The second he pulled the door of his work truck shut, his phone beeped. He looked down and saw that it was a text from Amber. It read:
Just in case you were wondering…I locked the door.
He had actually been wondering that, as it happened. He smiled as he shook his head. Damn, he really liked her.
Chapter Nineteen
Amber sniffed, fighting back tears as she sat at Jamie’s kitchen table and wrapped another blue ceramic dinner plate in newspaper.
“You okay?” Chelle, who was sitting across from Amber wrapping utensils, asked.
Amber grabbed another tissue and wiped her nose, “I’m fine. It’s just the dust.”
She reached her hand back to take another plate from Katie, who was handing them down from the cabinets, but Katie didn’t release it. Amber looked up to see what the holdup was about.
“It’s okay to be upset about Jamie and Joey leaving. You don’t have to blame it on the non-existent dust.” Katie got down from the counter where she had been stationed and sat at the table next to Chelle.
Amber's hands turned up. “They only lived next door for a couple of months and I know I’ll see them all the time. I don’t know why I'm so upset.”
“Maybe you don’t deal well with change,” Katie offered.
“Maybe,” Amber shrugged.
“Also, you’ve had a pretty big month. Between the two break-ins and, well...” Chelle glanced around furtively as she whispered, “Seth.”
“You don’t have to whisper. He left with Jason over an hour an ago with the truck filled to the brim,” Katie said matter-of-factly.
“Well, I don’t want to announce her business to the world,” Chelle explained.
Katie and Amber looked at each other and, at the exact same moment, burst out laughing.
“Chelle, I think that ship has sailed. But thanks for the discretion, I appreciate it,” Amber said sincerely. “And thanks for the laugh, too. I needed that.”
“No problem,” Chelle smiled. “Oh, and I tried the bridesmaid dress on after you dropped it by yesterday. It’s so beautiful, Amber! I think you’ll only have to take it in a little bit. When did you want to do the final fitting?”
“Next weekend, if that’s okay with you guys. That way I have a week to finish up the alterations.”
“Sounds good.”
“And please bring Mya! I’ll watch her while Amber is fitting you,” Katie asked.
“Of course I’ll bring her,” Chelle’s face lit up at the mention of her daughter. “She's a good little traveler. She loves to go in the car. And she loves people. I think she's gonna be a little social butterfly.”
“Not to mention a little heartbreaker, with those looks!” Katie enthused.
Chelle laughed, “Don't say that around her Daddy. Honestly, I feel bad for the future teenage boys who think they're good enough to ask out Mya Sloan. They're in for a rude awakening.”
The girls laughed, and Katie added, “I’m still jealous that my mom and Aunt Wendy get her today. I need my Mya time.”
“You were with her all day yesterday,” came Jason’s voice said as he, Riley, and Seth walked into the kitchen.
“I know,” Katie said as she kissed her husband, in a tone that implied that she had no idea what one thing had to do with the other.
Chelle looked meaningfully at the quickly-returning guys, then at Amber, and mouthed, “See?” She may not have used her voice, but Amber could hear the infusion of I-Told-You-So tone that would have filled it if she had.
Amber smiled as she looked up to see the new arrivals and her gaze landed and locked on Seth’s crystal blue eyes. The intensity in his stare caused the hairs on her arm to stand straight up as goose bumps rose on her skin.
He was so gorgeous. All the Sloan men were good looking, each had their own individual charm. But in Amber’s mind what set Seth apart – aside from her insane attraction to him – was his presence. It was compelling.
From the second she had met him in the bar, he had commanded her attention. Whenever he was close, she was hyper aware of him, whether they were alone or in the middle of a crowd of people. The instant she saw him she got goose bumps, she blushed, her nipples hardened.
After sharing a passionate kiss with Katie, Jason grabbed some bottles of water from the fridge and handed them to his brothers. He turned to Amber, “How are things at Bella? No more incidents since the car?”
