by Jean Oram
Her heart felt dizzy and her mind had lost its bearings. What did she want? What did she feel? She loved him as more than a friend. She had to. How could she not, after a kiss like that?
He took one glance back at her before steering the truck into the now-flowing traffic, his jaw set with determination. “When you’re truly ready, Amber Lynn Thompson. But I won’t take you a moment before.”
Chapter Six
Waitressing was the most difficult job Amber had ever had. It didn’t help that the only thing she could concentrate on was Scott, their kiss, and the way he’d told her she wasn’t ready. Of course she was ready. He hadn’t even given her a chance to say she loved him.
The customers at Benny’s were demanding and impatient. They wanted to chat her ear off, while having her magically bring them their meals at the same time. If she wanted a tip—and she did—she had to stand there with a smile and listen to them discuss how alike she and her mother were. That and the book. When were she and Scott going to get together, anyway?
If one more person asked that, Amber was going to cry. She’d tried. She’d been rejected. And every time someone mentioned the subject it felt as though the knife was being driven in a little deeper.
The lunch rush finally ended and the restaurant quieted down to the point where she could sit for a minute to eat her own lunch. Amber had no idea how her mother did this all day. Every day for decades.
Benny came over with a cup of coffee and sat across from her. “Looks like you’ll make out okay for tips.”
“Because they feel sorry for me and I’m Gloria’s daughter.”
“You did well, though. Not many errors. A natural, like your mom.”
“Yeah, like my mom.” Amber squelched the volcanic eruption inside her that fought against the idea, and picked at her salad before finally pushing it away.
“It’ll start getting busy around three for the coffee break, and then again around five-thirty for supper. You know what it’s like. You’ve spent almost as much time in here as your mom. When you’re done lunch, I’ll show you a few things you can do ahead of time to make it easier when the next rush hits.”
“Thanks.” Amber tried to smile and look grateful for the help. She’d seen her mother do pre-rush prep and had a pretty good idea what needed to be done, but didn’t want to screw things up or make it harder than it already was.
A while later, Mary Alice and Liz came in for an early supper. Since the dawn of time the two had met up at Benny’s every week to chat and laugh. Amber couldn’t help but wonder if one day she and Delia would have weekly or monthly get-togethers, too. She kind of hoped so. It would be nice to have a sibling to lean on and built a history with. And Delia seemed so together that she’d be an ultimate big sister. She’d barely been fazed at finding her sister on her neighborhood street, and had assumed the best, not that Amber was creepy—thankfully.
“Amber, hon.” Mary Alice waved her over. “We’re ready to settle up.” She dipped a hand down the neck of her blouse and rummaged through her bra, finally pulling out a tin of mints as well as a small change purse that contained a few bills.
Amber passed them their check, pleased to have remembered to give them a discount for the daily special.
“You are so much like your mother,” Mary Alice said, reaching up to pat Amber’s cheek. “Although Gloria doesn’t need a notepad to remember our orders.” She gave Amber a playful look.
“It’s her first day,” Liz said, coming to Amber’s defense. “Plus you always order the same thing and have for the past fifteen years.”
“Say…” began Mary Alice, changing the subject. Amber figured she was warming up to start running interference in someone’s life or else divulge the latest gossip. It was amazing how many people had told her things “confidentially” today. Being a waitress was similar to being a storehouse for secrets. No wonder her mother felt so at home with the job.
“Nicola—our niece—needs a distraction,” Mary Alice finished.
Amber sure could use one, too. She couldn’t stop thinking about Scott and the way his quads had flexed under the cover of his jeans as he’d driven them home last night. The way his shoulders rounded when he was fed up with her. How he’d said no.
How would she ever show him she was ready?
Maybe he wasn’t ready.
Now there was a thought.
Amber quirked her head, struggling to stay focused on her customers. “I thought Nicola was busy with her community planning job.”
“She’s almost done her part on that new subdivision. We never see her because of the long hours, but now she’s wrapping it up.”
Liz jumped in. “And so Nicola’s going to need a new distraction.”
“Did someone say Nicola Samuels needs a distraction?” Devon Mattson, Mandy’s oldest brother, asked as he joined the ladies at their table, helping himself to Liz’s mostly untouched fries. He gave Amber a large grin, illustrating that he knew just how handsome and supposedly irresistible he was. “I’m available for distracting women.”
“You always are,” Amber said. “Is it any wonder?” The man was a daredevil playboy.
“Don’t feel left out. There’s plenty of me to go around.” He winked at her.
“You stay away from our niece,” Mary Alice scolded. “She doesn’t need your kind of wildness.”
“What about me? You’re not going to protect me from this big lump?” Amber asked, smacking Devon’s chest. She blinked away images of Scott coming and rescuing her from Devon’s clutches.
My goodness. She needed to get over whatever it was that was messing with her mind. Such as that kiss. Man, that had been good.
“I’m not wild,” Devon replied, arms out as though that proved his innocence.
“Right,” Liz said with an eye roll. “And I wear shorts in snowstorms.”
“I’m sure it’s happened. Zip out to grab the newspaper off the front step while wearing your husband’s oversize shirt and boxers?” he teased.
