by Clare Revell
Amber pulled back. “Jackson, I can’t cope with any more rejection. Please, don’t play with me.”
“Honey,” he said, holding her firm. “I’m not doing this lightly. Trust me when I say that. I don’t know what God has in store for us down the line, but right now our paths seem joined. Let’s just enjoy what we have, spend time with each other and see what He has planned.”
“But it’s so sudden.”
He kissed her forehead. “Not like we’ve only just met. And if I’m honest, I had a crush on you at school.”
She did a double take. “Seriously? You never said anything even when all the others were pairing off and making doe eyes at each other across the classroom. The talk of the school gym was who was going out with whom.”
“That’s why I never said anything. I didn’t want the whole school knowing I had a crush on you, especially when I knew Dad was transferring back to the USA at the end of the school year. That wouldn’t be fair on either of us. But, yeah I did. It was your pigtails that did it.”
“Pigtails?” Amber frowned. “And what are pigtails?”
“Those cute, plait things you had your hair in on each side of your head.” He winked. “Now, not only are we getting wet in the rain, I’m starving. So how about going back to your place for dinner, as they are expecting us, and then we go find somewhere dry to sit and just be with each other for a while?”
“Sounds perfect.”
7
Amber felt better than she had in a long time. Being around Jackson, she was finally becoming whole again. He sent her flowers every day. He texted and called her. He turned up each evening and Niamh automatically included him when she made dinner.
They sat on the couch now, today’s flowers on the coffee table in front of them.
Being loved wasn’t so bad. But she still wasn’t sure Jackson wouldn’t suddenly leave her too. She’d seen firsthand how marriages went wrong and the violence that resulted from that.
Amber was still being followed by Dirk. She had made the decision to tell that police officer from the café. Just as soon as she worked it out without endangering anyone else. And while she was pretty sure Jackson would stand up for her and put himself in the firing line if need be, she wasn’t about to take the chance.
“…fun. What do you think, Amber?” Niamh asked.
Amber started. “Sorry, I was miles away.”
“We noticed.” Jackson squeezed her shoulder. “Jared insulted you and got away with it.”
“Nothing new there. He does it way too much.” Amber scrunched her nose up at her cousin. “And don’t for one minute think you can because he does. So what’s fun?”
“I was telling Niamh and Jared about the upcoming production of Handel’s Messiah. Two weeks of rehearsals and then one huge production. I noticed how well you can sing in church. We should do it.”
Amber smiled. “That’s one of my favorite pieces of music. I did the Messiah from scratch in Canada once.”
“Then you’ll be a ringer.” Jackson looked at her. “So, are you up for it?”
“I don’t know.” She really wanted to. But, if she were on stage, she’d be a target. There would be nowhere to hide if Dirk found her there. And it might not be just be her he killed.
Jackson kissed her cheek. “Too bad. I’ve already signed us both up. Rehearsals start Tuesday.”
“Fink.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And a fink is?”
“Ummm… brat,” she translated. “Ragbag. Horrid person. Numpty.”
Jackson laughed. “I can live with that. It’ll be fun, Amber, trust me.”
“The question is do I trust you because you’re a doctor or trust you because you’re a fink? Or merely trust you because you’re the son of an ambassador?”
He tweaked her nose. “You had to bring that up, didn’t ya? And he’s a senator now. As you’d say, he’s definitely going up in the world. No ambitions for president though. At least, none that he’s letting on just yet.”
She nodded. “I meant to tell you. I got a letter today from the Wiltshire Nursery Training College.”
Jackson held her gaze. “And?”
“I got the job. I start Monday.” The chorus of ‘congratulations’ made her smile. “Thank you. The shifts are weird though. Seven ‘til six, seven-fifteen ‘til one-fifteen and ten ‘til six. That should make rehearsals interesting if the buses don’t run to time.”
“That’s great.” Jackson kissed her. “That’s across the road from the surgery. I can pick you up the nights of the rehearsals if you’re on the late shift because I’ll finish early those nights.”
“Thank you.”
When Jackson left to go home, she pulled the door to behind them. “That police officer from the café, do you have his name and number?”
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Sgt. David Painter. Give me a piece of paper, I’ll write it down for you. Why? This guy still hassling you?”
“I can’t put those kids in danger if he follows me to and from work,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want anyone else knowing.”
He nodded and wrote the number down for her. “Call him and end it.”
“I will. Thank you. I’ll call him first thing in the morning.”
****
Jackson almost missed the first rehearsal. The winter flu epidemic was in full swing, afternoon surgery overran, and he had fifteen extras to see as well. He ran to the car, grateful Amber had the early shift.
Everyone was singing when he arrived at community center.
The choir master stopped the singing and looked at him. “It’s nice of you to join us, Dr. Parker.”
“Sorry I’m late. Work was really busy.”
“These things happen. Here’s your music. Are you bass or tenor?”
“Tenor.”
“OK. Stand with the others on the left.”
Jackson did so.
“OK.” The choir master tapped the music stand. “We’ll go from Every Valley. Dr. Parker, perhaps you could do the first verse for us. Everyone else has done a solo already.”
