CHAPTER ELEVEN EMBER
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EMBER
The weather is pretty gross out, and business was entirely too slow to stay open all day. I closed a few hours early, since the street was beginning to flood.
The owner, Mrs. Philch, is pretty good about letting me call the shots on things like this. If I'm being honest, I hope she gives me the option to buy it from her when she retires. She had mentioned retiring a couple of months after her granddaughter was born.
Since then, she has really let me take the reins on more admin work, and I am not complaining in the least. I love the bookstore, and the sense of nostalgia it carries with it.
Despite that, if it was mine, I would add some “Ember touches” to make it more of everything I've ever wanted a bookstore to be.
Harley has already headed out to run a few errands before he picks me up to head to Atlas’s together for dinner.
Once the shop is locked up, I hop into my car and head home to get a quick rinse off and to try to tame my hair a bit before dinner.
Last night’s dream and the weather has ruined all chances of feeling pretty today, despite how Harley left me last night.
I pull into my driveway and sit there, listening to the rain drops pelt down on the roof.
I love the sound, it calms me. I let out a breath and push my car door open.
As I round my car and head to my front door, a sudden feeling creeps up the back of my neck.
With just my eyes, I glance back without turning all the way around, trying to see if I can catch a glimpse of someone.
Maybe someone is just peeking through a window?
But it doesn’t feel like someone is peeking.
I quickly unlock the door and get in the house.
Once the door is securely locked, I plop on the couch and take a breath.
I check my cameras to see if someone has been lurking.
I don’t see anything out of the ordinary, so I give up playing detective.
I close out of the camera app and begin to scroll through my social media.
I don’t post much at all, but I still like to keep tabs on everyone.
Pushing up off the couch, I head upstairs to lay down for a minute. I can feel the onset of a headache, likely from all the crying I've done the past few days. I push my door open and I'm greeted by my furball, already warming my spot.
Laying down, I curl up on my side of the bed, pulling the blanket across my tired body. I have about three hours before I have to be ready for dinner at Atlas and Asher’s, so I let myself doze off.
It feels like I've only just closed my eyes when I hear a pounding on the door. It's dark out now, and I reach over to flick on the lamp by my bed. I grab my phone and pull up the notification for the cameras. I’m thankful that when I pull it up, I see a familiar leather jacket.
“Babe! Please open up.” Harley is pulling out his phone and I can see him panicking.
I bolt to the front door and yank it open.
Just as I pull the door open, I’m met with Harley’s face, which is turning a vicious shade of red.
“EMBER! Jesus.” He pulls me into his chest, his hand cradling the back of my head.
I inhale his musky scent of leather and smoke.
“Fuck, I knocked for five minutes,” he says with exhaustion and relief.
“I was about to break down your door, damn it.”
“I was sleeping,” I say as I slither my arms around him and look up into his eyes. “I’m sorry, baby.”
Harley bends down and softly lets his lips touch mine. “We have about twenty minutes before we have to head over to Atlas and Asher’s place.”
Shit, I still need to fix my hair and my face.
“Come in!” I pull him into the house, closing the door and spinning to head down the hall to my bathroom immediately.
“I just need to fix myself a little bit and we can head over!” I get into the bathroom and see the horror that is the pillow imprints all over my face.
I rake a wide tooth comb through my hair, and quickly plug in my curling iron.
“Did you already get the wine?” I call out of the bathroom.
“Yes ma’am. I grabbed it before I came over,” Harley calls back to me. “Trust me, I got the good stuff.”
I smile to myself. Obviously I can afford my own good wine, but it’s always nice to have someone get the good stuff for you. I know it's for dinner, but I like living in my little delulu bubble and feeling like it’s just for me.
I get my finishing touches on my makeup done, making an attempt to look as decent as I can after my “sleep like the dead” nap.
As I look myself over, I realize that Harley has seen every undone and ugly version of me since he’s been back around. He hasn’t given any inclination that my unkept self bothers him, which sends butterflies buzzing all around my stomach.
I walk down the hall into the kitchen and find Harley scrolling on his phone.
“Ready, beautiful?” He looks up at me and his eyes scan over me. He quickly shoves his phone into his pocket, allowing his full attention to set on me.
