Jade came over to stand beside Kamella. Ember thought she looked a little nervous, but finally, she got the courage to say what she was thinking.
“I don’t mind taking Kaylen home tonight if you need someone to watch her. She and Hunter get along really well, and I’m sure they would have a great time. That way you could go straight to work on your resume. Kaylen is about the same size as Hunter, so she can wear some of her clothes until you get some,” she said quietly.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out or anything. I can figure it out tomorrow if you have something else to do.” She did not want to make Jade feel like she expected anything from her.
“You need to find a job to start your new life and I want to help. It’s the least I can do.”
“It would be easier to get some things done tomorrow if I knew she was taken care of, but I feel bad."
Jade looked surprised, “Like I said, I want to help, and I know Hunter would love it.”
“If you’re sure…” Ember looked in the direction of the room the kids sat in watching a movie.
“I am,” Jade said.
When Jade and Ember finished making the plans, Kamella said, “You know, Ember, you still have clothes upstairs in the closet. We never changed anything.”
Ember’s face lit up. “I forgot I had left some clothes here. I hope I have something that will work.” She started for the stairs as Jade began rounding up the kids to go home. When Reece showed up, Max had taken them into the theater room so they would be distracted. She stopped just before she got to the stairs and called Kaylen over.
Kneeling down and looking Kaylen in the eyes, she smiled. “Do you know how much Mommy loves you?”
Kaylen grinned like she knew a secret. She threw her arms around Ember’s neck whispering in her ear, “Yes! Cause I love you that much too.”
Ember quickly wiped the tear from her eye before Kaylen pulled away. She didn’t want to worry her. She gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and hoped that she wouldn’t mind staying at Jade’s.
“Do you want to stay over at Hunter’s house tonight? Aunt Jade said you can watch movies, eat popcorn and play with the puppies, but if you're scared, or you just want to come to Uncle Ridge’s with me, you can.”
“I’m not scared, Momma. I’m a big girl. I want to see the puppies, but I might miss you, not cause I’m scared, but cause I won’t see you.” She looked torn between going and staying.
“I can call you later to say good night, and then in the morning I'll call you to say good morning. If you miss me, you can call me anytime, and as soon as I get done I'll come pick you up. Maybe we can watch a movie or something to celebrate you being a big girl. How does that sound?”
Ember could see her thinking it over in her head as she nodded slightly. Then she looked at Ember and smiled. “Okay, but I get to pick the movie.”
Ember laughed. “Okay.” She squeezed her in a baby bear hug and gave her kisses all over her face. Kaylen started laughing and tried to squirm out of Ember’s arms.
“Okay, you two, it’s getting late, and if these girls want to see a movie before bed, we need to go now, or it will be morning before it’s over.” Jade and Ember both smiled at the excited looks on the girls faces. Ember took Hayden from Jade to give her a hug and kiss and then handed her back.
“Your turn, silly girl.” She picked Hunter up giving her a hug and kiss before spinning her around; then Ember set her back down holding on to her until she knew Hunter could stand up without falling over.
“Thanks again, Jade. I appreciate it.” This whole closeness thing was new to them both, at least with each other, so Ember figured she didn’t have to hug her again. Leave it to Ridge to be ever helpful. Grabbing each one of them in an arm, he pulled them both around in a big bear hug, almost smacking their heads together. They started laughing, and soon Ember could hear her mom join in.
After everyone had said goodbye to Jade, Tanner, and the kids, Ember went upstairs to check out the closet. She walked down the long hallway and stood in front of the closed door. She slowly opened it stepping inside. It looked exactly like it did the day she left. She walked over to the bed and picked up the stuffed white teddy bear that was sitting on it. “Cache.” She said his name quietly and hugged him to her chest as she crossed the floor to the corkboard hanging on the wall. There were pictures of Ridge, Reece and some of her with them and even a few photos of her mom and Jade. She laughed out loud when she saw the one of her ninth birthday party where Ridge showed up dressed like a clown. Then she saw the picture from the summer she was fourteen. It was a pool party and there standing on the diving board was Blake O’Neil. She pulled the picture off before noticing the calendar hanging next to the corkboard. It was still open to November 2010. Her mother was right—the room had not been touched since she left, five long years ago.
She took a deep breath, then setting the teddy bear and picture on the bed, she walked over to the closet and pulled it open. She was surprised at the amount of clothes that were still hanging in it. After checking that they would still fit, she started putting together a few outfits to take with her. She was relieved that she was able to wear most of the clothes still and would not have to go to the store tonight after all. She had placed the clothes on her bed and was just trying to figure out how to get them to the apartment without wrinkling them when her mother knocked on the door.
“I thought you might want to borrow my garment bag. It will help to keep the wrinkles out. Your delicates can go in this smaller travel bag.”
“You must have been reading my mind,” Ember smiled at her.
They continued to talk about Ember’s plans for the next day while placing the clothes carefully in the bag. After stuffing "Cache" and the picture inside she zipped the bags.
“At least I know I’m going to be coming back this time, so it doesn’t hurt as bad to leave.”
