by Elena Aitken
“Is that right?” He leaned in because Logan couldn’t think of a lot of things that would be more interesting than hearing what she might have said about him to her friends. “And what did you tell her?”
She shrugged and picked up her water glass. “Not much.”
“Now why don’t I believe that for a second?”
She laughed.
“Did you have a chance to tell Drew about everything we talked about the other day?” The moment he asked the question he regretted it, at least for a second, because her face dimmed as if a flame had been extinguished. But an instant later, the smile was back and she nodded.
“I did.”
“You did? That’s great.”
“You sound surprised.”
Instantly, Logan felt badly because he was surprised. Of course he’d been hoping Amber would come clean about her secrets to her friends. He felt strongly about everything he’d said to her that night. It was important for her, and for her overall well-being; he really did believe that. And why wouldn’t he want Amber to be well? After all, he cared about this woman, a lot. He wanted the best for her. He just hadn’t thought she would have done it so quickly. It couldn’t have been easy for her.
“I am,” he answered honestly. “I mean, you know how I feel about it.” She nodded. “But I guess I wasn’t really sure that you agreed with me on it and I don’t want to force you to do—”
“You didn’t force me to do anything.” She took a deep drink of her water. “I told her because I said I would. Besides, I agree with you. It was a good idea and I’ll tell the others later too.”
He couldn’t have hid the smile that crossed his face if he’d wanted to. Which he didn’t. “Amber, I think that’s fantastic.” He raised his water glass. “To you and your honesty.”
She hesitated, but after a moment, lifted her glass to his.
“I feel like this is the start of something incredible for you, Amber.” He reached for her hand again. Things may be going to hell for him, but at least one of them was on the right track with their lives. “You really are amazing.”
Chapter Fifteen
She knew she should have come clean with Logan right away. Or at the very least, she could have gone home from that lunch and told Drew the truth just the way she’d told Logan she already had.
But she just couldn’t do it. When Amber got home, Drew had all her important papers spread out on the kitchen table and instead of telling her friend the truth, she helped her work through the legalese of all the documents.
That was more important anyway, right?
And then, a day later, when Christy asked her again if she could help draw up a will for her and Mark, well…naturally she was going to do that.
And then another day went by and she still hadn’t said anything, and it just seemed less important all of a sudden. Especially with Thanksgiving coming. She’d accepted the invitation to go with Logan to Christy’s house for a big holiday celebration and there was no way she was going to ruin it by telling everyone about her past. It seemed selfish. Besides, what if they were mad at her, or looked at her differently? It would be awkward and uncomfortable and she wasn’t going to do that to Christy, who had been working so hard to make Thanksgiving amazing.
She’d tell them afterwards. Another few days wouldn’t hurt.
When Logan came to pick her up, Amber felt the now familiar flicker of guilt that she felt every time she’d seen him since she lied. She hated starting their relationship with lies, but…there just wasn’t another way.
After, she promised herself. I’ll tell them everything after Thanksgiving.
“You look gorgeous.” Logan kissed her in greeting before holding her out at arm’s length to admire her again.
She’d chosen a new wine-colored wrap dress that set off her dark hair. It was far more casual than anything she was used to wearing, but more and more since she’d been back in Timber Creek, she was adopting a new style. Her old suits were a distant memory, and to her surprise, she liked it that way.
“Thank you.” She accepted the compliment and fired one back at him. “You clean up pretty nicely yourself.” It was the truth. Wearing a button-up black shirt and a dark pair of jeans, his hair still a little damp from the shower he’d obviously recently had, Logan looked incredibly sexy.
“You ready for this?” He led her to his truck for the short drive to Christy and Mark’s house. Drew and Austin had left earlier in the day after Drew had insisted on helping Christy with the cooking. No one was going to argue since Drew was an amazing cook and everyone was super aware that it was her first holiday without Eric. If cooking was a good distraction, she could prepare the entire feast, as far as the women were concerned. “It’s our first big event as a couple.”
Amber laughed. “It’s just our friends.”
“And family,” he reminded her. Christy had taken it upon herself to invite all of their parents, at least those who didn’t already have plans, which meant a handful of them, including her own father.
“I seriously don’t know what she was thinking,” Amber said. “There are going to be so many people there.”
“It’ll be fun.” Logan pulled up in front of the small house and went around to open her door. “Ready or not…”
It was fun.
Logan didn’t even have a chance to knock on the door before it swung open and they were ushered inside to a house full of laughter and chatter.
It was complete chaos, with people everywhere. There was a giant makeshift table that snaked from the kitchen out into the living room so everyone could be seated together, set with an eclectic mix of plates and glasses and decorated with mini pumpkins.
