Amber shrugged. “I never really thought about it. Harper’s Crossing is such a safe community. But it doesn’t exactly surprise me, since I've been asking Mr. Cranston to fix the light in the back lot for over a year now and he still hasn’t. I mean, it may be a safe town, but it’s still dark when the girls and I leave a lot of nights.”
“Alright well, I'm taking off. Call if you’d like an estimate,” Cam said handing Amber his card. Then turning to Seth, “Are you staying here with Haley?”
Seth knew he should leave. He should not get involved in this. He could tell himself that he was just staying to ensure his cousin’s safety, but he wasn’t big on lying, especially to himself.
“I’m staying,” he said, staring directly at Amber. He saw her breath hitch at his statement.
“Alright, buddy, see you tomorrow.” Cam winked at a female police officer as he left.
Seth took a deep breath through his nose, then instructed Alex, “Stay with her.”
As he walked to go check out the back lot he heard his brother say, “Is it wrong that I want to tell him he’s not the boss of me?”
He heard the girls laugh. Well, at least Alex was keeping them distracted from the break-in, even if it was at his expense.
Chapter Seven
“How’s your head?” Haley asked, her face etched with worry.
“It’s feeling better,” Amber tried to reassure her friend.
She knew she wasn’t doing that convincing of a job though. The truth was that she just wanted everyone to get out of Bella so she could clean up. It was driving her crazy that the store was such a mess.
Plus, she needed to figure this out. Who would do this? Why? Was it random? It had to be. No one she knew would want to hurt her.
Right?
Amber reached down and rolled her gold bracelet around her wrist. She let the sensation of the ridges beneath her fingertips instantly cause a calm to wash over her. As soon as she touched the metal, it anchored her, made her feel more secure.
Officer Williams came over, a serious expression on his face. “Obviously we won’t be able to pull any prints, since there are so many people in and out of here every day. Once you are able to go through your inventory and let us know what was stolen it may give us a clue.”
Amber once again scanned the room. “No product was stolen. They damaged the cash drawer in the process of prying it open, but we don’t keep cash in there when we're closed so they didn’t get anything. And they never found the safe, so it's still intact.”
The officer raised his right eye brow. “How can you be so sure that nothing was stolen?”
Haley chimed in, “She has a photographic memory. Which, incidentally, makes her unbeatable at memory games. If you ever go to game night, make sure she’s on your team.”
Amber knew Haley was trying to lighten the mood and she appreciated it.
“Do you have any disgruntled employees?” Officer Williams was writing something down on his pad of paper.
Amber was starting to get a little irritated. This was the third time she had been asked that question, “No, I don’t. But let’s follow that theory for a moment, shall we? If it was a ‘disgruntled employee’ don’t you think they would have known I don’t keep money in the cash drawer, not to mention exactly where the safe is?”
The officer seemed to ignore the irritation in Amber’s tone, continuing, “How about personally? An ex who feels like they have a score to settle, maybe?”
Seth chose this exact moment to reappear. Great. Just what she needed.
“No. No ex,” she replied quickly and decisively.
She wanted this line of questioning over as fast as possible.
“How about professionally? Any rival shops that would be upset at your success?”
Seriously? He was really just grabbing at straws now.
“No,” Amber answered curtly.
“Okay, well, here's my card in case you think of anything that could help.”
Lovely. She would just add that to the five other cards she'd been given.
“We're going to clear out of here now. You’ll want to get that door fixed sooner rather than later. And I would recommend that you get some kind of a working security system in here,” the officer said in a somewhat condescending tone.
Yeah, ya think? Amber wasn’t an idiot. She knew what needed to be done.
“Got it. Thanks.” Amber smiled tightly at him.
She knew that Officer Williams was just doing his job. It wasn’t his fault her store looked like this. It wasn’t his fault her head felt like this. He was just trying to help.
As he moved away, letting everyone know to clear out, Amber looked up at Haley, “Would you mind calling the locksmith before you go?”
“Go? I’m not going anywhere. I know you. There's no way you’re going to leave with the shop looking like this. And if you know me, you know that there's no way you're cleaning it up alone.”
Amber warmed a little bit inside from the fierce protectiveness she heard in Haley's voice, even as she replied, “Really, Hales. You don't have to. It's not your responsibility.”
Haley snorted, “Responsibility my ass! We just love you!”
“We?”
“Oh, yeah,” Haley replied brightly, “Didn't I mention that part? Sophie and Katie were just waiting for me to give them the green light when the cops were gone. They're coming to help too,” Haley said.
“Jason is sending someone over to fix the door and the light in the back.” Seth’s deep voice resonated throughout her body, causing her to shiver.
Damn. That voice. The voice that had haunted her for years.
“You called Jason?” Amber asked looking up at him.
“Yes,” he confirmed, his steel blue eyes laser focused on her.
Amber wanted to argue with him, with everyone. She wanted to say that she could handle all the clean-up and repairs herself. But who was she kidding? Physically, she felt exhausted. Emotionally, she felt exhausted. Mentally, she felt exhausted. Normally in tough situations, she drew on her reserves of strength, but there was not an ounce of strength left in her reserves right now.
