Emily's Heart

Chapter 10: Jake P.O.V.

10  Business Partners

  

Jake

  

‘Business partners’? What an ass.

To her credit, Emily didn’t pound the fudge out of me. I’d aimed to keep my distance. Keep it cool. But everything I said came out like I was running for douche bag of the year award.

Tristan dragged me to the crap-hole, boarded-up retail space that Emily and Greta referred to as ‘headquarters’ for their ‘Lucent Tribe’ for about two weeks. Emily never asked me to spar with her again, and she did her best to avoid me. She was pretty good at it. And she kept it all business like I’d asked her to.

And it pissed me off.

Maybe I wanted her to beg me. At least when she was buttering me up, I felt like I had the upper hand. But she’d gone and done what I asked of her, and with each passing day, I felt more and more attracted to her. It was like I was a sack filled with iron pilings and she was a magnet.

It would have been easier to keep my distance if she’d turned out to be the same self-centered girl who’d taken my heart and stomped on it. But she wasn’t the same old Emily. Sure, she was still a sarcastic smart-ass most of the time, a trait I’d always found endearing. But she was also patient and helpful with everyone in the Tribe. And she didn’t show off with her magic like she used to.

Emily had grown up, and she was more beautiful than ever.

And I’d been a royal ass-hat to her.

It was Saturday morning, and in keeping with my ‘new normal’, I walked to work, my head down, and tried not to find my way into any trouble before I got to the store. I was breaking Greta’s ‘walk only with a buddy rule’ and hoofed it solo. I wasn’t about to call Tristan over to walk me to work like I was some kind of pantywaist.

Please let me get to work without running into any shadow dudes.

The sky was clear blue, the air crisp. It was coat weather, but not parka weather. In the old days, it would have been a lovely, warmer-than-usual November day. But there weren’t any kids out playing football or people raking leaves or walking their dogs. The sidewalks were empty except for me. A chill ran down my spine that made me shiver more than the cold gave me cause to. I pulled my jacket around me a little tighter.

My cell phone vibrated in my pants pocket and about made me have a stroke. My shaky hand pulled the phone out. A text from Emily?

“I’m sorry to bug you, but I need you. Can you please come to my house? Now.”

She’s asking me over to her house?

“Can’t. On way to work,” I texted back.

I kept walking while I typed and waited for an answer. After a couple of minutes without an answer, I figured maybe whatever it was could wait and she’d given up. But then my phone vibrated in my hand.

“Something has happened.”

What the hell is she talking about?

“Can’t help right now. Gotta work. Call Greta.”

Her text back was faster this time.

“I know I have no right to ask, but I need YOU. It’s about my dad.”

Liam?

After Ireland, Liam had welcomed me like I was his own son. Remembering Liam giving me his firm, man handshake and kidding me like I was his own kid; feeding me his burnt food and strong coffee and talking with me about physics and Dr. Who while Emily rolled her eyes at us, leaving us to our geeked-out discussion like it was as normal to have me there as it was to breathe …