Page 14 of Embers of Torment

"Hmm. Hungry and grumpy. You're not having the smoothest day so far." Sofie tilted her head while she studied my face. "Did something happen?"

"I couldn't sleep for some reason. I must have tossed and turned until three o'clock." That wasn't exactly the truth. I knew what had kept me awake, and his name was Jace Welch. He'd been on my mind for the past six days, and I couldn't turn it off. Every time I closed my eyes, I could visualize him holding me outside the coffee shop, remembering how it had shocked the bejesus out of me until I realized how much I liked it. It was as if I could feel his arms around me, his tenderness, and the warmth of his touch, and I craved for him to do it again.

Even stranger was this nagging vibe I couldn't shake, telling me I knew Jace from somewhere else, which was absurd. He was from North Carolina, and I'd never been there, leaving me unable to figure out where, why, or how our lives could have crossed. Thinking myself silly, I chalked it up to my lust-filled attraction to him, run of bad dates, and lack of sleep.

Adam set his tray down and took the seat opposite me. He passed Sofie her lunch, then slid my sandwich and root beer across the table. "Guess what the letters A and W stand for in A&W Root Beer?"

I arched my eyebrow. "It must be trivia time, and I have no freaking idea."

"It stands for Allen and Wright." Seeing my unimpressed expression, Adam made a face and turned his back on me. "Sofie, what are you and Reid doing this weekend?"

"Ginny's coming over for dinner tonight. She wants to see Evie and Wyatt. And Reid, her, and I are going to the playCome From Awaytomorrow. I hired a new babysitter. It'll be her first time with the kids."

"It's too bad Ginny is going with you. Evie loves her, and she's the perfect sitter. I've always liked how close Reid is with his mom too." Adam frowned and looked down at his tray. "It's a shame your mother is such a flake."

Sofie burst out laughing. "That's a heck of a polite way to describe her. I have to say it makes my life a lot easier with my mother out of the picture, especially since our last interaction was so ugly and dramatic. If I remember correctly, she called me an ungrateful bitch and said I'd be sorry for kicking her out of our house. And now that Denny's dead, I'm sure her opinion of me is a hundred times worse. Honestly, it would have been hell trying to explain to the kids that their grandmother is a drug addict and prostitute."

"I guess so. Did you ever figure out what happened to her?" Adam asked.

"Not a clue. My mother could be deceased, for all we know. I hate to admit it. But that wouldn't be the worst thing. She's a dangerous and vindictive woman, and my whole life, she did everything she could to rip me and any inkling of happiness I had to shreds. It killed Reid when he learned about the things she did to me. I think that's why he's so protective."

"I remember how distraught he was when your mother and brother showed up years ago, and all that stuff happened. Everyone was worried about him," Adam said, his expression solemn.

"It was a horrible time for us, but it's in the past. Anyway, we need to talk about a more cheerful subject."

I stretched my shoulders while they chatted, an uneasiness working its way up my spine. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Do either of you feel kind of weird right now?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "It's only you because I'm perfectly fine."

"I'm not aware of anything unusual. Why? What's going on?" Sofie eyed me warily and leaned back in her chair.

"I don't know. I feel weird… creeped out like I did at your house when I babysat. I hate to say it, but it's like someone is watching us."

"That's because they are." Adam nodded toward the café.

I peered over my shoulder to see Jace walking our way. He had a bag in one hand and a drink in the other. And he was as freaking adorable as ever with his head of wavy and slightly messy ginger hair and that wayward curl that always seemed to fall over his forehead.

"He's cute." Sofie arched a brow, the corner of her mouth curling into a wide smile. "Who is he? A new acquaintance of Della's?"

I raised my hand toward her. "Uh-uh. Don't even go there. He's Adam's friend. I only recently met him."

"Too bad. Is he single?"

"Yes," Adam and I said in unison.

I gave Adam my "don't you dare say anything" face and turned back to Sofie. "Don't even attempt to play matchmaker. In case you forgot, you promised not to nag me about my love life…as disastrous as it is."

"Fine." Sofie sighed dramatically. "I'll refrain from further comment."

"Thank you. And don't try to lay a guilt trip on me, either. As much as you'd like to do it, I don't need your help in the romance department."

"I don't know about that," Adam snickered.

I opened my mouth to say something snarky and stopped. Jace was several yards from our table and was quickly closing the distance.

"Hey, you're here," Adam said, looking pleased. "I thought you said you were busy and couldn't get away?"

"I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed a break and figured I'd come this way, grab lunch, and take it back to my desk." Jaceturned to me and grinned as he held out his cup. "It's a raspberry lemonade. I thought I'd offer before you took it out of my hand."

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