Crazy Dreams

by Dawn Pendleton

  “Great. Have you heard from Dallas at all?” I asked, thinking that maybe I needed to talk to him about Ember. He wouldn’t kill me. That’s what I told myself, anyway.

  “Umm, no actually. I’ve been taking care of you and then trying to sleep,” she said.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll be fine from here on out,” I explained.

  “Oh? So you’re going to change your dressing tonight?” She gave me a meaningful look.

  “Umm, maybe I’ll just have you do that,” I said, trying to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. Even just thinking about blood made me nauseous.

  She laughed. “I thought so. By the way, Baker texted me at like three am. I guess he’ll be here this afternoon.”

  Wait. What? “Oh.” I didn’t really have anything else to say. I would have to keep myself in check around Ember while Baker was around. I was certain I could do it.

  “He said he was going to call Dallas and see if he could come home for a day or two, so maybe if you need Dallas for something, you can call him and find out if he is coming home.”

  “Yeah, I’ll go do that,” I agreed. “Have you seen my phone?”

  “I put it on the charger in your room.”

  “Great, thanks,” I said and walked to my room, dreading the conversation I was about to have.

  My phone had three missed calls and two texts. It was Dallas. He didn’t leave any voicemails, but his texts said what he needed to say.

  Dallas: I’ll be home in the afternoon. Apparently, Rainey’s husband is coming to visit Ember and expects me there.

  Dallas: Where are you? Make sure the house is clean and answer me.

  I took a deep breath and then dialed his number, choosing to call rather than text. It rang three times before he answered.

  “Hey, man, where you been?”

  “Sorry. Ember had to take me to the emergency room last night,” I answered.

  “Shit. How come?”

  “I sliced my finger cutting up tomatoes. I had to have stitches and she drove me,” I explained. “Everything’s fine now. It just hurts like hell.”

  He chuckled. “I bet it does. My flight gets in at one o’clock. And then I guess Baker should be there around two.”

  “Sounds good. Why does he expect you to be here? I didn’t even realize the two of you were close.”

  “That’s kind of the problem. No one knows I let Ember come to Nashville and then left her while I took a job. It wasn’t how I wanted it, and I never expected to have to be gone for a week, but if Baker shows up and I’m not there, he’ll kill me. Ember is like a sister to him and he thinks she’s too young to take care of herself.”

  “Got it. So you want me to tell Ember to not let him know you haven’t been here?”

  “That would be awesome. I’ll talk to her when I get in, too. How are things going, anyway?” he asked the question I was dreading.

  “They’re good. Ember and I are getting along very well.”

  His voice turned stern. “Don’t fucking touch her, Stone. I swear to God, I’ll rip your balls off if you touch her.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Dallas. It’s not like I’m a eunuch . I can’t help it if I’m attracted to her.”

  “Don’t touch her.”

  I wasn’t threatened; I was pissed. “She’s a fucking adult. If she wan t s to sleep with me, she’s going to, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You just got done telling me that everyone from Maine would be pissed if they thought you left her alone, but you didn’t, did you? You left her with me. And that means you trust me, whether you want to admit it or not. I didn’t make a move on her, if that’s what you’re thinking. But we’re both attracted to one another. Don’t make it more than it is.”

  “You think I’m kidding, Stone? I’m telling you, if you lay a hand on her, I will kill you in your sleep. She’s too young, too innocent for you. So just stop liking her right now,” he suggested.

  “I’ll get right on that. Do me a favor… When you get on your plane, try to lighten the fuck up and don’t start shit when you get here. I called you to tell you how I felt because we’re friends. I don’t want to see you end things over her, but let me tell you, if you do, I’ll choose her. She’s special, someone I could actually see myself falling for in the future, and I won’t let you ruin it.”

  “You could fall for her? It’s been less than three days, you dumb fuck. Get the hell out of my apartment. You better be gone by the time I get there.”

  I sighed, expecting it. “I’ll be gone.”

  He hung up on me and I tucked my phone in my pocket. Time to start packing up.

  “Stone,” Ember said from the doorway.

  “Hey, you didn’t hear all that, did you?” I asked.

  She nodded with tears in her eyes. “Did you mean what you said?”

  “Every word.”

  She walked up to me, threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was sweet and pure, full of promise and hope. I let her guide the kiss, but when she opened her mouth to me, I couldn’t stop myself from ruling it. I thrust my tongue into her mouth, pulling her body flush with mine. She made little sounds in the back of her throat that drove me crazy. My hands were on her ass, keeping her close. She tangled her fingers in my hair, gripping the strands to keep my mouth on hers.

  I finally pulled away to breathe and we were both winded. My body craved hers, but I knew I needed to get the hell out before Dallas got back. I set her away from me.

  “I’ve got to get moved out,” I explained.

  She pouted for a minute and then let out a sigh. “I’ll help you pack.”

  I nodded my appreciation and went to my closet. I had several plastic totes stacked up and I pulled them out.

  “How do you want me to pack?” she asked, grabbing one of the totes.

  “You can just toss whatever in there,” I said, distracted.

  “Where are you going to live?”

