2. Ember
Ember
The scent of espresso, cinnamon, and warm pastries filled the air around me.
The aromas here were one of the things I enjoyed most at Clove.
The coffee shop was rather new, and the only one built within walking distance from my house.
Between the aesthetic and the short distance, it took me all but one visit to fall in love.
Because of the popularity, Clove was always slammed.
I probably should've considered this before coming in today.
Even the familiar smells did little to ease my anxiety as I tapped my foot against the tiled floor.
My eyes flicked up toward the counter and around the crowd of people waiting for their orders.
Was I a patient woman? Yes. Was I about to be incredibly late to my job over a drink? Also, yes.
Adjusting the intertwined straps that hung off my shoulder as I fidgeted with the keys to the bookstore. My brown hair, the barely tamed mess that it was, fell around my face in loose waves as I looked around at the horde of waiting people.
In hindsight, I’d accepted the photoshoot this morning knowing I would be pushing the limit with time already.
When I got the text asking if I was available to take pictures at a dog’s birthday party, I assumed it would be quick.
The owner ended up wanting their dog to change into multiple outfits, and I had, of course scheduled it right up against my evening shift.
Not only had I seen no rush in going straight there, but my fat ass also thought it was the perfect time to get a sweet treat. That was a sick joke because I didn’t even register the amount of people until after I had ordered.
I crossed my arms and straightened as the black leather jacket I wore made a strange sound. I prayed it hadn't ripped. This day was already shaping up to be a rough one, and I didn’t want to end it by being choked.
Well, not by my roommate anyway.
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping closer to the counter where a barista stood. “Hi. Sorry to bug you, but do you happen to know how much longer the chai for Ember is going to be?”
He didn’t even have the decency to look up from the cups he was marking as he responded. “It’s in the queue.”
I blinked. “Okay. Well,” I gestured broadly to the crowd packed shoulder-to-shoulder behind me, “I’m just wondering if ‘in the queue’ means it’s coming up next or if I should just take the loss.”
That got his attention, because he looked up at me. Well, for a split-second anyway. “Can’t you see how busy we are. You aren’t special, lady. Go back in the line.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Oh hell no.
I wouldn’t have dealt with that on a normal day, and especially not on a day like this one.
I yanked my bag from my shoulder and threw it down on the counter in front of me. The items clattered loudly against the white granite, but I didn’t care. The sudden movement claimed the attention of the patrons around me, so I exaggerated even more to make sure everyone noticed.
I pulled my purse to me and opened it to reach inside. The barista froze as he watched my hand search around, not exactly sure what to expect. After another moment, I raised my hand out and showed him exactly what I was looking for—my middle finger, which was now raised directly at him.
“Keep the chai and the money, asshole,” I announced, grabbing my things and hoisting them over my shoulder.
Ignoring his widened eyes, I walked to the door and glanced down at my watch.
Shit! I was definitely going to be late now, and it was all for nothing.
I huffed and pushed into the blinding sunlight.
As I lifted my hand to shield my eyes, my phone started buzzing in my pocket.
Groaning, I used my chin to keep the straps in place, one hand still raised against the glare while the other fished around in my pocket.
My keys threatened to slip through my fingers as I fumbled inside my pocket, finally pulling my phone from the depths.
By the time I answered, my voice was tight with anxiety.
“Hello?” I said on a quick breath.
A male voice answered. “Hi, is this Ember Vale?”
“Yes?” I replied, exasperation creeping into my tone as I hurried down the sidewalk, desperately trying not to drop anything.
“This is Kyrin Solstice. I got your name from a friend. They said you’re good with photos and can handle nontraditional shoots.”
His voice was deep, catching slightly on the second-to-last word.
Curious, I stopped and resituated everything I was holding.
I cradled the phone between my cheek and shoulder as I separated my bag, purse, and camera sling.
“I mean”—my hip caught the corner of a brick wall, sending a sharp pain into my side.
I sucked in a breath, my words coming out in a rushed jumble.
"I do all kinds of shoots.” I let out a small sigh as the pain subsided and refocused on the conversation.
“This morning I was even able to capture a Great Dane in a bikini. What exactly are you looking for?”
He let out a short scoff, but whatever he said after was swallowed by the noise of the street around me.
“—looking for a photographer." His voice cut back in. "The club needs pictures for an upcoming event, a masquerade. Would you be interested?” A small pause followed, like he was considering his next words. “It’s important that we find someone who can shoot atmospheric images of the models. Our whole goal is for the pictures to entice potential customers and create excitement among our members.”
His request seemed common enough, and I could always use the extra money. “Sure. What day works best for you?”
“That’s the thing. Your portfolio is rather impressive, but the owner wants you to come in for a trial run tonight to make sure you are comfortable with the environment.”
Tonight!? I didn’t respond immediately, quickly analyzing my schedule and completely missing the part about the environment.
“I will offer you a grand if you can be here at seven.”
My thoughts slammed to a stop. “I’m sorry, did you just say a grand? Like one thousand dollars?” That was enough to cover my portion of the bills for two months.
Kyrin chuckled like that amount of money was an average transaction for him. “Yes. Normally, we wouldn’t pay for a trial run, but I think you’re going to love the vibes here, so I’ll make an exception.”
