“But, that’s what you always do,” Amber said. “You tell me you’re sorry. You agree to be professional. Then the next day, you come-on to me again. How can I be sure when we go to Haiti together that you won’t try again?”
Mason and Adrianne both jerked to attention and stared at her, their mouths wide open.
Had she gone too far? Accusing a senior scientist? Mason’s buddy from college?
But everything she said was true. She had no assurance he wouldn’t try it again either with her or another female scientist.
“It won’t happen again, because I’m not going to Haiti,” Dr. Forster said. “I’m taking time off to recover from my divorce. I know I’m out of line, and I need help. Mason’s taking you to Haiti, and because he doesn’t have to pay me, there’s funding for Samantha, Harrison, and Kiran to go also.”
“Oh …”
Dr. Forster’s admission took the wind from Amber’s sails.
“I hope this means you’ll stay with us,” Mason said, still looking serious.
“But the town still thinks I slept my way onto the team.” Amber’s mouth was dry and her leg jittered. “It’s a small town and everyone’s already formed an opinion of me.”
“I’ll change their opinion,” Dr. Forster said. “If you want, I will get up on the gazebo and tell everyone what really happened.”
“I don’t think that’s advisable,” Adrianne cut him off. “As my role of being Human Resources, we need to protect IAS’s reputation. It would only feed into the rumor mill.”
“What can I do to make it up to you?” Dr. Forster looked at Amber straight on for the first time since she entered the room.
“Let me think about it,” she said, hardly daring to imagine he’d be so contrite. Well, heck, she’d make him sweat. “Meet me at the gazebo when the mayor gives out the trophies for the Sand Volleyball game this evening.”
* * *
“Girl power!” Peyton high-fived Amber after she spiked the winning point into the men’s side of the sand.
Candi, Ginger, Samantha, and Penny joined hands with them and shouted. “Good job!”
The six guys on the other side, Chad, Marsh, Mike, Harrison, Kiran, and Dr. Forster, panted with their hands on their knees and dropped to the sand, splayed out and exhausted. They might have muscle and brawn, but their heavier weight made them sluggish in the sand and they overheated too quickly.
“Come on, guys, get up and give us a cheer,” Peyton harassed them. “At least give us a hand with the big, heavy trophy.”
Amber extended a hand to Chad and pulled him to his feet while Mike leaned on Penny who splashed water over his beet-red face.
“Okay, let’s go to the gazebo.” Amber stood over Dr. Forster. “Time to pay penance.”
He smiled good-naturedly at her. “If it’s a public apology you want, you’ve got it.”
He’d already stood in front of Amber’s coworkers earlier in the day and had set everything straight. He admitted that Amber hadn’t encouraged his advances, causing her coworkers to apologize and ask for a fresh start.
“What are you going to have him do?” Candi hooked an arm around Amber and whispered in her ear.
“I heard Amber went ginger in the boardroom,” Ginger teased.
“Who told you? What was said in there was supposed to be confidential.” Amber shot her sister a worried look. “Besides, I’m a brunette. I don’t go ginger!”
“I might have told them how awesome you were without divulging the contents,” Adrianne admitted, holding the hands of her two boys. “You really came out with both barrels blazing.”
“Hey, I’m either foolhardy or brave,” Amber said. “Do I still have a job?”
“Depends on what you’re going to do to Vic.” Mason chuckled, getting out his camera phone with one hand while holding his baby daughter with the other.
“I can’t wait,” Vic said in a droll tone.
The mayor tapped the mic and said, “How’s everyone enjoying the fun in the sun? Hot enough for you?”
“Yeah!” the crowd responded.
“Apparently, the heat was too much for the men in our annual sand volleyball game. They fell to the women’s team, the aptly named, Amber’s Amazons, in three straight games.”
The crowd cheered as Amber and her team approached the stage. She shook their joined fists high in the air while Chad and Marsh held the heavy trophy in front of them.
“To the victor belong the spoils,” the mayor continued. “This year, the team captain of the winning team gets to order the team captain of the losing team, Vic’s Vikings, around for the rest of the evening. Amber, what should Vic do first?”
