So an affair did not really seem like a plausible solution. And, in all good conscience, that was all he had to offer. He had wanted to clear the air with her but somehow he thought he was just making things worse. She looked upset.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She didn’t look up from what she was doing behind the counter.
“Yep,” she confirmed briskly.
“With us being in the wedding together?” He just needed to make sure.
Her hands stilled and she slowly lifted her head her eyes had grown dark once again but this time it didn’t look like it was from need. Nope, definitely not need. She was pissed off.
“Yes, Seth. I am an adult. I think I can handle being in a wedding with someone I slept with one time almost a decade ago.”
She lowered her head and if he wasn’t mistaken she rolled her eyes at him. No one ever rolled their eyes at him. He thought it was kind of cute.
“To be fair, it was more than one time.”
As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to take them back. He shouldn’t be flirting with her. Every time he was around Amber, somehow his best intentions seemed to fall by the wayside. She lowered his defenses easily and without even trying.
Looking as though she was fighting a smile, Amber kept her eyes steadfastly down, fastened intently on her paperwork, “Fine. Someone I slept with four times almost a decade ago.”
“Five,” he corrected.
Her eyes shot up and her gaze narrowed. Then, slowly, a blush crept up her cheeks as her eyes widened in recognition of the memory.
“Five,” she confirmed breathlessly.
“Could have been more, but you got scared and left,” his tone was light and teasing, but underneath the statement there was a lot of emotion he was not comfortable with.
“I was not scared,” she said firmly.
“But you left,” he challenged. What in the hell was he doing? This was not what he had come to talk with her about. The past was the past.
He stared at her. Her golden eyes were brimming with emotion. Every time he looked into those bottomless eyes, he felt their connection grow stronger, deeper.
“It was intense,” she conceded, her voice barely a whisper, “I was scared, I guess. A little.”
“So was I,” he admitted before turning to leave.
When he reached the door he looked back over his shoulder and saw the look of shock on Amber’s face at his admission.
“Lock the door behind me,” he instructed.
She nodded.
He stepped outside in the cold and was happy once again for the harsh drop in temperature. He had gotten more than a little overheated inside the store and cooling off was exactly what he needed to do.
After Seth heard the lock click behind him he walked to his truck, trying for all he was worth to push down the reality of what that admission might have cost him. He never let people into his internal world and he had good reasons for that.
Chapter Seventeen
“Oh my gosh, they are so beautiful, Amber,” Jamie sniffed, tears filling her eyes.
Katie and Sophie were modeling the bridesmaids dresses that Amber had designed for Jamie and Alex’s winter wonderland-themed wedding. They were royal blue strapless floor- length gowns with a white faux fur wrap.
“I am going to do Chelle’s last since she just had the baby,” Amber explained as she pinned the sides of Katie’s dress, making mental notes about the needed alterations.
“How is Chelle doing?” Sophie asked as she waited her turn to be pinned.
“I saw her this morning. She was tired but deliriously happy,” Katie smiled.
“How’s the baby?” Amber asked as she was putting the final pins in.
“Baby Mya is doing so good. She is the prettiest little girl. She’s so tiny and she barely cries. Chelle said she gets up every few hours during the night, but that it’s not too bad,” Katie explained.
“Was Joey an easy baby?” Amber asked Jamie.
“He was until he started teething, and then he was pretty colicky.”
“I don’t know how you did that on your own,” Sophie said solemnly. “You were so young.”
Jamie had gotten pregnant her senior year in high school. The father of her baby had died when she was only four months pregnant. Amber wasn’t sure where Jamie’s father was but she had told her that her mom had taken off to Arizona when Jamie was nine months pregnant.
“I just did what I had to do,” Jamie shrugged, “it’s not a big deal.”
“Do you and Alex plan on having more?” Katie asked as she stepped off the pedestal so Amber could pin Sophie’s dress for alterations.
“I think so,” Jamie smiled, “I always thought that it would just be me and Joey. I never even gave any thought to having another baby because I didn’t plan on ever getting into another relationship. Alex says that he would love more, but he’s happy with Joey.”
“I think you and Alex are perfect together!” Sophie exclaimed as she stepped up for her turn to be pinned for alterations.
Katie and Amber agreed.
“He’s amazing. I think we're pretty perfect together too,” Jamie gushed.
“Speaking of being perfect together, how are you and Seth getting along?” Katie asked, her eyes twinkling as she walked back into the dressing room to change.
Amber rolled her eyes. “I notice you waited to ask that question until I was done poking sharp pins near your skin.”
“My momma didn’t raise no fool,” Katie said loudly from inside the dressing room.
The girls laughed and Katie emerged, dress in hand, a few minutes later.
“So?” Katie prompted as she took a seat next to Jamie.
“I thought you were the master detective,” Amber teased her friend.
“Normally, yes my deductive skills are unmatched. But you and Seth, that’s one not even I can solve without the inside track,” Katie begrudgingly admitted.
