Page 31 of From the Embers
“Now that is something different,” she whispered. “You’ve lost a lot. That kind of hurt sticks with you. It sounds to me like Eason has taken over a lot of roles in your life. You depend on him. Care about him. Trust him. And now, you’re starting to feel some things you weren’t expecting. But that doesn’t make it wrong. Is it possible he might have feelings for you too?”
“No!” I scoffed. “Dear God, no. We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Okay.” She slanted her head to one side. “Then why are we freaking out about this?”
“Because I had a sex dream about Eason.”
“But you didn’t have sex with him. It was a dream. Listen, you’re used to being in charge, but you don’t get to control those. It’s nothing, Bree. This time tomorrow, you’ll be telling me about your late-night fantasies with the shorty-shorts UPS guy.” She moaned. “Those steel-toed boots do it for me.”
Her joke didn’t land a chuckle even if she was really on a roll.
I shook my head. This didn’t feel like nothing. It felt like a dormant part of me had been awakened for the first time in years. Years. Plural. As in more than one, and that was not possible because my husband had only been gone for one.
Maybe I was just desperate.
Maybe I was just hard up and in need of a release.
But why Eason? And why had I been so freaked out when he’d left? And why had my room felt smaller that morning surrounded by all of Rob’s stuff?
“I don’t know, Jillian. This felt big. Like really big. I snuck out before breakfast so I didn’t have to see him this morning.”
“Let me tell you a little secret. That brain of yours knows more than you think it does. But none of it matters until your heart gets the memo too. Until then, all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. You don’t want Eason? Fine. Don’t trip and fall face-first into his lap with your mouth open.”
My eyes flashed wide. “Jesus, Jillian.”
She laughed softly and her shoulders bounced. “Just relax, okay? Let the erotic dust settle and then see how you feel in a few days. I can’t speak for Rob or Jessica, but my Edgar loved me with his whole heart. Jealous as a side piece on Valentine’s Day and as territorial as a damn grizzly bear. But I like to think that, if I moved on with someone new, he’d be happy for me. Don’t underestimate the people who loved you.”
I drew in a deep breath, holding it until my lungs burned. Okay. She had a point. There was nothing to get worked up about—yet. Eason didn’t know I’d had a dream. No harm done.
Though…relaxing had never been my strong suit.
“You’re right. There’s no use in getting worked up over nothing.”
Her knees creaked as she rose from the chair. “Alrighty, but should you decide you do want to get worked up, I have a twenty-dollar-off coupon code for a fantastic vibrator. Ten speeds, waterproof, guaranteed to make you say, ‘Eason who?’”
“Okay, that’s enough. Back to work. Break time’s over.”
Chuckling, she walked to the door. “I’ll just pop that coupon code over in an email. You know, just in case.”
EASON
“Daddy!” Luna exclaimed, colliding with my legs as soon as I walked through Bree’s back door.
Sweaty and shirtless, fresh from a run, I picked her up. “Hey, sweet girl. You miss me?”
She hooked her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder, giving me the only answer I would ever need. And then, in the next heartbeat, she shot up and pinched her nose. “Ew, Daddy tink.”
“Oh, holy God…” Bree mumbled, coming to a screeching halt a few feet away.
“What?” I asked.
Using her hand to shield her face, she cut her gaze to the floor. “Where is your shirt?”
I twisted my lips. “Probably in my drawer?”
“Ohhhkay, but why aren’t you wearing it?”
I blinked at her for several seconds. I didn’t exactly roam around shirtless a lot, but it wasn’t unusual if I was working out or hanging out by the pool with the kids.
“Because I just got back from a run? Does it…bother you?”
Her head popped up, but she was still using her hand to block my chest from her vision. “Of course it doesn’t bother me. Why would it bother me?”
“Gee, Bree. I don’t know,” I replied, lifting a hand to mimic her.
Discarding her shield, she rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Now that you’re back from doing pushups in the yard, can you watch the kids for a little while? The dealership that bought Rob’s Porsche is supposed to pick it up in the morning, so I need to get the rest of his stuff out and wipe down the inside. He’d lose his mind if I let anyone see his baby like that.”
