by Pepper North
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Ember bolted out of bed at the sight of the clock. I’m late! Then, with her heart still pounding from adrenaline, she sank back to sit on her bed. She didn’t have a job to go to this morning. Shaking her head in disgust at Traci’s evil manipulations, Ember picked up her phone to check her email. At the sight of a message waiting for her, she quickly touched the screen to open it and slumped. Jax was out on a mission.
I wonder if he’s really deployed or if he just decided my life is too messy to become involved in? The handsome military man didn’t need someone with all her complications. Having no job was bad enough; combine that with panic attacks... She’d run from someone like herself.
With an enormous sigh, she stood once again and stalked to the kitchen to get the day underway. First up, make coffee. She was going to need a lot. While the liquid caffeine brewed, she headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Her mother had always insisted that no one was allowed at the breakfast table without washing their face. Ember took care of that automatically before guiltily deciding not to share that she had lost her job with her family. They’d just worry.
She wouldn’t need makeup to update her resume and renew all her search engines. It would take several hours to search through the listings online. Perhaps there would be an ideal job with advancement possibilities. Or, at least, a job that wasn’t in a basement.
* * *
By the weekend, Ember was discouraged and worried. She would need to get a job quickly. Her salary had been so minuscule that she hadn’t saved enough money to survive for a month. But thanks to a sale on peanut butter, she had food for several days.
No news from Jax. She had no idea how long he would be away—if he was really on a mission. Stiffening her resolve, Ember wouldn’t let herself contact him or his friends. The idea of being Little like in all those incredible stories was obviously just a dream for someone luckier than she was.
By Monday, she decided that she would go pick up her final check. Calling the main line, Ember requested to talk to human resources. By the time they’d switched her to three different people, Ember figured she’d never get the check. Finally, when she was transferred to the fourth person, she’d had enough.
“Ember Stevens?” the masculine voice was forceful, but she could tell he was older.
“Yes. Please don’t keep passing me around to another department. I worked hard for the company. You owe me money.” Ember tried to sound very definite and controlled.
“Yes, we do. My apologies for the phone tag. I had flagged your name in our records, so I created a bit of a snafu for the office staff.”
“Why did you flag my account? Wasn’t firing me bad enough?” Ember was starting to breathe heavily as she became distressed. Stay calm. Breathe.
“Yes. Firing you was a disgrace. I flagged your account to apologize to you and to offer you a unique position.”
“Who are you?” she asked, totally thrown off-kilter by this conversation.
“My name is Edward Berkley. I am the chief operating officer. Overseeing all the departments is ultimately my responsibility. Unfortunately, I failed miserably in placing intuitive people in key positions. Would you be available to come in to talk to me this afternoon? I have openings at two and three.”
“I can get there at two, Mr. Berkley.”
“Perfect. My office is on the ninth floor. Give them your name at the reception desk, please.”
“O-Okay. Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t helped you yet, but I will. I’ll see you at two.”
While she tried to come up with an answer, the phone call ended. What had just happened? The COO just apologized to her? She looked at the clock and jumped to her feet. What did she wear to a meeting with the COO?
Dashing into her closet, Ember looked through her meager choices. She’d worn jeans for her job in the mailroom. Finally settling on her favorite floral skirt and a matching T-shirt, she ran to tame her hair and put on makeup. Whoever this man was, she wanted to look her best.
At ten minutes to two, she allowed herself to enter the building. Expecting someone to sneer at her for being a fired employee, Ember walked across the lobby with her head down. She wanted to be the smallest target possible.
“Hi, you’re Ember Stevens, right?” the cheerful blonde at the desk greeted her before she even reached the massive wooden reception area.
“Yes, I’m Ember.”
“I thought I recognized you from coming in each morning. Mr. Berkley instructed me to send you right up. Take the elevator to the ninth floor. His administrative assistant will be waiting to take you to his office. Her name is Ariel.”
Staggered by the difference between the gruff man who had escorted her out the door with her purse and the pleasant reception, Ember rushed to the elevator and pressed the up button. If there had been a mistake, she wasn’t waiting to see if anyone figured it out. Several people stepped into the elevator and nodded hello. When the doors opened on the ninth floor, Ember stepped out to find a woman dressed in a black skirt and light pink shell waiting for her.
“You must be Ember. Hi. I’m Ariel.” She gestured for Ember to come with her to the right. “I know—awful name, isn’t it? Darn animated movie with mermaids inspired my parents to give me that name.”
“I like it,” Ember mentioned honestly.
“You’re very nice.” Ariel smiled at her before walking into a large office overlooking the park. She pressed a button on her desk.
The inner door opened almost immediately. A man with a military bearing emerged with a smile. “Ember, thank you for coming. Would you like anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“I’d love some water, please,” Ember forced out of her dry throat. She didn’t want to ask, but she’d hung out in the park for a while before the meeting. Ember had allowed extra time to arrive early. Nervous, she’d returned to the spot where she’d met Jax. Simply being where he’d spent time with her was reassuring.
