21. Ember
TWENTY-ONE
EMBER
Three days later, on Thursday, I made my way to Sadie and Gideon’s house to try on the dress that Sadie had altered for me.
They lived in a little cottage nestled in the woods, perched on a small incline that overlooked a slice of the Atlantic.
It was serene and secluded and gorgeous.
I pulled up outside the home and made my way to the front door.
Sadie opened it wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt, and a huge smile. “Come in! I can’t wait to see how it fits!” She reached across the threshold and gave me a bone-crushing hug.
I froze, arms dangling for a second, before I could really process what was happening. Then I awkwardly patted her back and smiled as she pulled away.
I wasn’t used to hugging people…or having people who wanted to hug me.
Still, it felt good. Like I belonged here and I was part of something bigger than myself.
I followed her down a short hallway into a room with a wall of windows overlooking their view of the ocean.
The water was a hard gray capped with white waves.
The room had two big couches and an open-plan kitchen.
On the dining table, Sadie’s sewing machine was set up.
I could see the dress on a padded coat hanger, hooked on the handle of one of the top cabinets in the kitchen.
Sitting on the couch with her back to me was a dark-haired woman I recognized as the woman from the bakery, Caroline. She put her arm over the back of the couch and nodded at me. “Sadie’s been raving about this dress all week. I had to come see it.”
“Oh,” I said, blinking. I was so bad at social interaction. Awkwardness made my muscles feel tight and clumsy.
Caroline’s lips tilted into a sly smile, and she tilted her head toward the coffee table. “We have wine.”
“It’s three o’clock in the afternoon,” I said, frowning.
“Yeah,” Caroline said, “That’s why we have wine.”
A surprised laugh fell out of me. “I’m driving,” I said, “but maybe I can have a small glass.”
Caroline poured me her version of a small glass of white wine, which reminded me of the vat of wine Jack had poured for me that first night. She touched the rim of her glass to mine. I could see smudges from her vampy lipstick on the edge and lifted my gaze to see her watching me.
“So,” she said. “You and Jack Mars.”
I took a seat across from her and glanced over at the kitchen, hoping Sadie would save me. She was busy checking the dress over, but she did shoot us an amused look over her shoulder.
“Me and Jack Mars,” I confirmed.
“What’s the world coming to,” Caroline said dryly before taking a sip of her wine.
“I’m sensing you’re not a fan.”
“I was enjoying seeing all the Mars men wandering around aimlessly without women to guide them,” Caroline said. There was a spark in her eyes. It was hard to tell how much of what she said was a joke or not, but I found my lips twitching in response.
“Okay!” Sadie came over and swept the red dress through the air. “Enough chit-chat. Try this one. Caroline is your size, so she brought a better pair of shoes over.”
My brows jumped, but Caroline didn’t seem bothered.
Borrowing shoes? Hanging out on a Thursday afternoon?
Drinking wine? These were things one did with girlfriends.
I hadn’t had girlfriends since college, and even then they seemed to tolerate me more than they genuinely liked me.
A little overwhelmed, I took the dress from Sadie and went to the bathroom to slip it on.
Caroline’s shoes were red satin with a thin ankle strap and a smaller heel than what Sadie had lent me last time, and they matched the dress to perfection.
I walked back out to the living room and spread my arms. “It fits,” I announced.
Caroline threw her head back and laughed while Sadie rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. Sadie looked at me and said, “I was expecting gushing praise, Ember. Hands flapping and eyes watering about what an amazing job I did on such short notice.”
“I’m not really a hand-flapping kind of woman,” I said, which made Caroline snort and laugh harder. Then I added, “But you did do a fantastic job, and I really appreciate it.”
Sadie beamed at me, then came over to check her work. She hummed as she touched the sleeves and studied the way the neckline fit. She fluffed the hem and tilted her head.
“It’s perfect,” I told her, and she looked at me with soft eyes. “Thank you,” I added sincerely.
“Don’t mention it,” she said briskly, and I went back to the bathroom to change back into my clothes. I folded the dress with care and came back out, feeling like I was intruding on their hangout.
But I still had most of my glass of wine, so surely they meant for me to stay for a little while.
I set the dress and shoes on the edge of the dining table and sat on the couch while Sadie and Caroline chatted.
I was definitely intruding. Now the question was, did I finish my wine and go, or did I make an excuse now and leave the wine unfinished?