I leisurely make my way around the island, stopping right in front of him. “Ready as I can be,” I tell him shyly, peeking under my lashes and standing on my tip toes to land a peck on his lips.
Before I can turn around, he has both arms around my hips, leaning us against the island.
“That was weaker than our first kiss, babe.” I throw my head back and laugh, and in that moment he takes the chance to kiss my exposed neck.
God, his pillow soft lips on my neck make me want to skip dinner and drag Harley back to my bedroom.
“We’re going to be late. If we’re late, Atlas is going to spend the whole night making us feel awkward about being late because of sex,” I say aloud, trying to talk myself out of being late by announcing how detrimental to our sanity it could be.
Harley lets out a laugh, his warm breath dusting my neck. His forehead falls to my neck, where his lips had been. “You know. That actually sounds terrible.” He pulls away from the island and throws his arm out. “Please lead the way, pretty girl.”
Before I open the door, I flip the porch light on outside. I slip into Harley’s car, which he had already turned on, thanks to the push start. The moment my ass hits the seat, I feel the seat warmer on full blast. The way this man cares for me makes my heart race.
By the time we make it to Atlas and Asher’s, I am salivating just thinking about that lasagna.
Standing at the door, I realize this is the first time I've brought a man over to my sister’s for dinner.
I would usually just walk in, but that doesn’t feel right.
Before I can contemplate what to do, Harley knocks on the door.
He grabs my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, wine in his other one. I find myself incredibly nervous.
The door whips open and Asher ushers us in. “Hey man, what is up!”
I rush in and let them do their manly hellos, heading to see if Atlas needs help in the kitchen.
“Nope, everything is done!” Atlas announces as she clasps her hands together, thoroughly pleased with herself.
Aria is in her high chair, chewing away on a banana.
“I was even counting on you guys being late.” Atlas wiggles her eyebrows up and down suggestively.
I laugh, just as the boys come into view.
“Almost, but then we realized you’d make a whole night of it.” Harley laughs, passing the bottle of red wine over to Asher.
Pulling out the wine glasses from the cabinet, Atlas looks at him pointedly. “I would never do such a childish thing as tease my sister and her boyfriend about being late to dinner, because they couldn’t keep their filthy mittens off of each other.”
I slide my eyes over to Harley, who doesn’t seem to have picked up on the “boyfriend” part of Atlas’ teasing. Maybe he didn’t hear that part, or maybe assumed she meant boy who’s a friend.
Atlas carries her lasagna pan over to the table while I drag Aria in her high chair over to the side so she can be part of the party.
“So, you didn’t deny the boyfriend thing,” Atlas breaks the ice in her true fashion. “Does that mean this is like an official thing now?”
Harley laughs and spoons my plate with lasagna, before moving to his own. “Well, if you must know with your nosey self, I haven’t asked her to be my girlfriend yet.”
I tense in my seat, giving Atlas the sister eyes that mean “please shut the fuck up.” However, I don’t miss the “yet” Harley added at the end.
To be honest, something about us just feels right.
I smile to myself, and of course, Harley doesn’t miss a thing and leans over and kisses my cheek, whispering what sounds like “not yet.”
We all fall into comfortable conversation, chatting amongst ourselves. Harley only brought one bottle of wine, but we break out the other bottle Atlas had picked up before she’d invited him.
We’re mid conversation when the doorbell chimes.
“Who the hell is that at this hour?” Atlas asks, looking over at Asher.
“Ah shit, I forgot Rawley was coming over to get paid for pulling the weeds last week,” Asher says, getting to the door and pulling it open.
“Hey dude, come on in!” Asher’s voice gets closer as they come into the dining room. “I’ll grab the envelope with the cash.”
I hear a shy, “Thanks Mr. Hawkins,” and something in the sound of his voice has me shifting around to put a face with the sound.
When I turn, I see a lanky boy, curly dark red hair, bright blue eyes, acne scattered across his nose and forehead.
My breath catches, and everything around us seems to stop.
“Rawley, this is my sister, Ember!” Atlas chimes in, not noticing my frozen state.
He sticks out his hand. “Oh right, you said she was gonna be helping some outside too once Asher leaves.”
Atlas laughs. “Well probably not a ton outside, but maybe during the summer I can con her into helping a little bit.”