Glad he knew the entire piece, Jackson nodded. He found the place and waited for his cue. As he sang, he caught sight of Amber on the other side of the stage. He shot her a faint smile, not wanting to distract himself too much.
The choir master brought everyone else in as Amber returned his smile.
Jackson’s heart leapt. He needed to be honest with her. Yes, he’d told her about the gambling, but not the relationship with Isabella that still haunted him. What if Amber wanted nothing to do with him once she found out?
But either way, their relationship would only flourish with total honestly between them. After rehearsal was finished Jackson made his way over to Amber. “Hey. How was work?”
“It was fun. And thank you for the flowers. I love chrysanths. This is just as well, the amount you keep sending me. I had to go out and buy another couple of vases.”
“I thought I sent ‘mums.”
“Chrysanthemums.”
“Ah. Same flower, just a different name.”
Amber nodded. “Work’s gonna be hard tomorrow. It’s the seven till six.”
Jackson grinned. “Try working in a hospital or doing a twenty-four hour shift.”
“No ta.”
He slid his hand into hers as they headed out into the chilly darkness. “Did you manage to get hold of David?”
“Yeah. He said he’d handle it. Speak to the bloke and warn him off. Which is a weight off my mind.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good. Have you eaten yet?” As she shook her head, he nodded. “Then how about fish and chips?”
“That’s very British of you.”
“I’m trying.”
“Very trying.” Amber laughed. “Niamh and Jared are in Ireland this week with Niamh’s brother Patrick and his wife. So we could take the food back to mine, rather than eat in your car, and make it smell like a chip shop for the next three days.”
�
��Sounds good.”
“And I’ll pay,” she added.
Jackson shook his head. “When you get your first paycheck. Otherwise I’m buying. Besides, we need to talk.”
****
Need to talk.
Three words Amber hated, but Jackson didn’t say another word. Not in the car. And he only spoke enough in the chippy to order the food.
At the house, Amber got out the plates and divided the fish and chips between them.
Jackson opened the cans of cola and taking one of them and his plate, he followed her into the lounge.
“Well?” she said, looking at him. “Will I get the silent treatment for much longer?”
“Grace first, then eat. I’m starving.”
“OK.” Amber ate quickly, then put her plate aside and sipped her cola. If he wouldn’t talk then she would. “As much as I love Jared and Niamh and being here, I’d like my own place someday. Because I feel as if I can’t let my hair down and I have to be dressed all the time. Some days I want to come home, put my pj’s on and just veg.”
“We could set a new trend by going to the prayer meeting in pj’s,” Jackson chuckled. He reached over and pulled the band from her hair. His fingers brushed through her curls, catching the back of her neck and her ears. Shivers ran through her. He took her can and put it on the table.
“You should let your hair down more often,” he whispered, his lips inches from hers. “I love the way it falls in waves around your face and across your shoulders, caressing your neck and ears.”
Then he kissed her. And nothing mattered except his touch and the bolts of lightning that charged through her. Thunder echoed and her whole body crackled and came alive. His hands moved down her back, pulling her against his hard, lean body. She, in turn, ran her hands across his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair.
All of a sudden he pulled back and pushed to his feet. “I should go, Amber.”
She looked at him in confusion. “Leave? Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, honey, you did nothing wrong. The thing is, if I don’t leave I’ll end up doing something that we’ll both regret in the morning.”
“But you wanted to talk.” She followed him into the hall. “Don’t leave.”
Jackson reached for his coat. “Amber, honey, we can talk tomorrow.”
“You’re going nowhere, mister, until you’ve told me whatever it is.” She sat on the floor and looked at him firmly.
“Fine. Bear in mind that this was before I became a Christian.” He sank down onto the floor next to her, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his wrists on them. “Her name was Isabella. No, she wasn’t the croupier, I don’t date married women. She was an intern at the same hospital. We had dinner a few times, went out one night and ended up going back to my apartment.”
Amber put her fingers over his lips. “I don’t want to know.”
“You need to know.” He pulled her hand away, holding it tightly.
“No, I don’t. I don’t need a list of every girl you’ve dated or slept with or danced with until the early hours. All I need is your assurance that while you and I are together, I will be the only one.”
He pulled her into a hug. “You have my word.” He kissed her. “But doesn’t it bother you that—”
“No,” she said cutting him off. “Now, can we talk about something else? Or do you still want to leave?”
“I don’t want to leave, honey. I have no choice. I don’t want to hurt you or dishonor you, and if I kiss you again right now I’ll not be able to stop. I want to wait until we’re married.”
Amber did a double take. “Is that a proposal?”
“Yes. No. No, not yet.”
“I’m teasing.” She stood and pulled him upright. “Go home, Dr. Parker. Get your beauty sleep because, boy, do you need it.”
“Are you saying I’m ugly?” He reached for his coat.
Amber tilted her head and tried not to grin. “No comment. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
He kissed her cheek. “Good night.”
