“Yes, well I would love to be able to have a sit down with Mr. Tatum and just shoot the breeze too, but that’s not going to happen either,” said the guard. Ember knew he was attempting to intimidate her with his expression and condescending tone, but little did he know who had raised her.
“I’m sorry,” she leaned over and looked at his badge “Kevin, but I will see my brother today…”
Before she could finish her sentence a deep, smoky voice interrupted, sending her heart racing, “Is there a problem, Kevin?” She glanced to her left as the most incredible-looking man she had ever seen came walking up. “I believe the young lady said she’s here to meet with her brother.”
“Mr. O’Neil, I apologize. She said that Mr. Tatum is her brother, and I just thought that”—he shrugged slightly and looked Ember up and down before glancing apologetically at her— “since she had already lied and said she was an employee, she was just here to try to weasel her way into the tower.”
“I never actually said I was an employee. I asked how you knew I wasn’t,” she replied timidly. Did this Adonis just laugh at me? She could feel the color rush to her cheeks as she blushed.
“No worries, Kevin. I’ll take it from here.” He gave the security guard a slight smile, dismissing him.
Her unexpected defender headed off toward the elevators at a leisurely pace, apparently expecting her to follow. She stood there for a bit before she remembered how to move her legs. They passed the first set of elevators, and she realized he must be leading her to one in the back for the Executive floors only.
“O’Neil? You’re Blake O’Neil.” It wasn’t a question. “I remember you. You came home with Ridge one summer from college.” She blushed again remembering the crush she had on him then, even though she had only been fourteen at the time and he was twenty-one.
“Yes.” Not stopping, “And you’re Ember. Ridge mentions you from time to time when we have a chance to talk about anything besides work.” He glanced at her, “You had blond hair.”
Surprised that he even remembered her, she just nodded.
He smiled down at her as the elevator opened and he waved her in. She hesitated and sighed.
“Hope he told you about my fear of elevators?” She looked up at him but couldn’t hold his gaze more than a few seconds. Blushing, she smiled shyly and looked away. He chuckled and then cleared his throat when he realized she wasn’t kidding.
She slowly stepped into the elevator and moved to the back. She leaned her head against the back wall and closed her eyes. She was trying to regulate her breathing when she felt his arm up against hers, and she looked up in shock. He had moved so that he was standing beside her touching her arm. She was sure that it was supposed to be a reassuring gesture on his part, but little did he know the closeness of his body was not helping her to relax at all.
As the doors began to close, he looked down at her again, his eyes so dark they were almost black. “It will be over before you know it. Close your eyes if you need to.” He reached down and took her hand in his. She hoped that he couldn’t feel her shaking, but at least she imagined he would just think it was the fear of the elevator and not him. Truthfully, she had already forgotten where they were. She leaned her head back again and closed her eyes and breathed in his fresh scent that smelled like the ocean. She imagined him holding her hand on the beach. She tried to fight the blush she felt creeping into her cheeks again as if he might know what she was thinking.
It didn’t take long for the ding alerting her they were at their destination, and she heard the doors opening. She opened her eyes and was in awe of the room before her. She let go of Blake’s hand and stepped off of the elevator, but not before the receptionist caught them holding hands.
She was still looking around at the beautifully decorated lobby when Blake spoke, making her jump. “Follow me. I’ll take you to his office.”
Standing in the hallway of offices, he gestured to the one at the end. “Ridge should be in there. I don’t think he has any meetings today.” The office was all glass with beautiful thick navy blue drapery creating the privacy behind it and making the glass more like a mirror to those attempting to look in.
Looking up at Blake she said, “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you back there. You’re like my knight in shining armor.” After realizing what she just said her face immediately grew hot, and she quickly looked away. Oh, my word! Why did I say that out loud? Well, at least I’ll never have to see him again.
She caught his smirk in the glass as he began to turn, “It was my pleasure. Good luck.” and he headed back toward the lobby.
Could that have possibly been any more awkward? She glanced at herself in the glass and took note of her choice of clothes and had to stifle a giggle, thinking that would have run anyone off. She looked down at the hand that he had held and flexed her fingers, remembering how warm his touch had been. He had helped her in the elevator, and she was now standing in front of her brother’s office because of him; if he hadn’t shown up when he did, she might have been kicked out of the building altogether. He really had been her hero in a way.
She stepped forward to the door with “R. TATUM” in large gold writing across the window. She took a deep breath and knocked quietly. The butterflies were back.
CHAPTER 3
“Come in,” came the husky voice on the other side of the door.
Ember pushed the door open and stepped inside, not knowing what to expect. Her brother was standing at a giant window on the other side of his office. She hadn’t realized how large this room was from the hallway. She did notice he had decorated it a lot like their father’s study at home, though. His large desk was sitting in the center and piled with papers. Ridge had never been the most organized person. She smiled. Some things never change. The walls were a dark tan and the wood in the room was white while the leather for the chairs and the couch were a dark chocolate brown. A couch, really? She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
“Where’s the kitchen? You would think with this much room you could have added a kitchen.”
