Page 41 of The Rules We Broke
“So this is bank business?”
“Well . . . no.”
“Isn’t it illegal to use my information for personal reasons?”
“Oh, come on, Ellie. Why do you have to be like that? I just realized I left you at home without your car.”
“It’s fine. I walked to the bank and got it.”
“This late? Alone? And in the cold?”
“Maybe you didn’t notice, but I’m a big girl now. I can take care of myself.”
“Believe me, I’ve noticed.”
“Well, then. Goodbye.”
“Wait, Ellie.”
“What now?”
“Can we please talk?”
“There’s nothing left to say.”
“Okay. But if you think I’m gonna let you walk out of my life again without a fight, then you’ve got another think coming. So saddle up, Ella Lu Eaton.”
“Brady!”
“Goodnight, Ellie.” He hung up.
I stared at the phone like it owed me an apology. He was on my ever-loving last nerve tonight.
“You’ve got another think coming, Brady Jackson,” I muttered into the quiet.
“And for the record, I didn’t walk out. You pushed me.” Why I said that out loud, I had no idea. He couldn’t hear me.
I stomped upstairs and took the hottest bath imaginable.
As I soaked, I tried—really tried—not to think about that infuriating, sweet-talking cowboy. Who did he think he was, telling me to saddle up?
Well, hold on to your hat, Jackson. This rodeo’s not yours to win.
I didn’t care how charming or devastatingly gorgeous he was. I wasn’t fifteen anymore. And I wasn’t about to fall for him again.
I tossed and turned all night. Still undecided about church, I reached for the dress Brady liked—just in case the next morning.
I didn’t want to upset Aunt Lu by showing up underdressed for the Sabbath. She always said,“If you can’t dress up for God, then who can you dress up for?”
I took extra time on my hair, curling it and pulling it into a soft upsweep. Maybe I wanted to remind Brady what he’d lost. Though let’s be honest—he’d had Miss Alabama. I was justthe girl who could properly articulate why I’m proud to be an American.
Not exactly holy thoughts for a Sunday morning. Probably a sign I belonged in church more than I wanted to admit. Brady wasn’t the only one who needed to repent. At least I wasn’t a liar. Except at the hospital. But that was for a good cause.
I still couldn’t believe he believed those things about me. Hadn’t he known how much I loved him? I wasn’t sure I’d looked at another boy throughout our entire childhood. Even now, no one quite measured up.
I made it to the hospital in no time—one of the perks of being back in Alabama. Atlanta traffic didn’t know how to quit, even on Sundays.
Aunt Lu was already awake. No surprise. She thrived on early mornings.
