Page 57 of Embers of Torment

"Stop it," Jace laughed. "Or I'll have to march you back home. Then you'll have to explain to Sofie what happened."

"Umm…yeah. That won't work. So I guess I better go."

"Me too. Text me so I know you got your breakfast."

"I will."

Jace kissed me, then took off down the street.

I watched him for a minute, wondering how I got so lucky. Jace was always concerned about my feelings and needs, going above and beyond to ensure I was happy. The way he treated me was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Jace made me feel important and wanted—sexy even. And I liked the feeling of empowerment that it somehow gave me.

Jace was the opposite of the other guys I'd dated, especially the ones of late. They got some sick joy out of denigrating me and making me feel rotten, with their words and actions being a malicious hit to my confidence and self-worth. Jace lifted people's spirits and belief in themselves rather than tear them emotionally apart. He was the type of person I wished I had by my side when I was a kid instead of that asshat bully and his shameful supporters.

One thought stuck out above the others when I reflected on Jace. Why did it seem like I'd known him my whole life when it had only been a little less than ten weeks? It simply made no sense.

Turning, I strode into the building and hurried through the lobby.

What the bejeezus?

I came to a complete stop. My eyes darted around the communal space, searching faces as I sniffed the air.

"Sickly overpowering, isn't it?" a middle-aged man said from one of the upholstered chairs. He peered at me over the rim of his eyeglasses and held a copy of theWall Street Journal.

"Very, and I swear I've smelled it before. Was there a person—"

"Sitting here wearing that unbelievably odorous fragrance?"

"Yeah."

"There was. It was a woman in an oversized coat, sunglasses, and a scarf covering her head."

"What did she look like? Her facial features, I mean, and could you tell her age?"

"I'm sorry. With the woman's peculiar outfit, you couldn't tell much except that she was terribly out of place. She was intent on watching someone, then left as soon as the person got on the elevator."

"Who was she watching?" My pulse was racing. The scenario was way too coincidental and weird.

"Couldn't tell. Whoever it was happened to be in a group of others waiting for the elevator. It could have been any of a dozen people."

"Thanks." I hung my head, preoccupied with my thoughts, as I headed to the elevators. That was the same disgusting rose fragrance I had detected on Sofie and Reid's deck the night I babysat. It was overpowering, like someone had drenched themselves in a super cheap and unusually gross perfume. But who in the world would wear such a thing?

Oh, shit! Could it be Sofie's mother?That had been Sofie's conclusion when she and I met with Reid and Braxton Hennessey a while back.Holy moly! Is Sofie right? Has that horrible woman who caused so much drama back in Boston?

I dodged into the elevator as soon as the door opened, pushing past several people stepping out. I punched the button multipletimes, eager to get going. I had to tell Sofie about this. She'd want to know.

Reaching my floor, I ran down the corridor, bolting across my department's lobby and through the side door toward Sofie's office. I stood there in her doorway, panting like a maniac.

"Your mother," I managed to squeak out while Sofie stared at me.

"What about my mother?" Sofie said, her face paling. She leaned back in her chair.

"That grotesque rose smell. The one on your deck that wasn't from your garden. It was that night. You know, when I babysat. It was when I freaked out." The words flew from my mouth as my brain tried to piece the fragments of my zinging thoughts together.

"Della, slow down. I need you to start over. What about the smell?"

"It was in the lobby just now. That same super stinky scent. You know…like…like…dead, moldy roses on steroids."

"Now? In the lobby?" Sofie sat forward in her chair, her eyes widening.

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