Logan took Amber’s hand and they made the rounds together, fielding questions about their relationship. It wasn’t until they were seated at one end of the long table, with Cam, Evan, and Cam’s daughter Morgan on one side of them, and Drew and Ben with Austin sandwiched between them, that either of them could catch their breath.
“You guys are the worst,” Amber said. “I feel like I just ran the gauntlet.”
“What are you talking about?” Cam pretended to be taken aback.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Amber shook her head and Drew laughed. “You guys have been firing questions at us from the moment we walked in. No wonder I never dated anyone before. It’s hard work around all of you.”
“It’s only because we love you,” Christy called from farther down the table. “And we love to see you happy.”
Amber shook her head slightly, but Logan could see the smile on her lips. He loved to see her happy, too. And if he had even a small part to play in that, then that made him incredibly happy.
From all the way at the other end of the table, Logan caught Joseph Monroe’s eye. He’d already chatted with him briefly when they’d arrived, but Amber seemed to be in a hurry to move on from her father and they hadn’t spent much time talking with him. Logan offered the older man a smile and made a note to seek him out after dinner and chat with him about the situation at the ranch. He loved the horses too. He deserved to know.
“Don’t you think she should, Logan?” He was brought swiftly back into the conversation that he clearly hadn’t been listening to.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he admitted his distraction. “Sorry,” Logan said. “My mind wandered. What do I think who should do?” The question didn’t make sense, but Drew laughed and explained to him again.
“I was just saying how Amber helped me out with some of my legal mess the other day and how much easier she made everything.”
“It was hardly a mess,” Amber chimed in.
“It was.” Drew nodded and looked knowingly at Logan. “Anyway, Christy mentioned Amber was going to help her out with a will, too, and it just got me thinking…”
Logan glanced over at Amber, who was shaking her head, but there was still a smile on her face.
“What were you thinking?” he asked Drew.
“First of all.” Amber held up a finger. “There’s already a legal practice in town.”
“True,” Cam jumped in. “But Darcy’s getting older. He’s already talked about retiring and…”
“And,” Drew took over. “You’re so much better.” Cam nodded in agreement. “You actually explain things so they make sense. I haven’t had to deal with Darcy Hansen much over the years, but from what I understand, it wasn’t unusual for him to be condescending.”
“And you are so not condescending.” Christy wandered to their end of the table with a basket of buns and joined the conversation. “And if you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about, then I completely agree. Besides, then we’d have you around permanently.” She wrapped her arm around Amber’s shoulder and squeezed.
Watching all four of them together was a special treat. Their relationship was clearly built on a foundation of trust and support and love. Logan couldn’t understand how Amber ever could have doubted that these women would have her back once they learned the truth about everything.
“Are you guys serious?” Amber laughed, but Logan could see that she might actually be considering the suggestion. “I mean, I—” Abruptly, Amber pushed her chair out and stood. “I need to run to the bathroom,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
“If you think you’re getting away from this so easily, think again,” Drew called after her with a laugh. When she was gone, Drew turned to Logan. “Don’t you think it would be perfect for her? I mean I can’t imagine you want her returning to San Francisco or some other big city firm, right?”
“I don’t think she’d do that again.” Logan shook his head. “Not now. I mean…” He hesitated and looked around at the women, who were all watching him intently. All their parents at the other end of the table were in deep conversation about something and not paying any attention to what the younger generation was doing. He couldn’t be sure whether Amber had a chance to talk to her dad yet, but knowing that her friends were so supportive of the truth and her past, he lowered his voice and said, “Not after everything she’s been through, right?”
He was greeted by silence and blank stares until finally Christy spoke up cautiously and quietly. “What are you talking about, Logan?”
Maybe it should have been a red flag. Maybe their confusion should have alerted him to something more. But Logan had no reason to suspect that things weren’t at all what they seemed, so he didn’t think anything of it when he said, “I know Amber said you guys were all really okay about the truth when she told you, but I have to tell you how impressed I am with the support and love you all have for each other.” He sat forward in his seat and continued. “I know it wasn’t easy for her to tell you about the pills and the addiction and how it all came to a head. And of course, the whole thing in San Francisco and the hospital.” He shook his head and didn’t even notice the looks on their faces as he kept talking. “Losing her job like that. It was—”
“None. Of. Your. Business.” Amber’s voice, hard as glass, shattered behind him.
It was only then that he realized the truth. She hadn’t told them anything.
Amber had to work hard to control her voice when what she really wanted to do was scream, throw things, and run as hard and fast as she could. The entire room had fallen silent. Even the parents at the far end of the table had stopped their chatting. Oh God. She couldn’t bring herself to look at anyone else at the table, even though there was no doubt in her mind that every single set of eyeballs around that table was locked on her.
Instead, she focused on Logan and his complete betrayal.
“You have no right to talk about me that way. No right at all.” She spat each word like venom. There was no point keeping her voice down now. “Anything I told you was in confidence and you had no right.” Despite her effort, her voice shook and it only made her madder.
