Page 102 of Embers of You
“Nothing.” Her tone is not believable at all.
“Mhm,” I hum.
“Hot guy, Jameson,”Jerry Lee calls out, and Lily immediately turns toward him, murmuring threats of his imminent death and I have to laugh because I do the exact same thing.
“What’re you not telling me?” I question.
“Nothing. Oh, look at the time. I have work to do.” She rushes off into one of the other rooms in the salon and I know she’s hiding something.
I go back to the room with kennels and I see Duke’s familiar face. His tail wags as soon as he sees me and I shake my head, unable to hold back my smile at seeing him. I pet him, and he leans against me completely as I scratch his belly. “What do you have here, buddy?”
I take the note off his collar, similarly to what Jameson has done before. I’m a little hurt that there isn’t a flower to go along with this one, but I push that thought away. I unfold it, unable to wait to read more from the man I swear I’m going to forget at some point.
Duke loves and misses you. He would never forgive me if I didn’t do everything possible to try and get You to forgive me.
“Your dad is crazy, you know that?” I ask the sweet eyed Pit Bull.
I call out for Lily who peeks her head around the corner with a smirk. “Yes?”
“Did Jameson drop off his dog earlier?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“You?” I gasp in disbelief.
“Yes, me. I can keep a secret, believe it or not.”
I just give her an incredulous look.
“What?” she gasps. “I can. Like right now. Bye!”
I shake my head and look down at Duke. I might as well get him nice and pretty, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to be around when Jameson picks him up. As much as I’m insisting that I can move on from him, I feel like the second I see him, any hope of that will go out the window.
“Shut up, Vern!”
“Shut up, Jerry Lee!” Lily yells back and I sputter out a laugh.
Never a dull moment around here.
I can’t bringmyself to reach out to Jameson once Duke is freshly bathed. His nails that had barely grown out are now as short as possible and I even put a cute flannel bandana on him. And just like the strong independent woman I am, I asked Lily to reach out to him.
Of course as the mature woman I am, as soon as the door opens and Jerry Lee greets whoever it is, I rush to the back. My excuse is to get Duke, but I fully intend on just letting him out to go to Jameson without me having to see him.
“Sutton, come out here,” Lily calls and I bite back a groan. I didn’t hear Jerry Lee announce the man’s presence, which is new for him.
“How do I look?” I ask Duke, but then shake my head. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. You’re my moral support, got it?”
He just looks up at me with his tongue sticking out. I give him a thumbs up and open the door. He rushes out, and I take my time. Though once I turn the corner, fully anticipating to see the tall, broad shouldered man who broke my heart, I’m met with a different firefighter. This one is younger with sandy colored hair and a mustache he’s clearly attempting to grow that isn’t fully in.
“Uh, hi, Parker. What’re you doing here?” I look from him to Lily in confusion.
“I came to pick up this guy right here.” He pats Duke on the head, and my shoulders fall.
“Oh, why couldn’t Jameson?”
“Sorry if you were expecting him. He had some things to take care of, but he did want me to give you something.” He pulls out an azalea and hands it to me.
I can’t help my happy reaction to getting a flower, even though I shouldn’t be. I shut down that train of thought before it has a chance to spiral.