Amber’s fiercely independent spirit didn’t make it easy for her to accept help from anyone, but on this occasion her logic overruled her spirit. She knew that sometimes she needed people, and luckily, she had made some really great friends who were willing to help out.
“Thanks, guys,” she said as she started to stand and begin cleaning up. As soon as she did, though, her head started pounding.
“Whoa,” Alex said his arm coming around her as he guided her back to her chair. “Why don’t you let us handle the manual labor and you supervise from the chair.”
“No, I’m fine, really,” she tried to argue. Accepting their help did not mean sitting idly by.
“Actually, you’re white as a sheet and you need to sit down,” Alex pointed out.
“Amber,” she heard Seth’s deep voice and automatically her eyes shot up to meet his eyes.
His expression did not leave any room for misinterpretation. The strength she saw in his crystal blue eyes took her breath away. The sheer power in his gaze was overwhelming and…hot. It shot straight down to her core, causing a tingle low in her belly.
She had always known how to pick her battles and she quickly determined that this one just wasn't worth the fight.
“Fine,” she agreed as she felt a flush creep up her cheeks from the intensity of his stare.
Seth nodded and then turned and began picking up her clothing racks and setting them upright.
Alex bent down and whispered, “Glad to see those baby blues put some color back in your cheeks.”
She sighed and narrowed her eyes at Alex.
He just smiled happily as he moved to the front of the store and took his radio from his belt. He told whoever was on the other end of it that he was still at Bella. Alex had stayed even when the other firemen and paramedics had cleared her and taken off. He was a real
ly good friend.
Sophie and Katie arrived and she watched her friends working quickly and efficiently to put her store back together. She felt tears starting to form in her eyes as her chest tightened. She was so grateful to have such amazing people in her life.
Her body was also very aware that Seth was there, not ever more than a few feet away from her. Seeing him here, in her shop, was odd, and yet it somehow felt completely right and natural at the same time. Maybe it was because she had daydreamed and fantasized about him for so long in so many varied scenarios that it didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, it was familiar to her mind’s eye.
She tried not to stare. Not to watch his muscles bunch beneath his black t-shirt as he worked alongside his family. Not to drool at his perfect backside as he continually bent over. She didn’t think she was doing a very good job at disguising her gawking, though, judging by the looks that Sophie, Katie and Haley were shooting her way.
She really couldn’t help it. She was just as drawn to him now as she had been the first night they met. Maybe even more so.
Her body wasn’t the only thing she was having a hard time keeping in check. Her heart had skipped a beat when Seth had told Cam he was staying. Sure, part of her (the logical part) maintained that he was only doing what he was doing to help out Haley. That he had stayed and called Jason to ensure his cousin’s safety.
But that rational part of her brain was being drowned out by the other portion that was screaming “Did you see how he looked at you when he said ‘I’m staying.’? Did you feel the electrified currents racing between you two?”
There was so much static electricity in the air she was surprised her hair wasn’t standing straight up. He must have felt it too. You didn’t generate that kind of chemistry if it was only one-sided. Right?
“Okay, Jason’s just about done with the front lock,” Katie happily relayed, “and I think we are just about done with the clean-up. Is there anything else you need done?”
Amber blinked as she looked around and could not believe what she saw. It was like nothing nefarious had ever happened here. Everything was back in its rightful place and she hadn’t even directed anyone what to do.
Probably picking up on the shocked expression Amber was sure she was wearing, Katie added, “Sophie and Haley knew where everything went.”
Of course. Amber forgot sometimes just how well other people knew her store. It seemed so personal to her, but in reality, between the two of them Haley and Sophie had probably spent roughly as much time there as she had.
“Thanks, you guys,” Amber’s voice was a little shaky, “so much.”
“Do you have anyone to stay with you?” Seth asked, his deep voice vibrating in the air.
Amber’s eyes darted up. Did he want to stay with her? Was he offering to? Wait. Did he feel some sort of obligation?
“I’m fine. They said I don’t have a concussion,” she explained. Her palms grew moist and her heart began racing in her chest at the thought of Seth Sloan staying the night with her.
“You’re not going to be alone tonight.” His jaw twitched as he made the statement.
It was a little irritating that he would say something like that and not follow it up with ‘So, hey, I can crash on your couch if you want.’ Even as that thought crossed her mind, she realized immediately that it was so not his style.
But it was still annoying.
“I’ll be fine, Seth.” She spoke the words through clenched teeth.
She saw a flash of heat cross his eyes. She wasn’t 100% sure but she thought his response might have been caused by her saying his name. That thought made her happy. Really happy.
She looked at Seth. He, on the other hand, did not seem so happy.
Alex jumped in, “Look, she lives in the adjoining duplex to Jamie and Joey. I was already planning on spending the night there tonight. I’ll be right next door.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter.” Even as the words left Amber’s mouth she could hear how childish they sounded.
Seth stared at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. She had never met anyone who seemed as singularly unaffected by long silences as Seth Sloan was. Long pauses had always felt awkward to her, she had always wanted to fill them and make things more comfortable. But around Seth, she mainly just wanted to remain quiet so she could wait and see what he would say next.
