Page 170 of Promising You
“We’re going out for dinner in a few minutes, so I can’t talk long.”
But I really want to. Now that I finally have some privacy I just want to talk to Garret for the rest of the night. I’m so used to having him around that it feels weird when he’s not. It’s like something’s missing. I know I’ll see him in a week but that doesn’t make this any easier. I still miss him. A lot. And I hate how much I miss him. I should be able to go a day without feeling like this.
Stupid love. It really messes with your head. And your heart. Basically your whole body.
“Jade, every time we talk you rush me off the phone.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I really want to talk to you. I’ll call you when I get back from dinner.”
“Let’s just talk tomorrow. You sound really tired. You need to sleep after being up all night.”
“Okay.” I hesitate, because for some reason I’m embarrassed to say it, but it’s how I feel and I need to start saying this stuff to him. “I miss you, Garret. I miss you so much that I think something might be wrong with me. I shouldn’t miss you this much.”
I swear I feel him smiling through the phone. “Nothing’s wrong with you, Jade. I feel the same way. I missed you as soon as you left.”
“I don’t know, Garret. I’ve never missed someone this much. You sure there’s nothing wrong with me?”
He laughs. “I’m positive. Have a good time tonight. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
When I come back out to the living room, Ryan and Frank are waiting by the door with their coats on. For dinner, we go to the casino. Frank doesn’t gamble, but he likes the restaurant there. It’s not the greatest atmosphere, but Frank thinks it’s one of the nicest places in town. They do have really good food.
During dinner I tell them all about my classes. Our phone conversations are very brief, so they haven’t heard any of this stuff.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, Ryan says, “So why are you taking all those sciences classes, Jade?” He can’t help but smile.
I roll my eyes. “Because I’m thinking of going to med school.”
“Really?” Frank puts his fork down. “That’s wonderful. When did you decide this?”
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since you got diagnosed.”
Frank’s quiet and then I see his eyes get all red and watery.
I reach over for his hand. “Frank, I didn’t mean to make you cry. But it’s the truth. When you got sick, I wanted to do something to help you get better, but I couldn’t. And that’s when I started thinking about being a doctor.”
“Oh, honey.” He dabs his eyes with his napkin.
“See? I told you he likes you better,” Ryan says, as he scoops some mashed potatoes into his mouth.
We finish dinner, and when we get home we sit and talk some more.
“Garret’s dad bought Jade a car,” Ryan says. I glare at him. Even though I told him he could tell Frank, I meant later in the week, not tonight.
“A car? Really?” Frank puts his glass of water on the table next to his recliner and gets that concerned look I know so well. “What kind of car?”
“BMW convertible.” I say it like it’s not a big deal.
“Six series,” Ryan adds.
I glare at him again.
“That’s a very expensive car,” Frank says to me.
“Yes, but Mr. Kensington is paying for the insurance and maintenance, so you don’t need to worry about it.” I wish Ryan hadn’t brought this up tonight. I’m too tired to argue about it.
“She got the car for babysitting his kid,” Ryan says. “I told her I might have to start babysitting if they’re paying in BMWs now.”