“I’ll bring it in, sir,” Ariel assured him as Mr. Berkley ushered Ember into his office. By the time he’d settled in his chair behind the enormous desk, Ariel returned with a chilled bottle of water and a cup of coffee for her boss. She left quietly, closing the door behind her.
“Thank you for coming in, Ember. My company owes you an apology and a job. I’ve reviewed video from the day of your termination and spot-checked several other days in the mailroom. We treated you very poorly. There is no excuse.”
Ember sat back in the chair she’d perched on and stared at him. “Mr. Berkley?”
“I cannot legally speak of an individual’s employment status, but I have dismissed one person and Human Resources has reassigned several employees to other duties. The mistreatment that you were subject to in the mailroom should not have been tolerated. At your immediate supervisor’s first report of your incompetence, he should have completed an investigation. He did not. That will change in the future.”
She blinked at him, trying to digest his words. It sounded like Traci had lost her job? Someone had figured out what she’d been doing? “I’m not sure that I’m following, sir. Are you saying that I can have my job back?”
“I’d like to offer you another position, if you’d consider it.”
“Really? What position?”
“I have been looking for the right person for a while. I believe you have an agricultural degree?” Edward Berkley asked, leaning forward and steepling his fingers on his desk.
“Yes. That doesn’t help me a lot in the city, but I studied all the basic college courses. I’m a quick study, sir.” Ember wasn’t following his line of thought, but she hoped this could lead to something positive.
“The company is growing by leaps and bounds. Its impact on the community has risen as well. We would like to be a leader in sustainability. In that effort, we would like to create a garden to not only equip the cafeteria with fresh, grown vegetables but to supply food pantries. I will warn you
that we would like this position to have a child-friendly component with high-interest lessons and activities for the city.”
Ember sat back in her chair as her mind whirled inside her skull. “I took a few education classes.”
“I know.”
The two looked at each other as Mr. Berkley allowed Ember time to think and consider all that he had obviously processed. “This seems too good to believe,” she whispered.
“That was exactly what I thought when I pulled your resume. How HR stuck you in the mailroom, I’ll never know. I’ll have a meeting about that in the future as well. If you’re interested, come to the window and let me show you the area I have in mind for your garden.”
“You won’t need me in the winter,” she asked, processing through the implication.
“Come look. I’m going to need you in the winter even more.” Edward stood and walked to the window. When Ember remained frozen in her chair, he encouraged, “I’ve finally found the perfect person for this job. Will you indulge an old man and listen to my ideas?”
“Oh, you’re not old,” she stuttered automatically as she stood and rushed to join him.
“First, I will insist you always tell me the truth and I will do the same. I am double your age plus some. That officially makes me old. Now, look to the east.” He pointed over a large area of untouched land behind the building. “Over there, I’d like to build a very large greenhouse. Your first job will be to tell me how large you need it to be to accomplish our goals. In front, I’d like to create a child-friendly center for nutritional and conservation classes. To the west, the outdoor gardens and storage areas for the equipment you will need.”
“That’s an incredible project. It will take several years to get everything up and operational,” she suggested.
“That will be your second job. First, determine what we will need. Second, create a plan with a timeline. Could we establish all this in five years?”
“Definitely, with enough funding,” she hedged. Five years? She’d have a job for at least five years?
“Funding is not an issue. It will require a lot of time from you. Maybe some on the weekends. I do not allow my employees to give their lives to the job. I did that in the military for too many years. You need to have time for friends and family. Keep track of your hours. Leave early. Come in late. Whatever you need to do to create the board’s dream. Are you interested?”
“I’m interested.” She swallowed hard, trying to be professional and forthright. “I’ll need a higher wage than I received in the mailroom.”
“I missed that part, didn’t I? I agree. I’m going to start you at eighty thousand dollars a year plus a signing bonus. You and I will reassess that salary in three months. If that is acceptable, let me show you your office until we get the greenhouse and buildings constructed. Then, I’d still like you to maintain an office here in the main building but know you’ll need to work onsite as well. What do you say?” Edward held out his hand.
“I’ll take the job and make this happen, sir,” she accepted, shaking his hand to seal the deal.
“Let’s go look at your office. I’ve already put a few files of information on your desk.” Mr. Berkley led Ember through his door. Ariel looked up with a twinkle in her eye. “Yes, Ariel. She took the job. You won’t have to buy overalls.”
“Hooray!” The friendly admin celebrated with her arms in the air. “I’ll come get you for lunch tomorrow, Ember. I love flower gardening. Would you consider some floral beds as well?”
“Of course. I’d love to hear your ideas,” Ember smiled. Her first friend here at work. Her financial position jolted into her mind. “I’ll have to take a raincheck for lunch for a while, until I graduate from peanut butter sandwiches,” she forced herself to admit.
“Ariel, process Ember’s signing bonus this afternoon and have the money deposited this afternoon. Lunch tomorrow is on me. I can tell already it’s going to be a working meal.”
Without waiting, the older man headed out the door. Ember looked at Ariel in astonishment. When the woman cheered and then shooed her away in consecutive motions, Ember scurried to catch up with Mr. Berkley.
Chapter Four
Baby, where are you?