While my mind was whirling with my social ineptitude, Caroline looked at me with an assessing look in her eyes and asked, “Ember, do you know how many moons Neptune has?”
I blinked. “Fourteen. Why?”
“Ha!” she exclaimed, pointing at me. “What are you doing tonight?”
I shrugged. “Dinner. Darby has basketball practice so she won’t be home until late, but she might need help with homework. Otherwise just reading and going to bed.” And waiting for Jack to creep up to my room and have his way with me.
Caroline shook her head and said, “Nope. Wrong. You’re coming to trivia night with us.”
Sadie giggled. “What she means is, would you like to come to trivia night at Bertie’s with us?”
Yes! my heart screamed. A part of me was uncomfortable right now, but a bigger part of me wanted this. The easy friendship, the feeling of belonging. But instead of agreeing, I said, “What’s Bertie’s?”
“A terrible bar with even worse beer,” Caroline replied.
“Sold,” I quipped, and the dark-haired woman laughed.
Sadie’s smile widened. “One of our friends, Joanne, can’t make it tonight. We were going to ask Gideon to come along—”
“But he’s terrible at trivia because all he’s worried about is watching Sadie’s back.”
Sadie clicked her tongue. “He’s still reeling after everything that happened to me.”
“It wasn’t a criticism!” Caroline protested. “I’m just saying. It’s great that he looks at you with those big puppy dog eyes and follows you around everywhere, but he’s also terrible at trivia.”
Sadie clicked her tongue, but her eyes were laughing. I rolled my lips to hold back my smile and took a sip of wine.
Caroline arched her brows at me. “So?”
An invitation out with a couple of girlfriends. As rare as unicorn poop. Throat tight, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Good.” Caroline nodded, then nodded at my hand. “Nice rock. Don’t remember seeing that when you came into the bakery.”
I flushed, glancing down at my ring. “It’s new,” I said.
Sadie whistled and waved at me to show off the ring. I extended my hand, and I couldn’t keep the smile from spreading over my face. They cooed over the diamonds as I beamed.
Then Caroline pulled back and glanced out the big picture windows as the sound of a car rumbled down the drive. Her eyes narrowed. “I think it might be time for me to leave.”
Sadie followed her gaze and lightly rolled her eyes. “He’s not that bad, is he?”
“He’s the devil,” Caroline grumbled. “All the Marses are.” She paused, then added, “Gideon’s okay.”
“And Jack?” Sadie prompted, looking at me and then at Caroline.
Caroline just grumbled.
“He’s still barred from Knead More Bread,” I said. “We learned that on my second day in town.”
“Caroline!” Sadie glared at her friend.
Caroline shrugged. “What can I say? I have rules and I stick to them. Gideon is the exception, because he surprised me.”
Sadie huffed, clearly wanting to laugh. Gideon chose that moment to walk in through the door leading to the garage.
He was a tall, intimidating man with scarring up his neck and jaw.
His eyes were the same piercing blue as Jack’s, and I saw a lot of my husband’s features in Gideon’s face, though Gideon’s features were harsher somehow.
Behind him, Knox loomed. His eyes were a darker blue, and he was broader and taller than all of his brothers.
Knox’s eyes scanned the room in a second and zeroed in on Caroline. He went from looking like a stone-faced giant of a man to an apex predator.
Caroline stood, drained her wine, and set the glass down on the coffee table. “See you two ladies tonight.” She looked at the men and nodded. “Gideon.”
She walked away without saying anything to Knox, but I saw the way his eyes tracked her all the way out the door. He watched her get into her car and drive off, and it wasn’t until she was out of sight that his attention returned to us. Interesting.
“How’d the dress turn out?” Gideon asked, pressing a kiss to Sadie’s temple.
“Amazing,” Sadie said, her face going soft when she looked at Gideon.
“Sadie is really talented,” I added. The need to repay her rose within me. People didn’t just do nice things for me. “You really won’t let me give you money?”
“Of course not!”
Knox moved to the kitchen and got himself a drink out of the fridge.
He glanced at the three of us, gaze assessing as it swept over me.
This was a man who stayed quiet but saw everything.
I had the nonsensical thought that he could tell all my secrets just from looking at me. No wonder Caroline had wanted to run.
I turned my attention back to Sadie. Between the dress and the invitation to go out tonight, I was beginning to feel like all I did was take.