Amber took the mic from the mayor. “It was a good game, guys. You all fought hard and gave us keen competition. Too bad you got hot and bothered for nothing. Vic, I order you to take a turn in the dunk tank. Everyone, head over there and let’s get Vic wet.”
The entire crowd rushed to the dunk tank, and Vic gamely climbed onto the seat.
Boom. Splash. Boom. Splash. Boom. Splash.
Everyone bought their turn, and Vic was in and out of the water so many times they lost count. After each hit, the entire town cheered, and after everyone had taken their turn, Vic Forster was let out of the tank, soaked to the bone.
Helen Klitz rushed over with a huge towel and draped it over his shoulders. She was still pissed off at Amber for winning the Festival Queen, and rumor had it she believed giving Vic attention would be like sticking pins in Amber’s eyes.
How wrong she was.
“Oh, Amber! What next?” the mayor asked, holding the portable mic in front of her.
“I believe it’s open mic night at the Come Again,” Amber said loudly. “I heard Vic is a crooner of love songs. Let’s ask him to entertain us tonight.”
“Hear, hear!” Everyone cheered. “Vic. Vic. Vic. Vic.”
Chad took Amber by the hand and shouted, “I’m doomed. Everyone, remind me not to get on her bad side!”
Epilogue
“To family!” Troy toasted Candi at their reception lunch at the Come Again. “And to love.”
The bride and groom joined their lips in another swoony kiss.
Amber turned to Chad and wiggled her eyebrows, and of course, he obliged. His kiss was deep and rough and not at all tongue-tied.
Sounds of lips smacking and tiny hums joined them as every couple around the table kissed—all except Amber’s mother and father, of course.
They had agreed to sit next to each other—which was excellent progress. Several times, she’d caught Dad giving Mom a shy look. Meanwhile, Mom would dart her gaze away and look guiltily at her daughters, as if she wasn’t supposed to crush on Dad.
“I think my parents need the Sapphire Falls treatment,” Amber whispered to Chad once they were done with their smooching.
“I’ve an idea,” Chad said, looking at his parents, Grace and Doug, who were necking like high school kids behind a tree.
“Get a room.” He elbowed his dad, then whispered in his ear.
Meanwhile, Amber gave her mother an encouraging smile and said a little prayer for them. It had become painfully obvious that her parents still had feelings for each other, but were unwilling to let down their guard and trust again.
While Candi and Troy exchanged their vows, Mom had dabbed at her eyes and Dad had handed her a tissue without looking at her.
Was there enough Sapphire Falls magic left for them?
Candi and Troy made their way around the various tables and booths of the bar, greeting their guests. Meanwhile, Ginger and Marsh shared a joke, and Mike blushed when Penny touched his cheek in an affectionate manner.
Max had his arm around Honey while Mattie and Sara, the ring bearer and flower girl, begged sweet treats from Adrianne. Even Peyton, the tough girl, shared a drink with Scott, the town cop and smiled sweetly at something he whispered in her ear.
Amber leaned closer to Chad and took in his warmth, power, and love, happier than she�
�d ever been. She belonged here and so did he—surrounded by family and friends.
Even more importantly, she’d finally stood up for herself. She’d defended herself and won, and now, she was no longer the baby of her family, but a full-fledged Amazon with a team of her own.
“What’s your plan for my parents?” she asked Chad over another glass of cold beer.
“A little of that Sapphire Falls magic, and something I promised you.”
* * *
The rain had stopped by the time they left the bar, and a rainbow shimmered over the green hills at the edge of the town.
“Okay, here’s how it goes.” Chad’s father took Amber’s father aside. “First, we go on the Ferris wheel, then the Haunted House. Everyone has to have a partner.”
“I, uh, don’t have one.” He slid a glance at Amber’s mother who made a move to scamper away.
Unfortunately for her, Chad’s mother made her move. She collared Amber’s mother. “Want to go on the Ferris wheel with me?”