“Nope, everything’s been pretty quiet.” Amber kept wrapping the plates, moving her arms in front of her t-shirt, trying to hide her body’s reaction to Seth.
“How did it go at the police station? Katie said you weren't able to identify the guy who did it,” Jason continued.
“No, I’ve never seen him before. When they showed me the tape, it was a little disturbing, though. It’s odd to see someone destroy your property. Plus, he just looked so angry.” A chill ran down Amber’s spine as the scene of the man smashing her windows with a baseball bat flashed in her mind.
“I wish you would have told me you were going,” Katie said, “I would have gone with you.”
“Oh, I was fine,” Amber tried to blow it off.
“I could have gotten someone to stay with Mya and gone with you, too. I hate thinking about you facing that alone,” Chelle said as she reached across the table and patted Amber’s hand.
“I wasn’t alone. It was fine, really, guys. Really.” Amber just wanted this conversation dropped. Now.
She had finished wrapping the plates so quickly that she had to move on to wrap the glasses. She wasn’t looking but she felt everyone’s eyes on her. She just planned on ignoring it until the conversation naturally moved on.
“Who was there?” Chelle asked.
“Officer Williams,” Amber replied quickly.
“No, we mean who went with you?” Katie clarified.
Oh for the love of Pete. Why couldn’t any of the Sloans, whether by birth or marriage, ever drop anything?
“I did,” Seth’s clipped tone made it clear he did not welcome follow-up questions.
There was an awkward moment of silence and then everyone started moving at once. Packing, cleaning. Ignoring.
Oh, Lordy. It was going to be a long day.
--- ~ ---
Seth picked up the last box out of the truck and a shooting pain stabbed his shoulder. He really needed to get into the gym like his physical therapist had suggested. Part of the reason that he hadn’t was because, when he did go, the series of simple exercises only served to remind him of his physical limitations.
He hated it.
“Your shoulder bothering you?” Riley asked as Seth stepped off the truck.
“I’m fine,” Seth snapped as he brushed past his brother to the garage.
When he stepped in he saw that Alex, Jason and Bobby were all having beers. As soon as Seth set the box down Alex handed him one.
“I still can’t believe you’re getting married,” Seth said as he took a swig of his beer.
It didn’t surprise Seth at all that Jason and Bobby were married. They had always seemed like they would settle down. Both of them were romantics. Jason had loved Katie since kindergarten and Bobby had loved Sophie since nursery school.
And even Riley with Chelle made sense to him. Seth had seen those two talking in their teens when he would pick Riley up from Chelle’s older brother Eddie's house. Even then, Seth had noticed that they had a strong connection.
But, Alex? Alex was different. He was definitely never the romantic type. He seemed like he enjoyed his freedom way too much to ever walk down the aisle.
Alex smiled. “Honestly, I never thought I would either. It wasn't like I was opposed to the concept, but it just never seemed like something I'd be interested in. But, damn, the second I met Jamie I knew. She was it.”
“We can all attest to that,” Jason smiled.
His brothers laughed, talking about how Alex had first proposed to Jamie while he was in the hospital, hopped up on pain meds, the
first night he met her. Seth really wished he could have been there to see it. From what everyone who was there had said, it was priceless.
The garage door flew open and Joey, Jamie’s son and Alex’s soon-to-be step-son, ran out.
“Hey, little man,” Alex said as he ruffled his hair.
That was the other thing that impressed Seth about Alex. Not only was he committing to Jamie, he was becoming a dad as well. He seemed to be slipping into the role seamlessly from what Seth had seen so far.
“Can I have one?” Joey asked pointing to the beer in Alex’s hand.
“Sure,” Alex said as he opened the fridge.
Okay...maybe Seth had rushed to judgment on Alex’s new-found parenting skills. He was just about to say something when he saw Alex had pulled out a Root Beer for Joey. He popped the cap the same way he had with the beers and handed it to Joey.