He stiffened at the sound of her voice and then looked over his shoulder at her. His steely blue eyes reminded her so much of their father, but the smile that crossed his face when he saw her was nothing like their dad.
“What are you doing here?” His tone was not accusatory, but one of excitement and disbelief. She felt ashamed that she had ever thought he would be upset to see her.
“Hi Bubba, I’m home.” She shrugged and smiled at him as tears started to well up in her eyes.
“Are you okay? What about Kaylen?” His smile faded as concern filled his eyes. He turned from the window, walking toward her, but stopped beside his desk as if he was afraid to come any closer.
“We’re okay. Well, I’m all right physically.” Her brows furrowed. “I'll be better in time. Can you talk right now? Should I come back later or it can wait until tonight at dinner? I just wanted to see you.” She was so nervous she was fumbling over what to say.
“I have all the time in the world for you, Sis.” He was not going to let her leave, and she had a feeling that if there had been any meetings, he would have canceled them all.
She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. When she leaned her head on his shoulder, she began to cry softly. He held her in his arms rubbing her back to comfort her the same way he had the last time he saw her.
“Tell me what’s going on so I can fix it.” Ridge was always trying to fix her problems. To be honest, he was always trying to fix everyone’s problems. He may have been 6’2” and 190 pounds, but he was just a big teddy bear. She was sure his heart made up over half his weight.
“I don’t think you can fix this, Bubba.” She cringed as he stiffened upon hearing that. She stepped back to walk toward the couch. She was now glad he had a couch in his office so she could at least attempt to be comfortable while reliving the events of last night. She took a tissue out of the box sitting on the
side table and then decided to grab the whole box; she would need them.
“You’re wearing sweats?” he asked in disbelief. She wasn’t sure if it was because she wore them to his tower in the first place or that she had made it through the lobby.
She laughed. “Yeah, I think you should give your security guard, Kevin, a raise.” She grinned up at him.
“Is that right? If he deserves a raise, then how did you get past him?” He cocked his head to the side, very interested in hearing her story.
“I manhandled him until he called uncle.” She could hardly get the whole sentence out without laughing at the thought.
Obviously, he had the same vision and started laughing too. “All five foot four of you, huh?”
She smiled. “Blake O’Neil overheard me saying I was here to see you; he recognized me and intervened then brought me up to your office.”
Ember wasn’t sure what to make out of his expression, but he nodded and then smiled slightly.
“So tell me, what brings my dear little sister all the way back from the big, bad city.” She could tell he was relieved she was home. He had never liked her being so far away from the family, and he had never liked Reece. She wasn’t sure if that was because he felt like Reece wasn't good for her or because he felt like no one was good enough for her.
“I don’t even know where to start.” She sighed. “I had to work a three-to-eleven shift last night at the hospital, but we were slow, so I requested leave early. I thought it would be nice to get some things done around the apartment without feeling like a zombie, so I went home at seven. When I walked in, the apartment was quiet, and I noticed the bottle of Benadryl in the kitchen. We’ve been dealing with Kaylen’s allergies for a couple of weeks now, so I didn’t think much of it. That was until I heard the moaning. I looked in at Kaylen, and she was asleep in her bed. Remember, this is seven o’clock.” The anger was apparent on her face. “I walked back to our room, and I knew what was happening, but I had to see for myself, or he would just attempt to fill me with doubt at what I had heard. I had to see it.” She wiped her tears with a tissue and blew her nose before she began again. “I cracked the door quietly so he wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t want to deal with being caught. I just needed the proof, and then we were leaving. It was dim in the room, but I recognized the woman from the car dealership. I never paid that much attention to her. I guess she works there with him. I quietly shut the door, grabbed Kaylen, and her bag, and we left. Last night we stayed in a hotel and headed here first thing this morning.” She wiped her eyes again.
Ridge didn’t say anything until he knew she was finished. He was always one to listen attentively and get as many facts as he could before weighing in on a topic. His look of concern was back, though and she knew it was because she was hurting and he couldn’t fix it.
“He didn’t know you had left?” he asked, a little bewildered. “Did he even try to call you when you didn’t come home?”
She took her phone out of her purse, handing it to Ridge, who was sitting on the couch beside her now. "The code is Kaylen's birthday." Fifteen unanswered texts and ten missed calls, five of which had voice mails.
“What’s the plan now? What can I do to help you?” he asked as he read through the texts. “Apparently he figured out you came home. He must have put it all together when he realized Kaylen was gone too.” She didn’t miss the anger in his voice.
“I came to ask if you would mind us staying with you for a few weeks while I find a job and then I can get a place of my own.” She took a deep breath. Asking for help was not something Ember liked doing, and if she didn’t have Kaylen to worry about, she couldn’t bear to do it.
Ridge looked at her and smiled. “You know I’ll get you a place of your own. All you have to do is say the word, and it's done.”
