Page 22 of Cruel Embers
Okay, seriously, I only saw the words ‘came’ and ‘hard’ in that message. My mind wanders somewhere it has no business going. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of intimate female company.
Yep, nothing to do with the dark-haired bombshell I just left. Nope, not at all.
Me: Get some sleep, Tink.
I laugh, wondering how long she’ll allow me to get away with calling her that.
Yawning, I pull on my seatbelt, my phone buzzing in my cup holder.
Tinker Bell: Yes, sir. *Eye roll emoji*
“Shit.” Yep, that did fuck all to help where my thoughts were headed.
But even so, if I’m honest, I need an ally and friend right now, and I think maybe she’s in the same boat. It can’t be easy on her with Char moving in with Ethan. I saw the pain etched on her face when she mentioned stealing the t-shirt from her brother's room.
So if I can help even a little to take away some of her pain, I will. I’m fully aware I have a saviour complex. My sisters tell me as much, pretty much all the time. Deep down, I think it's because I couldn’t protect them from our sperm donor when we were younger. Is it a healthy way to cope with my past trauma? Probably not, but for now, it works.
ChapterTwelve
VIOLET
Pulling out bottles from a crate, I add them to the fridge, my mind wandering to Nathan’s visit last week. It was completely unexpected but was strangely something I never knew I needed. Don’t get me wrong, if I told Char I needed her, she’d be there in a heartbeat. But I also know I can’t keep using her as an emotional crutch. She loved Max, so I know she understands some of my grief, and we needed each other more than I knew at the time.
I’d never admit this out loud, but I believe I was destined to meet her; Max and I both were. He got to experience falling in love before he died, and as much as it hurt her in the process, it was always meant to be, just like her and Ethan now with twins on the way. I have other friends, but she’s tethered to me like no other. And as much as I love my close circle, there’s something I still keep close to my chest, like how I often think it should have been me that died, not Max.
It’s morbid to think like that, I know, but I can’t help how I feel any more than the sky is blue.
“Hey, precious.” I look up to see Marco set a box of new glasses on the counter.
“Hi, boss.”
“Any news on the audition?” he asks, tossing me a bag of crisps. My reflexes suck, so they just hit me in the face. I rip the bag open.
“Nope, there’s no way I’ll get a call-back.”
He crosses his arms. “Well, their loss, love.”
Shrugging, I bite down on a crinkle-cut crisp, smiling around the smoky flavour; there are worse jobs to have.
He nudges my leg with the toe of his boot. “You’ll get your big break. You just wait and see.”
I nod, and with that, he turns and walks away. Why anyone is scared of him is beyond me. Well, okay, he’s a force to be reckoned with, granted. I thought Ethan was a big guy, and then I saw his twin, Henry, and then you have Nathan. They scored in the physique department, that’s for damn sure; maybe it’s just genetics.
My phone buzzes on the counter, and I push up from my crossed leg position, reaching for it before lowering myself back down, all while munching on my crisps.
Muscles: I asked Ethan to sit with Lottie and get a list for the invitations. And I mocked up this. What do you think?
I click on the picture, and my jaw drops, causing me to lose some soggy chewed-up crisp in the process. How flattering. Grabbing a serviette from above my head, I wipe it away.
The invitation is the perfect pastel combination, with pretty flowers and two teddy bears in hot-air balloons—question marks on the baskets and the wordsBoy or Girlalong the top—inviting them to the baby shower and gender reveal in a lovely gold script font.
Me: I don’t want this going to your head, but it’s pretty perfect.
Charlotte is going to love it.
Finishing off my crisps, I toss the empty packet in the bin and wash my hands, then get back to stocking the fridge. We’ll be opening soon.
My phone starts ringing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Nathan ringing to puff out his chest over my compliment.
