Chapter 4 #3
“Look,” Trigger said. “We know Doc told you about our dissatisfaction with venue security. Better safe than sorry and all that.”
Ember immediately nodded. “I agree. And I’ll gladly accept the escort. Thank you.”
“I’ll be there to bring you back to the dorm at the end of the day,” Craig told her.
“Again, thank you.”
He nodded at her.
“So…any chance you know Shin-Soo Choo?” Lefty asked.
Ember’s brows rose at the abrupt change of conversation. “The baseball player? As a matter of fact, yes. Why?”
All three men’s eyes widened comically.
“You do? I was totally joking. That’s awesome!” Lefty said.
“I met him a few years ago. We did a photo shoot for minority athletes. He came to Los Angeles, and I got to know him and his family. They’re awesome,” Ember said. “I was so happy for him when he made the Olympic trials. He’s one of the oldest players on the team.”
“We need his autograph,” Trigger said. “Well, not we, but Logan does.”
“Logan?” Ember asked, vaguely remembering the name from lunch yesterday.
“What these two jokers aren’t explaining well is that Oz—our team member who isn’t here because his wife is about to have a baby—his boy is infatuated with Choo.
Has posters on his bedroom wall and just started in a baseball league himself.
He idolizes the man, so we all kind of promised we’d track Choo down and get an autograph for Logan. ”
“Oh, okay. That should be easy enough. Even if we can’t get to him here—because I heard that most of the basketball and baseball players aren’t staying in the village—I can get in touch with him when I get back home, and I’m sure he’d be glad to send some stuff to Logan.”
“Oh my God, that would be so awesome,” Lefty said with a huge smile.
“We don’t want you to go out of your way,” Craig said.
“Shut up! Yes we do!” Trigger interjected with a laugh. “I can’t wait to tell Lucky that he wasn’t the lucky one this time. Ha!”
Ember watched in amusement as the men around her turned into little boys, giddy with excitement over getting one over on their friend.
She made a mental note to ask Shin-Soo to send a box of merch to the little boy.
She had to admit that it felt good to not be the one asked to send stuff.
She wanted that part of her life to be behind her sooner than later.
And while she knew because of the internet and that damn reality show, she’d never be fully incognito, she guessed most people would forget about her fairly quickly.
As they all chatted, Ember was aware of people staring over at their table, though she had a feeling it was less because of her than the three handsome men she was sitting with.
They continued to laugh and joke throughout the meal, and Ember felt even more relaxed by the time they stood up to take their trays to the bins.
She hadn’t thought about her competition the next day at all, which made her feel even less stressed about it.
Trigger said he had a meeting to attend, and she caught a few intense glances between him and his friends, but both Craig and Lefty merely nodded and said they’d catch up with him shortly.
She was escorted back up to their floor by Lefty and Craig, and Lefty headed to his room after thanking her again for helping with Shin-Soo’s autograph for Logan.
She and Craig headed to the right, toward their rooms.
“You want to look at the stars again tonight?” Craig asked.
Then, without waiting for her answer, continued, “You’re more than welcome.
I need to head out and chat with Trigger in a bit, so you’d have it to yourself.
You can visualize or meditate or whatever you need to do to get ready for tomorrow. ”
“I’m about as ready as I’m gonna get,” Ember admitted.
“I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve had a good meal and I’m feeling pretty damn mellow.
But…if it’s okay…I wouldn’t mind using your room for a while.
I mean, I’m not usually superstitious, but I’d rather not push my luck at this point. I just want to change first.”
Craig smiled at her. They were standing by his door, and he reached out and unlocked it with the key card, which he then handed to her.
Here you go. I’ll be headed out in about fifteen minutes or so.
If you need anything, Lucky and Grover are staying on the floor, watching over things.
I’ll let them know you’re using my room and to keep an eye out for you. ”
“You really are close to your friends, aren’t you?”
Craig nodded. “They’re more than my friends. They’re my lifeline when we’re on missions. We can practically read each other’s minds.”
Ember felt a pang of jealousy but pushed it down. In a week, she’d hopefully be free to find her own tribe of friends. They wouldn’t be special forces soldiers saving the world from terrorists and other dangers, but maybe, just maybe, she’d find some people she could form close bonds with.
“I love that for you,” she told him.
“Thanks. Me too.”
“I’ll be fine here. Are you going out on patrol?”
“No. Just meeting up with some guys from another special forces team who’re here. Comparing notes. Trying to identify any vulnerable spots in the security.”
Ember felt safer knowing Craig and his friends were taking their jobs very seriously. “Okay. What should I do with your key?”
“Stay here until I get back,” Craig said firmly.