  I sighed. “I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just put everything in my truck for now and hopefully find a place later today.”

  She nodded and the two of us packed in silence. Less than two hours later, my entire room was packed up. I didn’t have much, it seemed, but we filled every one of the totes. I put all my clothes in fresh trash bags, which sucked, but I didn’t have a choice. I refused to go out and buy boxes.

  When I went to leave, Ember kissed me sweetly, swiftly. “Once you’re settled, text me. I want Baker to meet you.”

  Sixteen

  Ember

  I shouldn’t have felt the way I did. I was thoroughly depressed by Stone leaving. I knew Dallas had basically kicked him out, but the reality was, Dallas was just pissed and he would get over it. Especially once I had a little chat with him.

  After Stone left, I called Dallas, but his phone went right to voicemail, which meant he was probably already in the air from wherever he was flying in from. I was stuck waiting for him to either call me back or show up, so I called Baker.

  He answered on the second ring. “Hey, girlie.”

  “Baker, Dallas is a jerk.”

  He laughed. “I was wondering when you would figure that out. What did he do?”

  “He kicked out Stone,” I said.

  “Who’s Stone?”

  “Stone was his roommate. He’s sweet and totally was trying not to be attracted to me, but things happened. Anyway, Dallas got pissed and kicked him out.”

  “So the two of you slept together?” He sounded as pissy as Dallas.

  “Oh, no! Stone wanted to talk to Dallas about the fact that he liked me because he felt like he should. He was trying to do the right thing, before anything too serious happened.” I didn’t tell him about the blowjob, but that could be Stone’s and my secret.

  “I see. So he just kicked the guy out on the street?” I could hear the wheels turning in his head.

  “Yeah. And Stone doesn’t have any place to go.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” he promised. “I’m ahead of sched
ule, actually, and I’ll be there in an hour. Want me to pick you up?”

  “Sure.”

  “Alright, but first, tell me how you feel about this guy,” he demanded.

  I should have known that was coming. “I like him. I mean, I’m not dumb enough to think we could fall in love in three days, but I really like him. And I could easily see myself falling in love with him, given enough time to get to know him better.”

  Baker sighed. “You’re all grown up, Ember. If you like him, then no one can keep you away from him. I’ll have a little chat with Dallas about your relationship with Stone. Whether he likes it or not, Dallas is in for a rude awakening.”

  “You’re the best big brother a girl could ask for,” I told him.

  “Dallas is too. He’s just worried about you. He loves you,” he commented.

  “I know. I just wish he’d let me live my own life.”

  “That’s not his way. Not until sense gets knocked into him,” Baker laughed. “Okay, I’m going to be there in an hour. We’ll talk more then.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  I hung up, thankful for a man who actually believed I could make my own decisions. At least Baker was on my side.

  When he texted me that morning, I was more than a little surprised that he would be visiting so soon, but his text explained he was ahead of schedule on his little trip. Little was a relative term. He’d been gone since Christmas, leaving his friends and family behind. He was a mess after Rainey died. If I ever thought my pain from her death was bad, his was catastrophic. He was so in love with her, so utterly enamored of her ; he had a hard time letting her go. She was his whole world, and she had been for a long time, whether he realized it or not.

  He never got over her when she left town, and he made it his mission to woo her as soon as she moved back to Casper, Maine. He didn’t let go of her, either, not when she ran away, not when she told him about her cancer. His was a true love. I’d been more than a little jealous when they got together two years ago. It was obvious in everything he did that it was all for her. I wanted to find love like that.

  I was still looking, and I had no idea what would happen with Stone, but I wondered if he would be like that, one hundred percent supportive and caring. I liked to believe he would be. Love did that to people; it made them change. Everyone retained a part of who they were, but love, real love, turned people into a more caring, more passionate version of themselves. That’s what I told myself, anyway.

  There were always exceptions. I’d seen enough of my girlfriends in college get smacked around to know that love sometimes turned people violent. I never quite understood the girls who stayed in relationships like those. They were scary, sure, but no one would ever lay a hand on me. I didn’t need someone to save me, like Dallas obviously wanted to. I was capable of taking care of myself.

  I sat on the couch, impatiently waiting for Baker to show up. He finally broke down a few months ago and bought an SUV, something he didn’t really want to do, since he loved his motorcycle. But even the bike got tiring when he was traveling so much. So he had a Suburban now. He carried a bit more stuff with him, too, since he actually had the room.

  A knock on the door surprised me, and I glanced at my phone, realizing the hour had passed without me even noticing. I looked through the peephole and spotted that familiar blonde hair. I yanked the door open and hugged Baker.

  He lifted me off the ground and spun me around, not stopping until we were both laughing and I told him I was going to throw up. He set me down, holding me at an arm’s length and looked me over.

  “You look great, kiddo,” he declared.

  I hated the nickname from every single person in my life except him. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” It was true. Baker had a tan and he looked truly happy. The smile on his face proof enough he was healing. Whatever he was doing on the road, it was working for him. “Where’ve you been the last few weeks?”

  “I was driving through Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. There are some great touristy spots, and I spent a fair amount of time in Atlanta.”

