“Blaise, I love it. Thank you!” she says, wrapping me in a bear hug. I hug her back just as fiercely, and then help her off the table.
Ember hobbles over to Asher’s station and takes off her tank top. Underneath she is wearing a bikini, and I bite my tongue. She’s not a little girl anymore, but the thought of some a*shole taking advantage of her still gets me riled up. I can tell by the look in Asher’s eyes that he’s thinking the same thing.
Ember notices as well. “Oh, hush you two. I’m twenty-two years old and I can wear a damn bikini if I want. This is actually the most modest one I have,” she tells us.
“Em, spare us the details, please,” Asher begs her. She flashes us both a cheesy grin and settles in on the table.
“Are you both going to make it to dinner tonight at Mom and Dad’s?” Ember asks.
“Never miss,” I say as I clean up my station. I watch as she closes her eyes and fights back the tears. The ribs are touchy even for someone who has had ink. She’s taking it like a champ.
“What about you, Ash? You and Grace coming?” she asks him taking deep even breaths.
“Yes, little sister, we’ll be there. We would be crazy to miss one of Mamma’s meals,” he says.
“Aunt Ruth and Uncle Tom are going to be there as well,” she informs us.
“How are they?” Asher asks.
Ember shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t move,” Asher tells her.
“Sorry, Mom says that Uncle Tom is getting around pretty well after the fall, but I haven’t seen them for a couple weeks, ahhh” she says wincing in pain.
Uncle Tom fell a few months ago on the ice. Broke his ankle in three separate places. He had to have reconstructive surgery and has been laid up.
“It’ll be good to see them,” I say.
“Okay, you’re all set,” Asher tells her. She immediately releases the breath she was holding. Asher offers his hand and helps her sit up and get off the table. She hobbles over to the wall that encases a floor to ceiling mirror to view our handiwork. She stares at her left side; then turns to check out her foot. She does this a couple of times, before she lifts her head to face us. When she does, there are tears in her eyes.
“Happy tears, I hope?” I ask, worried that we just inked our little sister and she hates it.
Ember nods her head. “Hell yes, these are happy tears. I love you both so much!” she says. She limps over and kisses each of us on the cheek. We both have to bend down from the height difference.
“Well, I’m off to pick up Grace. Meet you guys at the house?” Asher asks.
“Sure. Ember, you want to ride with me?” I ask her.
“Yes, hopefully the tingling in my foot will be gone by the time we’re done so I can drive.” She smiles.
I toss my keys at her. “Here, I’m just going to make sure everything is locked up. I’ll meet you in the car.”
I do a walk-through of the building, making sure the front door is pulled tight, and meet Ember in the car.
“All set?” she asks.
“Yep, just wanted to make sure everything was turned off.” Being a volunteer firefighter and the son of a fire chief makes you cautious. Never can be too careful.
“I just talked to Mom; she’s made a ham and all the trimmings. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”
I rub my stomach; I skipped breakfast this morning. “I plan on tearing it up myself. Nothing beats Mom’s cooking.”
“One day, when some lucky girl steals your heart, one that deserves your heart, you might think differently. Asher used to say the same thing, now all he can do is brag about Grace’s cooking,” she laughs.
“Yeah, you might be right, but it’s going to have to be someone special. I’m not exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting my heart trampled again anytime soon. So this girl you speak of, she needs to be one in a million,” I tell her.
“I agree, big brother. I agree.”
As soon as we enter the house, the smell of home cooking invades us. I glance over at Ember, and she’s licking her lips. I wink at her as I dash off to the kitchen. “Hey, no fair. I’m not operating at 100%,” she whines as she trails behind me. I hear my dad and Uncle Tom laughing at us.
I burst through the kitchen door and see Mom and Aunt Ruth sitting at the island, drinking tea. “Hello, ladies,” I say as I bend down and kiss each of them on the cheek. I sneak my arm around Mom and grab a roll. She slaps my hand. “What? I’m starving,” I tell her.
“Well, a few more minutes won’t kill you. As soon as Asher and Grace arrive, we can eat,” Mom says.
Ember sticks her tongue out at me as she limps through the door. Mom scoots off her stool and tells Ember to sit. She reaches for a roll and Mom slaps her hand also. “You two,” she says with a smile as she shakes her head. She looks at Aunt Ruth and shrugs her shoulders like what do you do?
“Well, let’s see it,” Mom tells Ember.
Ember hold up her right leg so Mom and Ruth can see her tat. The only problem is it’s still covered. “Blaise says I have to leave it covered for at least two hours. I’ll show them to you before we leave?” She looks at me for confirmation.
I shake my head yes. My mouth is full of my second roll, which I snatched while Ember had them distracted.
“Finally!” Ember says looking at the door. I turn to see Asher and Grace are finally here. My dad and Uncle Tom are right behind them. Seems like we all brought our appetites today.
There is limited conversation at the table; we’re all too busy shoveling it in. Asher and I clean up while everyone else heads out to the back deck. We make quick work of clean up as we have done this since we were little tykes. Joining everyone on the deck, I take a seat beside Aunt Ruth.
“Oh, Nancy, are you all still looking for a new public relations person?” Aunt Ruth asks.
“Ugh. Yes, the hunt is really at a standstill. Most of the new graduates already have job placements, so we are just waiting to see who else might pop up.”
“Well, I may have a candidate for you. The new doctor we hired, Brent Wethington, he and his fiancée are moving here and her best friend is coming with them. Seems she has had a rough way to go the last few months and wants a new start. Dr. Wethington says she has a degree in Marketing and Public Relations. He is supposed to bring me a copy of her resume tomorrow; it’s his first day,” she tells my mom.
“Really? Thank you so much. The sooner we get someone hired, the sooner I can go back to my normal routine. Not that I mind picking up hours, but I’m worn out.”
“Mom, can I do anything to help?” Ember asks.
“Thanks, sweetie. I might have to take you up on that if we don’t find someone soon,” she says.
“Well, hopefully this girl will work out. Dr. Wethington didn’t tell me her name, just that he would stand behind the decision to hire her. I’ll fax her resume to you tomorrow.”
“Thank you. Fingers crossed,” Mom says, crossing her fingers.
After making the decision to pack up and move my life to Tennessee, my world has become a flurry of activity. I had three weeks to prepare to move, get the house settled and, not to mention, graduate from college. I thought about joining Leah and Brent at a later date, but Leah begged me to drive with them. I think she’s afraid I’ll back out. Really, I don’t think I would. The more time the idea has a chance to take root, the more excited I am about it. At first, I was going to put the house on the market, but Leah and Brent talked me into closing it up and waiting to see how I feel about it in a few months. They are afraid I’ll make a rash decision based on emotions. I’m sure they’re right. So, I hired the people next door to look after it, really their fourteen-year-old son. He’s going to keep the lawn mowed and the weeds from taking over. At this point, I don’t think I can live here ever again, but time will tell.