Amber gave Chad a consternated look, as if wondering how exactly his parents were going to get her parents onto the Ferris wheel together.
“Don’t worry, my mother is very persuasive and tricky.” Chad gave her a peck on the lips. He took her hand. “This is for us, too. We might have done things out of order, but if you want to be a real Sapphire Faller, you’ve got to go through this ritual.”
“Sure, townie.” She stuck her tongue out at him, and of course, he couldn’t resist sucking on it.
The sun was out after the morning shower, and fortunately, the Ferris wheel was dry and in operation. Chad’s mother stuck to Amber’s mother like a burr while his father made jokes with her father.
Two by two, the entire wedding party made their way onto the Ferris wheel, first Candi and Troy, then Ginger and Marsh, followed by Mike and Penny. Honey and Max had to split up because of their children.
The wheel turned, and it was Amber’s mother and Chad’s mother’s turn.
“I don’t see how they’re going to do the switcheroo,” Amber muttered. “Look at my mother, clinging onto yours like she’s her lifeguard.”
Sure enough, the two women approached the Ferris wheel seat together. Amber’s mother stepped up first, and then Chad’s mother turned her ankle.
It happened so fast, that if he hadn’t known what sneaks his parents were, he wouldn’t have believed his eyes.
His father gave Amber’s father a push right before catching his mother from face-planting on the platform.
“Sir, please take your seat before the wheel moves,” the ride attendant said to Amber’s father who had no choice but to plant his butt onto the seat next to her mother.
In one smooth move, the attendant shoved the guard rail down and moved the wheel.
“They did it.” Amber clapped her hands. “Your parents are so cool.”
“They know all about the Sapphire Falls love magic,” Chad said. “And they’re still romantic—sometimes sickening so.”
“I love a romantic man.” Amber sighed and gave him a teasing look.
He felt his face heat so he turned away from her in time to see his father slip the ride attendant a tip. Yep, he should learn from dear old Dad, who waltzed through town one summer long ago and swept Grace Wolff off her feet.
They were next, and suddenly, Chad’s mouth went dry while his palms went wet. He’d already taken things out of order, having made out with Amber on Klein Hill the night of the fireworks.
Should he do it on the Ferris wheel or in the Haunted House? Or should he start his own tradition?
Before he knew it, he and Amber were on the Ferris wheel and it was spinning around and around, going up to the top and coming down fast. His head was so dizzy, he knew he would be fumble fingers, and he couldn’t take the risk.
Instead, he latched onto Amber and nuzzled her so that she turned her sweet lips his direction. He closed his eyes, kissing her, knowing he could never get enough of her, no matter how many years he spent with her.
“I love you, doll,” he confessed as they were parked at the top at the end of the ride, waiting for the others to get off.
“I’ve never been called a doll before,” Amber said. “Nerd. Geek. Dork. Brainiac, but never doll.”
“You’re my doll, you dork.”
“I love you, too, you geek.” Her smile danced all the way to her eyes. “Did you see my parents kiss?”
“No, my eyes were closed. Did they really?”
Amber nodded. “I think so.”
“You dork, you mean you kiss with your eyes open?”
“Told you I’m weird and socially stupid.” She laughed as they got off the Ferris wheel.
“I’ll get you in the Haunted House,” he growled, putting up his fingers like claws.
* * *
Oh yes, the infamous Haunted House. Amber’s entire body tingled at the thought of Chad’s hands and fingers crawling over her in the dark confines of the Haunted House, but first, she had to keep an eye out on her parents.
Would they walk in together, or would they decide to call it an afternoon and head back to their separate rooms at Honey’s house?
Her mother was no longer trusting Chad’s mother, so they had a problem.
“Just a sec,” she told Chad as the entire wedding party crossed the square toward the old Herschfield House. Whoever heard of a haunted house in summer?
Apparently, the good folks of Sapphire Falls loved a good spooking, and the scares and thrills in the Haunted House were a great opportunity for guys to get handsy on their favorite squeeze.
