The Promise of Paradise Read Online Free PDF Page A

up in Congress.”
    Eddie stared, his mouth
around a slice of pizza but forgetting to chew. Who the hell was this
woman?
    Ash went on as if the
expression on his face hadn’t changed in the least. “Turns out,
that was more what my parents wanted me to do.” She scratched her
arm. “Truth is, I don’t know what I want. I have a cousin who’s
running for office in the fall and can’t wait for the fight.” She
grimaced. “But some things happened in the last couple of months
that made me think twice about that. I don’t think I’m cut out
for a life in politics.”
    Eddie watched
indecision trek across her forehead and down to the corners of her
mouth. Law school grad or not, his housemate looked as uncertain
about the future as half the people he knew. “You know, you don’t
have to decide your whole life tonight. Or even this summer.”
    “No? Tell that to my
father.”
    “Ah, pressure from
the parents.” Eddie nodded.
    “What about you? Did
you always want to fix cars?”
    “Oh, yeah.” He
cracked open another beer. “I was born for it. I’ve always known
it. Used to drive my mom crazy, taking apart the vacuum cleaner, the
lawn mower…” He chuckled and let the memories wash over him, good
ones this time. “The minute I turned sixteen and bought my own
beat-up Chevy, I knew what I wanted to do. It’s like breathing to
me.” He leaned back. “Maybe I’ll open my own shop someday, hire
a couple of guys to work for me. That’s all I’ll need, that and a
house with a garage big enough for three or four of my own.”
    “You really know what
you want, huh?”
    “Guess I’m lucky.”
    Ash didn’t speak for
a while after that, and Eddie wondered if he’d offended her
somehow. He hoped not. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d
had a real conversation with a woman. He realized with surprise that
he liked just talking to her, liked listening to her pause over her
thoughts and choose her words instead of letting them spill from her
mouth without meaning like so many other women he knew. Sitting up
here near the trees, talking with someone who wasn’t trying to
impress him, felt good. For once, he wasn’t thinking about how soon
he could kiss her, or what would happen next. The now was all that
mattered, talking to her and watching the color of her eyes change as
she listened to him. He liked it.
    Eddie let his eyes
drift shut, basking in the leftover heat that still hung above them.
Ever since The Accident he felt chilled, even in the warmth of
summer. The Accident. He always thought of it spelled with
capital letters, T.A., like B.C., which he guessed was sort of
fitting, since it had split his life in two. Every memory he had was
catalogued either Before The Accident or After The Accident.
    Life without regret:
Before The Accident. Staying out all night and going to work with a
hangover the size of Colorado: Before The Accident. But after?
Sleepless nights, aches that never ceased, and an enormous gulf
between him and his parents. Even three years later, Eddie’s
ankles, and the scars on his face sometimes, throbbed in the cold
weather. And the nightmares, of course, had stayed with him, once
he’d finally been able to sleep at all.
    He shook his head and
swallowed deeply. Though he tried to will it away, a bright green
light began to shine against the back of his eyelids, and his heart
started its familiar racing. Not here. Not now. For one day, I
want to forget. He swallowed again, but the racing continued, and
shattered glass roared in his ears. He reached up and pinched the
bridge of his nose. He counted to ten and tried to ignore the voices
that screamed above the glass. No words, just voices lost in pain. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Please stop. Please.
    After a long minute,
his heart slowed. The green light faded into the recesses of memory,
and the agony of sound disappeared. His pulse returned to almost
normal. Eddie dropped his hand back into his lap and opened his eyes.
    Ash was staring