“Well, sadly, even I don’t have the ‘inside track.’ So...you're out of luck.” Amber was almost done pinning Sophie. She had closed the shop on time tonight for the girls' first fitting. Most of the time, if there were still customers shopping, she didn’t rush them out or announce that it was closing time.
“Is it still weird? Seth being the,” Katie dropped her voice an octave, “Mystery Man?”
“Not really. Now when I think of that night, I just think of it as the first night I met Seth,” Amber explained.
“Aw, that’s kind of sweet,” Sophie stepped off the pedestal and went into the dressing room to change.
“I guess,” Amber shrugged.
“Have you two talked?” Jamie asked.
“Kind of. He came in the other night. I think he wanted to clear the air or something but not a lot was said.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Katie’s eyes lit up.
“No, it wasn’t like that. Nothing happened. Words or otherwise,” Amber quickly corrected the course that her friends' (dirty) minds were headed down.
“Oh,” Katie’s face fell in disappointment.
Amber was disappointed too. She wasn’t really sure why Seth was holding back from her. If he were easier to talk to, she would ask him. But then, if he were easier to talk to...he wouldn't be Seth, she reasoned.
Amber had never been the kind of girl to chase after a guy. She was always the pursued, never the pursuer. Yes, she was bold and went after what she wanted, but the wanting was always mutual.
This was a unique case. Although she did think Seth wanted her, he definitely didn’t seem like he wanted to be with her. She had to respect that - no matter how badly she wished things were different.
“Are you sure you’re okay with being paired up with him in the wedding?” Jamie asked, her brow now furrowed in concern.
“Of course,” Amber said brightly, not wanting her friend to worry about anything on her big day.
Jamie didn’t look quite convinced, but Amber started asking her about the decora
tions and she explained that Katie’s Aunt Wendy, who was a wedding coordinator, was handling most of it. Jamie and Alex had given her their ideas and Wendy was running with them.
Wendy had been the wedding coordinator at Katie's and Sophie’s nuptials, as well. Chelle, on the other hand, had just gotten married in front of the Justice of the Peace at the courthouse. There were witnesses but not a ceremony, to speak of. They had held a small reception at Jason and Katie’s house afterward for friends and family, but it was very low-key.
Amber sat listening to Jamie outline what Wendy was planning, and she was forced to wonder if she was destined to embody the old saying ‘always a bridesmaid, never the bride.’ Until recently, she hadn’t given much thought to marriage or her own personal happily-ever-after. She wasn’t even sure what that would look like for her.
She closed her eyes for a moment and a vision of Seth standing at the front of the alter flashed in her mind. He looked gorgeous in a black suit and blue tie that matched his amazing eyes. She could almost feel herself walking towards him…
“Amber.”
Hearing her name snapped her out of her fantasy. She opened her eyes and saw a look of concern on her three friends faces. They were all standing, purses in hand.
“Are you okay?” Sophie asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“We asked if you wanted to go over to Salvatore’s for a drink,” Sophie explained.
“Oh, no thanks. I’m pretty tired. I think I’m just going to head home and get some sleep.” Amber smiled as she stood and walked her friends to the door.
“If you are too tired, don’t worry about helping out next weekend. We have plenty of hands.” Jamie said.
Jamie and Joey were moving out of the duplex that adjoined Amber's the following weekend, so that they could move into Alex's home. Jamie had initially said that she wanted to wait until after the wedding to move in together but it seemed that Alex had worn her down. The prevailing logic being that he wanted them all to be settled in the house by the time the holiday (and wedding!) rolled around so that they could have their first family Christmas morning together the day after their Christmas Eve ceremony.
Even Amber had thought that was sweet, and she was not a romantic by any stretch of the imagination.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
“Okay, well, don’t overdo it,” Jamie’s voice was filled with concern.
“Yes, Mom,” Amber smiled at her friend.
“Hey, it’s hard to turn it off,” Jamie laughed.
After saying their goodbyes, Amber locked the door behind them and watched as the three ladies made their way to Salvatore’s, a steak house across the parking lot. Then, after shutting off the lights, she grabbed the two bridesmaid’s dresses that were ready for alterations and headed out the back.
When Amber was setting the alarm in the employee break room, she felt an odd sensation wash over her. It reminded her of the feeling she had experienced the day of the break in.
She remembered that in the self-defense class, Seth had said you shouldn’t ignore your instincts. So, instead of going back into the shop to make sure everything was okay, she quickly set the alarm and rushed to get out of there. After locking the back door she hurriedly made her way across the (now brightly-lit, thanks to Seth) parking lot to her car.
She rushed to put the dresses in the back of her car. She was pressing the button to unlock the Prius just as she felt something crunch beneath her feet. She looked down and saw shattered glass surrounding her car. As she lifted her head she noticed that both the passenger and driver’s side windows were smashed in.
Her car had been broken into. A feeling of alarm raced through her as she scanned the back parking lot. She didn’t see anyone. But she felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Okay. What do I do?
Amber's mind was spinning and she felt herself start to panic. She heard Seth’s voice in her head saying “the most important thing to remember is stay calm.”
