She stood in front of him, arms crossed her brows raised expectantly as if she was waiting for some kind of a response from him. Well, she could wait all night if she wanted to, but this wasn’t up for discussion. The security system was going in. It was non-negotiable.
When he remained silent, she stubbornly added, “I won’t approve the work order.”
“Cranston approved it,” he explained. He knew she understood that she didn’t have a leg to stand on, because - although she leased the retail space - Cranston owned the building.
Honestly, Seth was pissed that it had taken the old man two days to reply to his request. He had just needed Cranston to sign off on the work. He hadn’t asked for a dime from the stingy SOB.
Seth had wanted to do this install the night of the break-in and had immediately contacted Cranston, submitting a work proposal. He hadn’t heard anything back from him until about an hour ago. He had still been at Jason and Katie’s for Thanksgiving when he received the approval via email. He had immediately taken off so he could come and install the cameras and high tech security system.
Amber closed her eyes and took in a deep steady breath. When she opened them, she said begrudgingly, “Fine.”
With that agreement, she turned to go back to what he assumed she had been doing here in the first place. She was using what looked like a pricing gun and marking the tags on a rack of clothing.
“Amber.”
She turned her head looking over her shoulder.
“Lock. Your. Doors.” He formed the sentence slowly, with an emphasis on each word.
Her golden eyes silently communicated the same words he had heard from his brothers growing up: ‘You’re not the boss of me.’ He half expected her to cross her arms and stomp her feet. Instead her lips pursed and she exhaled through her nose loudly before turning back around on her heel and acting as if he didn’t exist.
Seth headed to the back to install the cameras. She could pout and ignore him all she wanted, but she damn sure better lock her doors from now on. That point was also not negotiable.
Chapter Eleven
Amber’s entire body ached as she stepped out of her car at the Harper’s Crossing Women’s Shelter. It was a crisp November day and the wind whipped across her face as she slowly made her way across the large parking lot. She was glad she had chosen to wear gloves and a beanie for this errand.
After she dropped off the gift cards – the ones she hadn’t been able to give the director on the fifteenth when she had overslept - she planned on going straight home to bed. She didn’t plan on resurfacing for at least twenty-four hours.
The Black Friday sale the day before had gone even better than she had hoped. It had been busy. Crazy busy. She didn’t think she stopped moving for the entire fourteen hours Bella had been open.
Amber had gotten a few hours of shut-eye after the sale had ended and before she had to be back at the store to open this morning, but it hadn’t made up for the completely sleepless night she had suffered through the night before last. After Seth had scared the living daylights out of her, she had not been the most gracious when he informed her (rudely, but still) that he would be installing security cameras.
He had stayed until she left at two forty-five a.m. They hadn’t spoken again. He had seemed mad and she hadn’t felt like putting forth the effort. Getting Seth to talk was akin to pulling teeth and she hadn’t been in the mood to perform an extraction.
Then, after she had gotten home, she had laid in her bed and tossed and turned.
Seth had done something nice for her, which didn’t happen to Amber all that often. But she had still gotten mad at him. She should have graciously thanked him.
But she couldn't help it! His demeanor tended to frustrate her and completely turn her on, in equal measure. She was confused by the enigma that was Seth Sloan.
She wasn’t sure what his deal was. Over the past week his behavior had definitely been giving her mixed signals. Sometimes he seemed like he was interested in her. Other times he seemed like he was indifferent towards her. His eyes looked at her one minute like she was everything in his world, and then just like that, they morphed into a cold-detached-distant gaze that seemed completely impersonal.
Amber had always known where she stood with men. She had never taken their interest in her, or in rare cases lack of interest in her, to heart. She was a practical, pragmatic girl. Normally, she was motivated by logic. Her actions were always propelled by her brain, not by her - heart or her hormones, for that matter.
It was different with Seth, though. She couldn’t use logic to navigate through these deep emotional waters. They were tumultuous and choppy.
So her fallback plan had been to act on pure instinct. She wanted Seth, so she would go for it. It had seemed like a good concept, but it wasn’t proving any more successful than trying to logic it out. She still had no idea where he stood. How he felt about her. Or even (and this thought depressed her, but she had to consider it) if he felt anything for her.
At this point, she was completely over trying to figure it out – to figure him out. She wasn’t really a ‘see what happens’ kind of a gal, but she honestly didn’t see any other way to deal with this unique predicament. Her only priority now was to preserve what little bit of sanity she had left.
Her new philosophy consisted of – do nothing. There was a certain peace that came with total surrender, with not having a plan or any type of projection as to what may happen. She had heard people use the phrase ‘Let go and let God’ before and she had honestly thought that was just lazy thinking. Like God didn’t have better things to do than fix your problems! But she was starting to see the appeal to that mindset. If nothing else, it was kind of freeing.
She opened the door to the small reception area at the front of HCWS and checked in at the reception desk. She removed her jacket, gloves, and beanie and took a seat on a worn blue fabric chair that had seen better days. She waited for Betty, the director, to come out, get her, and bring her back to the office.
