Embers of Torment (Power and Passion #2)

Chapter 21

Jace

" D ammit," I growled as I parked behind Ree's SUV. She was standing in Heath's front yard with her hand on her hip as she wagged her finger at him. Based on her scowl and stance, I assumed she was angry. My suspicion was confirmed when I scrambled from my car and caught what she was saying.

"You're an idiot. Who the hell does something like that?" Ree yelled. She paced back and forth, looking ready to explode. Then she stopped and motioned toward the dumpster still in the driveway. "You could have asked if the ball was Lily's before you threw it away. But, no. You decided to make my daughter cry instead."

"Hey, hold up. What's going on here?" I rushed over to Ree to try to settle her down. Ninety-five percent of the time, she was a sweet, motherly, and fun-loving person. It was the other five percent you had to be wary of. Once you pushed Ree's buttons, which took a lot of repeated effort, she was like a Rottweiler in attack mode, and it was hard to get her to stop.

Ree swiveled to face me, her arm wildly swishing toward Heath. "This imbecile found Lily's ball in his yard and tossed it in the dumpster without asking if it was hers."

"I did no such thing," Heath said dryly. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his foot tapping an erratic rhythm on the grass.

"Excuse me? Yes, you did." Ree glared at Heath, her face as rigid as a concrete slab. "Lily was playing with her soccer ball in our driveway and accidentally kicked it over here. She ran into our house for a minute, and when she returned to get her ball, it was gone. Lily was searching for it when your plumber asked what she was looking for. When Lily told him she was trying to find her pink soccer ball, the guy said he saw it in the dumpster. Then he informed her he was too busy to get it for her. So, of course, my daughter came home crying."

"And you automatically assumed I was the person who tossed the ball. For your information, I left an hour ago and just returned. I was walking to my front door when you attacked me." Heath's lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Nothing like jumping to conclusions."

"You weren't here?" Ree scrunched an eyebrow, appearing reluctant to believe Heath.

"Nope, I sure wasn't. But go ahead. Make stuff up and accuse me. You probably enjoy it."

I jumped between the two of them, hands in the air. "Hey, come on, guys. Can we stop now? It sounds like this is a simple misunderstanding."

"It's not me. It's her," Heath said while he nodded toward Ree. "I was minding my own business, so you might want to call her off."

"Uhh…Ree. Why don't I grab the ball, and you can take it back to the house?" I slipped my arm through hers and walked her a few feet to the dumpster. Peering over its edge, I spotted Lily's pink glittery soccer ball poking out from underneath some drywall. Climbing into the steel container through its swing door, I maneuvered around several pieces of furniture and construction debris to get to it. I carefully retraced my steps after retrieving the colorful piece of sporting equipment. "Here, you can give it back to Lily." I held the glittery orb out toward Ree.

"Thank you," she snapped, snatching it from my hand. Ree marched back to her house and disappeared behind the front door.

"Sorry about that. Ree's protective of Lily." I brushed some dirt from my jeans while Heath walked over to join me.

"Your cousin despises me, so that doesn't help. And thanks for diffusing the situation. I wasn't aware my plumber had thrown the ball in there. It came as a surprise when she attacked me."

"Yeah, Ree can be tenacious when she gets started on something."

"At least she's adorable when she's pissed," Heath laughed. His smile quickly faded as his countenance turned thoughtful. "I have to say. Your cousin's quite captivating."

I bit back the jest that was ready to spring off my tongue, surprised by Heath's words. They weren't what I expected to hear since Ree told me he hated her. Not to mention, his comments weren't the most appropriate for a married man. Ignoring it, I asked, "So what's with the plumber?"

"The wax ring on one of the upstairs toilets lost its seal, causing a leak. The problem must have been ongoing because the water seeped into my subfloor and damaged the first-floor ceiling. I spotted the discoloration yesterday and would have fixed it myself, except I already had a plumbing company coming today to install a new water heater. They'll replace the wax seal and reset the toilet, but I'll have to repair the downstairs damage."

"Sorry, man. That's pretty rotten."

"It is, and that's only one of the many maintenance issues I'm discovering. The major ones I need to take care of include replacing floor tiles and all the carpeting, installing new overhead light fixtures, updating and repairing some wiring, and patching walls and closet doors. The rest are cosmetic, like missing outlet covers and stuff like that. My dad's tenants tore up the house more than I initially thought, so I'll be fixing up the place for a while. Aside from the plumbing, hiring someone when I can do the work myself doesn't make sense."

"So you're familiar with construction and repair?"