He was rewarded by a glare.
Mary Alice continued, “What do you think we could distract her with?” She pointed a finger at Devon. “Don’t say it.”
“Summer is coming,” Amber offered. “She used to travel and hike and stuff, didn’t she? When she went around the world with Todd? Maybe she could help Jen.”
“Aha!” Devon slapped the table in triumph. “This is about Todd, isn’t it? You want him to get her, not me.”
The sisters ignored him.
“Jen’s wilderness guiding business is expanding.”
“And she’s pregnant?” Mary Alice added, looking hopefully at anyone who would offer confirmation.
The group let out a collective sigh, and Amber said, “But I don’t quite get what she needs the distraction from.” She pointed to Devon and mouthed, “Him?”
Mary Alice shook her head.
“I do like that idea—helping Jen,” Liz said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
“Are we really just trying to distract her from Devon?” Amber asked, as though the man in question wasn’t sitting at the table, listening intently.
“Todd,” the sisters said simply.
Devon and Amber shared a look.
“What do you mean?” Amber asked. She had thought the two friends were going to get together at the Valentine’s Day extravaganza, but assumed they hadn’t, since she hadn’t seen Todd around. Since then, Nicola had all but disappeared into her job, losing weight in the process. Amber hadn’t thought much of it, but now she wondered. Nicola used to barely be able to take a breath without talking about her BFF Todd, yet Amber could barely recall the last time he or their grand travel adventures had been mentioned. What had happened? And how had Amber managed to push her head so far up her own butt that she hadn’t even noticed the changes in her friend?
“What’s going on out there?” Liz asked, craning her neck to look through the big windows that faced the sidewalk. “Don’t tell me there are more reporters in town.�
�� She stood, straightening her floral blouse. “Oh, well. I chased them out of Blueberry Springs when they were harassing Jen. The least I can do is chase them out for you, too.” She smiled at Amber and hustled to the door.
Amber followed, not quite sure whether Liz would make things better or not.
On the sidewalk, Amber blinked and looked again. She did not just see who she thought she had. Nope. Sure enough, there was a television van, but that’s not what had caught her eye. It was her sister. Talking to a reporter.
What was she doing in town? And why was she talking to the media? This could not be good.
A cluster of onlookers had gathered, their ears tilted toward Delia as though they were afraid they would miss something. Collectively, they all leaned back in apparent awe, before glancing at each other and leaning in again.
No way that could be a positive. Her mother’s secret was going to be revealed to the entire world because Amber had a problem with being impulsive. And so, too, might Delia.
Amber tried to control her anger as she walked toward her sister and the reporter, waving Liz, Mary Alice, and Devon back.
“I’m not local,” Delia was saying. “No, I don’t have an opinion about the town or Amber Thompson or Russell Peaks. I’m here to try the brownies at the Wrap It Up, as I’ve heard they’re to die for.” She glanced at Amber and they shared a look.
“You know Amber?” the reporter asked, noticing the exchange.
“I do,” Delia said carefully.
“In what capacity?” He was eyeing Amber in a way she wasn’t comfortable with.
“We met the other day. She’s a lovely, helpful woman. That will be all. Thank you.” She shook the reporter’s hand, doing an excellent job of removing herself from the interview.
Amber could have hugged her, her relief was so intense. Her sister was her hero. She’d just disarmed a reporter.
As Amber went to join her, wondering how to approach her arrival, she could have sworn she heard someone in the crowd say “related.”
Liz drew Amber to the side before she got to Delia. “Who is she? She seems familiar somehow.”
“Delia Whitehart,” Amber said, with no further explanation. She reached her sister, snagging her by the arm and pivoting them back toward Benny’s restaurant, seeing as she was still on shift.
“Thank you,” Amber whispered as she held the door open for her, noting that the reporter was now badgering Blueberry Springs residents, who were frowning at her, arms crossed.
“I hope I didn’t say anything that could complicate things for you. I had no idea. I was dropping off paperwork in Derbyshire and thought I’d drive through to take a peek at the town.”
“What I heard was perfect. You’re a lifesaver.” Amber settled her sister at a table. “I’m helping out here,” she said, catching herself before she said she was covering for their mother. Too much personal information, and info she wasn’t at liberty to give out, even though she felt Delia had the right to know. “I’m not off for a few more hours, but if you’d like a slice of pie or something I could get you one on the house. Benny, the owner, won’t mind.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. Chocolate okay?”
“Silly question. Of course chocolate. Hit me up!”
Amber went to the kitchen for a slice of pie, automatically including a glass of milk.
“I’m lactose intolerant,” Delia said, frowning at the milk. “Sorry.”
“No, I should have asked.” Amber picked up the glass again, holding it awkwardly. “Um, the pie has cream in it.”
“Don’t worry.” She fished some pills out of her purse. “These will handle the pie. A glass of milk is just a bit more than they can cover.”
“Delia?” Amber perched on the edge of the chair across from her. “Did you know you were going to marry your husband the first time you met him?”