When she had first started visiting the shelter, the policy had been that you could just be buzzed in, but now a staff member had to come and escort you.
The shelter had experienced some issues with men getting in and harassing their ex-wives and ex-girlfriends and making threats to the staff. Not everyone was happy with the work the shelter did, especially the men that these women were escaping from.
As she waited she noticed that the walls in the waiting room were getting a little dingy. When painted fresh, they were a cheery lemon shade. Now they just looked like a dirty yellow.
She pulled out her phone and checked to see when she could squeeze in a day to come in and paint them. Looking at her calendar, she saw that it may have to wait until after the New Year. Amber made a note to herself to go ahead and buy the paint that way if a day suddenly opened up, she would be prepared.
Just as she finished typing her reminder, she heard the buzz of the wide double doors unlocking and looked up to see Betty, the center’s heart and soul, bustling out to meet her.
The round cheery woman smiled brightly. As Amber stood though, a look of concern crossed her face. “Are you feeling okay? You look tired.”
Amber smiled at her. She had always thought that particular question-slash-statement, especially when used in that specific combination, was just a nice way of saying ‘you look like crap.' However, in this case, Amber knew she probably did, in fact, look like crap, and that Betty’s heart was absolutely in the right place.
“I’m fine. It was a busy day at the shop yesterday.” Amber greeted the woman with a hug before they headed down to her office.
“Oh, that’s right,” Betty snapped her fingers, “the Day After Thanksgiving sale.”
Amber nodded. “Black Friday.”
“Sounds so ominous,” Betty chuckled as she shook her head, “I normally try to avoid the crazy crowds. I would rather go out at my own convenience and shop in peace, not in a mob-style scene.”
>
“It can get pretty brutal. Not so much in smaller boutique stores like Bella, but definitely in the larger department stores,” Amber smiled.
They reached Betty’s office and Amber took a seat in the oversized chair in the corner. After moving several stacks of paperwork, that is. Betty was not known for her tidiness or organizational skills.
“You know my offer still stands to come in and do an office make-over for you. The Container Store is one of my favorite places to shop,” Amber said her voice rising in pitch at the end of the sentence in an attempt to sound upbeat and positive.
“Oh no, Sweetie,” Betty shook her grey-haired head, “if you came in and started moving things around, I wouldn’t be able to find anything.”
“I would label everything,” Amber said, bright smile firmly in place.
“There is a method to my clutter. I have my own labeling and filing system,” Betty said as she continued clearing her desk before finally having enough room to lean her elbows on it.
“Okay, but let me know if you change your mind.” Amber knew Betty would probably never say yes, but it didn’t change the fact that Amber was dying to get in here and go to work.
“So tell me about this break-in I’ve been hearing so much about,” Betty looked genuinely concerned. “People are saying you were assaulted. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just walked into the shop and interrupted the guy trashing the place. He knocked me on the head with a vase. Haley found me and I’m fine. Nothing was even stolen. I think they were probably looking for cash.”
“Oh, you poor thing! You must have been terrified.”
“Not really. I’ve had a lot going on.”
Betty’s brow creased as if she didn’t understand how the break-in wouldn’t hold one of the top three spots on Amber’s 'life-changing events' list. In truth, it barely cracked the top ten.
Amber reached into her purse and handed the gift cards for the following month to Betty. “It's double the normal amount, but I thought that since it’s Christmas, the women might want to buy some gifts with these as well.”
Betty’s eyes filled up with tears and she pushed her glasses up to wipe them. “Oh, Amber, you just don’t know how much these mean to the ladies,” she said as she held up the cards.
Amber was glad that they did. But it wasn’t as if she was a saint or anything. She was just doing her part.
“Now I know that you’re trying to brush over this whole robbery situation, but what preventative measures are you taking so that something like that doesn’t happen again?” Betty’s tone was very serious.
Amber had heard her use that tone with the women staying in the shelter before, but never with her.
“Well, actually, Seth Sloan just installed a brand new security system and surveillance cameras, so I should be all set.” Then she remembered, “Oh, and I am making sure to lock my doors unless we're open.”
When Seth had given her that instruction, she had been pretty ticked off, but after calming down she realized that he was absolutely right. Sure, Harper’s Crossing was a sleepy town, but obviously crime still occurred here and she needed to be smart.
“Yes, Seth Sloan is back in town. He was such a quiet boy growing up.” Betty raised her eyebrows and a knowing expression crossed her face.
Amber just smiled. “Not much has changed.”
“Well, I'm happy to see that you're taking some necessary precautions, but I would feel a lot better if you would take one of our self-defense classes. A lady can never be too safe.” Betty pointed her thin wrinkled finger at Amber.
Amber considered the offer. She hadn’t liked how scared she had gotten when Seth had snuck up on her. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have some skills.
“That sounds good. Just email me the details,” Amber said as she rose out of the chair.
“No need for that, the last class of the year starts in,” Betty squinted down at her watch, “ten minutes.”
Amber looked down at herself. She had on jeans, tennis shoes and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. She had dressed for comfort, not style, today. Well, she was in casual clothes so even though she was exhausted, she thought might as well get this over with. It would be one less thing on her to-do list and Betty would be happy.