"I am. I worked in the industry for several years before switching to a different line of business. Nowadays, I own my own company, Bennet Fire Systems and Equipment. We specialize in fire safety and detection."

"That's cool. I'll keep that in mind in case I ever need those services. I better get back to Ree, or she'll come and drag me over there. I'll talk to you later."

"I'm sure I'll see you again since I'll be here on the weekends."

I walked back to Ree's house, almost thankful for the soccer ball incident. I'd driven here in a foul mood, wallowing in self-pity. At least my focus was no longer on me.

"Well? What did the idiot say about me after I left?" Ree yelled from the back of the house when I closed the front door.

I left the foyer and headed down the hallway toward the family room. It was as if I could feel Ree's ire lingering in the air. Sure enough, when I stepped across the threshold, I spotted her standing by the fireplace with her hands on her hips, her foot tapping away on the wood floor.

"Well?" Ree arched an eyebrow.

"Why are you so worked up? That isn't like you. Yeah, it was shitty what happened. But it wasn't the end of the world."

"Because I can't stand the guy. Yesterday, Lily forgot her Frisbee in the grass dividing our properties, and it disappeared. Before that, it was one of her dolls. And then, last week, his wife blocked my driveway. I asked her to move her car, but she glowered at me like I was stupid and went into the house. I was almost late to work by the time she came out and left. Now back to my question. What did the jerk say about me?"

"Heath didn't mention you," I lied. I wasn't about to tell Ree that Heath said she despised him and then called her adorable and captivating. That would send her into a tailspin all over again. "We talked about his plumbing problem and other issues he has with the house. He told me his dad's renters beat it up, and he has a list of repairs he has to make. He plans on performing the work himself."

"Dammit. That means he'll be here for a while." Ree went into the kitchen. She returned with a beer in each hand and held one out to me. "Why can't the guy hire someone and be done with it?"

I grabbed the bottle and took a seat on her couch. "I got the impression Heath doesn't mind doing the labor, and I'm sure it's a lot cheaper that way. Why do you let him get to you, anyway? It's not like he's harassing you or saying awful things. Or is he?"

"No, Heath and I typically don't talk to each other. He glares at me instead. It's just… I don't know. The man irks me. I want him to leave." Ree sat in one of the blue upholstered chairs next to the couch and took a swig of her beer. She was setting the bottle on the coffee table when her eyes widened, and she jerked her head toward me. "Oh God, Jace. I'm so sorry. Here I am, carrying on about my idiot neighbor when you're dealing with something far worse. Is Della talking to you yet?"

"No, not a word. It's been two weeks, and Della still won't return my calls or texts or answer her door. She won't even go to lunch with Adam or Sofie, refusing because she doesn't want to run into me. And she hasn't shown up for her dance classes or our gym workouts. At this point, I don't know what to do other than keep trying."

"You walked her to work and back before the incident, so do you at least catch sight of her on the street?"

"No. Della must be going in early because I don't see her at all."

"That's unfortunate. Della's obviously taking extreme measures to avoid you." Ree took another sip of her beer as she stared off in thought. Then she turned to me, her expression hopeful. "Maybe Adam can convince her to talk to you."

"He's already tried a couple of times. Della is adamant that she wants nothing to do with me."

There was suddenly a clomping of footsteps on the stairs. Lily came rushing into the room, singing, "Yay! Jace is here." She ran over to a cabinet and pulled out a stack of boxes. Eyeing them carefully, she began putting some of them back.

Ree smiled at me, appearing thoroughly amused. "Oh, Lord. Just like her mother. You're in for it now."

Before I could respond, Lily was standing in front of the coffee table with a square box in her hands. She plopped it on the wooden surface, her body rocking back and forth. "Wanna play a game with me? It's really fun."

"What is it?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's Marble Matrix. Momma's good at it. Aren't you, Momma?"

"I am, and I'm going to kick Jace's butt."

"Ooooh, Momma said butt," Lily laughed.

"Oops, you're right, sweetie. I shouldn't have said that. I'm bad," Ree explained, attempting to keep a straight face. She got up from her chair and sat beside me on the couch. Her elbow found my ribcage when I continued laughing at her slip of the tongue. "Hey, Lily doesn't need any additional encouragement from you," she teased.

"Then you shouldn't have said it," I ribbed back. I turned my attention to Lily. "All right. I'm in. You'll have to show me how to play." I took the lid off the box and spread its contents on the table. The game appeared simple enough. It had a raised, dark gray, molded plastic board indented with gridlines. There was a deeper indentation at each intersection, where I assumed we put the playing pieces. The board came with four trays and a bag full of colorful marbles.

