Wildest Dreams (Dreamers Series Book 1) (3 page)

“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. When 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.”

“Yes, so we better get a move on or mom is not going to let us live this down. She still expects us to show up on time.”

“Give me a few minutes to wake up and I’ll be ready.”

She went to freshen up then waited for Ridge. She was admiring some artwork on the wall near the elevator when she caught Blake's reflection as he walked out of his office that was down the hallway opposite of Ridge’s. She pretended to look at the picture as she examined him more closely. He was tall like Ridge, probably the same height or at least very close. His hair was black like his eyes, and he had apparently been running his hands through it because it was more disheveled than it had been earlier. He stopped behind her, looking at the elevator button, but not moving to hit it. She turned to glance at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Did you have a restful nap?” One corner of his lips turned up slightly.

“You knew?” She was horrified. How embarrassing. The only thing worse would have been if he had seen her drool.

“Yes, I saw your head on the desk, and you didn’t answer my knock.” Ember cringed. So he probably had seen her drool.

“Yes, it was restful. Thank you,” she answered him quietly. She was going to have to do everything she could to avoid this man for sure now. How could she ever get past the humiliation of today?

He nodded but continued to stand there. They both looked down the hall when they heard the door shut behind Ridge as he came toward them. Blake reached around Ember and hit the button for the elevator. By the time Ridge got there, the elevator had arrived.

“Are you still afraid of elevators?” Ridge looked at her as the doors opened.

Sighing, she nodded and glanced up at Blake as he was stepping on. She could tell he was trying to hide a grin.
Just one more reason to avoid him,
she thought.

She followed Blake in and went to the back again like she had earlier. Unlike this morning, though, Blake was standing on the side, leaning back and staring down at his shoes. Ridge came up and stood beside her like Blake had and put his arm protectively around her shoulders. He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder while she closed her eyes.

“At least it’s a fast ride,” he said.

Blake pushed the button to the main lobby, and the doors shut. Ridge asked him a question about work, and they talked for a bit. Everyone had left for the day, so they made it to the lobby without having to stop for anyone else.

As Ember was trying to relax, she released her death grip on her purse just to have it fall to the floor. “Shoot!”

Blake leaned over to pick it up, and as he stood back up, the doors were opening, allowing fresh air to filter into the elevator. She smelled the ocean again, reminding her of being in the elevator with him this morning, and then she realized it was the same smell from her dream. She gasped.
No way!
He had carried her to the sofa. She stood there staring at him in shock. When he handed her the purse, he smiled shyly. Ember wasn’t sure if he knew she had figured it out or not, but she wasn’t going to tell him that was for sure.