Page 34 of Promising You
In the morningas I’m getting ready, I hear Garret in the other room.
“Jade, get in here.”
“What?” I stagger into the room with only one shoe on, holding the other one in my hand.
Garret points to the TV. “They’re talking about Sinclair. This is old footage at his house. Check out the people around him. Do you see that old man anywhere?”
I get up closer to the screen. “Yes. Right there.” As I point him out, the camera moves. “You can’t see him now but I swear that was him.”
“So he’s definitely connected to Sinclair. And he’s too old to be a campaign worker. Maybe he’s just a donor.”
“Are donors really that involved? Going to Sinclair’s house? Traveling to his speeches? I thought they just wrote a check and that’s it.”
“My dad travels to political speeches all the time. And if he donates a lot of money, he gets invited to events at the politician’s house. So it’s not that unusual that the old guy was at Sinclair’s house. It just seems odd that a guy who was that involved with the campaign just happened to bump into you like that. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence.”
“I’m done worrying about it. He had his chance to do something to me and he didn’t. Besides, what’s he really going to do? The guy’s in his seventies.”
Garret turns off the TV and gets up from the couch. “Be careful when you’re in Des Moines. Don’t go anywhere alone. Take Ryan with you.”
“Ryan’ll be at work. But I’ll be home with Frank the whole time so you don’t need to worry.”
“I’ll still worry because I won’t be there myself to protect you.”
“I’m not helpless, Garret. I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Just promise me you’ll check in with me a couple times a day so I know you’re okay.”
“Yes, I promise.” I kiss him quick. “I’m ready to go if you want to head out. Although I’m really dreading having to go back to your house. Even if it’s just for one night.”
“We’re not going there.” Garret takes my suitcase and wheels it to the door next to his. “I booked us a hotel in Hartford. I knew you didn’t want to go back to the house. I’m not ready to, either. I’ll just end up yelling at Katherine.”
“When you see her later, please don’t say anything. She can’t know I was listening in.”
“I won’t. But I’m not letting her keep you away from the house. I want you to be able to come over and not feel like you shouldn’t be there. Plus you signed that agreement with Lilly. You have to go see her.”
“At least one person in your family likes me.”
He holds the door open for me and drops a kiss on my cheek. “My dad likes you, too. And I love you. So that’s two likes and a love. You should feel pretty good about that.”
* * *
The driver takesus back to Garret’s house, but we only stop there to get his car and then we drive to Hartford.
We spend the night in the hotel, and the next morning he takes me to the airport. Saying goodbye to him sucks, as saying goodbye always does, but it’s just a week. And I really do need that week without him so I can give all my attention to Frank and Ryan.
“You’ll call me every day, right?” Garret asks. “And you’ll keep your phone on?”
“Yes, and I won’t hang out in any dark alleys.”
“This is serious, Jade. I need to make sure you’re safe.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. If anything,youshould be the one being careful.”
“I’ll just be hanging out at home all week. And tomorrow I’m going over to Sean’s place.”
“Harper’s boyfriend?”
“Yeah. He has friends over every Sunday to watch the game.”
