Ember in the Heart: A Novella Read online

  Ember in the Heart

  A Novella

  Samantha Young

  Ember in the Heart

  A Novella

  By Samantha Young

  Copyright © 2021 Samantha Young

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of the above author of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  This work is registered with and protected by Copyright House.

  Contents

  1. Ember

  2. Foster

  3. Ember

  4. Foster

  5. Ember

  6. Foster

  7. Ember

  8. Foster

  9. Ember

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  1

  Ember

  “This cannot be happening.” I glowered out of our living room window at the moving van sitting on the driveway of the house next door. More specifically, I glowered at the man standing in front of the moving van. To my sister, Jade, I demanded, “Did you know about this?”

  Jade raised her hands defensively. “I swear Colt never said a word.”

  Colt was my elder sister’s fiancé and the business partner of the man currently moving into the house next door.

  A man I couldn’t stand.

  “I think we’re all being very rude and should probably go out there and welcome him to the neighborhood,” Celeste, our second youngest sister, remarked as she peered curiously at him. “His kid is cute.”

  “Kid,” I huffed, rolling my eyes. “He’s a man-child. No man-child should be raising a child.”

  “That can’t be helped.” Jade’s tone admonished. “His ex took a job in Paris and gave Foster full custody. Colt said they’re both having a hard time adjusting.”

  Foster. Foster Darwin. Quite possibly the rudest man I’d ever met. My attention strayed to the little girl standing on the driveway, her hand held tight to Foster’s as they watched the moving team unload the truck. She wore a somber expression on her sweet little face. “How could a mother abandon her child for a job?”

  “We don’t know the circumstances,” Celeste reminded us.

  “True,” I murmured.

  “I’m done peeping out the window.” Jade started for the front door. “Foster is Colt’s best man at the wedding. It would be weird if I didn’t say hello.”

  Celeste hurried to follow Jade.

  Lifting the hem of my full-skirted maxi-dress, I marched out of the house, bounced down the porch steps after my sisters, onto the lawn I took care of, hopped over my flower beds and onto Foster’s driveway.

  My new neighbor.

  The universe had a sick sense of humor.

  “Foster!” Jade called and the man in question turned, adorable daughter in hand.

  “Jade?” he frowned, coming toward us.

  His little girl’s face brightened with curiosity.

  “Colt didn’t tell me you bought the house next door,” Jade said after kissing his cheek. “Why wouldn’t he tell me?”

  “You live next door?”

  “For now. Once Colt and I are married I’ll move in with him but this is our family home. Our parents left it to us. Ember and Celeste live here too.”

  At the mention of my name, Foster’s lips pressed together into a tight line.

  Yeah, the feeling’s mutual, buddy.

  “Hey, Georgie, do you remember me?” Jade crouched down to eye level with Foster’s daughter.

  She nodded shyly.

  Jade held her hand out to her. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  Georgie eyed my sister’s hand, then her face, considered her, and then tentatively placed her hand in Jade’s. My big sister beamed that stunning smile of hers. “Are you excited about your new house?”

  Georgie’s answer was to step behind her father’s leg and bury her face in the back of it. Foster settled a hand on her head, stroking her hair in comfort. I refused to let the sign of familial love melt my anger toward him. “She’s a little shy.”

  Jade stood. “Of course, I remember. And it’s a big day.”

  “Yeah.” Foster stared expressionless at our house for a second. “It is weird Colt didn’t mention you lived next door.”

  “Did I hear my name?”

  We turned to see Colt Baron striding up Foster’s driveway, a twinkle in his blue eyes, a mischievous smile curling his lips. “Hey, angel.” He stopped to press a kiss to my sister’s mouth, winked at her, smiled at me and Celeste and then turned his charm on Georgie. “How’s my princess doing?”

  Georgie stepped out from her father’s leg and went to Colt with animation. She held out her arms and he swept her up into them with ease. Catching the look of longing on my sister’s face, I wished we were standing next to one another so I could squeeze her hand. Colt was four years younger than my thirty-eight-year old sister and he wanted kids. So did Jade but I knew she worried they’d have a hard time getting pregnant because she was a little older. I wanted to reassure her because I couldn’t imagine a universe in which my kind, beautiful, patient sister wouldn’t be a mom. Both of us had been in several relationships but being the romantics that we were, we didn’t want to settle down for less than utter certainty that we’d found the one.

  It was quite by chance she met Colt. Jade was an English teacher at a local high school and one of her student’s moms was going through a bad divorce. Parent-teacher conference night came around and that mom’s younger brother decided to accompany her so she wouldn’t be alone for her first post-divorce conference. That brother was Colt. At his and Jade’s engagement party, Colt told all of his guests how he walked into Jade’s classroom and felt like he’d been hit by a thunderbolt. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. And to his amazement she turned out to have an even more beautiful soul.

  I’m glad he saw that in Jade. It was the truth. She had patience and an unending well of forgiveness and compassion. I continually told myself to be more like my big sister. Unfortunately, I didn’t always succeed.

