Page 35 of Embers of Love

“Twenty-eight.”

“She’s an adult. That’s not too young. I don’t see what the problem is,” her father said.

“Well, I do. Plus, she is my friend. Or was, until she caught me with her daughter.”

Her father nodded sagely. Thinking about what she said. No doubt he was turning the issue around in his mind, attempting to look at it from various perspectives.

“Well,” he began, in that tone he often used in his lectures. Or when he needed to discuss an issue he had given a lot of thought to.

“It’s not entirely black and white. As a parent, I understand where she’s coming from, but her daughter is old enough to make her own decisions. I can see the anger, having two people you care about alienating you completely, while developing a relationship without your knowledge can feel like a betrayal.”

“I know, I did something terrible.” Josephine buried her face in her palms.

“No, you did not.”

She glanced at her face, surprised. “How? You just said it!”

“No, all I spoke about was the complexity of the situation and that I understand your friend’s reaction. That doesn’t mean you did something terrible. You fell in love, sweetheart. There’s nothing terrible about that.”

Josephine was silent. She gave it some thought. She didn’t truly reach any decision, her father wasn’t trying to push her in any direction; he never did that, not on purpose. Josephine decided to let the matter lie for the time being.

“I noticed you haven’t made any travel plans,” she said instead, changing the subject.

Her father gave her look, letting her know he knew what she was attempting but he allowed it anyway.

“You’re right, I haven’t.”

“You’re really planning on staying here permanently?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t quite decided yet. We’re still exploring the city, remember? You’re supposed to show me what you believe makes this place so special.”

“Well, have you interacted with the people?” Josephine asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, and I admit they are pleasant and certainly more openminded than most people I’ve known around the country.”

“Well, the charm will eventually get to you,” Josephine said with confidence. It was infectious. The city was simply too beautiful.

When she went in to work on Friday, she learned from one of her colleagues that they were throwing a welcome back to work party for Ember. Josephine knew she couldn’t show up there, not with how things had turned out last with Becky. But she decided it was best to end things officially with Ember. She couldn’t leave it as it was, and she couldn’t do it over the phone either, not with everything they had shared.

She drove near the fire station and parked outside, hoping she could catch Ember outside somehow. Even if she was with friends, as long as Becky wasn’t there. She couldn’t risk another confrontation. Part of her expected to have been run out of town following their discovery, but it appeared Becky had chosen to keep their relationship secret. Why? She didn’t know but she appreciated that her affairs weren’t out in the open.

Josephine waited for about forty minutes before she decided it was actually a dumb idea. She got in the car and was ready to leave but froze when she spotted Ember walking out of the fire station. She was transfixed by her beauty once more. Her wild hair tied up in a messy bun. She didn’t have her normal glow and her eyes were downcast, but there was no denying that Ember was stunning. Even the way she walked, the way her hips moved with such confidence, it was impossible not to stare.

She got out and followed Ember. Josephine felt a little bit like a stalker doing that. Not for the first time that evening, she reminded herself how creepy she was being. She persevered. All these things were just excuses she was making to not do what she needed to.

Ember made her way to the park and sat on the bench. After a while, Josephine made her way over and took a seat. It broke her heart when Ember looked at her without registering that she was actually there. Their time apart had done just as much damage on her as it did on Josephine. She reached out and took Ember’s hand, trying to show her she was there.

The full extent of Ember’s heartbreak tugged at her, but Josephine was convinced that this needed to happen. They needed closure so that they could both move on with their lives.

The goal was to move on. Josephine was supposed to come to Phoenix Ridge, rediscover herself, and grow as a person. For a while, her life had meaning. She was happy and content. And then she lost it. It felt like the light had gone out of her life. Phoenix Ridge lost most of it’s magic.

She drifted through her days at work listless like a zombie. Her performance didn’t decline, she could focus well enough to keep her patients in good health, and in moments like those she was able to flee from some of the emotional problems she was facing. But, aside from that, she was constantly agonizing over her time with Ember. Missing her touch, her voice, her scent, the love they made together.

“Heard Chief Thompson’s daughter charged into a burning building recklessly against protocol again.”

That immediately caught her attention. She was in the middle of lunch when she heard some of the nurses gossiping. Normally, she barely paid attention to their chatter, but she couldn’t help but eavesdrop when she noticed they were talking about Ember.

The other nurse, a thick young woman with a mole on her top lip, Mikaila was her name, replied, “I swear she has a death wish.”

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