  “Oh yeah? How was that?” I asked, gesturing him to come inside.

  He stepped back. “Let’s go for a drive. I want to have you all to myself for a bit before Dallas comes home.”

  “Sure. Let me grab my purse,” I said, running to my room. I returned, locked the door and then we walked to his Suburban together.

  “You’ve grown up so much. How was college?” he asked as we go into his SUV.

  “It was okay. Dramatic, but it’s better than modeling, I guess.”

  He started the engine and pulled the shifter in Drive. “You guess? Are you thinking of going back to modeling now?”

  “Oh no. I want to keep as far away as I can from modeling. What I meant was that I’m not really all that happy with school. I still don’t know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Nothing seems to fit. Except singing with Stone. But that’s hardly a career.”

  He gave me a sly look. “You’re singing with Stone? Rainey always told me you had a beautiful voice.”

  “No she didn’t,” I replied.

  “Really. She said you never really liked to sing much, but she heard you a few times and thought you had a lot of potential. She was so proud of you.”

  I swallowed hard. “I know.”

  We were both silent for a full minute, neither of us wanting to delve deeper into talking about Rainey. It was still too raw, especially for him, I knew.

  “So tell me about Atlanta,” I suggested to change the subject.

  He smiled. “It’s so different. Growing up in Maine, we’re used to back roads and two lane highways… Atlanta is the exact opposite of that. There’s so many people, and they’re all not southern at all. I expected the whole bless your heart attitude, but it’s just not the same. On the outskirts of the city, people act a little more southern, but in the heart of the city, there’s hardly any difference between there and Boston. It’s interesting.”

  “That’s fun. Maybe I’ll be able to go into Atlanta this summer,” I commented.

  “There’s definitely a lot to do, so you wouldn’t be bored for a minute. It’s not really my scene, but I liked it. I’ve been ready to move on for over a week now, though, so coming up to Nashville to visit you is just what I needed.”

  “How long are you staying for?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure, honestly. I’m actually thinking that when I leave here, I’ll be heading back to Maine.”

  I was actually surprised. “Oh? I didn’t think you’d ever go back.”

  “I was always going back. I just didn’t know when that would be. And I feel a little like the last six months have been eye-opening. I’m not sure how happy I’ll be, but I’ve got family back in Maine. And they’ve all been supportive of this trip to find myself.”

  “Yeah, I get that. You’re a different person now, too. That may surprise them,” I told him.

  Baker raised his brow at me. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not quite as lighthearted as you were once were. You’re not the jokester. You take things a bit more seriously now. There’s nothing wrong with it, but everyone back home remembers how funny you were, how you were always the clown. And now you’re just more grown up. It could be a shock for them.”

  He seemed to ponder my words, but didn’t reply. I hoped I didn’t offend him, but I wasn’t going to apologize. Everyone back home would notice the change in him right away, so he should know what he was up against going back.

  Personally, I liked the change in him. He seemed more adult now, as if he’d lived a lifetime. Before, he almost seemed immature. It wasn’t a bad thing; I just always wondered if he would ever take things seriously. Of course, he took his dedication to Rainey seriously. He lived his life for her, every waking moment. And when she started to get sick again, he was there, taking care of her.

  Baker never hired a nurse. Instead, he cared for my sister himself. He proved his worthiness th
en, and I would be eternally grateful for the way he comforted my sister at her lowest point. When she passed, he comforted me, too.

  “Even though she’s gone, she’ll always be with us,” he said to me at the funeral. He whispered the words in my ear when I couldn’t stop crying. It was in that moment that I realized the depth of his love for her. Even when she was gone, he had faith that she was still a part of our world. I’d been inspired.

  “So what have you been singing with Stone?” Baker asked as he pulled into a restaurant.

  I wasn’t all that hungry, and I really wanted to text Stone, but I decided to wait. “It’s a song he wrote, actually. I’ve pretty much fallen in love with it, too. He said he wanted me to sing it with him, but now that he doesn’t have a place to live, I’m not sure what he’s going to do.” I was actually worried about Stone and what would happen to him now that Dallas kicked him out.

  “Don’t worry about him, Ember. Stone will be just fine.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  He laughed. “Just trust me.”

  I didn’t trust anyone, not after the way Dallas treated Stone. And all because he was interested in me. Stone didn’t deserve to be punished for liking me. It pissed me off that Dallas acted that way.

  Baker and I ate lunch, talking about what we’d done so far over the summer. He was genuinely interested in my life, and I was interested in his, too. We were definitely just like brother and sister. Our conversation felt natural, not rushed or forced.

  “Let’s take a drive,” Baker said when we were back in the vehicle.

  I agreed, though only because I had no desire to see Dallas just yet. Baker drove us to the outskirts of town. When he pulled into an apartment community, I asked him where we were.

  Then I saw Stone’s big truck parked in front of one of the units. “What’s going on?”

  Baker just smiled and parked next to Stone’s truck. Then Stone appeared in front of the SUV with a huge smirk on his face.

  I jumped out and walked over to him. “What’s going on?” I asked again.

  He nodded to Baker, who got out more slowly. “Baker helped me get a place.”