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Ember nodded. “Yeah, she called me out for readings nearly every day. We mostly just sat here and talked, though. I think she was just grateful for the company. Back then, I didn’t have a handle on my abilities, so I had no idea why the people didn’t like her. Eventually, her calls just stopped. At first, I thought she’d gone on vacation or something, but she didn’t answer any of my texts or calls. Turns out she’d fallen asleep by the lake one day and just never woke up. I got a call from her lawyers a week later to say that she’d left the place to me.” Ember shrugged and gulped the last few sips.
It was a bittersweet story, but it explained the sense of calm emanating from the place. There was a current of love and care about the cabin that was left behind when Rose passed. I grabbed Ember’s glass and filled both of them up again. “Why didn’t you stay?”
“Honestly, for a long time, I felt a bit like a visitor that had stayed too long. It didn’t feel like my place, and the need to help people kept me moving. A few years back I decided to take the plunge and move in. I kept a few of Rose’s things to let her spirit know that it was a safe space, like the couch and that old armoire in the bedroom.” Ember patted the pink sofa affectionately. “The rest of the things are mine. Since then, it’s been the best place to escape when life became too overwhelming.”
“I can understand why; this place is magical,” I repeated. “It’s like someone walked into my mind and created my dream home.”
Ember grinned at my comment, “I’ll get another set of keys made. That way you can come here whenever you like.”
“No way, I couldn’t—”
“You can and you will. I’m hardly here anyway and it would be unfair to let the cabin go to waste,” she insisted. She jumped up suddenly, almost spilling the bubbly liquid all over us. “Oh! I have to show you something, some real magic. Come with me!”
I looked at her questioningly, “Where to?”
Without answering my question, Ember yanked me up by my hand and pulled me to the sliding door. The door slid open, and the chill night air sent a shiver through me. The night was completely dark and quiet, a welcome contrast to the constant city noise. An owl hooted in a nearby tree and a bat swooped down close to us, making me jump. I giggled and watched as it flew off.
Ember guided me across the wooden porch to the railing and we stood there for a moment. It was pitch-black, but the sound of water lapping made me pause. A second later, Ember flicked a switch and little lights came on around and in front of us.
My mouth fell open, and I put the champagne glass on the railing before I dropped it. Soft lights flickered everywhere: in the trees, on the railing, on the sand below us. Ember had promised a lake, I had just expected that we would have to walk a while to get there. Instead, the porch was raised on stilts that disappeared into calm waters. We were literally on top of the lake.
There was a cozy seating area on one side of the porch, and in front of that, a set of stairs led straight into the water. “Could this place get any more perfect?” I breathed. “Can we please never leave?”
“For the next four nights, yes. But remember, we have a war to win. After that, you can stay here for as long as you want,” Ember promised.
The stress I’d already forgotten threatened to pop up again at the mention of the war, but I shoved it straight back down. I was determined to not think about the real world until I absolutely had to.
“Oh shit, I was supposed to send Cassian our location when we got here.” I pushed off the railing to grab my phone.
Ember snorted, “Good luck with that. This place has terrible service and your phone’s battery died. I put it on the charger in the bedroom. He knows where we are; I left a note in his cell. Now, can we get to the drinking and swimming?”
“Okay, okay! So demanding,” I mocked and made a mental reminder to at least text Cassian in the morning.
Ember rolled her eyes and disappeared into the cabin. She reappeared a moment later with the bottle of champagne in hand. She took several long gulps straight from the bottle and handed it to me. I followed suit and almost choked when the bubbles fizzed up my nose and down my throat. Ember tutted and shook her head with mock disappointment before pulling her shirt off and dropping her leather pants. A moment later, she ran down the stairs in her underwear and jumped into the water.
“Oh, shit! Oh, damn!” Ember shouted, and I ran to the balcony, worried that she’d hurt herself. Instead, I laughed loudly when I spotted her in the water, her hair was plastered to her face, and her mascara had already started running down her cheeks. “Fuck, this was a better idea in my head. The water is so cold!”
“Don’t be a baby; it’s just water!” I yelled down at her, to which she responded with her middle finger held high in the air.
“Big talk for someone who hasn’t jumped in yet. Get in willingly, or I’ll come and fetch you.”
I shook my head vigorously. There was no doubt in my mind that she would do it. So, I drank the rest of the champagne and stripped out of my clothes, a moment later diving in from the bottom step.
The water was so cold it felt like little needles all over my skin. I broke the surface and a trail of swear words that would make a sailor proud left my mouth.
Ember laughed at my reaction, and I sent a wave of water in her face.
“I’m going to need another bottle of champagne after this. The freezing water killed my buzz,” Ember quipped, and I nodded as we swam back toward the stairs. That bubble bath was yelling my name at this point, and who was I to disappoint?
