Testing Recipes for Disaster (Emberwood #2)

Chapter 37- Lauren

S lowly, things seemed to settle back to normal between me and Jer. I was well and truly humiliated by what Charlie said at the bar, but there was also nothing I could do about mistakes I’d already made. Jeremy seemed more cautious around me, or maybe I was being more cautious around him, but I felt like we were almost back to a pre-Charlie dynamic.

I tried to convince Gen to come to the Stag and Doe night at least twice, even offering to style her hair for free on Friday, but she was firmly out. Sam and I were going to have to kidnap her soon to figure out what the deal was. Regardless, the week seemed to speed up the closer we got to the party. This was one of the last big events before the wedding, and I was so happy for Sam and my brother but also excited to have my brain space back when it was all over.

Speaking of brain space...the prescription for the ADHD medication had been sitting on my counter since last week, and I hadn’t taken it yet. I didn’t know why, exactly. Part of me was afraid it would change how I acted, which was the whole point, but on a deeper level, who I was. The other part was afraid it would change nothing, and I’d have to reckon with this being my life. Sam noticed me staring at it when she came over to get ready to go to her party.

“I thought you were excited about trying it out to see if it helped?”

“I was. I am. I’m just nervous.”

“About?”

“I don’t know for sure. Maybe that it will stifle my creativity or something? That might be dumb. I know I’m chaotic, but that’s where a lot of my best ideas come from, too.”

“That’s not dumb at all, Laur. But I also think that trying and then making that determination is probably the only way you’re going to find out. Your doctor said there are other medications if this one doesn’t work, right? And you’re going to start seeing Dr. Merrill?”

“Yeah. You’re probably right. I’ll start it tomorrow.”

“And hey, I’ll bring over a pretty tumbled carnelian crystal and stick it on top of your prescription bottle. Boom. Creativity-infused meds.” Sam grinned at me; her blue eyes lit up.

“You’re the best. Thank you.”

“Now let’s get ready because you promised me pretty hair.”

THE STAG AND DOE PARTY was near perfection. The signature drinks were delightful, the band played all our 90s requests, and everyone seemed to genuinely have a lot of fun. As the night wound down, I felt like I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if the tunnel was full of love and friends and all the happiness in the world for my brother and my friend, I still looked forward to doing what I wanted with my free time—or having free time at all.

The next morning, I slipped out of bed and let Jer sleep. I started the coffee maker and stared down the prescription bottle on my counter. I was looking forward to putting the crystal on top. Then they would be fancy meds. I unscrewed the lid, took the pill, and proceeded to distract myself by scrolling through pictures from last night and editing them as I went.

You did kind of a kick ass job .

I patted myself on the back in my mind. When I was done, my gaze landed on that stupid purple wall, and I sighed. It was going to look so good when it was finished.

I pulled up my dad’s text thread and sent him a message about the ladder.

DAD: Yeah, I’m heading to the store soon. You want me to drop it off?

LAUR : Ohhhh that would be excellent. Yes, please!

DAD: See you soon, kiddo.

I wondered if I should make Jer hide if he was out here when my dad showed up.

Yeah. That’s probably an okay idea .

It didn’t matter that it was my house, that I bought, and I was twenty-four. I didn’t want my dad to see Jer’s bedhead. I took a picture of the paint labels and sent them to Heather since I knew she opened this morning at Garrett’s Hardware .

LAUR: Morning Heather! Any chance you could get someone to mix up a gallon of this paint for me and I’ll be by to grab it in a bit?

HEATHER: You got it! You need me to pull rollers or anything else?

LAUR: Nope! I’ve got the rest.

She sent me a thumbs-up emoji, and I happily pulled out some bacon and eggs to make breakfast for Jer.

Look at you, being all domestic. And checking shit off your list before nine am.

It was silly that I hadn’t finished that wall. It took a total of five minutes to get done what I needed.

“Holy shit ,” I said aloud to no one while holding a piece of uncooked bacon between my fingers.

I swallowed hard and put the bacon in the pan, the sizzles and pops filling the silence. I tried to mentally feel around inside my brain, looking for the constant noise—the song lyrics, the random thoughts about creating a cat statue for my living room, the suppressed to-do list that was always on the verge of overwhelming me. But it was quiet. Like the aftermath of a wicked storm when the sun came out like none of it ever happened.

“What is this magic?” I asked, still talking to the empty room.

“Oh, are you doing magic now too?” Jer asked, sauntering into the room, shirtless, his sweats low on his waist.

“Not me personally, no. But, um, I took the ADHD meds a bit ago. And now...I don’t know how to explain how I feel, exactly. Except different.”

“In a good way or a bad way?” His brows furrowed slightly in concern.

