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Chapter Four: Harder Than I Thought

Ester's POV

After Sue finished making dinner, she decided to take off, saying something about needing to be in early at the rez clinic. Jake piled up a heaping plate of food and took it to go. Apparently his girlfriend Bella-I think that's what he called her-had just made it home from his sister Rachel's place and he didn't like the idea of her being alone.

In all honesty, I didn't mind Sue and Jake's company. I was a little disappointed they took off. I only wanted two people to leave; Seth Clearwater and Embry Call. Unfortunately, they both had other plans. Seth asked if he could crash on the sofa in case Tiffany needed any assistance in looking after Abigail. Um…Hello? Who the hell was I?! Tiff had me if she needed any help with my sister, thank you very much!

Tiff volunteered to stay in the guest room with Abby. I thought Embry would end up taking his mom's room, but insisted on me sleeping in there while he slept in her office, instead. My stomach started doing flip flops knowing he was going to be just a few feet away from me. Damn him, for making me feel like some irrational teenage girl caught in some obsessed crush.

When it was finally time to eat, Embry took his seat across from me. This meant that every time I looked up from my plate, I would see his gorgeous face. Damn him once again for being so attractive! But in all seriousness, this intense attraction I felt towards him seemed deeper than some infatuation. That ridiculous corny pick-up line 'Have we met before?' came to mind. Strange thing was, that's exactly how I felt about Embry and I didn't like it, not one bit. I spent a great deal of my life trying to avoid these emotions.

When I went to retrieve Seth from Tiffany's guest room, I had to damn near drag his ass outta the room. I didn't even understand what the big deal was. Abby had been asleep for nearly an hour and he was still in there, staring at my little sister with such longing. It sort of creeped me out, but a part of me felt a little bad for Seth. This evening, Seth Clearwater had been introduced to the sweet side of Abby; he had no idea there was so much more to her than meets the eye. The other part of me felt protective of Abby and the impending disaster that would occur once all of her demons-and mine-came to surface.

Seth took a seat next to Embry while Tiffany sat next to me. We immediately dived into the conversation of getting my grandmother's house renovated.

"I'll give Sam a call in the morning and see if we can speed up the process." Embry took a bite of his food.

"Who's Sam?"

"Embry's older brother. He owns Uley Construction," Seth answered. I gave Tiffany a baffled looked. She had two sons?

"Sam is Allison's son," she elaborated to me. The way Embry shifted uncomfortably in his chair when mentioning his father's name told me there was more to that story. Family drama. I was all too familiar with that, and for some twisted reason the speculation of him having a little family dysfunction made me feel a little kindred to him in a way. His life wasn't perfect, neither was mine.

"Abby's pretty awesome." Seth interjected with a smile. No doubt in my mind he was trying to change the subject. But Abby? Really? Who the hell did he think he was referring to my baby sis by her nickname?

"How would you know?" I retorted with a smirk. "You've known her for what? Like, five minutes? And that whole entire time she's been puking her guts out. You have no clue who she is."

"I just…" Seth stumbled. "She seems like a sweet person."

"She is," I confirmed, until you piss her off. "But I know that because I know her." I dropped my fork on my plate and continued glaring at Seth as his face turned gloomy. "Look here, Clearwater, you seem like a really nice guy and all, but I've met too many wolves in sheep's clothing…" Embry choked on his water, but I ignored him and kept talking. "My sister is a straight A student with an IQ over 140." I leaned against my chair and folded my arms across my chest. "She is going to be something great and doesn't need any distractions." Like romance and love.

"Ahem," Tiffany cleared her throat, "well, that's good to hear your sister is doing so well in school, just like our Seth here. He, too, is a straight-A-student, volunteers as a tutor, and although he has never had his IQ tested, he's an amazing problem solver."

"Whatever," I scoffed as I started eating again. "I'm still watching you," I told him.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Seth replied defensively. "I have a sister too you know, and although she's older than me, I'd drag anyone through the mud over her." He was protective of his sister also. Well, at least we had one thing in common. "And I have," he added. Oh really, huh?

"Why did you say that earlier?" I looked up at Embry. "A sheep in wolf's clothing?"

"It's someone who hides malicious intent under the guise of kindliness," I responded, shrugging.

"Do you have a problem with wolves or something? Couldn't you have used another idiom?" Embry questioned.

"Embry, chill." Seth whispered.

"I'm just curious as to what Ester meant. Relax, Seth. I mean, wolves aren't going around killing people, and contrary to popular belief, they don't pose a huge threat to livestock…"

"Why don't you relax?" I challenged him. "It's just a figure of speech." This man was so infuriating, but for some reason, I couldn't wipe away the smile he made appear across my face as he defied me. No one ever did that. I always gave off the 'if you fuck with me, you're going down' vibe. This was actually refreshing.