“I love you so much, Ember. I am so sorry that I allowed that to happen.” Her mother hugged her tight and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s okay, Mom. Really, it is. I’ve learned a lot about myself in these last five years. Besides, we’re home now.” She smiled at Kamella.
“I know. I wish I could have been there for you more, Ember.”
“Mom, really it’s okay. Kaylen and I are alright. I’m just happy to be here now.”
Her mother wrapped her in a huge embrace before helping her carry the bags downstairs. Ridge met them downstairs, kissed their mom good night then took the luggage out to the SUV.
Ember looked around the room for her dad. She wanted more than anything to tell him how much she missed him and loved him, but he was nowhere around. Someday she thought. She was sure her mom probably knew she was looking for him, but Kamella never said anything.
“Good night, Max. It was good to see you. I’m happy you joined us for dinner.” Ember gave him a bright smile.
“Yeah, glad you joined us, Max,” Ridge added.
“It was nice. I enjoyed spending time today with Kaylen as well.” His smile was genuine and as always he made Ember’s heart warm.
“I can’t wait to spend some time with her, too.” Ridge was a little quieter than usual when he spoke. He seemed a little disappointed that Kaylen went home with Jade instead of with them.
Ember knew without a doubt that Kaylen was going to be in love with her uncle as soon as they got to spend some time together.
CHAPTER 7
Ember woke up the next morning feeling better than she had in months. She had gone to bed with a full stomach and fell asleep shortly after Ridge showed her to her room. She took just enough time to change, freshen up, and say goodnight to Kaylen again; then she was asleep before she hit the pillow, or at least that’s how it felt. Ember thought she would have had trouble sleeping without Kaylen being there, but she had been so exhausted she didn’t think she even turned over once.
After her shower, she dressed in a red long-sleeved button-up shirt with a black pleated s
kirt that came to the top of her knees. She laughed at how young it made her look. She was glad she was going shopping tomorrow. It wasn’t a bad look, but she was already having trouble convincing people of her age. Twenty-three was young, but it wasn’t high-school age anymore, and since she had a child now she thought she needed to look her age. She even contemplated for a bit going back to her natural blond hair color but thought the black-cherry matched her personality better.
After she threw on a little makeup and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, she walked into the kitchen. Ridge was sitting at the table reading the paper while eating some cereal. He looked up and grinned when she walked into view.
“Did you sleep well? I was hoping that bed wasn’t too hard. I had to trade it out about a year ago and get a new one. It was killing me.”
“To be honest, I think it could have been concrete, and I wouldn’t have even noticed. I slept better than I have in…well, I don’t know the last time I’ve slept that good.” She smiled.
“Great! Grab some coffee, and there’s some cereal in the pantry. The cups and bowls are in the cabinet over there.” He pointed next to the refrigerator.
“Thanks, Bubba. For everything.”
She fixed her coffee and cereal and sat down across from him while he continued to read the paper.
“Can I see the classifieds, please?”
She looked through a few listings, but there weren’t many. She remembered that there should be more on Sunday, so she didn’t feel so bad about not finding anything since it was Thursday. She would focus today on getting her resume finished and then go shopping tomorrow for clothes. She felt confident that she would be ready to scour the classifieds and find the perfect job by Sunday.
They walked into the hall together, and Ridge hit the button for the elevator. Just as it arrived at their floor, a woman called out to hold it open. Ridge pushed the stop button while Ember made her way to the back as usual. She caught a glimpse of the young blond who was wearing a gray suit dress and black heels. As she closed her eyes, Ember wondered how the woman moved so fast in shoes like that.
“Thank you. I hate waiting for these things.” Her voice was soft but a bit out of breath from trying to catch up to them.
“Is he coming?” Ridge asked. Evidently he was talking about his neighbor. She wasn't surprised they knew each other since Ridge had explained the top four floors had only two penthouses each.
“He was right behind me. Here he comes. Hurry!” she called to the man who had come out of the other apartment. Since it was apparently going to be a bit before the elevator moved, Ember opened her eyes. She had to stop herself from gasping. How did she not know he lived there?
Blake stepped in and looked at Ember quizzically. He didn’t say anything before the woman stepped between them with her back to Ember. She quickly shut her eyes as the doors began to close.
When the elevator got to the bottom, Blake was the first one out, followed by the beautiful woman. Ridge stopped outside the doors and looked over his shoulder at her.
“Coming?”
“Yes, that elevator is a little shakier than the ones at the tower.” She forced a smile.
“I’m sorry. I forgot.”
Ember rolled her eyes at him mockingly. “Don’t be sorry. Really. I don’t like them, but I’m not as deathly afraid of them as I used to be.”
Walking to the car, Ember could not believe that she was jealous of the woman with Blake. He had not shown any interest in her or tried to lead her on. In fact, she embarrassed herself around him so much she needed to avoid him. So why did it feel like all the air was being squeezed from her lungs?
Ember caught a glimpse of Blake and the tall blond as he was getting into his Corvette. She tried to give him a kiss goodbye, but finally, just stormed off toward her car and slammed the door. Ember opened her car door and climbed in, still trying to process what she had just seen. Why didn't he kiss her goodbye? Oh well, she remembered she was supposed to try to avoid him anyway, so it didn’t matter. Right?
