Cozy • An Embry Story

.21

Winnie's POV

On my one day off, I didn't get to sleep in much. The sounds of hammering and thudding woke me up early, just a little after the crack of dawn. I spent awhile, tossing and turning in my bed, just hoping I can manage to fall back asleep. When it's clear I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon I decided just to get my day started. Maybe I can find some time to nap later.

In the middle of my usual bowl of cereal, I poked my head outside my door to figure out what all the noise is about. There's a mess of tools at the side of Enola's house. Power tools, hoses, and rakes thrown about with a ladder leaning against the Craftsman house leading to a massive dark hair man balancing on the roof.

"What are you doing here so early?" I shout up the ladder. Still in my pajamas and knockoff ankle uggs, while eating from my bowl of cereal, I'm happy it's only Paul. With how my hair is still messy, I'm glad Embry isn't here to see it. I was too tired to dress and shower for the day yet, or maybe I'm too use to Enola's property being just girls. I'm braving the morning chill in my usual pajamas, a matching pink set of cotton shorts and a t-shirt with hearts all over them, with mismatching socks and half my hair coming out of a bun. I wouldn't take either of Paul or I as morning people, yet he's here cleaning out Enola's gutters.

"We're working for your land lord." Paul grumbles back. My jaw cramps around my spoonful of corn flakes. We?

"Those pajamas sure are cute," A whistle sends a chill down my spine. The sound of Paul's booming laugh above me tells me I'm defiantly in an embarrassing situation. After a long moment, I finally turn to find Jared Cameron and Quil Ateara working on Enola's back patio. They only wave at me, chuckling among themselves as I stand there frozen. While my pajamas aren't tight or short, but baggy and more sloppy looking like gym clothes, I still can't ignore the burning sensation of a blush rising up my neck, my ears to my hairline.

There's nothing that makes me more uncomfortable than someone seeing me out of uniform, and commenting on it.

"Ignore them," Jacob calls from the garden, covered in dirt rather than oil for once.

"Oh, hey," I manage a wave, trying not look too red. Forgetting the cereal, I pull my jacket tight around me, wishing I hadn't brought my breakfast with me to have two hands to zip it shut.

"So that's what you look like in the morning." I go from pulling my jacket, to fixing my hair when I hear Embry's voice. He's balancing planks of wood over his shoulder, shirtless in a pair of worn jeans, brown hair a mess, and his muscles flexing under the weight of the wood. I never figured I had a type till now, but Embry made the handy man look look good.

"Um, hi." I greet to my shoes instead of his face, cursing myself for wearing one tube sock along with a mismatching purple sock. "Isn't that heavy?" I ask him.

"This? Nah, this is nothing." Embry waves off, making it look easy. It's like he has superman strength sometimes.

"Enola got you guys working, huh?" I'm not sure what to do with the bowl of cereal anymore. I'm not even sure why I bought it out here with me in the first place.

"Yeah, she apparently cornered Paul last night on his way out when he dropped you home. Then he told Sam. We didn't know we were going to be here till late last night." Embry explains, lowering down the wood to stretch. My eyes can't help themselves as they rake over his chest, running over every line and dip. I almost forget to look him in the eyes when Embry asks for some of my cereal.

"Did you eat breakfast?" I ask, though he is always hungry. "Did you work last night?"

"I ate." Embry nods.