56. Ember
EMBER
My heart has felt like it’s scraped raw ever since Griffin sang me that song. I’m so used to him being a prankster, treating life like a joke, that the force of his unfiltered emotions shattered my defenses.
I didn’t know he had it in him to sing something like that, let alone write it. I’m beginning to understand that there’s more to him, and to Frank and Zeb, than I’ve let myself see before now.
But I’m still afraid to trust in it, that there’s more to this than just a lot of chemistry.
Setting all that aside as best I can, I smile at my bosses when they come into the shop at closing time. The customer complaint is still weighing on my mind, but that’s not why they’re here today. I’m nervous for an entirely different reason.
We go back to the office, and I set my laptop down, turning it so they can see the screen clearly. “Thanks for coming out this way,” I begin.
“No problem,” Gage assures me.
I gesture at the screen. “This is a project I did for one of my senior seminars this semester. It’s an expansion plan for Beasts Ink.”
“Really.” Though the word sounds noncommittal, I know Kai well enough to recognize from his expression and his tone of voice that he’s intrigued. “Lay it on us.”
So I do, clicking through my presentation, explaining as I go. There’s a timeline for opening additional locations, complete with research into the most likely neighborhoods and projected overhead and profits.
It takes me a solid twenty minutes to go through it all. When I’m done, I blank the screen and sit back, biting my lip while I wait for their reaction.
They look at each other, then at me. “This is really well done, Ember,” Gage says. “Your research is thorough and your projections are realistic, but still ambitious.”
I flush with pleasure. “Thank you.”
“You should know,” Kai says, “that we looked further into that complaint that was filed against you.”
My breath sticks in my throat. “Yes?” I manage.
“When we got more detail, the client’s story didn’t add up. Some of their claims were flat-out untrue, and the rest were suspect. So none of that is going to reflect on you or your performance.”
I let my breath out in a whoosh. “Thank you,” I say again. “That’s really good news.”
I hope my face doesn’t show what I’m thinking … which is, what would they say if they knew the whole truth?