“Nah, I decked him the day we met. He kissed me right there on the playground.” Her sister smiled, her cheeks pinking at the memory. That woman loved her man something fierce. “We had to spend recess indoors, but by the end of our punishment we were friends. He didn’t try to kiss me again until we were thirteen.”
“Scott and I have been best friends since forever.” Amber pressed her fingers to her lips as she thought of their kiss.
Delia nodded encouragingly and Amber hesitated before deciding that what she could use right now was some romance advice from a big sister. Her lucky-in-love big sister.
“I kissed him when we were coming home from the city. I thought he wanted more. Everyone keeps saying he loves me and has since forever.” She paused, feeling embarrassed for outing Scott’s feelings to a woman who was still essentially a stranger. “And sometimes the look in his eyes…” Amber felt the sting of his rejection once again. “He said no.”
“No?”
“He doesn’t think I’m ready.”
“And are you?”
Amber nodded, despite the uncertainty eroding her confidence. Was this what Scott was talking about? But she couldn’t imagine her life without him. That had to mean she was ready. So why couldn’t she tell the most important man in her life that she loved him? She knew she did, and she’d said those three small words to past boyfriends without issue, so it wasn’t as though she had troubles forming the words. But whenever she thought of telling Scott, she felt as though a huge weight settled on her vocal cords. It was as though once those three tiny words were said she would never be able to take them back and her whole world would become entirely different. It would change everything.
“Thanks again for sorting out my ordering system, Amber,” Benny called, drawing Amber from her thoughts. He paused as he walked by with his daily deposit for the bank.
Amber waved at him absently. Maybe she wasn’t ready for Scott. But what would she need to do in order to be ready?
“Well, now,” Benny continued. “You two could pass for sisters. What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
The sisters shared a glance.
“Oh.” Benny nodded and kept going. “Okay.” He paused with his hand on the door, then muttered something to himself and kept going.
Amber sighed. Things were about to get complicated again.
* * *
Amber needed to woo Scott. Delia had said her husband showed his love in different ways and that words weren’t everything. Maybe Amber could show Scott she cared with gestures. All she needed was a good dress and some courage. She hadn’t seen him since the kiss, but she hoped that if she appeared looking amazing he would see how silly he had been to say they needed to wait.
She’d fortified herself with chocolate and coffee, worked through most of the night to get ahead on her database job, served her shift at Benny’s—where she’d told her boss not to talk to a soul about Delia and that she’d tell him everything when she could—grabbed her three friends, and was ready to find The Dress. As for the courage part of the plan, Amber hoped it would appear by magic when she needed it most.
“Why do you need a dress?” Jen asked. She’d just come out of the woods after an all-day hike with clients and was wearing a T-shirt she’d designed with a hiker running from a bear, plus wrinkle-free shorts, and hiking boots. Not exactly someone who might grasp the need for the perfect dress, but Amber had chosen her for her common sense, hoping it would level out Mandy’s intricate sense of style sense, given that Amber still needed to look like herself. She’d brought Nicola along to break any tie votes between the friends, and because she looked as though she could use some good old-fashioned retail therapy.
“I want to feel feminine,” Amber replied.
They were in Wanda’s wedding store and Amber was hoping to find a little black dress. Or a cute red one. Or really, anything that would show her man she was ready.
“No wedding to go to?” Jen asked, eliciting a frustrated sigh from Mandy.
“She’s trying to get Scott’s attenti
on,” Mandy explained.
“Shh!” Amber said, casting a quick look around the store. She didn’t want word getting back to Scott before she had a chance to make her move.
Mandy ignored her. “Remember? Like we did for you and Rob? The dress that made you look like Marilyn Monroe.”
Jen brightened. “Oh yeah! That almost even worked.” She yawned again, slumping in her seat. “But not really.”
Nicola held out a dress. “I think I’m going to try this one on.”
“We’re here for Amber, not ourselves.” Mandy reached for a dress, checked the tag, then put it back. “If I’d known you wanted to wow Scott, I could have watched for something in the designer sales I go to. Huge savings.”
“Would they have my size?” Amber asked doubtfully. She didn’t think designers were used to covering this much ground.
“Hi, ladies,” Wanda said, joining them. “What are we looking for today? Are you planning your wedding, Mandy?” She eyed Mandy’s engagement band. “Have you chosen your special date?”
“Oh.” Mandy looked around the store, eyes wide. “Um. No, not yet.”
“We’re here for Amber,” Jen said, yawning. “She wants to look ‘feminine’.” She used air quotes around the word.
“Ah, want to catch a certain officer’s eye, do we?” Wanda smiled knowingly and began rifling through the racks with an expert’s speed.
“Um…” Amber gave her friends a feeble shrug. “Maybe?”
“Any color or style preferences?” Wanda asked, holding out three casual, summery dresses.
“Not yet,” Amber said. The store was overwhelming. So many dresses, from casually simple to wedding gowns that looked as though they should be worn by princesses.
“Who was that woman in town the other day?” Wanda asked as she handed Amber a few choices. “The one who looked like she could be your sister?”
“Delia. Are these my size?” Amber glanced at the tags. They were. Wanda was a magician.
“Any relation?” Wanda asked. She held another dress under Amber’s chin before placing it back on the rack.