"It's easy. I'll show you." Lily randomly placed the marbles on the board, leaving the center unfilled. She handed me a tray. "That's yours. You put your marbles in it."

"But how do I get them?" I asked since there were no cards to draw or dice in the box.

"Like this." Using the blank spot in the middle, Lily slid a trio of marbles one space to the right along the grid, making the green marble fronting her group line up next to another green one. She pulled the two green marbles off the board and placed them in her tray. "See? You have to match the colors. It's your turn."

"Ahh, I get it. You move groups up and down or sideways along the lines, utilizing the empty spaces so you can match the colors." I slid a group of three marbles vertically up a line so my lead marble fell into Lily's vacated space, matching two yellow marbles. "I take the yellow ones, right?"

"Uh-huh. Now it's Momma's turn."

We continued to play the game, with Lily giving me pointers and Ree ultimately winning. After a second round, Lily went to the cabinet and returned with Clue Junior and Giant Spoons. The day became a fun-filled afternoon, allowing me a break from my misery.

Ree had me stay for dinner, which included hot dogs that she talked me into grilling. After a leisurely meal on the patio, I helped Ree clean up, then decided it was time to head home.

Reaching my apartment building, I parked in the garage and took the elevator upstairs. When I got to my floor, I changed my mind, finding the prospect of spending the rest of the evening sitting on my couch watching television wholly unappealing. I pushed the button for the eighteenth floor, figuring I'd relax on the rooftop while contemplating what to do about Della.

The outdoor lounge was relatively quiet when I arrived, although it was far from empty. A group of residents was hanging out in the kitchen area, and another two groups were taking up the tables by the row of grills. Others spread out across the deck, with one couple playing cornhole on the artificial grass.

I kicked back in one of the lounge chairs on the periphery and gazed at the sky, enjoying the last vestiges of a gorgeous sunset with the first day of fall only a week away. It was amazing how, as a kid, the days felt like they dragged by. In adulthood, it was the opposite. It was like you blinked, and the day was gone. Maybe it was because our adult lives were complicated or simply busier. Either way, the summer had flown by, with today being the three-month anniversary of my introduction to Della.

That was the day I met Adam for lunch, having recently moved back to Boston, and found Della sitting with him. She had intrigued me from the very start. Boisterous and blunt, Della had a colorful personality to match, and I knew right then that I wanted to get to know her better. In the months since then, Della captured my heart. And there was one thing I knew for sure.

I missed her.

Sighing at the unwelcome turn of events, I stretched my arms and tucked them behind my head while I scanned my surroundings. One of the groups by the barbecue grills was leaving, the crowd thinning out a little at a time. I turned away to gaze across the harbor and noticed a woman sitting on a lounger in the corner.

It was Della.

She had her back to me and was unaware I was there. This was my chance, possibly my only one, and I had to take it.

Getting up, I stealthily crossed the space between us. Then I stood behind Della and watched her for a moment, my emotions slowly unraveling as I reflected on how badly I'd hurt her. My voice was raspy when I asked, "Della, can we please talk?"

Della jumped, my presence startling her. She sprung from her chair and spun to face me. Her eyes were cold, her composure edgy as her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. "No. I have nothing to say to you," she said, spitting the words between tight lips. She turned away, and I took hold of her arm.

"Please. Just let me explain. Five minutes. That's all. Then I'll leave you alone."

"No." Della shook herself free. "Stay away from me." She bolted toward the elevator.

I stood there, sapped of energy, as my eyes followed her across the deck. I felt lost, unsure how to remedy the situation and get Della to see past her anger and hate. I needed her to understand that I wasn't the person I used to be. I was the man she'd met three months ago, not the beast from our childhood.

I'd fallen in love with Della and would never purposely hurt her. I wanted more than anything to protect her and keep her safe. I also needed her to give me a chance.

But would she?

Numb, I trudged to the elevator, and like a robot, I took it to my floor. Once in my apartment, I flopped onto my couch in the darkened living room and closed my eyes. The minutes on my clock ticked by while I sat there, empty and unmoving. Then I pulled my cell from my pocket. My fingers typed out a text as if they had a life of their own. I hit the send button and stared at my screen.

Jace: Della, you mean everything to me. Please don't shut me out. I'll do whatever you ask to make it right. Tell me how to fix this. Please. I miss you.

I waited, but no response arrived. Heartbroken, I tossed my phone on the couch and closed my eyes, willing myself to think of anything but Della.

But I couldn't get her out of my mind.