Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

resolution to check on those things as soon as she got back home.
    There was something about Jemma that Emmie liked. She was different from the other two women. Ava opened her mouth to say something but paused as she looked around Emmie. Emmie’s eyes followed her friend’s gaze and saw that Silas was walking to their table. As he got closer his face split into a wide grin, one of his rare smiles. His eyes lit up. Emmie felt her heart leap as he walked toward her.
    Past her, he walked past her, picked up the angel and spun her in a circle, laughing out loud. The angel squeaked, “Si.”
    Emmie tried to smile but it came out as a frown. Si?… Si? Okay, so she didn’t like this girl. The angel had given him a nickname? She stared up at him as he kissed the girl on each cheek before he put her down. She felt a fire of jealousy and hurt, burning in her gut.
    “Silas. I have missed you so much. I wasn’t sure you would be able to make it. Trick said you’d been so busy down there.” The damn angel hugged him again. Like he had just returned from some war. This was too much, the final straw.
    Emmie stood and pushed in her chair with more force than necessary. Ava walked over and squeezed her arm but she pulled away. Emmie wondered what the hell she was doing here. She didn’t belong in this room full of… of…
    “Emmie, wait. Where are ya going?” Silas asked. His arm still draped around the mousy angel.
    She opened her mouth but found no words. No words she could say in public anyway.

Chapter Four
    “S ilas,” Ava said through gritted teeth. “Don’t you think you should introduce your sister to Emmie?”
    Sister. Sister. Sister. Sister.
    The angel was his sister. Emmie was a fool. Or she felt like one anyway. This is where that term lovesick fool came from wasn’t it? Because when you care for someone you lose all your ability to not overact. Your ability to not act like an idiot.
    Emmie closed her eyes and took in a breath, still frozen. She was pulled from her thoughts when Ava rubbed her arm. She bit her lower lip and looked up at her friend. Ava was fighting back a smile.
    “It’s okay. No big deal,” Ava mouthed without sound, her back to the others.
    Emmie turned around to face the others hesitantly. Maybe they didn’t notice she was planning to leave with her feathers in a ruffle… literally. But one look at Silas stopped that. She hadn’t seen him so amused since… well… maybe never. She had actually never seen him look so smug.
    Silas pulled his arm away from the angel. “Emmie, I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Jem.” He turned to his sister, “Jem this is Emmie.”
    Jem extended her white-gloved hand and smiled down at Emmie. “Emmie, nice to meet you, again. Do you know Silas?” She looked confused.
    Emmie nodded. She opened her mouth to speak but words failed her…
    Yeah, I know him.
    I tried to sell him moonshine… his moonshine.
    Yeah, I know him.
    He just beat the living daylights out of my boss… ex-boss.
    Yeah, I know him.
    When he kisses me, I can’t breathe.
    All the ways she knew him flashed in her mind. Her eyes widened, she smiled and nodded again, shades of embarrassment coloring her neck and cheeks. Her eyes traveled to Silas. This was for him to explain. He was going to have to name it publicly. These were his people, not hers. He would be the one to tell or not.
    Silas rubbed his jaw hiding his emotion. Was he embarrassed too? When he moved his hand away from his chin she decided he wasn’t. He was just finding the right words. Emmie knew he wasn’t much on talking about things. Especially things involving his personal life.
    “Jemma, this is Emmie. I think Trick might have mentioned to you I was seeing someone down there.” Silas turned his body and closed the space between them as he spoke. “Well, this is the someone…” He grinned at Emmie and the last part came out as a whisper, “My someone.”
    Jemma’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open.