My stomach threatened to drop as I drew in a deep breath. “Yes. I’m available.” I glanced at the time, panic rising again as I picked up my pace. “I get off at 6:30, and I’ll head straight there. Just send me the location.”
When he responded, his voice sounded almost triumphant. “Perfect, I’ll text you the address and a contract link. Make sure to fill everything out beforehand, or you can’t enter the building. The owner’s kind of a dick about it.”
What would a contract for photos have to do with entering the building?
My brisk walk had now moved into a jog as I answered between breaths. “Okay, got it.”
Ending the call, I shoved the phone into the pocket of my dress as my mouth split into a grin. Bunching the fabric of the dress into my hand, I cradled my things and took off into a full sprint toward the bookstore.
When I finally made it there, the bell above the door didn’t just jingle, it clanged.
The noise was loud and accusing, like it had been personally offended by my entrance.
I winced at the sound that echoed through the quiet space, ducking under the edge of the familiar doorframe—the same one I’d entered through for four years now.
Back then, I’d only come in for a few hours here and there.
By the six-month mark, I was working every closing shift and loving it.
I quickly learned that the morning shift brought the rush, and my only responsibility in the afternoon was to organize whatever mess was left behind.
Most of the time, I could restock, clean, and have everything back to normal within an hour or two—which gave me the rest of my shift to do whatever I wanted.
More often than not, I used this downtime to edit my photos.
Unless Edna came in, the owner's fifty-year-old assistant. Since day one of working with her, she’d made it her personal mission to make my life a living hell.
Naturally, I tried to avoid her at all costs.
The downside of that was the store was rather small, tucked between a yoga studio and a smoke shop.
From the outside, it seemed like any other small shop, but stepping inside was like entering another world.
Books were everywhere, stacked on shelves that tilted at odd angles.
Pictures of covers had been blown up and glued to the walls, sectioning each corner into a different genre.
We were always playing some type of music, and not the boring elevator kind either.
As I reached the front desk, my eyes darted around for my arch-nemesis.
Empty.
Just as my body relaxed, I stepped forward to clock in when a familiar voice cut through the silence.
“You can breathe. I’m covering for her tonight.”
I jumped, letting out a high-pitched squeal. Spinning my body around, I pushed into Atlas’s chest. “You scared me!”
A grin spread across his face as his hazel eyes glimmered with excitement. Letting out a short laugh, he scoffed. “I should scare you. Maybe then, you’d actually get to work on time.”
I rolled my eyes at the owner of the store as I set my things down in a lopsided pile. “It was less than ten minutes.”
He didn’t answer me as he walked by. Instead, he playfully raised an eyebrow before pulling a stick of gum from a small pocket in my bag. Shoving it into his mouth, he ruffled my hair and headed to a stack of books needing to be reshelved.
No one would ever guess that man was thirty-seven.
Closing the pocket he had stolen from, I feigned a dirty look and threw most of my things below the counter.
After positioning my camera carefully in the drawer, I sat on the chair next to me and leaned in on my elbows as I watched Atlas.
“If you could just shelve all of those for me and then the ones in the back, that would be great.”
“Oh, sure,” he scoffed, turning toward me. “Anything for you, boss.”
I smiled at the sarcasm in his voice and silently thanked him for being the person he was.
If he was anyone else, I probably would’ve been fired a long time ago.
Through the years of being here, there had been a couple situations where I’d been called “hot-headed” by certain customers.
At one point, I’d even found myself in a heated disagreement with security, but no matter the situation, Atlas always defended me—which was probably why Edna loved me so much.
A quick vibration from my phone reminded me of the conversation from earlier.
One thousand dollars.
The number settled in my mind like it held actual weight, and I wondered if it was too good to be true.
Just as I started weighing the possibility of it being a scam, my phone lit up.
Without even checking, I knew it had to be from Kyrin.
To my surprise, he had sent two different texts.
The first was a link to a secured drive, showing three different forms to sign.
He hadn’t been kidding. The second text gave a time and place.
Ruined. 7 p.m.
Well, an address would have been nice. Now, I had to figure out exactly where I was supposed to be at seven.
“Are you really not gonna help me?”
Uh-oh. My eyes shifted away from the screen and moved to Atlas.
He was no longer being playful. Resting his elbow on the shelf, his fingers were hidden in his short brown hair, and it was clear he was actually agitated.
I gave him a small smile and stood, shoving my phone into my jacket pocket. “Coming!”
Jogging to his side, I reached for the books he was holding. “Why don’t I,”—I said, sliding the pile into my arms—“just take these.”
Atlas gave a stern look as I quickly walked away from him to sort the books.
For the next little while, we worked with only the sound of music surrounding us.
As I went on to replacing the stock and organizing, Atlas mumbled something about having to set up his camera and headed to his office.
The only time he went in there was when he was meeting with someone about the store, so I wished him luck as he walked away.
Following him with my eyes, I let them flicker to the small clock mounted above the doorway.
2:27 p.m.
I couldn't help the spark of excitement that followed. In four hours, I’d have the chance to earn a shit ton of money by having fun and taking some cool pictures.
With that reminder, I double-checked that Atlas was gone and pulled my phone back out.
Opening maps, I typed in Ruined. It wasn’t far—about a twenty-minute drive.
That was doable.
Snapping a screenshot of the directions, I tossed it back into my open bag and returned to my responsibilities.