But there was one thing I was good at. “You’re going to be setting your business up in the burned-out shop on Main Street?
” I’d learned this at Sunday lunch, along with the dramatic story of how the fire had started.
“Yep. Just waiting on Etta’s insurance to get moving, and then I’ll sign the lease and take over.”
I nodded. “You’ll need business insurance, right?”
Sadie tilted her head. “Yeah. Why?”
“That’s my bread and butter. I could help you find the best policy and also let you know what to put in the applications to make sure you’re covered.”
She straightened. “Really?”
“Sure. I want to do something to thank you for the dress.”
“Girl, working on the dress was fun.” Sadie laughed, and I watched as Gideon’s eyes went soft at the sound. She shook her head at me. “You don’t have to do anything for me in return, but if you feel like helping me with my business insurance, I would be eternally grateful.”
I smiled, relieved. I wasn’t just an encumbrance on her life. “No problem.”
Sadie crossed over to where I sat on the sofa and threw her arm around my shoulders. This time, I was ready for it, and I actually enjoyed being hugged. It felt good to offer my help, to be part of this small but loving community.
“Did you find anything out about the vandalism?” Sadie asked, turning to Gideon and Knox.
Knox grunted and said nothing more. Gideon pursed his lips. “Still can’t catch the guy. It seems like he’s just messing with our gear to annoy us.”
“And cost us money,” Knox rumbled. His voice was so deep it vibrated.
“You’ll figure it out,” Sadie said. “And the good news is, you have all evening to work on it if you want!” She beamed at her husband. “Your trivia services are no longer required. We have a new fourth.” She gestured to me.
I gave him a little wave.
“I’ll spectate,” Gideon replied, and I guessed it was because he wanted to watch Sadie’s back. Curiosity burned me; I wanted to find out what had happened to her to make him so protective.
Maybe, over time, I would.
It wasn’t until I was on the road on my way home to drop off the dress before trivia that I realized I was making long-term plans.
I wanted to tear up the contract Jack and I had signed, forget about divorcing him and paying him out, and stay here for good.
It should have been terrifying, but all that existed inside me was happiness.
JACK
After picking Darby up from basketball practice, I came home to a quiet house and a note on the table informing me Ember was at Bertie’s for trivia night, and there was food in the fridge for me and Darby to reheat for dinner.
Darby fell on the food and ate like she hadn’t had a morsel in a week. We didn’t speak much, and I realized it was our first dinner without Ember since she’d come into our lives.
I missed her.
When Darby stomped over to the piano to practice, my phone buzzed.
EMBER: We won!!!
I blinked at the message. Never in all our acquaintance had Ember used an emoji.
JACK: What’s the prize?
EMBER: Terrible beer
JACK: Are you drunk?
EMBER: Mybe.
Emojis and a typo. She was wasted.
JACK: I’ll come pick you up.
EMBER: Is ok. I’ll take
I stared at the emoji of the taxi and snorted. There was exactly one taxi in Marswood Harbor, which meant it would be faster for Ember to walk than to wait for a cab. There was no way she was walking home on her own.
JACK: I’m on my way.
EMBER: Caroline will be mad.
JACK: I don’t care.
Darby was old enough to stay home alone for a half hour, so I told her where I was going and went to collect my wife.
I found her red-cheeked and bright-eyed, laughing with her girlfriends and Gideon.
I nodded at my brother and returned my gaze to Ember.
She was so beautiful I couldn’t look away.
When she saw me, her face lit up and she lifted her arms like she wanted me to pick her up.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck.
“You ready to go home?”
“Mm,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
I nodded my goodbyes at the rest of the gang. Caroline stuck her tongue out at me, then she laughed. “I can’t even hate you,” she complained. “Ember is too good at trivia for me to make an enemy out of you. Still hate your brother though.”
I shook my head. One day, I would figure out what Knox had done to make Caroline hate him so much. He still hadn’t told us.
I snorted, picked Ember up, and took her home.
She stumbled into the kitchen and ate a piece of clumsily buttered bread before I guided her up the stairs, standing close so she didn’t trip and break her neck.
When she was tucked under the covers, she gave me a drunken, crooked smile and said, “I love you, Jack,” and fell asleep a second later.
I watched her snore until the thumping of my heart subsided. I touched her hair and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead, wishing I could climb into bed next to her and stay there until morning.