“Fine,” Seth said sharply.
Then he turned to his brother and communicated something with his stare. Alex nodded and Seth was out the door.
No goodbye. No see ya around. No catch you later. Just gone.
Amber’s heart sank. Why would he not even say goodbye?
Then she realized that her departures around him had (historically) been just as abrupt, if not more so. She hadn’t realized what it felt like to be on the receiving end of this scenario. It didn’t feel good. Not at all.
Chapter Eight
Seth walked down the brightly lit hospital hall with purpose. It was official. He was an uncle. Even though he had known for months now that he would be, the fact that his niece was here affected him in ways he hadn’t been expecting.
When Riley had called a couple of hours ago and let him know that 6 lb, 21-inch Mya Rachelle Sloan was here and healthy, Seth had wanted to leave work, drop everything and go see her. His brother had told him that they needed to clean Mya up and run some standard tests so it would be a couple hours still before she was ready for guests.
As he turned the corner to the waiting area, he saw his brothers Alex, Bobby, and Jason standing with their significant others Jamie, Sophie, and Katie. His dad Bob was also there, smiling from ear to ear.
They all said their hellos and Seth took a seat next to his dad. “Hey, Pop, you seen your granddaughter yet?”
Seth saw his father’s eyes fill with moisture as he nodded, his voice tinged with awe, “She’s so beautiful.”
“She really is,” Katie confirmed happily.
Jamie, his brother Alex’s new fiancé, added, “Yep. She’s perfect.”
Alex pulled his bride-to-be onto his lap, whispered something in her ear that made her blush, and kissed her. Seth looked around and felt a warm glow of satisfaction spread through his chest. All of his brothers seemed happier than he ever imagined they would be, what with all they had experienced together in their childhood. They didn’t seem damaged or traumatized. They were all in healthy, happy relationships.
It made him wonder if he was the only one with lingering effects from what they had gone through with their mom; both when she was alive, and then the abandonment of ultimately losing her. Was he the only one incapable of that kind of happiness? Logically, he supposed it would make sense – after all, he was the oldest.
Seth remembered his mom before she had gotten really sick. He had taken it personally when she had left when he was ten. Then, when she had overdosed four years later, he had been devastated.
His dad had been a wreck. Seth's dad had loved his mom fiercely, completely. Seeing his brothers with their wives and fiancé reminded Seth of how his dad had been with his mom. She was his everything. His whole world had revolved around her.
Seth knew he could never love someone like that. He had seen what the aftereffects were when things went wrong. He had seen it almost destroy his indestructible father.
Right after Jason, his middle brother, was born his mom had gotten ‘sick.’ She wouldn’t get out of bed for days at a time. She cried a lot. At the time he had blamed his dad for not taking good enough care of her. For not making her better. Making her happy. At four, he really didn’t understand what was going on.
He remembered that his Aunt Sandy (who hadn’t had his cousins Haley, Becca, Krista or Jessie yet) would come over and take care of him, two-year-old Riley, and baby Jason. Aunt Sandy would try to keep them quiet so his mom could rest.
It had taken a year for his mom to get better that time. He remembered that she was just getting back to hers
elf when Seth had started kindergarten at age five. But then she had gotten pregnant with Alex and the cycle had started all over again. This time it was even worse than the first. Alex was only a year old, and their mother not yet fully recovered, when she had gotten pregnant with Bobby. That was the beginning of the end. Once she had had Bobby, her ‘good’ days were few and far between.
His mom left when Bobby was two, Alex was four, Jason was six, Riley was eight and Seth was ten. In her absence, their dad had done his best to raise his five sons. Seth shook his head. He and Riley sure hadn’t made it easy on him. Jason was always a good kid, mature for his age and didn’t get into too much trouble. He helped out a lot with Alex and Bobby when Riley and Seth were running the streets, up to no good.
During the four years his mom was gone, in and out of treatment centers and hospitals, but before her overdose, Seth had always held out hope that she would come home. That she would be how she had been before Jason was born. He was just a kid and didn’t fully understand how bad her disease truly was, or the ramifications of the fact that she didn’t like to take her medication.
To this day he still missed her. Every day he missed her.
“Just got a text from Amber, she should be by any minute,” Katie announced, instantly drawing Seth out of his melancholy thoughts. “I thought coming and seeing the baby would be a nice distraction from the break-in.”
As he scanned the room, all eyes appeared to be on him. He wasn’t sure what they were waiting for him to say, but they were going to be waiting awhile. He didn’t have anything to say on that subject, and Seth made it a practice not to say anything at all unless he had something of value to contribute.
“Has anyone heard if they are any closer to finding who trashed her shop and knocked her out?” Sophie asked the room at large.
Hearing the words ‘knocked her out’ started Seth’s blood boiling. He hated how helpless he had felt walking in and seeing Amber grimacing in pain, an ice pack pressed to her head. He had wanted so badly to pull her in his arms. He had needed to feel her heart beating against his so that he knew she was alive, that she was okay.
My Everything - Seth & Amber Page 6