He pushed his chair back and stood so he was directly in front of her. “Amber, it’s not like—”
“I’m not stupid, Logan. That’s exactly what it was like. If you want to tell stories, tell your own. But leave me—”
“Amber?” Christy stood next to her, the basket of buns still in her hands. “If there’s something you want to—”
“No.” Amber shook her head. “Seems to me that Logan already did all the talking for me.”
It was her opportunity to come clean. Not only to her friends, but their parents and her own… Dad. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. No doubt he was shaking his head in disgust. Hell, the letdown might just be the final nail in the coffin that was their relationship. The ultimate disappointment. She’d finally done it. A total and complete failure.
“Amber, I didn’t tell them anything you didn’t,” Logan said.
She shifted her attention to the man in front of her. The one who only a few minutes ago she thought she might actually be falling in love with. Now, just looking at him… How could he?
“Just the other day you said you’d told them all everything and they were really supportive and totally cool with it all. I’m sorry if…” He gestured to the opposite end of the table. “I didn’t mean for anyone to overhear. I was just…” Logan was clearly confused, and she knew on some level that it was her fault. But there was no way she was going to say that. She could barely think it. All her brain could focus on was the fact that everything she’d worked so hard to keep a secret was out there in the open for the world to know.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
“Amber. You told me that you told them.” Logan took a step toward her, but she shook her head and backed up. “All I did was—”
“No.” She couldn’t listen to any more. She needed to get out of there. She felt trapped. Her heart raced; the familiar cold sweat started at the back of her neck. She was going to have a panic attack if she didn’t get out of there. Soon. “No,” she said again. “You had no right…” Finally, she let her eyes drift up, past Logan to Drew. Her expression was unreadable, but tears glistened in her eyes, and that was all Amber needed to know. She’d hurt her best friend at a time when that was the very last thing she needed. What kind of friend was she?
“Amber?”
She pulled her eyes away from Drew to Cam, who’d stood up from the table as well. “Whatever it is that you—”
“No.” Amber cut her off. “You don’t get it. None of you do.” She couldn’t see through the curtain of tears. She knew her nose was running and she must look like a complete mess, but she didn’t care. She swiped at her face roughly. “It’s never been okay, and it’s never going to be. Not now.”
She forced herself to look back to Logan even though she thought her heart might crack in two just looking at him. “You’ve destroyed everything,” she whispered, her voice choking over the words before she turned away.
As best as she could, with whatever smidge of composure she could muster, she straightened up and smoothed the front of her dress before addressing the room as a whole. “I’m really sorry. I hope this didn’t ruin your dinner.” And then she turned and ran.
Chapter Sixteen
Somehow Amber managed to ignore her phone and generally hide out for two full days after the fiasco at Thanksgiving. Unwilling to go back to Drew’s house, she’d walked to the Creekside Inn and taken a suite overlooking the frozen river, where she wrapped herself in a robe, ordered room service, watched Hallmark movies, and generally felt sorry for herself.
She knew she was acting like a child, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to anyone because the only person she really wanted to talk to was Logan and after what he’d done—and more to the point, how she’d reacted—that wasn’t going to be an option.
Whatever it was that had started was over.
It wasn’t until the morning of the third day when there was a knock on the door of her suite, followed by a deep voice. “Ms. Monroe. It’s managem
ent. Please open up.”
Management? There was no way her credit card had been declined.
With a sigh, Amber dragged herself from the bed, tightened the robe around her waist, and reluctantly answered the door.
“I’m not sure what the—Aaron?”
“Hi, Amber.” Aaron Owens, the owner of the Creekside Inn, and a familiar face with their crowd because he was Mark Thomas’s best friend, stood in front of her. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re looking good, Amber.”
She knew damn well that she was not at all looking good, and there was no doubt that Aaron had heard all about the Thanksgiving dinner drama. But she smiled and thanked him for the compliment. “What can I do for you, Aaron?”
He pressed his lips together and gave her a curt nod. And in that instant, she knew exactly what he was going to say.
Damn small towns.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to get you to move out today, Amber.”
“Is that right?”
“I’m really sorry to say it is.” He nodded and had the decency to look at least a little bit sorry, despite what was actually happening.
“And why is that, Aaron?” She challenged. “Is there some sort of function going on in Timber Creek that requires more than the usual amount of hotel rooms? Because when I checked in, there was no mention of anything. In fact, I believe I told them at the desk that I wasn’t sure how many nights I’d need to stay and I was assured that it wasn’t a problem.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m really sorry about the confusion, Amber. I am. But I’m going to—”
She put her hand on the door and pulled it in closer to her. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s really going on, Aaron.”
“Okay.” Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and smiled kindly. “Christy asked me to kick you out.”