Page 4 of Ember’s Heart

Ember

A fter storming out of the kitchen I jumped in my car and drove into town. It was still pretty early and businesses were just starting to open. Pulling my car in front of The Rose’s Bean and Brew, I turned off the ignition and got out.

The Rose’s Bean and Brew was a place where everyone gathered to catch up on gossip, share news, and simply enjoy a good cup of coffee.

As I stepped inside, the familiar scent of freshly ground coffee beans hit me instantly.

The laughter and chatter was a welcome distraction from the thoughts in my head.

I waved at some of the friendly and familiar faces I knew as I made my way to the counter.

Marge was behind the counter bustling about making a fresh pot of coffee. She and her husband, Larry, have owned The Rose’s Bean and Brew for decades. My mom even worked here back in her high school days. They were practically family, and I’d grown up in this coffee shop.

“Ember, honey, you look like a storm cloud,” Marge said, her voice sharp but laced with concern as I slid onto my usual stool at the counter. “The usual?”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “Please, Marge. And make it extra strong today.”

Marge poured me a steaming cup of coffee, her eyes studying me carefully. “Rough morning?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to burden her with my problems, but Marge was like the town’s mother hen, and she knew everything before anyone else. She had a way of drawing out the truth and getting you to spill the “beans”- no pun intended.

“Just…family stuff,” I said, taking a sip of the hot coffee. The caffeine stirred me awake, cutting through the fog in my head.

Marge started to wipe down the counter, and I didn’t miss how her movements were intentionally slow. “Family huh,” she said, her voice laced with skepticism. “Yeah that can be hard. Another thing that can be hard is when old wounds come back into town.”

Leave it to Marge to know about a certain someone’s return. Apparently everyone in town knew about Colton, and the heartbreak I felt because of him.

I sighed, setting down my mug. “It’s just…he’s coming back, Marge. Colton’s coming home.”

Marge stopped wiping the counter and her eyes widened slightly. “I heard rumors, but I didn’t think…” She paused, her gaze softening. “Oh, Ember. I’m so sorry, honey.”

I stirred my coffee absently. “It’s just… after all this time, I thought I was over it. Over him . ”

Marge reached across the counter and patted my hand. “Honey, it’s been a long time, but some wounds run deep. Especially when there’s a history like you and Colton have.”

“History,” I scoffed. “Yeah right. What’s history when it ends in broken promises?

” I looked at Marge and felt the first tear fall.

“He was supposed to come back, Marge. He said he would. He said…” I trailed off, the memory of his words, his touch, and that kiss still right in the forefront of my mind after all these years.

Marge nodded, her expression understanding. “I know, dear. Everyone in this town saw how you looked at that boy. And it was plain as day how much he cared for you.”

“Yeah right. He cared so much that he just disappeared,” I said, wiping the tear that escaped. Bitterness lacing my voice. “Cared for me enough to break every promise he made.”

“He was young, Ember,” Marge said gently. “And the Army changes a person. It can break them in ways we can’t even imagine.”

“It doesn’t excuse what he did,” I retorted, the anger rising in my chest. “He just stopped writing. He could have called. He could have done anything to let me know he was still alive.” After that first time he left, he only came back to visit a couple times, but I was away at college a lot of the times he was able to get leave time.

In the beginning we talked on the phone, even if it was only for a couple minutes, but soon those calls became less frequent and shorter, and then the letters stopped completely.

Marge sighed. “I know, honey. I know it hurts. But I’m sure he had his reasons.”

“Reasons that are good enough to justify more than four years of silence?” I challenged, my voice rising slightly .

Marge being Marge didn’t back down. “I don’t know, Ember.

But I do know that Colton James isn’t a heartless man.

Whatever happened to him, it must have been significant.

” She paused, her gaze searching mine. “Are you going to let the past dictate your future, Ember? Are you going to let the anger and hurt keep you from finding happiness?”

I didn’t answer her because I didn’t know. The thought of moving on and being with anyone else made me want to cry. It was something I couldn’t imagine. But at the same time I didn’t want to stay single and alone for the rest of my life. I wanted to marry and have kids.

We talked for a while, until eventually, the coffee shop started to fill up, and Marge had to tend to other customers. I finished my coffee, feeling a little calmer.

I stood up, slung my purse over my shoulder, and headed towards the door. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever the future might bring.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared me for what happened next.

As I stepped out of the coffee shop, I walked right into a wall. A solid, unyielding wall of muscle. My head snapped back, and I stumbled, my purse slipping from my shoulder.

I looked up, and saw him.

A wall of muscle with dark hair, a shadow of days-old stubble dusting his jaw and neck.

The boy I’d known was gone, replaced by a man forged from something harder, something I couldn’t quite grasp.

His shoulders were broader, his jawline sharper, there was a maturity there that wasn’t there before.

Yet, despite the stark transformation, those eyes the color of rich chocolate still held the same intensity.

Eyes that used to hold so much warmth, now hard and unreadable, but undeniably fixed on me .

Colton.

My breath caught in my throat. I felt my composure crumbling, leaving me speechless.

As the wave of shock took over me, I felt the familiar anger and resentment surfacing.

He was here. He was real. And he was standing right in front of me, looking at me with the same amount of shock and surprise that mirrored my own.

But that intense gaze, unwavering and unsettling, sent a shiver down my spine.

Before I could find my voice. Before I could even begin to process the fact that this man was standing in front of me, my anger began to simmer, rising from the depths of my hurt and betrayal.