Page 3 of Ink and Ashes
If you don’t answer me, I’m going to call the police.
HELLO???
Even your parents don’t know where you are. Fucking CALL ME!
Stupid bitch. I’m tired of the games. Lose my number.
The first eight messages all came ten minutes apart. That last one came a few hours later, likely after he finished getting his below-average dick sucked by some other girl.
I scoff and begin to type a text back to him.
ME
I’m in British Columbia, and I’m not coming home. Bye, Gabriel.
I hit send, then navigate to his contact information to block his number. With my finger hovering over the button, I drag my hand through my hair, shaking my head.
Gabriel and I had been together for six years. We met when I was doing my internship and hit it off right away. He’s a few years older than me and works at a big accounting firm in the city. He’s handsome, smart, wealthy, and he knows it. He could’ve had any girl he wanted, and he made sure I knew every day how lucky I was that he chose me.
Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t leave sooner. I had plenty of my own success, and I’m just as much of a catch as him. But I was desperately in love with him, or so I thought. Turns out, I never knew the real Gabriel.
Now that I do, I want nothing to do with him.
I press the block button and turn off my phone.
I have an hour until breakfast with Mary and Emmett, so I pull myself out of bed to shower and get myself ready.
I plan to head to the town’s paper, Grove Gazette, today. I’m hoping that they’ll let me examine their old files for research and, if I’m lucky, publish my research in the paper. It’s a long shot, butit’s the best I’ve got right now.
Once I finish in the shower, I brush my teeth, blow-dry my hair, and put on a light face of makeup before getting dressed. I opt for a pair of navy-blue slacks with a plain-white T-shirt and white heels. At five-to-eight, I make my way out to the dining room of The Scarlet, just past the lobby.
Mary is finishing setting the table when I enter. She glances up at me, a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Miss Rhodes. I’m so glad you could join us.”
“I appreciate you having me. Please, call me Holland.” I send her a kind smile back. “This looks delicious,” I say, admiring all the food laid out in front of me—eggs, bacon, pancakes, French toast, fruit, and more. I don’t remember the last time I had a breakfast that wasn’t Greek yogurt and granola. It’s rare for me to indulge in a meal like this.
Mary takes a seat. “Help yourself. Emmett does all the cooking, so he’ll be out momentarily.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, piling a little bit of everything onto my plate. I pour myself a cup of coffee with a splash of cream and some sugar—also not how I usually take it, but I don’t want to make a bad first impression—just as who I assume is Emmett makes his way into the dining room.
“Well, you must be the only visitor brave enough to come to this town right now,” he jokes, taking a seat next to his wife. “I’m Emmett. It’s nice to meet you.”
I smile. “Holland. Nice to meet you too.” I take a bite, a soft moan falling past my lips as the flavour explodes on my tastebuds. “This is amazing.”
“Glad you think so,” Emmett says over a bite of food.
“Emmett’s always been the best cook in town.” Mary taps her husband on the arm, sending him a soft smile. He grins back at her, and I watch them in awe as I enjoy my food.
Conversation flows lightly as we eat, the three of us making small talk. Just as we’re finishing up, Emmett leans back in his chair, cocking a brow at me.
“So, Holland. What brings you to Ember Grove?”
I roll my lips together, trying to figure out how to approach this lightly. I’m expecting that most people in town won’t be very welcoming toward me, especially once they find out why I’m here. But that won’t stop me.
Deciding to just go for it, I say, “I’m here on business. I’m an investigative journalist.”
“An investigative journalist, you say. That sounds awfully fancy,” Emmett croons.