“No, this is fucking amazing. I’ve already taken care of the whole purple wall shit, and I’m making breakfast. I’m making breakfast for you ,” I explained slowly, gesturing to the bacon and flipping it while I was at it.

“Well, sweet. That’s what you hoped, right?”

“Yeah...I just didn’t know that this was a thing I could hope for. Is this how everyone else’s brain works? Like you have one thought at a time and then you can do the thing you were thinking about and then move on to the next thought? That’s what is happening in your head?”

“Um, I mean, yeah, I guess? If I’m stressed or something, I do feel like my thoughts race or get jumbled together, but on a good day, yeah, that sounds normal.”

“Jeremy Ash. Why has everyone been walking around operating like this, and no one fucking told me?!”

“To be fair, I did tell you. That’s why you went to the doctor in the first place.”

“Fine, fine. You’re not on my shit list. But you’re the only one. Everyone else has been gaslighting me my whole life! I want to send emails to all my high school teachers and tell them they were wrong , and I’m not ‘flighty and only interested in boys.’”

“Your teachers said that about you? Like out loud?”

“Yes! To my mother. In front of me!”

“Jesus, that’s kind of harsh.”

“I mean, I was very interested in boys. But also, other things.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me, adjusting the heat on the bacon.

“Want me to finish this for you?”

“Absolutely not. I’m doing things. Don’t steal that from me.”

He held up his hands in surrender and moved to get himself a mug.

“Oh, also, my dad will be here in a sec. Maybe be elsewhere.” I shrugged, and he shook his head.

I took the bacon out of the pan and set it aside to get ready for the eggs. As if on cue, a knock sounded at my door, and I shot a warning look at Jer, making him disappear into the hallway toward the downstairs bathroom.

“Hey, Dad!”

“Hey, kid. Where do you want her?” he asked, holding the twelve-foot ladder at his side.

“In the entryway is fine.”

He brought it in and set it down. He looked so much better than he had even six months ago, and it made my heart so happy. His rehab had done wonders, but being back at work and having a purpose at the store again had done more.

“There ya go. And, Laur? Do not, under any circumstance, use this ladder on your stairs while you’re home alone. I don’t need a call to take you to the ER later.”

“Noted. Jer is coming over in a bit. I’ll make sure he is on ladder watch.”

“Right. Won’t it be hard for him to get here since his car is outside?”

He delivered this blow without a hint of inflection in his voice, as though he was legitimately concerned for how Jeremy was going to make it here. Until he cracked a smile.

“Um, well.”

“Right. Tell him I said thanks for fixing your car. It’s runnin’ good?”

“It is.”

“Good. I’m late, but I’ll get this back from you later this week. Have fun.”

“Bye, Dad,” I murmured, a blush still on my face from him calling me out for hiding my boyfriend in a closet like I was sixteen.

“Well, that was embarrassing for you,” Jer said, laughter in his voice.

“Shut up and eat your bacon.”

I finished the eggs, we ate, and I convinced Jer to go pick up my paint so I could get started with the edger. I pinky-promised not to get on the ladder until he got back.

In total, it took about two hours to finish the first coat of the top of the wall. And that was even factoring in Jer claiming he thought I was going to fall, and he had to put his hands on my ass. For safety.

“Please let me distract you while this coat dries. It’s not fair to be above me in those shorts for hours and not let me touch you.”

“You touched me plenty of times.”

“You’re killing me.”

I laughed and relented, pulling him down to kiss me. His hands were so sure when he gripped my hips, my waist, and my thighs when he picked me up.

“Am I killing you less now?”

“Only slightly.”

He continued his tour of my body when he set me on the counter and didn’t seem to care that I had paint in my hair and splattered over my clothes. My phone buzzed and lit up in the center of my island, and I reached for it. He grabbed my hand and locked his fingers around my wrist.

“Ignore it.”

I did for a minute, lost in him. Until it buzzed several more times. This time, I reached for it, and he didn’t stop me.

“I need to make sure it’s not an emergency!”

“An emergency would be a phone call,” he grumbled, but he kissed the palm of my other hand and went to get water.

SAM: Why did you and Jer fail to mention that the fight with Charlie resulted in him not getting the job at the bakery?!

SAM: It seems like that was an important detail in the story.

SAM: And then I wouldn’t have asked the owner how the interview had gone and if Jer would be starting soon. I’m in Centerville for my final dress fitting. Yes, bad choice because I’m hungover, but we live and we learn, Laur. Not the point.

SAM: She didn’t tell me exactly what happened, but she alluded to him not being a great fit her for shop. I only put two and two together when I pressed her on it.

SAM: I am displeased at being left out of the loop.

A slimy sort of cold slid down my spine and made its home in my stomach. Because what?