She shut the door behind him and leaned against it. OK, maybe it did bother her, more than a little, but he was a nice bloke and she liked him and—
She knelt where she was in the hallway and cast the whole situation at God’s feet. He knew where she and Jackson were headed in this relationship. And if they were going anywhere. And if she needed directions so they were all on the same page.
****
Jackson toed off his shoes and put his feet on the coffee table. He propped his tablet on his lap and hit the face time button. He knew Hank would be working, but hoped he had a few minutes anyway.
His brother’s image grinned at him. “Hey, bro. How ya doing?”
“Freezing.”
“You’re not the only one. I’m in Toronto covering something the paper deems important, but honestly I could have covered it from my desk at home. We have snow. Snow! I’ve been here since August, and I’m crashing at Austin’s place. So far, him being based here right now was an inconvenience, but it’s turned into a blessing in disguise. I should be home by middle of next week, I hope, but I’m not convinced. So, what do ya want?”
“Who said I wanted anything?” Jackson pretended to be hurt.
“Because I know you and you only call during a working day if you want something. So…”
“OK. I met someone.”
“What’s her name?” Hank grinned as he chewed on the pen in his hand. “And how old is she?”
“Amber Neville. My height, well almost, she’s probably around five eight, five nine, red hair, green eyes…”
“Wasn’t there an Amber Neville at school in your year? She was head girl or something if I remember rightly.”
“The very same.”
Hank tapped his pen on the desk. “Of course, that’s it. I ran into her at a church function back in September. I knew I’d seen her somewhere before and that must have been where. She was working as a nanny for Dirk and Joanne Judge.”
Alarm bells went off in Jackson’s mind. Dirk was the married guy she’d mentioned who wouldn’t leave her alone. Was that the same man? How many Dirks could she possibly know?
Hank carried on speaking. “They have three boys, age five, nine, and twelve, Julian, Sam, and Laurie. She had her work cut out with those kids, I’ll tell you.”
“That’s more than she’s told me.” Jackson shook his head. “Actually, I’ve learned more from you in two minutes, than in the two weeks or so I’ve been seeing Amber.”
“Anyway, Dirk Judge works for some high powered company or other. They moved real sudden. The whole family vanished almost overnight. The kids went to boarding school somewhere and he and his wife moved to England. Amber herself got sacked.”
Jackson sat bolt upright. “Sacked?” Surely he hadn’t heard right.
“The rumor was theft, but that just doesn’t ring true. Despite the fact…” He broke off and looked beyond the camera. “Jackson, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
The connection went dead and Jackson sighed. Theft? That wasn’t the Amber he knew. She was a Godly woman, with a distinct sense of right and wrong. There was no way she’d do that. What did he do? Confront her? Ask probing questions and hope she leveled with him? Or should he ignore it? It would explain why she’d been so cagy about Canada and not spoken about it.
He picked up his phone and called his other brother. Austin was a cop. If anyone knew the facts it’d be him. He just had to phrase it carefully.
“Lt. Parker.”
“Hey, Austin, it’s Jackson.”
“Hey, bro. How’s it going?”
“OK. I won’t keep you long because I know you’re working, but I need a favor.”
“Sure, if I can.”
Jackson took a deep breath. Somehow this seemed like spying, but he needed to know. “I need a background check on someone and don’t have time to go through official channels.”
“Is it legal?”
&
nbsp; “What kind of a question is that? The woman concerned works with kids and I need to know if there are any outstanding warrants against her. Or if she has a record.”
“What’s her name?”
“Amber Neville.” He needed to know what he was dealing with.
“Sounds familiar.”
“She was nanny to Dirk Judge’s kids. And in the same year as me at school.”
“That’s right.” Tapping came down the phone. “There was an accusation of theft, but the Judges left before we could prove it—a gold locket belonging to Mrs. Judge went missing and the husband accused the nanny of taking it. The pendant had a real intricate pattern engraved on both sides. So it’s still on the books as an open case. I’m assuming she’s in the UK because you’re asking.”
Jackson’s heart plunged into his boots. Amber wore a gold locket. He’d even commented on the pattern on it. “Yeah.”
“It’s not child related, and like I said, the accusation was made, but nothing more was done. And since they’ve all left the country, we’re not pursuing it.”
“OK. Let me know if anything changes.”
“Will do.”
Jackson hung up and let out a deep sigh. “Amber, Amber, Amber. What have you gotten yourself mixed up in?”
8
Jackson drove Amber home from the prayer meeting. He’d been stewing about the theft charge all day, trying to reconcile that woman with the one he’d come to know and love. Yes, love. And if she’d made the proposal quip today he’d have said yes he did mean it. He’d intended to ask her about the charges laid against her, but hadn’t found the right moment. Call him a coward, but he couldn’t do it. Not tonight.
“Are you OK?” she asked. “You’ve hardly said two words all evening.”
“Tired. It’s been a long day.” He forced a smile. “How was work?”
“Busy. They want me to do a display, which’ll be up until December when the Christmas ones go up.”
“A display?”
She grinned and gestured with her hands. “A huge picture that covers the boards on the wall. The kids do the bulk of the work—painting and sticking and so on.”