OK, good advice. She took a deep breath and tried to calmly assess the situation.
She was alone in a deserted parking lot at night. Her windows were smashed. She felt like someone might be in her shop.
It was a whole lot of bad.
She grabbed her phone and dialed.
“Harper’s Crossing 911, what is your emergency?” the operator asked.
“My car's been broken into,” Amber tried to remain calm and also stay alert and be aware of her surroundings.
“What is your name and location?”
“My name is Amber Webb, I’m in the back parking lot of the Cranston Center behind Bella.”
“I have officers on the way, Amber. Would you like me to remain on the phone with you until they get there?”
“Yes, please,” Amber said, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.
They talked for about five minutes until Amber saw lights flashing as a police cruiser drove into the lot.
“They’re here,” Amber relayed to the operator as relief rushed through her.
Officer Williams, who was one of the policemen that had come out when the shop had been broken into, stepped out of his squad car and Amber felt such a wave of relief that she had the urge to run to him and throw her arms around his neck. She could honestly say that she had never been so happy to see someone in her life.
Sure, he wasn’t the friendliest cop, but she was glad as hell that he was there!
He had her walk him through the events that led up to finding her car. Another squad car pulled up and they took photographs of both of the broken windows. He asked to see the surveillance footage and she realized that she had no idea where the feed from those cameras went to.
Amber was so mad at herself. She was not handling her business the way she should be – and, more to the point, the way she normally did. Since Seth had returned to Harper’s Crossing, Amber felt as though she had been walking around in a cloud. Almost like she was trying to see everything in a fogged up mirror. Nothing was clear.
Well, time to clear things up and get back to normal.
After informing Officer Williams that Seth had installed the system, and she wasn’t sure if the video feed went straight to Titan Security or if Mr. Cranston controlled it, she answered all of his questions. A lot of them were the same questions that he had asked her the night of the break-in, or variations on that theme.
Did she see anyone suspicious tonight, either inside Bella or in the parking lot?
Did she have any enemies?
Were there any disgruntled employees that she thought might be capable of this?
Did she have any exes that she thought might be doing this?
Amber truly did not believe that anyone she knew would do this to her. Officer Williams did not seem so sure.
“I’m sure that whoever broke into the shop was just looking for money. The car windows were probably just some bored kids playing a prank. I'm sure they're random coincidences,” Amber explained to him.
He stared at her, his expression hard and unyielding, “I don’t believe in coincidences, ma’am.”
His tone was so stern that it sounded like a line from a movie. She had to stop herself from asking him if that was the tone he normally reserved for informing people that there was a new Sheriff in town. She didn't think he would appreciate her humor.
Amber shook her head. God! These last few weeks had been so ludicrous, what else could she possibly do but laugh?
Her Mystery Man was Seth Sloan. Her shop had been broken into. She had realized she was falling in love with Seth. She was asked to be in a wedding…with Seth. And now her car was broken into and she was standing in the back parking lot with a cop saying ‘I don’t believe in coincidences, ma’am,’ in a tone that contained a level of gravitas that Moses probably didn't manage to achieve when doling out the Ten Commandments.
What the hell. She needed sleep.
No, wait. First, she needed wine. Then, she ne
eded a hot bath. Then, and only then, she needed sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Seth rolled his shoulder and tried to stretch his arm as he glanced at the clock in the dashboard of the truck. It was almost 11 p.m. He and Cam had had a meeting in Chicago and had gotten roped into going out for dinner and drinks with the potential clients they had met with. If there was one thing Seth hated it was networking.
Cam was great at it. He worked the room, laughed at all the right times. As a team they balanced each other out. It had worked well in high school and it seemed they were still on a roll. Since Seth had come onto the Titan team they had signed every client they met with.
Cam turned the radio down. “Alright, dude, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Seth looked at him.
“How would you feel about coming on as a partner in Titan?”
Seth had no idea what Cam was talking about. Titan was a family business started by Cam’s father, Charlie. They had never had a partner outside the family.
“I want to expand the business into several different divisions, one of them being private security. I’m not talking about Paul Blart Mall Cop security, I’m talking about guarding the president security.”
“The president has secret service,” Seth pointed out.
“I know the president has secret service. Whatever. President of a corporation, then. Or that Kid President on the Internet. Hell, even the band, Presidents of The United States of America! You know what I mean,” Cam’s eyes were wide with excitement. It reminded Seth of when they were teenagers and Cam would get a brilliant idea to go TP someone’s house at 2 a.m.
“You think that many people are still so angry that they never had a hit after Peaches in 1996 that Presidents of The United States Of America has to hire security details this many years later?”
“Whatever, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if it prompted you to not only string more than ten words together, but even crack an - admittedly weak - joke, I know you're interested, brother. I’m talking about personal security for high profile types. I want you to run it as a partner. I already came up with the name-” Cam’s face lit up as he continued, “Elite Security, or Elite Protection. Get it? Elite because you were in an elite unit in the Marines.”
My Everything - Seth & Amber Page 13