I broke my leg when I was 8 and I was an expert with those things after just a few days.”
The hallway leads to an underground parking garage where a car is waiting with a driver. As we leave, I look for any clues that might tell me where we are, but there aren’t any. We drive along a tree-lined road that could be anywhere. There aren’t any landmarks that even hint at our location. After almost an hour, we finally get on the interstate and I see signs that say we’re in Connecticut.
When we arrive at Garret’s house the driver lets us out, then takes off before I remember to check his license plates.
“Lilly wants to say hi quick before we go back to campus,” Garret says, as he waits for me to make it to the front door.
As we walk in the house, Garret’s dad comes out of his office. “Jade, it’s good to see you’re feeling better.”
“I’ll go get Lilly.” Garret takes off, leaving me alone with his dad.
Mr. Kensington puts his hand on my shoulder. “I can’t thank you enough for finding my daughter. It’s a shame you took such a bad fall.”
“I should’ve been more careful. When I heard her calling for me, I just ran. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Katherine and I really appreciate what you did. We got you a little something as a thank you.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t need anything.”
He ignores my insistence and opens the front door. “It’s right out here. Can you make it back outside?”
I turn and go back out the door, embarrassed by how slow I am with the crutches.
“I know you can’t use it yet, but you’ll be able to soon.” Mr. Kensington points to a white BMW convertible sitting behind Garret’s black BMW.
He’s giving me a car? An actual car? A brand new car? I feel like I’ve won a game show. I just want to run up to it and get inside, then get out again and jump up and down like the people on those shows do.
But then reality hits.
“I can’t take it, Mr. Kensington. It’s too much.”
“Nonsense. You need a way to get around. Every other student at Moorhurst has a car. You should have one, too.”
I gaze at the shiny white car. “Well, I guess I could borrow it for the rest of the semester.”
“It’s yours, Jade. It’s registered in your name. We’ll take care of the insurance and maintenance.”
“Jade!” Lilly comes racing outside, waving a piece of paper in her hand. She runs up to me and hugs me, nearly knocking me over.
Garret places his hand on my back. “Be careful, Lilly. She’s not used to the crutches yet.”
“I made you this!” She hands me a drawing that shows me lying in a pink bed with dolls lined up beside me.Get well soon!is written on top in her dad’s handwriting.
“Thanks, Lilly.”
“So what do you think?” Garret asks, nodding toward the car.