Amber shrugged. “Okay.”
“Lovely.” Betty clapped her hands as she came around from behind her desk. “I will walk you down to the rec room myself. We have a new teacher tonight so I need to introduce him to the ladies.”
As they walked down the hall, Amber remembered that Alex had said something about teaching these classes. But she guessed that since the recent accident where he had had while pulling residents out of a fire at Harper’s Crossing nursing home, in which a beam had fallen on him, he probably didn’t feel up to it. She wondered who his replacement would be.
“Who’s teaching?” Amber asked.
“Well now, you know that Alex can’t teach, what with his busted ribs and that cast. That poor, poor boy.” Betty shook her head as she opened the door to the rec room. Amber saw there were several women already inside waiting, “So that sweet brother of his…”
Amber’s heart stopped.
“...Riley has been teaching the classes until Alex is back on his feet.” Betty continued.
Whew! Amber's heart began beating again. Okay, Riley was good. That was a Sloan brother she could deal with, plus Amber had been wanting to see how Chelle and baby Mya were doing now that they were home from the hospital. They hadn’t made it to Thanksgiving dinner and she had been meaning to stop by, but now she could just ask Riley.
“But since Chelle just had the baby, he’s not available tonight, either.” Betty patted Amber’s arm and made her way to the front of the room, then continued on to a small room that looked like another office in the far corner and shut the door.
Amber stood with the other women that had gathered, still confused as to who was teaching the seminar. Betty hadn’t really answered her question at all.
The door opened and Betty emerged, “Okay, ladies, now I don’t know how many of you have heard, but Chelle had the baby, so Riley is busy taking care of his ladies. But don’t worry, when one Sloan man is down, another is right there to help out. Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Seth Sloan.”
Well, alrighty then. Question answered.
Chapter Twelve
As soon as Seth stepped out into the room, the atmosphere changed. If she wasn’t mistaken, it got warmer. Amber could hear the sounds of her own breathing echoing loudly in her head.
He walked to the center of the room with a sense of purpose, but not in any sort of hurry, as per usual. Amber hadn’t really had an opportunity to just study him since he had been back. She had always felt like too many people were watching her to just unabashedly stare at him like she wanted to. And when they were alone, she was just trying to maintain some control of herself so she didn’t pass out or throw herself at him.
This was her shot. Her one chance to stare to her heart's content. She took it. Seth wore a white long sleeved shirt that molded to his powerful chest and arms and blue jeans that showcased his strong thighs. Her eyes roamed his commanding form and she felt warmth spread over her cheeks. Yep, it was definitely getting warmer in here.
He stood with his legs planted shoulder width apart. His hands hung loosely by his sides. This was exactly how she remembered his stance from the hotel room. It was sexy then and it had not lost its appeal now.
He hadn’t made eye contact with her yet. Well, to be fair he may have tried when her eyes had been traveling over every inch of his body, but she hadn’t noticed.
But now, her gaze was locked on his crystal blue eyes as he stared in the center of the room. Even from the few feet she stood away from him, they were mesmerizing. She could get lost in those eyes. She had gotten lost in those eyes.
While Amber had been busy ogling Seth, Betty had been introducing him and going over his history of military service. Amber ha
d heard bits and pieces through her lust-fogged brain. Most of it she already knew. In the Marines, Seth had been part of Special Forces, a division called Force Recon. He had been injured and was medically discharged. He now was now working at Titan Security.
“So, without further ado, Seth Sloan.” Betty clapped and the six women, including Amber, followed suit.
Seth nodded slightly in acknowledgment of the introduction and then began speaking in a serious, authoritative tone. "There are no steps you can take to guarantee you that you will never be attacked. However there are very important steps you can take to minimize the opportunity for an attack and to be prepared if an attack should occur.
“First, the most important thing to remember when someone is trying to overpower you is to remain calm. Now, that does not mean to be quiet. In fact, you should make as much noise as possible to get attention. And I would advise that you not yell ‘help.’ Sadly people are desensitized to calls for help. I suggest you yell ‘fire’ or something that would get equal attention.
“Secondly, always be aware of your surroundings. Watch who is walking around you when you are headed to your car. Many times when a woman feels she is being followed, she tries to avoid the situation by rushing to her car. The problem with that is, more often than not, the car is parked in a secluded area. Do not park in secluded areas and if you feel you are being followed, get to the nearest group of people as quickly as you can.
“Also, make sure to always lock your doors.”
Well, he was definitely looking at her now.
After a moment he continued scanning the room, “Trust your instincts. If you feel like something is wrong, it probably is.”
That would have been useful information to have had a week ago. Amber had felt something was off as soon as she had walked into Bella but she had not paid attention to it.
“Show anger, not fear. Attackers are usually looking for an easy victim. A furious reaction may stop an attack. Make sure to carry bags close to your body and always appear confident. Know yourself and how you respond in fear. Do you cry? Do you scream? Do you freeze? Sometimes just being self-aware makes it easier to respond correctly.”
My Everything - Seth & Amber Page 9