Read Promise Bound for Free Online Page B

Mo’s instead.” She typed out her message to Gabby, then slid her phone shut.
    “Let’s get this baby fed,” Mrs. H said. “Jason, I’ve got some things saved up in the top cupboard just in case. You’ll have to get them down for me.”
    “In case?” Sophie said, following her dad into the kitchen. “In case of what?”
    Mrs. H didn’t answer.
    “Mom, where’s my fleece?” Lily asked.
    “Really? It’s pretty warm today,” said Mrs. H.
    “I’m actually feeling a little cold.”
    “Oh, honey, I hope you’re not coming down with something. We’ve got a baby in the house.”
    Lily sighed and dug around in the closet by the front door. She wrestled a black-and-white houndstooth trench coat off a hanger and slipped it on over the band T-shirt and miniskirt.
    “Ugh,” said Sophie. “You’re not going to go out in publiclike that, are you? Can’t you at least leave those leg sweaters at home?”
    “I’m cold,” Lily said.
    “Do you want me to come with you?” I asked. “I can help.”
    Lily paused for a second, and I could see her answer before she said it. “I’ve got this.” Then she smiled apologetically and was out the door.

7
LILY
    O h, man. I have to say, I didn’t mind escaping my house for the afternoon. Not one bit. Danny didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take his crying baby home, and I’m sorry, I felt bad leaving Calder behind—but not that bad. Seriously, an hour or two of lying to Gabby and getting her persistent telephone calls behind me sounded like a retreat.
    I pulled up to Big Mo’s and parked the car at the curb, idling, just to get my story straight. No, I hadn’t seen Jack, or heard from him, or heard anything newsy about him. It was just like I’d told her before: the last time I saw him was lastJuly when he loaned me their boat and, no, he never mentioned leaving town.
    “You know Jack,” I practiced, testing out the tone of my voice, “he’s impulsive. He probably has no idea how worried you are.”
    I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. One of the side effects of my mermaid transformation: my eyes looked awesome—not just plain gray but almost silver when the light hit right. Kind of like Maris’s, I thought, though Calder had never acknowledged the similarity. Actually, he spent a lot of time trying to make me forget about my Half nature. I didn’t blame him for that.
    “And,” I said, continuing my rehearsal for the Gabby Show, “Jack’s always had a flair for self-pity. He probably imagines you’re all thinking ‘good riddance.’ ” I dug in my purse for my best red lipstick and traced my upper lip with a perfect V. The trick to lying, I’d learned, was to keep the story simple, and to avoid retelling it as much as possible. Get asked about any details, plead forgetfulness because that’s where you tripped up.
    I exhaled and got out of the car. When I came through the door to Big Mo’s, Gabby was already at the hostess station waiting for me. Her face told me she was surprised I actually showed up. She gave me a halfhearted hug, the one-armed kind where your bodies don’t touch. When she pulled back, she looked past my shoulder like she really didn’t want to have this conversation either.
    There are some people who you can go without seeing for a year, and then as soon as you reconnect, it’s like youpicked up where you left off. No beats missed. Gabby was not going to be one of those people.
    “We’ve got a table at the back,” she said, turning.
    We?
I could feel my feet following, but my brain was scrambling for the door. I rounded the soft-drink dispenser and I was like,
Oh, no no no no
. This is not happening. I could lie about Jack to Gabby all day, every day, and twice on Sundays, but to her parents?
    “Thanks for joining us, Lily. It’s nice to see you again,” said Mr. Pettit. Mrs. Pettit, whom I’d met only once, smiled weakly at me. She looked much older than her husband. Dark purple circles hung heavily under