Joey took a big swig from the bottle and Seth noticed that the little boy leaned against the pool table in the exact same position as Alex. Throughout the day he had noticed that Joey was not only Alex’s shadow, Joey also mirrored every move Alex made.
The door to the garage opened again and Jamie stuck her head out. “There you are, little man. Bath time.”
Joey’s shoulders slumped as he shuffled dejectedly towards the door.
“Thanks so much for helping today, guys,” Jamie said with a huge smile on her face. “I've never had a move go this smoothly.”
Alex scooped Joey up and put him on his shoulders, then bent down and kissed Jamie saying, “I love you.”
She looked up at him like he was her knight in shining armor, and Seth guessed he probably was. She placed a hand adoringly on his cheek and said, “I love you, too.”
“Well, on that note, I think I’m gonna grab Katie and get out of here,” Jason said, moving around Jamie and Alex to get into the house and find his wife.
“You need a ride?” Riley asked Seth.
“Yeah, my bike’s over at the duplex,” Seth said as he and Riley headed out to Riley’s truck.
As they made their way down the driveway, Seth saw Amber getting in her Prius across the street. She waved goodbye to them. He was tempted to catch a ride back with Amber, since she lived right next door, but decided that it wasn’t a good idea.
He had been having 'Amber withdrawals' since they had taken another ride together after she viewed the tape at the police station. All week, he had been tortured by it. Wanting to see her, but staying away. Pulled in two strong but opposing directions.
He couldn’t seem to make a decision about how to deal with her being in his life. He shook his head. This was not like him. At all.
He was decisive. He was assertive. He was always in control. He never wavered.
Today had only made things worse, more confusing. Seeing her with his family made him feel strange. She fit there. She belonged.
He felt like if anyone was the outsider, it was him. Which made perfect sense, of course - she had spent the last decade here, and he had been gone.
“So you went with Amber to the police station?” Riley asked as soon as they got in the truck.
Seth just nodded.
“Look, I know it’s none of my business-”
“That's right. It’s not.” Seth did not want to have this conversation.
“Did you know that I actually did go to New Orleans?” Riley’s voice indicated that he was going somewhere with his line of questioning.
Seth remained quiet. He had a feeling that whichever answer he gave, Riley's speech was going to proceed along the same track, therefore answering would be pointless. Seth made it a practice never to say anything that was pointless.
“After Chelle and I came back from San Francisco, I left and went down there for a month. I didn’t think I was good enough for her, you know? I thought I was too much like Mom.”
Seth couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He turned to look at his brother. “Why the hell would you think that? You’re nothing like Mom.”
“I had my reasons, but the point is this: I got my head out of my ass and figured it out in time to keep from losing Chelle.”
“Good.” Seth wasn’t sure why Riley felt the need to share that, but whatever.
They were both quiet the rest of the ride and pulled up to the duplex just as Amber was pulling into her driveway.
“Look, all I’m saying is - if there is something there between you two, if you care about her like I think you do, then do something about it. Get your head out of your ass.”
Seth was about to tell Riley that he could shove that piece of advice up his ass when he heard a loud scream.
His heart stopped. It was Amber.
Chapter Twenty
Amber’s entire body shook as she stood in her doorway and looked around her apartment. It was trashed. All of the cushions were on the floor and her tables were turned over. Her flat screen had been pulled off of the wall and the screen was cracked. There was a huge gash where it had been attached.
The room started spinning. This couldn’t be happening! First Bella, then her car, and now her house. Why would someone do this?
“Stay with her.” She heard Seth's sharp command and watched him move to the back of her house.
She started after him, but felt an arm pull her back onto the porch.
“Stay here, Amber. Just let him clear the house.” She looked up and saw Riley pulling his phone from his pocket. “Yes, I’m calling to report a break-in at 830 B Portola Ave.”
“Riley Sloan. The resident's name is Amber Webb.”
