Page 20 of Hate Notes

After all, several of our clients were present. There was a pair of sisters we helped build a bakery, an elderly man who used us to repair a historical building at great expense, and even Huxley Cane, who was openly accepting suitors for his project to build a 73-story apartment building in the next year or two.

Huxley was notoriously hard to please, and I was doing my best to let Foster Real Estate’s reputation speak for itself, rather than risk irritating the man by making too direct of an advance. God knew that idiot, Cole Northman with Northman Group was doing his best to charm Huxley. From what I could hear, the only progress he had made so far was in annoying the man.

“I see you’re having fun,” Remmy said, sidling up to me with her signature glass of champagne in hand. “Your brooding really elevates the ambiance. Keep it up, and somebody might mistake you for a sculpture.”

“I’m happy to be here for you,” I said.

“Mm-hmm,” she said, her gaze slipping past me toward the entrance. Her smile widened in a way that set me on edge.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Nothing,” she said, too casually. “Just wondering if you’ll recognize her in that dress…”

I turned instinctively, and there she was.Ember.

It wasn’t the version of her I was used to seeing outside my building every morning. The mis-matched mittens, obnoxiously bright red uniform and silly hat were all gone. Her usually hidden hair spilled over one shoulder in a black, glistening sheet of gloss. Her dress was emerald green, hugging her wide hips and showing a deep line of inviting cleavage. Worse of all was the effortless confidence she carried as she strode into the room.

Ember wore a faint smile and stood straight as she scooped a glass from a waiter’s tray, sipped, and scanned the room like a lioness surveying the field.

I had to make an effort to keep my expression neutral. Oddly enough, I was overcome by the alien desire tosmile.

“Oh my God,” Remmy said. “Youlikeher.”

“This isn’t high school, Remmy. I like when my employees follow proper protocol in their reporting formats. I like when I get emails that are short, concise, and to the point. I don’tlikewomen.”

Remmy choked with laughter. “You want toboneher,” she singsonged. “Gross. But I think you should go talk to her. Maybe a real girlfriend instead of a fake one would be good for you. And if things go well, you two could even give mom that grandbaby she wants so badly.”

“Ember shouldn’t even be here,” I gritted through my teeth.

“She was invited,” Remmy said with an innocent shrug. “By me.”

“This is precisely why I let you believe I had a fake girlfriend. You’re always pulling shit like this. Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Remmy rolled her eyes. “You’re my brother, Orion. I love you. And I want to see you happy. Besides, mom is right. You can’t make babies with your company. I think you’d be a great dad.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Where the hell is this coming from? In what world do you believe I would want a child?”

She shrugged. “I know you think this whole grouchy boss thing you do completely hides the real you. But I’m your sister. I still remember how you used to love dump trucks and how good you were at the hula hoop. You could keep that thing going forhours,Orion.”

“We agreed you would never speak of that again,” I said.

She sipped her drink, smiling.

I let out a sharp breath through my nose, trying to focus on anything else. A nearby painting, the way the jazz band was slightly off tempo, the champagne bubbles rising in my glass—literally anything other than Ember. But I couldn’t stop noticing her.

She moved through the room like she belonged there, laughing softly as she joined one group and then another. It reminded me of watching my sister circulate through a crowd, but there were subtle differences.

Remmy was like calm background music or a pleasant ambiance. She put people at ease in a way that almost kept her invisible. People felt happier and more themselves, but they usually didn’t even register it was because of my sister.

Ember, on the other hand, drew attention. She derailed conversations to spill into stories of her own, drawing laughterand smiles. She laughed loudly and talked louder, attracting curious glances from separate conversations.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found it hard to ignore Ember Hartwell.

Soon, I noticed she was working her way toward the center of the room where several big players in the real estate world were gathered.

“If you stare any harder, you might burn a hole in her dress,” Remmy said.

“I’m not staring,” I said, pulling my eyes away from the curvy woman in green. “I’m just wondering what the hell she thinks she’s doing.”

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