Chapter 4.2

It’s day two in the Ember Rex generation and she’s waking up to gummy bear pancakes that her butler (whom she grew up with) made for everyone.

(I ADORE that butler. She makes my life easier!)

Walking out of the kitchen with a glass of milk, Ember spies Burton who looks as if he’s barely awake.

“Watch out for that bowl of treats. It’ll bite!” Ember teases.

Burton blinks. “Who do you take me for, dear girl? I’ll not fall for that trick this early in the morning.”

Sure enough. The bowl growls and hisses when Burton tries to grab a piece of candy.

“Oh good Lord!” Burton cries, jerking his hands back.

(***smh*** Burton, if you’re going to stay very long, you must listen to your girlfriend! 😜)

For some reason, that put a huge smile on Drake’s face.

(The competition is ON!)

*****

As the clouds grow dark and the snow swirls, Ember grabs her ice skates and winter wear and heads out to the park for a group date.

Michael bites his lip. “Ice skating, huh?”

Shayne smirks. “Are you worried about falling on your ass?”

Michael shrugs. Then Shayne laughs. “Me, too, bro.”

(Awww…a bromance is already forming! 😆)

Drake walks up to Amber, waving his arms. “I’ll take you on for a friendly game of horseshoes. Winner gets to kiss the prettiest girl in the park.”

Looking irate, Jake grumbles, “You shouldn’t be gambling for kisses, you cad. The lady decides that.”

(Ohhh…tomcat fight! 👀)

Drake snorts. “It looks like she wouldn’t mind losing to me though.”

Ember giggles. “You’re right, Drake, I wouldn’t.”

(Uh oh…Jake isn’t too happy about this development! 😮)

Not to be outdone, Mike Eagle wants in on the game. He throws first.

Next, it’s Ember’s turn.

And she’s terrible, completely missing the stake.

(Are you losing on purpose so you can kiss all the guys already, Ember?)

“No, Creator. The guys don’t seem to care. They’ve all left to sit by the fire.”

(***Scratches head*** You’re right. It is getting chilly. Maybe you should go ice skating. That might warm them up.)

Ember looks around for a guy to grab. And she finds…

Burton!

She unloads on him. “I mean this is a group date and no one, not even YOU, care about spending time with me.”

(Uh oh…the guys are in trouble. This isn’t going so well. Will they receive negative points with her?)

Shayne sidesteps away from the furious bachelorette as Burton is thoroughly embarrassed for his actions. (Or should I say in-action.)

Quickly thinking, Burton suggests they go ice skating.

(What a concept since that’s the main activity here! 🙄)

Ember doesn’t look appeased.

So, Burton follows up by offering to play chess.

Jakes walks up. “Can I cut in?”

Burton smiles sweetly. “If you care about the angle of your face and the color staying the same, I’d suggest you decline that offer.”

(Is that a polite way of telling Jake that Burton is going to punch him if he doesn’t get lost? Ohhh, the drama is heating up. 😲)

Ember giggles. “You’re too cute when you’re threatening people.”

(Ember! You’re sounding a lot like your father! Cut it out!🙀)

“I think I like him, Creator,” Ember says in her head.

(I can see that. But you have six other guys to get to know so why don’t you ask someone else to skate?)

Sighing, she says, “All right, Creator. Who should I ask?”

(Why don’t you call out to all the guys and see who shows up first?)

Ember smiles up at me. “Great idea!”

The first guy to put on skates is Drake!

But then he gets cold feet (yes, pun intended) and marches right out of the rink!

(Dude! That’s no way to win points with the bachelorette! 😵)

The next guy who wants to impress is Shayne.

(Does it smell in here or is it my imagination. Pee-ew! 🤢)

Skating around one loop, Shayne trots off the ice. “I’m in desperate need of a shower.”

(You can say that again! 😳)

Since there’s no shower on the lot, Ember takes Shayne by the hand and leads him to a bench.

“So, Shayne, what are you looking for in a life partner?”

(Wow…way to cut to the chase and ask the deepest question! 😅)

“Well, I like the outdoors, so we could go on camping trips and hiking. And I can’t cook at all, so hopefully, someone who’s good at that.” He winces. “I hope that does’t offend you if you can’t cook. I mean…we could always eat out!”

Ember grins. “I actually want to be a world class chef, so I got you covered, Shayne.” She winks.

A huge smile splits Shayne’s face. “That’s music to my stomach.”

(And what’s not music to my stomach is that green fog curling around his body. Let’s get this boy to the shower. Quick! 🙄)

The next guy who kicks it in gear on the ice is Jake!

(Dude…why are you dressed in your pajamas? ***Slaps face***)

“Are people laughing at me?” Jake wonders.

(Maybe because NORMAL people dress in regular clothes to go ice skating. 🤦‍♀️)

So, I help the poor boy out and get him quickly changed into winter wear.

Ember takes him to a bench and asks him the same question. “What are you looking for in a life partner?”

He flips his hands up. “As long as you don’t work for the government’s spying operation, I’m pretty easy going.”

Lifting the side of her mouth, Ember answers, “I can assure you I’m not connected with the government whatsoever. In fact, my dad quit being the world’s tyrant a few years ago, so you’re good.”

Jake arches an eyebrow. “Well…I think we just made a love connection.”

(Not so fast, pretty boy…you’re just getting to know one another. 😜)