Amber caught up with Honey and Max, then explained what they were doing to get their parents together. “There’s no better weapon than Mattie and Sara.”
“I agree,” Honey said, holding onto her hugely pregnant belly. “I don’t think I should go in there in my condition. Mom!” she called. “Mom, can you and Dad take Sara and Mattie into the haunted house?”
Max, of course, had to bow out by putting his arm around Honey and asking her whether she wanted a glass of water.
Whew, that was close. In any case, her mother forced a smile and took Sara’s little hand, while her father stepped up to Mattie and gave him a high five.
“They won’t be getting to second base with those two little chaperones,” Amber admitted to Chad. “But at least they’ll get a chance to be together.”
“Yes, and who knows? It might make them miss family even more, knowing Honey’s about to have another one, and all their daughters are lining up to get married.”
“Maybe Ginger’s next, but not me.” Amber raised her eyebrows while peering into Chad’s dark brown eyes. “You’re not planning on pulling a fast one, are you? Ginger caught the bouquet.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m only the Dung Man,” he said, leading her away from the Haunted House.
“Hey, don’t you want to feel me up?” She wiggled her shoulders and winked at him.
“L-later, we’re doing everything out of or-order,” he said with a nervous tic under his eye.
What was he up to?
Amber hooked her hand around his arm and said, “Lead on, Festival King. I suppose we need to survey our domain.”
“Of course, we do. Since you want me to feel you up, let’s go to the Petting Zoo, if you get what I mean.”
“Oh, the Petting Zoo.”
“Yes, the Petting Zoo.”
Amber wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but she ambled with him across the square to the miniature red barn surrounded by a small white picket fence.
Goats lounged inside, along with a pygmy pig. Roosters and hens pecked in the yard, and several sheep stood around in the shade.
Was it her imagination, or did Chad seem nervous around the animals? He wiped his hand on his pants and stooped down in front of a pile of dung.
Yuck.
“I can’t believe this,” Amber said, looking at her white boots. While Candi and Troy had kept their wedding casual, meaning no dr
essing up, the women had worn their best boots, jeans with no rips, and western shirts with bling.
“Come on over here,” Chad said. “I see a very interesting pile.”
“This had better be good,” Amber muttered under her breath.
“I believe this animal has parasites. Do you have a Ziploc bag?” His deep voice held a hint of laughter. “I mean, oops, I have one.”
“You don’t carry condoms, but you carry Ziplocs?” Amber rolled her eyes. “And no, I don’t have a Sharpie so you can label it.”
“Not to worry.” He turned his back on her so she couldn’t see him scoop up the poop.
Meanwhile, an aggressive goat tried to nibble on her shirt and she had to shoo him away. A lop-eared bunny with no fear hopped over to her and clutched her leg.
What the heck was he doing?
Humping her?
“Ahhh …” Amber screamed and stumbled backwards, almost tripping over a large turtle.
Chad caught her and waved a baggie full of brown stuff in her face. “Hold that for me? I see a fresh dump I have to collect.”
“You’re so weird,” she shouted, waving the bag of dung. “This one’s going down in the record books.”
Several children laughed and pointed at her. “She’s holding a bag of poop. Is she going to eat it?”
She noticed Mason and Adrianne and their brood. They stood to the side, gawking at her. When she turned around, she recognized several women she’d met that first day at The Bang and Blow Beauty Salon, milling around with their children.
“I’m just—” she started to explain, but Chad was in front of her, on his knees, getting his spanking new jeans dirty.
“Open the bag, Amber.” He peered up at her with loving adoration shining in his gorgeous eyes.
Sheesh, had anyone told him he had eyelashes to kill for?
“I’m not opening a bag of poo labeled Mud Pie,” she said.
“You wound me, my queen. Please, take a bite, but don’t swallow.”
“Don’t swallow?” Amber squinted at the mud pie in the plastic bag.
“Not unless you want your stomach pumped,” he warned, unzipping the bag for her.
Sapphire Falls: Going Gets Hot (Kindle Worlds Novella) (My Country Heart Book 4) Page 14