  I glowered at Foster as he chatted with Jade.

  Feeling eyes on me, I yanked my gaze from the rude man and found Colt smirking at me. Georgie was now at his side, holding his hand, quietly watching the moving team in the background.

  My suspicious gaze on my soon-to-be brother-in-law, I wondered what he was playing at not telling us about Foster buying the house next door? He’d been witness to the engagement party incident so it was just common courtesy to give me a heads up!

  Bristling, I crossed my arms over my chest and intensified my displeased glare. Colt just grinned, flashing that boyish smile Jade fell for. To be fair, I couldn’t imagine Colt’s intention was to be cruel or devious. He’d proven himself to be kind and generous. In fact, he was the perfect match for my sister.

  I wondered how he and Foster became business partners and best friends.

  Never mind the age difference—Foster was only twenty-five—they seemed to have completely different personalities. Where Colt was inclined to smile and laugh, Foster grunted and glared.

  My cheeks flushed as I remembered the engagement party and our first meeting.

  “Are you nervous?” I asked Jade.

  “A little. Colt invited business people I haven’t met before.”

 
; “Well at least you don’t have to worry about impressing the in-laws,” I cracked, taking a sip of champagne.

  Jade’s lips parted in shock. “Not funny.”

  I winced. Colt’s parents died in a car crash when he was nineteen years old. It was one of the things he and Jade bonded over considering our parents had died on a hiking trip when Jade was twenty-three and I was twenty-one. “I’m sorry. I should know better. Maybe I’m nervous. I’m sorry.”

  My sister patted my arm. “It’s fine. And why are you nervous?”

  I gestured to the decorated function suite Colt had hired at a five-star hotel. The guests were scheduled to arrive in five minutes. “Look how fancy.”

  “You don’t like it?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I assured her.

  While our parents left us a big old house, our inheritance was really just enough to pay the cost of keeping it. My dad inherited the house from his father and folks thought we had more money than we did. My parents were never the fancy types. Five-star hotels and material “stuff” wasn’t their thing. Colt, however, was determined to give Jade the best of everything and he could afford to considering he ran an extremely lucrative real estate company with Foster Darwin called Baron & Darwin

  The engagement party, much like the upcoming rehearsal dinner and wedding, was organized by a professional planner. She’d taken Jade’s favorite colors (pale metallics like champagne, silver, and rose golds) and incorporated those into her design. The overall effect was understated elegance. It suited Jade. I told her so.

  My sister relaxed. A little. I wrapped my arm around her slender waist. “Hey, you have nothing to be nervous about. You are sweet, smart and beautiful inside and out. Pure class from top to toe.” It was true. Her blond hair was styled up off her neck, diamond earrings Colt bought her for her thirty-eighth birthday sparkled in her ears, and she wore a pleated silver evening dress that contoured her slim figure. It was sleeveless with a fairly modest v -neck and a slightly less modest slit in the skirt. The dress shimmered under the chandeliers making my sister look like a human star.

  “Thank you.” She studied my face with those earnest blue eyes of hers. Honestly, it wasn’t any wonder folks asked us if we were really sisters. Except for the shape of our noses and mouths, we didn’t look a thing alike. “Now why are you so nervous?”

  “I was kidding. I’m not nervous,” I assured her. I was comfortable enough in my own skin to not care what people thought of me but I wasn’t sure what kind of crowd Colt’s social circle was. Serious business types didn’t really have a lot in common with a thirty-six-year old single massage therapist who ran a spa and a new age store out of the same building.

  Watching Colt chat with our younger sisters, Moon (a thirty-three year-old lawyer who lived with her wife, Linzi, and their adopted daughter, Jilly, in the city), Celeste (thirty years old, twice divorced, lived at home with me and Jade, and was a nail technician at my spa) and Luna (twenty-eight, divorced, re-married and now a stay at home mom) across the room, part of me hoped they behaved themselves. Moon would behave herself because secretly she and Linzi would be dying for the party to end so they could go home to Jilly. But Celeste and Luna were wildcards. Get enough champagne in them and there was no telling what they’d get up to.

  “Colt won’t mind,” Jade said and I realized she’d read my thoughts when she continued, “If Celeste and Luna get a little wild later.”

  “Let’s just hope there’s no stripping involved,” I muttered, taking another sip of my drink.

  Jade winced at the reminder Luna had stripped at my thirtieth birthday party. An event that sparked one of the darker periods in our relationship.

  “Sorry, shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  “Did I tell you how gorgeous you look?” Jade smiled, changing the subject.

  “Thank you.” While I was sure all the ladies would wear dresses of a similar ilk to my sister, I couldn’t help but be myself. Though I did pay careful attention to Jade’s wedding colors when I chose it. I was her Maid of Honor after all. My dress was a blush/rose gold colored silk-georgette gown, fitted at the waist with a full skirt. The sleeves were sheer and billowy but tight at the wrists. All of that was pretty demure. Except for the plunging neckline and tie-opening back. And I had boobs so it was pretty daring. There was a lot of tape holding me into it. “Not too much?”