“How long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know.”
Ember stared at him. He was suddenly being a little bossy. “What if I only want to stay for, like, twenty minutes?”
“I’m gonna be longer than that,” Craig answered.
Ember huffed out a breath. “Right—and what if I only want to stay for twenty minutes?” she repeated.
Craig ran a hand through his hair…and Ember began to suspect he did that whenever he felt frustrated or unsure.
“I’d like to see you when I get back,” he admitted in a low voice.
“I didn’t get you to myself at dinner, so I thought maybe we could talk a bit.
But yeah, that’s stupid. You need to get some sleep so you can be ready for tomorrow.
Just leave the key card on the desk, I’ll get another before I come upstairs. ”
Ember’s heart melted. He didn’t want anything from her…well, nothing other than her company. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. “I’ll wait for you.”
But Craig shook his head. “No. I was being silly.”
Taking a chance, Ember put her hand on his arm.
She realized for the first time how tan he was.
Her skin was darker, of course, but the contrast wasn’t startling.
They seemed to blend together perfectly.
“I’d like to hang out with you for a while.
I like your friends, but I was looking forward to talking with you… just you…too.”
Craig nodded. “Okay. I’ll try not to be too late. But if you get tired, get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow, after you compete.”
Ember nodded. They stared at each other for a long moment, until she realized she was still touching his arm. Reluctantly, she dropped her hand and stepped back.
When he didn’t move, just continued to stare at her, Ember asked nervously, “Are you gonna watch me walk to my room…?”
“Yeah.”
That was it. Just “yeah.”
“I’m sure there won’t be any terrorists jumping out and attempting to kill me while I change clothes,” she joked.
“If there are, I’ll deal with them,” Craig told her, completely straight-faced. Then he sighed. “Humor me, Em. It’s in my DNA to make sure you get inside your room safely.”
Since she had his key, he couldn’t leave his doorway without the door locking behind him, so she nodded and walked backward a few steps, holding eye contact with him, before spinning and heading for her own room.
She fumbled with her key for a moment, then finally got it to work.
She glanced back down the hall once more and saw Craig was still watching her.
She gave him an awkward little wave and saw his lips quirk upward.
He gave her a chin lift, and she sighed as she closed her door behind her.
Shit. She was falling for the guy. She’d known him for what…a day? It was crazy. Ridiculous.
But it felt so damn good.
Craig was a wonderful guy. Special forces, handsome, and his friends obviously cared about him a great deal. She could do a lot worse, that was for sure. Was he interested in more than talking? Long-distance relationships rarely worked out.
But hadn’t she just decided that she was done letting her parents run her life? That she was going to stop being Ember Maxwell, social media influencer, and be her own woman?
She could live anywhere she wanted. She had plenty of money and was an adult. If she wanted to move to the ends of the earth, she could. But it would be crazy to decide to move to a different state just because of a guy, right?
Ember knew she shouldn’t be thinking about this right now. This wasn’t the time to be making impulsive decisions.
Pushing the thought of dating Craig out of her head—it was pretty ridiculous anyway—she decided to wait thirty minutes or so, then head down to Craig’s room so she could watch the stars. When he got back, they’d talk for a bit, then she’d return to her room and get some sleep.
A shiver traversed her spine as it hit her that tomorrow, she’d be competing in the Olympics. She wanted to do well. Not for her parents. Or her fans. Or her coaches and everyone else who’d helped her. But for herself. She wanted a medal. She’d worked her ass off for years, she deserved it.
Suddenly, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
Smiling, Ember headed for the dresser where she’d put her comfiest clothes.
Alex paced the room excitedly. It was almost time. Ember would be competing soon. She was going to kick some serious ass and raise the profile of every modern pentathlon athlete around the world. The sport would finally get the attention it deserved.
And with the special connection they shared, Alex would be a shoo-in for the next Olympics.
Alex and Ember were like two halves of the same soul. They’d connected on a deep, deep level. Tomorrow was the next step to Alex’s rise to glory.
Throughout the years, Alex had sent Ember lots of gifts to let her know how special she was, and was already planning the perfect gift to send after she brought home an Olympic medal. It didn’t need to be gold…silver or bronze would be just as good.
Alex smiled and glanced at the television. Earlier there had been a special profile on Ember and her family, as well as some history on the modern pentathlon sport. Millions of people had probably watched it, and even now, Alex knew the popularity of the sport was rising.
It was late, almost three in the morning, but Alex was too excited to sleep. Soon, Ember would prove to the world that she was a great athlete…and in the process, change Alex’s life for the better.
Life had been shit for way too long. Change was due.
And it would come…right after Ember brought home a medal for the United States!