The message came in as she sat at the bus stop trying to figure out what had just happened. Now Jax had returned? Her first thought was, Could this day get any better?
Then the euphoria of the new job crashed. Jax had only contacted her because he felt sorry for her. He deserved better than a woman he’d had to rescue twice in less than twenty-four hours. She couldn’t bear to have him stay in touch because he felt sorry for her.
She texted a message back, saying hi and that she was glad he was safe. Ending with a generic welcome home, Ember put her phone away and forced herself not to look at it again. Jax would make someone an amazing daddy. She didn’t want to waste his time.
Her phone buzzed incessantly in her pocket. Shaking her head when she moved automatically to answer it, Ember forced herself to sit on her hands. Finally, the signal stopped, and she slumped dejectedly against the hard bench seat.
“Seems like someone really wanted to talk to you. You should take pity on him and call that man back,” a kind voice observed next to her.
Lifting her eyes, Ember nodded at a woman she’d seen often here after work. “It’s best for him. He’ll find someone perfect.” Spotting the bus, Ember stood and got in the quickly forming line. She climbed the steps and dropped into the first available seat, suddenly feeling bluer than she had even after losing her job.
“Perhaps perfect isn’t what he wants. Real is often much more important,” the woman counseled quietly as she walked past Ember’s seat.
Ember tried to focus on the excitement of her new job and decided what to wear tomorrow. But none of that seemed important as her thoughts wandered repeatedly to the charismatic man who’d come to her rescue twice. She really didn’t know Jax. They’d only spent a couple of hours together, but she’d worried about him during his absence. Unconsciously, her hand pressed against her chest. She was so glad he was safe.
Over the next several days, Ember threw herself into her new job. Ariel had become a delightfully friendly face to run into at work. She had two small children and a husband at home, so they limited their friendship to office hours only. While busy at work, Ember focused her thoughts on developing the plan that Mr. Berkley had envisioned.
At home, however, she was lonelier than ever before. Jax had called and texted several times, but she hadn’t responded. He’d forget about her soon. Tonight, his message was different.
Baby, I’m on my way over to your apartment. I don’t know why you’re not answering my messages, but I need to know you’re alright.
Quickly, she’d typed, Hi, Jax! No need to come check on me. I’ve moved. Staring at her phone, she willed him to answer. Selfishly, Ember didn’t want to lose contact with him. No messages buzzed in response.
Thirty minutes later, she plugged her phone in to charge overnight and forced herself to take a shower to get ready for bed. She knew that she needed to move to a better place but hadn’t had the energy to search when she got home. Abandoning the thought of checking the online listings for apartments to rent, Ember turned off the lights and turned in for the night.
Curling up in bed, she snuggled with her only real friend in the entire world. “Pockets, I’m glad you’re here with me. Help me say my prayers. Dear Lord, please keep Jax safe. Help him find his little girl. If you can help me forget about him...”
Ember opened her eyes to stare into the darkness. She couldn’t ever finish that sentence. Inside, she didn’t want to forget Jax.
* * *
“Hello?” Ember answered the call from the reception desk. “There’s someone here to see me?” she asked in confusion.
The receptionist’s voice was hushed. “Take your time getting down here. He’s amazing to look at, Ember.”
Laughing at the friendly blonde’s words, Ember st
ood to walk to the door. “Oh, it must be about the heavy equipment on order. I’ll be right there.” Those construction guys were fit.
As she turned the corner from the elevators, Ember stopped suddenly. “Jax?”
The handsome soldier strode purposely forward. His stern expression registered immediately and she stammered, “Hi! What are you doing here?”
Jax waved a hand at a secluded space away from the listening ears at the desk. When she nodded, he followed her. “I’ve worried about you, little girl. If you were mine, you’d be in a corner with a very red bottom.”
She felt her eyes widen at the effect his blunt words had on her body. Instantly, his threat of discipline aroused her. Worse, her heart ached, wishing he really cared that much about her. Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Ember tried to make her voice light, “It’s okay, Jax. You don’t have to check up on me. I’m doing okay.”
“What if I’m not doing okay?”
She blinked at him, trying to process his words. “What?”
“I’m not doing okay. I’m sure that I’ve found my one, my little girl, and she won’t even give me the time of day. What did I do wrong?”
“You... You didn’t do anything wrong,” she stammered. “I just don’t want you to feel you have to check on me.”
“What if I want to check on you? What if your safety and happiness is what I worry about at night when you won’t answer?”
“Jax, you’re really sweet, but I don’t want to be a burden. You’ll find your real Little soon,” she said, shifting her gaze to the ground as tears filled her eyes.
“I already found my Little. She’s just too scared to take a chance on us,” he lamented.
His voice sounded so sad that she looked up at him. Worried, Ember reached to place a hand on his arm. Jax’s face was drawn. He looked tired. Could he really care?
“I thought I would try one last time, baby. I can’t just let you ignore me without trying to fight for us. Please, give me a chance to convince you I could be your daddy.” His voice filled with pain, Jax laid his emotions bare to her. “Please let me take you out to dinner tonight or even tomorrow so we can talk.”