"You never answered my question." He smiled back at me. What an ass, he could tell I was entertained by his batting me.

"In all honesty, I think wolves are quite beautiful in a dangerous, primal sort of way," I told him.

"That's good to know." Did he just wink at me? Enough, Ester! Don't indulge. Toughen up.

"Back to this whole renovation, how long do you think it will take?" The sooner I got away from Embry, the better. Living with his mother would only give him the opportunity to weasel his way into my heart. I mean, he already made me feel emotions I long repressed throughout my life, and now he was making me smile. No, I couldn't. I couldn't fall for him. He'd hurt me. I'd hurt him. I watched Embry's smile slowly fade away as he took a deep breath.

"I'm no expert, but I do know home renovations take planning and patience." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd say two to three months." Three months! Damn it. I couldn't do three months in this house with him constantly being around. I was so fucked. I just needed to find something to consume my time.

"Tiffany, you wouldn't happen to know of any places around the reservation that are hiring?" I could start working; get as many hours as possible. That would be a perfect distraction. "Providing for Abby can be pretty expensive."

"The B-Spot." Tiffany replied quickly. "Rachel, Jake's sister, owns and runs the place. Do you have any waitress experience?"

"I do." Thank goodness.

"You'll love working there. Great tips. A couple of Embry's friends' girlfriends work there. Since its summer, you could really put in a lot of hours before starting school again."

"I'm done with school," I remarked stabbing my food.

"Oh. Did you graduate early?" Tiffany asked me. "Your father left La Push over eighteen years ago, the oldest you could possibly be is seventeen." She pointed out. Why didn't I think this shit through? Of course they would know my real age! "Speaking of being underage, where's your mother?" Her voice was laced with concern and curiosity.

"I have my GED and my mom…I don't have one of those anymore." I pushed my plate away. "It's just me and Abby." I told them.

"I'm so sorry." I was shocked to hear Embry's voice sound so sincere. The urge to touch him became too great. Exit, Ester, quickly!

"It's fine." I assured him, standing up. "I'm really tired, I'm going to bed. All that driving really took a lot out of me."

"Of course, get some sleep. I'll be leaving in the morning around 9 for work. I'm sure Embry and Seth will be more than happy to keep you company while I'm gone."

"Great." I muttered sarcastically, walking away. Just exactly what I needed; more time with Embry Call.

The Next Morning

I woke to the sound of my sister's animated voice and masculine laughter. No doubt in my mind it was none other than Seth Clearwater. I climbed out of the bed and quickly brushed my teeth before making my way into Tiffany's guest room. Abby was sitting up and looked much better, to my relief. She was holding her thick green composition book as Seth continued laughing.

"Essie, you're awake!" My sister exclaimed as I made my way over towards her and leaned in for a hug.

"You look much better, kid." I told her.

"I feel better." Abby grinned. "Seth, left for a bit and came back with some of Sue's homemade soup and then he put away all of our belongings," she added sounding impressed by his actions. "I was just sitting here reading him some of my stories."

"Your sister is something else. Her short stories are really funny," he commented. He makes your sister happy, be nice Ester, I told myself.

"Sometimes, I don't even know where she comes up with all of it." I mustered up the best smile I could for Seth. "Thanks for putting our things away. You didn't have to."

"It was no biggie." He shrugged indifferently. "You were really tired last night, and I was feeling restless. Besides, Abby has been making me laugh since I woke up. She's so talented." He beamed at my sister.

"Essie's very talented too. She writes amazing songs and poetry," she told Seth. "Essie also has a great voice." I blushed a bit at my little sister's compliments.

"Really?!" Seth leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "So, I guess it must run in the family." I was just about to comment, until I noticed two picture frames displayed on the table. One of our father, and another picture that I thought had been destroyed seven years ago. I walked over and lifted the picture to really get a good look at it.

"Ricky," I murmured, shakily tracing his face. His high school graduation photo.

"I found it while I was packing last night." Abby sighed sentimentally. "He's just as handsome as I remembered." He was. He had a James Dean sort of look about himself, but he wasn't a bad boy, contrary to what one might think by looking at him. I was surprised my mother didn't tear the photo up and toss it in the trash. Ricky was our older brother. Diane gave birth to him as a teen and gave him up for adoption. When he turned eighteen, he tracked her down. We only met him once, but we loved him instantly. The next day, Diane packed us up and took off. She said Ricky reminded her of the past she was trying so desperately to forget. I placed the picture back down on the table, took a deep breath, and tried to shake sad thoughts out my head.