“Oh, hi, Ms. Lawson. Yes. Seth's inside. I'm outside with Amber.”
Ms. Lawson? Oh, right. Katie’s mom, Pam, was a 911 operator. Amber had forgotten that.
“Pam wants to talk to you. An officer should be here soon,” Riley said as he handed the phone to Amber.
“Hi,” Amber’s voice sounded faraway to her own ears.
“Are you okay, hon? Do you need me to call Katie?” Pam asked.
“I’m fine,” Amber said, even though her hand was shaking so violently that she could barely keep the phone against her ear.
“Amber, you need to sit down.” Riley guided her to the rocking chair she kept on her porch.
She felt herself lowering into the chair as if in slow motion, and she could hear Pam speaking on the other end of the phone...but Amber felt almost as if she was floating outside of herself. Everything was spinning and there was a loud buzzing in her ears that wouldn’t stop.
Riley took the phone back and knelt down in front of her, instructing her to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. She did what he said, and was just starting to come back to her senses when she saw the lights of the squad car flashing.
Man, she had had more dealings with the police in the last three weeks than she had had in her entire life. She reached down and rolled her bracelet around her wrist. She had almost left it at home today so that it wouldn’t get damaged during the move. She was so glad she hadn’t.
Officer Williams was walking up the steps as Seth came out the front door, “He’s gone. I believe the entry point was the bedroom window. It’s smashed and there are footprints on the comforter.”
“Was anything stolen?” Officer Williams directed the question to her.
“I’m not sure, I haven’t been inside yet,” she answered, her voice shaky.
He motioned for the two officers that were with him to go inside. “Let us take a look first. We'll collect any pertinent evidence. Then, when we're finished, you can go through and see if anything’s missing.”
Amber nodded.
“Do you need me to stick around?” Riley asked his brother.
“No. We’re good,” Seth’s voice sounded even deeper than normal, with an almost dangerous edge to it.
“Call if you need anything,” Riley said as he headed back to his truck.
Seth knelt in front of Amber, in the same spot where Riley had been just moments before.
“Ho
w bad is the damage?” Amber asked, remaining as stoic as possible. Part of her didn't want to know, but she knew that she needed to prepare herself for what she would find before she went inside her home.
“The worst is in the bedroom and the front room.” Seth stared into Amber’s eyes. His gaze was intense but also comforting.
He stayed in front of her. Neither spoke. Seth just silently offered support.
Finally, Officer Williams walked back out. “You can go ahead on in.”
Amber stood; her legs were wobbly. Her entire body was shaking. She felt Seth’s arm wrap around her waist. He leaned in and said quietly, “You can do this. I’m right here.”
She took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other. She walked into her house and felt Seth’s grip tighten to hold her up. Stepping over her belongings, currently strewn across the floor, she carefully made her way to the bedroom.
All of her dresser drawers had been pulled out and dumped. The armoire, which had been passed down to her from her grandmother, was tipped haphazardly on its side. She picked up her antique jewelry box and saw that it was empty. After getting down and looking around on the floor and then under the bed, she glanced up at Seth who was standing with his arms crossed in the doorway. She liked that he wasn’t hovering, yet stayed close in case she needed anything.
“I think he stole my grandmother’s earrings and necklace,” she said quietly to Seth as she held up her empty jewelry box.
Officer Williams, who must have been just outside the door, stepped into the room. “Can you describe the missing jewelry?”
“The earrings were two carat diamond studs and the necklace had a chain just like this,” she showed him her bracelet, “with a two carat diamond pendant on it.”
After sifting through the contents of her dresser, she noticed that a few of her panties were missing as well. She only noticed it because they were the couture underwear she had bought in Paris. She didn’t think it was significant but figured she better say something.
“There are several pairs of my underwear missing as well,” she said feeling ridiculous saying it out loud.
My Everything - Seth & Amber Page 15