  My sister grinned. “Just enough. You look hot. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes. Ever since Jade had fallen in love, she’d become determined that there was still hope for me too. I wasn’t sure about it anymore and, honestly, I was okay with that. My life was great. I no longer needed romance to be fulfilled.

  Suddenly guests began streaming into the suite and Colt turned toward us, gesturing to Jade.

  “I better go.”

  “Have fun,” I reminded her.

  Around twenty minutes later I stood chatting with Celeste, Moon, Linzi and Luna. It was rare for us all to be in the same room at the same time these days so I enjoyed our random chatter about everything and nothing while Jade circled the room with her fiancé.

  “Oh my God, you can’t let me drink too much of this stuff,” Luna said, grabbing another glass of champagne as a waiter passed by. Her eyes popped out of her head, expression sheepish. “I’m not used to alcohol anymore. It’ll go straight to my head.”

  “Loosen up.” Celeste clinked her glass against Luna’s. “Girl, you spend twenty-four seven looking after three kids. I think you can let loose for a night.”

  “So true.”

  “Hey sisters.” Jade bumped my elbow and I turned to greet her. She wasn’t alone. “Cole and I wanted to introduce you to Cole’s business partner and best man. Guys, this is Foster. Foster, these are my sisters.”

  Colt stood next to an extremely tall, extremely handsome young man, who nodded at each of my sisters with his lips pressed tightly together. Then he got to me, our dark eyes connected, and the breath whooshed out of my body. His lips parted as if I’d surprised him, and he searched my face, perusing my body, slowly, hotly, before returning to meet my gaze.

  I shivered.

  He had an angular jaw, just a hint of scruff on his cheeks, full lips and beautiful brown eyes as dark as my own. Foster’s dark brown hair was almost black and he wore it short but a little longer on top, swept back off his forehead. He was the kind of good-looking that was so perfect I usually found it a turn-off … but something about those glittering, brooding eyes of his held me utterly captive.

  Which was ridiculous because I knew from what Jade had told me, the guy was eleven years my junior. I was absolutely not into younger men. They weren’t done maturing yet and ‘yet’ in that sentence was often optimistic.

  Tell that to your body.

  “Hi.” I held out my hand to break our tension-filled staring contest.

  To my shock, the heat I’d thought I’d seen in his eyes turned ice cold. He eyed my offering like I’d just offered him a glass of pee. Politeness dictated he take my hand but it was like shaking a limp noodle and he let me go so fast my arm dropped like a dead weight at my side.

  Foster avoided my gaze and said to Colt, “I need to find my date.”

  Jade caught my eye, her brows pulled together in confusion. I shrugged, because I didn’t know what had happened either.

  Still, for some bizarre reason, I found myself looking for the weirdo as the night progressed. At dinner I spotted him at a table three over from us Bonet Sisters, sitting next to a stunning, age-appropriate red-head. She was dressed in a conservative pencil dress.

  Throughout the evening I wasn’t short of dance partners which was great because I loved to dance. To my pleasant surprise, Colt’s circle of friends and business associates weren’t the stuffy, pretentious types I’d prejudged them to be. A lot of them were fun and hilarious and I had a good time. While I danced a slow dance with a man old enough to be my father but was also a perfect gentleman who kept his
attention on my face (couldn’t say the same for some of my other dance partners!), I looked over his shoulder and my gaze got tangled in Foster Darwin’s.

  He stood on the edge of the dance floor. A quick glance told me his date was dancing with another man. But his eyes were on me. Another shiver prickled down my nape.

  “I’m sorry, sweet lady, but I’m going to have to cut this short for a restroom break.” My dance partner grinned sheepishly.

  I laughed and patted his shoulder. “No problem.”

  Seconds later I was alone on the dance floor but I could still feel Foster’s eyes on me. I should ignore him. I knew I should. But curiosity compelled me across the room. He seemed to visibly tense as I drew toward him, his shoulders (fitted perfectly inside a tailored dark gray three-piece suit) pulled back and his eyes narrowed. That was probably my cue to veer off course but I reminded myself that this guy was Colt’s best man and we were going to be in each other’s lives. I also remembered Jade telling me Foster had a five-year-old daughter to his ex and while that was young to have a kid, I knew from personal experience that kind of responsibility made you grow up fast. Maybe Foster was a mature twenty-five-year-old.

  I stopped before him, tilting my head back to meet his eyes.

  God, he was tall.

  “Hey.”

  He nodded warily at me.

  My brows drew together. Why was he acting so strange around me? Determined to break the awkwardness between us I gestured behind me. “Would you like to dance?”

  Foster looked out at the dance floor then back at me, his expression unreadable. His answer was not. He just opened his mouth and replied, “Not really.”

  For a moment I was shocked and I was pretty sure I stood there gaping at him like I’d never seen another human before.