"So what's the verdict? Did Tiffany let you know when you'll be able to get out of this room?" I asked changing the subject.

"She recommended I take it easy one more day and then I should be able to start moving about again." She smiled brightly.

"That sucks, sis, I was really hoping you and I could take a look around La Push today." So I could pull you away from under Seth for a little while. Who the hell was I kidding? No doubt in my mind he'd tag along as well.

"I'm fine, sis. Seth's offered to keep me company all day. He was supposed to hang out with his cousin, Brady, and his friend, Collin, but he cancelled his plans just for me." I bet he did.

"Okay," I huffed. "You didn't take your meds yesterday. Make sure you do tonight."

"Meds?" Seth repeated, confused. I could see the panic in my sister's eyes as she gripped her composition book, nearly ripping it apart. Shit! I gotta fix this.

"Vitamins," I lied quickly. "She has a slight deficiency. It's not that serious." It's very serious. I wish Abby's pills were just vitamins. "Is Embry still here?" I changed the subject. "I was hoping he could drive me to the garage to take a look at our car, see what's wrong with it."

"Kitchen, he's always in the kitchen," Seth smirked.

"Thanks." I gave my sister a quick kiss on the forehead before heading into Tiffany's living room.

Embry's POV

I got her to smile. I got those beautiful lips of Ester's to curl up slightly, and although it didn't last very long, I felt a little victorious. I was downright aggravated with my mom for asking Ester about her past. It was obvious to all of us that Ester and her sister Abigail had a hard-knock life. Her father's dead and her mother was gone as well. How long had these two been alone? Ester may have come off as cold to others, but the way she spoke about her sister told me she had a soft side. Could I ever be a part of that? Or had she been forever changed by her past to the point where she could no longer trust anyone? She was my imprint. The Great Spirit wouldn't allow me to imprint on her if she was incapable of loving me back, right? All my thoughts came to a screeching halt when I smelled Ester enter the living room. She smelled so damn good, like sweet alyssum. Sweet alyssum?! Where the hell did that come from? I'm turning into a damn girl.

"Morning." She huffed. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and as she stretched, her tight black muscle shirt slid up a bit, displaying the lower part of her stomach. Damn, her skin looked so soft. To be that shirt…and her gray sweats, although a little baggy, showed evidence of her nicely shaped ass when she entered the kitchen and reached for a coffee mug in the cabinet.

Damn! There goes her shirt rising again. She shuffled past me. Her skin grazed mine, and I tried to remain as still as possible, but she was so close; I couldn't stop myself from inhaling deeply to get a better whiff of her sweet fragrance. Shit, I'm being a fucking pansy right now. I watched her pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Well," I grinned, "Good morning to you, too."

"I don't know how good it is," she grunted, rolling her eyes. "Abby is still sick, my car is broke down, and I feel like I've been replaced by a tall russet seventeen year old man-child who won't stop making goo-goo eyes at my baby sister." I couldn't help but laugh. "Have you met Abigail yet?"

"Nope," I replied; popping the 'p'. Seth would try to tear me apart if I even thought about crossing that threshold while his mate was still sick. "I figured I'd meet her once she got better." Because it's my only choice. "Besides, it's a little crowded in there if you ask me."

"Yeah," Ester mocked. I watched her facial expression change from playful to all business. "So, are you going into work today? I was hoping I could get a ride to your shop."

"I'm not working today, but I would be more than happy to take you there. Just think of me as your personal chauffeur for the day." Or any other day...for the rest of our lives sounds just fine.

"Great." She cut her eyes away again, but I could see her fighting back the grin that danced across her lips. Her sexy, enticing lips.

"Stop acting like you don't want to hang out with me; you know you do." I licked my lips and moved closer towards her. I could hear her heart starting to hammer frantically in her chest, Ester took in a deep breath as I continued leaning towards her, but instead of placing her lips on mine, she moved towards my ear.

"If you ever try to kiss me again without my permission again, I'll rip your lips off and personally hand deliver them to your mother." She pulled back and took another sip of her coffee. Shit, she couldn't knock a wolf for trying. Still, I was unfazed. I didn't mind the chase at all. As a matter of fact, I was downright excited at the thought.

I tried not to laugh. "So all I have to do is ask then?" I raised one brow.

"I can't believe that's all you heard." She shook her head and placed her mug on the counter. "I'm going to shower and get dressed," I started to open my mouth, but she cut me off. "And no, you do not have my fucking permission to help bathe or dress me." She started walking away, but turned around for just one second, displaying the sexiest grin I had ever seen. Oh man, this was going to be hard…literally.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please don't forget to review, it makes super happy; a sneak peak of Chapter 5 will be sitting in your inbox, if you do. :D Thanks once again.