The Promise (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 2), Bethany-Kris [top 50 books to read .txt] 📗

any of the people at the market, but not drawing attention by being rude, either.

“How are you feeling?”

Karine peered over at Claire, smiling around the sticky mess of maple syrup twisted around a popsicle stick. A treat they had picked up at a vendor near the entrance giving them away for free. “Honestly?”

“I expect nothing less.”

“Thank you for this, Claire. I’ve never ... done something like this. Just gone out, and—”

“Been normal?”

“Felt normal, maybe.”

Claire nodded, and then weaved an arm around hers with a bright smile. “I was looking forward to us spending some time together, away from the lodge and all. It didn’t hurt that a change of scene is nice for us both, although Masha didn’t seem very happy with this arrangement, did she?”

Karine sighed. “She’s not used to us being apart, I think. But if you ask me, we’ve probably spent too much time together. In very close quarters, for a very long time.”

Walking side by side, arm in arm, with her, Claire cleared her throat, asking only, “Do you think she’ll be with you forever, Karine—or better yet, do you want her to stay?”

Not that she wanted to admit it, but Karine had found herself considering that very question more often than not recently. It just wasn’t ... an easy conversation, considering the life she’d had and how big of a role Masha played. She was glad to be able to discuss it with someone else, even if it wasn’t comfortable to do so.

“I’m not sure,” Karine admitted. “There’s a big part of me that hopes she’d want to have her own life. One away from me. She’s spent so much time looking after me. Doesn’t she deserve to make a life for herself, too?”

“She may not look at it that way,” Claire responded in a murmur.

“Maybe not, but I would like her to. I don’t want to need her forever.”

“But what if what she wants is you?”

Karine hadn’t considered that.

What would it even mean?

Claire squeezed her hand encouragingly. “And you won’t always need her, sweetheart. Sometimes, it’s more about what we want, you know?”

She did, but she didn’t at the same time. All she wanted then was something—someone—that she couldn’t have. Karine couldn’t help but miss Roman. She wished she’d experienced the market with him. Hell, she would have been too distracted by his presence to even notice her own nerves. He just had that way about him.

As much as she wanted to ask him to come back to be with her again, she never did. The words always danced on the tip of her tongue when they spoke—threatening to blurt out every time their conversations started to come to an end, and she would have to hang up the phone.

But ...

She made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t say a thing. She didn’t want to put Roman in a situation where he felt torn between her, and what he needed to do to keep them safe. Besides, he asked for trust, and she was trying to do that. She would savour the moment she saw him again, instead.

Because she knew she would.

He wouldn’t let her down.

“That would look gorgeous on you,” Claire said, breaking Karine from her throughs when she came up to her from behind.

Not only had Karine seemed to wander a few feet away in her distraction, but she didn’t even realize she had clasped on to the buttery material of a dress hanging from the eave of a vendor’s tent. Feeling the soft fabric between her fingers, she peered up at the item that must have subconsciously caught her eye.

The bright red made her blush.

It certainly stood out.

Not at all like her.

Claire pulled it down to hold it by the hanger for them to see the dress better. The color wasn’t the only daring thing about it. With a deep, sweeping back that wouldn’t leave anything to the imagination once worn, the front plunged pretty deep, too. A dress that would only suit someone who was comfortable with their breasts free of a bra because nothing would hide the straps or hooks. The bottom flared like a skirt, but it was actually a jumpsuit, Karine discovered when she widened the bottoms.

“I’ve never worn anything like this before,” she whispered, unable to hide the shyness in her gaze. Everything about the jumper was designed to draw attention, and that had never been a priority for her.

In fact, she actively tried to do the opposite.

Her father wouldn’t have approved, and neither would Dima. Oddly, that only made her want it more.

“Well, then you have to get it. And if you need a better reason, red is Roman’s favorite color.”

Karine met the woman’s gaze. “Really?”

“From the time he was two, actually.”

“Well—”

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

Claire had already handed the red jumper over to the vendor who quickly packed it up. The butterflies beating inside her stomach decided to make themselves known again at the idea of Roman’s eyes lighting up when he saw her in it. But the nervous sensation was quickly stamped out by the heat that followed, a thrill chasing the desire straight through her bloodstream in no time at all.

Would he like it?

How much?

She wanted to find out.

Claire paid the vendor, dangling the paper bag from the crook of her elbow when she turned to Karine again.

“Thank you,” Karine said. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“Well, we couldn’t come all the way here and buy nothing,” Claire said with a smile and a nod at the bag, “and this deserves a good home. It’ll look great on you, just you wait and see.”

“I’m not sure it’s the kind of thing I should just ... wear whenever.”

“Actually, it is. If it fits, you like it, and it’s comfortable, then why shouldn’t you wear it whenever you want? You don’t need an occasion to feel good about yourself, Karine. And sometimes that starts with liking the way you look.”

Huh.

She’d never thought of it that way.

Claire winked. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll have