Rising from the Ashes Read Online Free PDF Page A

about it, Emerson Grace. He’s just a coworker and maybe a friend.”
    “Says you,” Lizzy responded. “That dude looked like he wanted himself some Savannah lovin’.”
    I rolled my eyes and downed the last of my beer. “You bitches know I don’t dip my pen in the company ink. That’s just asking for trouble.”
    I started to stand when Emmy got serious all of a sudden.
    “It’s time, Savannah. You and Jeremy have been broken up for a while. He’s finally moved on. Don’t you think it’s time you did too?”
    The crushing weight I felt each time I thought of Jeremy came back, and the smile slipped from my lips. “I just don’t want a relationship right now, Em. I’m good, I promise.”
    I hated lying to my best friend more than anything. I was so far from okay that it wasn’t even funny.
    “I just don’t get it!” she exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “It’s obvious you two still love each other. Why the hell can’t y’all just get back together?”
    From my peripheral vision, I caught Lizzy’s sympathetic look. She was the only one who knew the truth behind mine and Jeremy’s breakup.
    “He’s with Charlotte, Emmy.”
    “Oh, please. You know as well as I do that he’d drop her in a minute if you’d just give him a chance!”
    I’d had enough for one night. “Okay, I’m done with this conversation.” I reached for Emmy and gave her a hug before releasing her and hugging Lizzy. “I’m out. I’ll see you guys later.”
    “You are so damn stubborn!” Emmy exclaimed.
    I turned back with a smile and threw over my shoulder, “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”
    “I can’t figure out why,” she called back with a laugh in her voice.
    The only thing I could think of doing was getting to my house, face-planting into my huge, comfy bed, and sleeping through the next few days.

The loud shrill of my cell phone cut through my head and ripped me out of a sound sleep. Groaning, I rolled over and willed my eyes to adjust to the sun shining into my bedroom as I reached to grab my phone from the nightstand.
    “If someone isn’t dead, they’re about to be,” I muttered to whoever was stupid enough to call me before eight o’clock on a Saturday.
    “Um…” the voice on the other end replied. “I’m sorry. I must have the wrong number.”
    I rolled my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows. Once I was awake, there was no getting back to sleep. The asshole on the other end had just prevented me from sleeping in on the one day a week I was able to, so it was understandable that I wasn’t exactly chipper.
    “Who the hell are you trying to reach at such an ungodly hour?” I snapped.
    “Uh…well, I was looking for Savannah Morgan?” He ended his sentence as a question, which just annoyed me further.
    “Well, unfortunately for you, you got her. Who the hell is this?”
    “B-Ben. Uh…this is Benjamin Bennett from P&C?” he responded, sounding almost terrified.
    I was surprised he hadn’t just hung up on me already.
    “ Ben ?” I asked, positively horrified that I’d just acted like that to someone I worked for. “Oh my God, I am so sorry. I can’t believe I just spoke to you like that. I am so, so sorry. Um…I’m not really a morning person.”
    He laughed across the line. “I kind of figured that out. I’m the one who’s sorry. I just got my ass thoroughly chewed. Are you sure you aren’t a lawyer?”
    I let out an abashed groan. “I’m so embarrassed right now,” I replied quietly.
    “Please, don’t be.”
    It made me feel somewhat better that I could sense he was smiling. I’d dodged a bullet. He wasn’t going to fire me—or at least I hoped not.
    “It’s totally my fault for calling so early on a weekend. I honestly didn’t even look at the clock before picking up the phone. For that, I’m sorry.”
    “Oh, uh…well, you’re forgiven,” I replied awkwardly.
    “How about we start this whole thing over?”
    I felt a smile spread