Ridge was explaining some of the dynamics of his company on the drive to work. The ride wasn’t very long, and as much as Ember hated to admit it, she was glad because she was going to end up falling asleep if she had to hear much more. Ember wanted to support her brother’s work but not have to listen to the details. She thought maybe she would tell him a story about helping patients to the bedside commodes and suppressed a grin. She was pretty sure that the discussion of work wouldn’t come up again.
When they arrived, Ember noticed the security guard, Kevin, standing off to the side watching as people filed into the building. She grabbed Ridge’s arm and walked over to him.
“Ridge, this is Kevin. He’s the security guard I was telling you about,” she said with a serious expression. Kevin’s eyes grew wide.
Ridge was quick to pick up on her ruse and played along. “Right, the one who was going to kick you out of the tower.” He tried to sound like he was offended.
“Yes, the one I said deserves a raise.” She grinned, and Ridge laughed. Kevin looked confused, though.
I'm sorry, Mr. Tatum. Sir, if I had known that she really was your sister I never—”
Ridge laughed again. “No worries, Kevin. If I hadn’t heard her voice before I saw her, I probably would have kicked her out too.” He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes. Kevin relaxed a little and even grinned.
“Are you working here now?” he asked Ember curiously.
“No, I’m just here to work on some papers for the day. Have a great day, Kevin.” She gave him a big smile and headed toward the elevator, following Ridge, who had already started that way.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blake coming out of the café with a coffee and newspaper in hand. He had stopped at the lobby desk to talk to someone, but he hadn’t noticed her.
When the elevator dinged for the twenty-fifth floor, she opened her eyes, and the spiteful receptionist was there, glaring again. Ember wondered what the woman thought now that she was walking off the elevator with Ridge this time instead of Blake. She almost laughed. She wasn't a hateful person, but it was so hard to be nice to mean people.
Ridge opened the door to the office she was using and let her in. Before he walked out, she stopped him.
“Did you tell the receptionist that I’m your sister?”
Puzzled he said, “Carla? No. Why?”
“She keeps glaring at me, but that might explain it.” She shrugged.
“She’ll get over it.” But as he was leaving he noticed Carla watching, and he turned to give Ember a kiss on the cheek. They both started laughing. When Blake stepped off the elevator, they caught his attention, and he walked over to them.
“Sounds like a party in here,” he said.
“Yeah, we think Carla is jealous of Ember, so I gave her a kiss on the cheek to give her something to talk about.”
“Really? Why do you always get to have all the fun?” He winked at Ember.
“You could kiss me too. That would have her going crazy.” Immediately feeling the flush, What was I thinking? Why did I say that out loud? Ember smiled shyly. She had been laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Blake stepped in front of her to wipe one away gently. The touch was like an electric shock.
Leaning down, he said, “If I kissed you it wouldn’t be your cheek, but it would be something everyone in the building would be talking about.” His smoky voice was soft, keeping Ridge from hearing it. He stepped back and slapped Ridge on the back. “We need to get together today and go over some plans.”
Glancing at Ember with a concerned look but talking to Blake, Ridge said, “Yeah, I have a meeting at nine, but I’m free after that.”
They continued talking as they walked out of the office, leaving Ember standing there with her mouth hanging open like a fool.
When Ember noticed Carla staring at her, she just smiled and closed the door, but once it was closed, she turned around to lean against it, touching her cheek.<
br />
Get a grip, she said to herself; he has a woman, it was just for show. Even though she could still feel the place where he had touched her.
She sat down at the desk and while the computer was loading, she took her phone out. There was already a text from Reece. She just sighed and unlocked the phone to call Kaylen to make sure she was still okay with Jade. After talking to her, Ember was relieved she was going to get some work done without having to worry about her.
When she got off the phone with Kaylen, she looked at the text from Reece:
Hi, beautiful. I hope you have a
great day. Do you think I can take
you to dinner sometime soon?
She locked her phone back and pulled up an empty Word document to start her resume. She wasn’t ready to see Reece, but she also knew him well enough to know he wasn’t going to accept no for an answer. Not wanting to start her day off with a fight, she decided to text him back later.
It was noon when Ridge came in and talked her into going to lunch. She was usually so busy that she would forget to eat. She had eaten three meals straight, and couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.
The restaurant they went to was pretty busy during lunch. It was an Italian place near the tower so they could just walk. It was a chilly day but perfect with her long sleeves.
They ordered their lunch, but Ridge remained distant until their food came. Ember wondered if the thought of having her and Kaylen living with him was starting to wear on him. Afraid of the answer she bit the bullet, “Hey Ridge, you haven’t said a word since we sat down. Is everything okay?”
“I have to travel to Africa,” he said flatly.
“Oh, okay.
"That's what the meeting with Blake was about." He looked so young when he pouted.
"For how long?” She asked.
“I’ll be gone for at least a week, if not two.”
Wildest Dreams (Dreamers Series Book 1) Page 4