“I know you would, Ridge, but I would expect to make the payments as soon as I get a job and I could never afford to pay for a place you would pick for me.” She smiled at him. “I do understand, though, if you don’t want us to invade your privacy, and I respect that. So maybe we could compromise; I find the place, and you pay for a few months, then I will take over after I get on my feet.”
Ridge laughed. “That’s not the reason at all for me trying to get you a place, silly. I just figured you would rather have the privacy. I have plenty of room and no social life to speak of, so I would enjoy the company. Besides, it will help me get to know my niece since I haven’t been a part of her life. I’ve missed my little sister, too. I have a lot to make up for.”
Ember looked at him, confused. “Why would you say that? You don’t have to make up for anything.”
He laid his elbows on his thighs with his hands in front of him. Looking at his hands, he muttered, “I should have been here, Ember. I think about that a lot.”
“You had every right to live your life, and you needed to get your degree. I missed you, but I am also very proud of you. I take full responsibility for the choices I made and the consequences for them. As hard as it has been the past few years, I would never change a thing. Kaylen is worth every bit of it.”
Still looking at his hands he sighed and looked up at her with tenderness in his eyes. “I guess you’re right, but just so you're aware, if I had been here, I would have kicked Reece’s ass the first time he talked you into sneaking out with him.” His messy hair had made him look so much like the young man he had been the last time she had seen him.
She giggled. “Right. All I would have had to say was how much I wanted to do it, and you probably would have let me.” She nudged his shoulder with hers, and he grinned back.
“Probably.”
She gave him a quick hug and kiss on his cheek.
“I’m never going to run away again. I promise. Thank you for helping me, Bubba. I will try to get out on my own as soon as I can.” She sat back staring at the floor. “I still have some classes left in school, especially since I have apparently dropped out as of last night.” She sighed.
“Your two years are taking a while to get over with.” He grinned at her.
She smiled at him and shrugged, “Yeah, well my math has never been excellent.”
He laughed and walked back over to his desk. “I guess you have your resume put together, right?”
“I forgot about that; this has all happened so quickly.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“Okay, that’s no problem. We have an empty office up here that you can use to put one together. You’ll need that before you can apply for anything. You did tell the hospital that you wouldn’t be back?” His tone was cautious, knowing that if her answer was yes of course she had, then she may take offense, but as it turned out, he was right to ask.
Ember sat up straight and opened her eyes wide in shock. How could she have forgotten something as important as that? She shook her head in embarrassment, afraid to look him in the eyes. He must think she was a horrible person.
“Ember, you’ve been through a lot in just a short period. I know that an employer may not be happy about the circumstances, but they really can’t be helped. They will just have to understand, and if they don’t, then don’t look back. Keep moving forward because it’s all going to be okay now.”
That was what she had wanted to hear from him before she had even left Dallas this morning. She allowed herself a small smile and nodded. She knew he was right and soon everything would be a new normal. She would be working, going to school and taking care of Kaylen in a place of their own.
“Now let me show you where this office is. It’s just down the hall.” He led her out of his office and stopped a few doors down. The large room was right off the lobby. It was big, but not like his, and there were no decorations in it. It would be perfect for her to write up her resume without distractions.
Ridge left the door open when he went to leave, and she saw him talking to the receptionist. She couldn’t hear them, but she knew he was telling her if Ember needed anything she was to supply it. W
hen he headed back to his office, he glanced in at her and winked. She smiled back at him and looked over at the receptionist, who was glaring at her. Oh well, she thought, I’m not here to make friends.
It was close to 10:00 a.m. by the time Ember began working on her resume. The last two days’ events, the overall lack of rest and eating poorly had started wearing on her. She was having trouble even stringing two thoughts together, so she laid her head down on her arms to clear her mind some.
The last thing she remembered was smelling the ocean and feeling like she was being lifted and pressed snuggly against a warm wall.
CHAPTER 4
“Ember, it’s time to wake up. You know Mom will be disappointed if we’re late.”
She mumbled something unintelligible but refused to budge.
“Alright, sleepy head. I’ll carry you if I have to.”
As the voice got closer and louder, she began to wake up more, and then she felt someone kneeling down beside her. Her eyes popped opened, and she glowered at her brother. He grinned at her.
“You're not carrying me,” she said matter-of-factly.
“So you’re still not a morning person, huh?” He was still grinning and then added, “Well, technically it’s not morning, so you should be able to hop right off that couch.”
“Couch? How did I get on the couch?” She looked down at her body laid out on the sofa with a pillow and a blanket.
“You didn’t walk?” He asked sounding surprised.
“No,” she said defensively, “I didn’t even mean to fall asleep. I was getting ready to type up my resume, but I was so tired I couldn’t think. I laid my head down for a second to clear it and woke up just now. What time is it?”
“It’s five-thirty.” He had a peculiar look on his face. “I tried to wake you up for lunch, but you were sleeping so soundly you wouldn’t budge.”
“It’s five-thirty p.m.?" she said in disbelief, "I must have been more tired than I thought.”
Wildest Dreams (Dreamers Series Book 1) Page 2