Page 7 of Ember
“Me, why me?” Ember squeaked. “You don’t know me, and I’m not even sure that I’ll be sticking around once this stuff with Marco blows over.” Jack felt as though she had landed a physical blow to his gut, saying that she might not stick around.
“We know that you’re a kick ass chick,” Tina said. “And we’d like for you to stick around. So how about it?” she asked.
“Um, I can think about it, but if you need an answer tonight, I’m afraid that it’s no,” she said. “I’m not a leader.”
“I don’t think that you’re giving yourself enough credit,” Brandi insisted. “I might not know you yet, but I can tell that you’d make a great leader.”
“How can you tell that by talking to me for five minutes?” Ember asked.
“Well, you don’t have any kids, right?” Brandi asked.
“Um, no,” Ember said. “I don’t have kids.” Jack could tell that the question seemed to hurt her feelings for some reason, and he wondered why that was. “How does being childless make me a good leader?” she asked.
“You’ll have time to be the Prez,” Wren said. “I know that sounds crazy, but we just don’t have the time to devote to being in charge of anything—well, except for snacks for soccer practice.”
“Just think about it,” Hurricane offered. “You don’t have to decide right away, but if you want the job, it’s yours.”
Ember nodded, “I’ll consider the offer, thank you,” she said. Jack could see her anxiety and worry in her eyes, and he knew that Hurricane had pushed her too far, too fast. He just hoped that she wouldn’t take off on him, because for some reason, he not only wanted her to stick around—he needed her to.
Ember
Ember had done nothing but think about Hurricane’s out-of-the-blue offer to be the Prez of the Royal Harlots. Before landing in New York, she didn’t even know what an MC was, and now, she was being asked to lead one. The whole idea sounded crazy to her, but for some odd reason, she liked crazy.
Honestly, she had nowhere else to go. She couldn’t ever go back to Florida—not with Marco still sending her threatening texts. She had blocked his number, but he always seemed to have a new one to send her messages from. She didn’t tell Jack about the messages because there was nothing he’d be able to do besides worrying alongside her. She didn’t want that. His work was already stressful enough, and she didn’t want to add to that stress.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Jack said, standing in the doorway to her bedroom. When she first moved into his place, she shut and locked her door, afraid of what Jack might do if given the chance. But lately, she left her bedroom door open, hoping that he’d wander in for some reason. She liked how familiar he had become with her and the way that he wasconstantly touching her. He had held back for two weeks, giving her time to adjust, but now, she liked him crowding her space.
“Just thinking,” she admitted. She had been thinking a lot lately, and not just about Hurricane’s offer. Ember didn’t want to leave Yonkers but admitting that to Jack might have him reconsidering his offer to let her live with him until she could get on her feet. If she stuck around, it would take her longer to find her way, and she wondered if Jack would be all right with her staying with him a bit longer than he offered.
“Is it about Hurricane’s offer? Because he likes to get ahead of himself,” Jack said.
“Not just the offer,” she admitted. “I’m thinking about sticking around Yonkers. I just need to figure out how to do that. I’m a hair stylist, so I can hopefully find work in the city. I’m betting that there is always a need for a stylist.”
“Yeah, there is,” he agreed. “It’s a big industry here, and you can probably do well for yourself.”
“Right,” she said, “but it’s going to take me some time to save up before I can find my own place. I just don’t want to overstay my welcome here.” Jack walked into her room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.
“That won’t happen,” Jack insisted. “I like having you here, Ember,” he admitted. “I’m good with you staying as long as you’d like.”
Hearing him say that gave her hope that she had no right to feel. “You’ll let me know if I get to be too much?” she asked.
He chuckled and nodded, “Sure,” he agreed. Jack reached down and took her hand into his own. “Can we talk about something that I’ve been thinking about?” he asked.
Ember felt her tummy do a little flip-flop as she nodded. “Of Course,” she agreed.
“I’d like to be more than just roommates or friends, Ember. I think I have feelings for you and living under the same roof andnot acting on my feelings is getting harder and harder to do.” She had feelings for him, too, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. She didn’t do relationships for very good reasons, but if he was willing to keep things casual, she’d be fine with that. Marco was the only real relationship that she had been in, and that ended in disaster.
“If you’re asking me for a relationship, the answer is no. I’ve only done that with one man—Marco, and you know how that ended,” she said.
“I see,” he whispered. Jack tried to pull his hand free, and she tugged it back to her lap.
“You don’t see, Jack,” she insisted. “I grew up in a very dysfunctional family, and that’s me being generous. My father was a drunk, and when he was around, my life was chaotic. And when he was home, I worried about what he was going to do next. He was a loose cannon, and my mother was no better. She couldn’t stand being married to a drunk, so she started going out all the time. She liked to tell me that she was going to ‘Fill her tank’, and then she’d come home and be fresh and ready to have fun with me. That never happened, though. Most of the time, when she came home, she’d pack some of her things and head back out. She told me that she just couldn’t deal with my father but leaving that responsibility to me wasn’t fair either. I was just a little kid.”
“That is a lot of responsibility for a kid to have,” Jack agreed.
“After my parents’ divorce, I lived with my mom for a bit. I was always ashamed of living in a single wide—until I met you.” Ember squeezed his hand, and he smiled at her. “I stuck around for a while, until I graduated from high school, and then, my friend offered me a job in Sarasota, Florida, and I jumped at the chance to get away from that trailer park. Now, I barely speak to my mother, and my father and I are estranged.”
“Did you meet Marco right away when you moved to Florida?” Jack asked.
