Kissing Her Enemy

by Coleen Kwan

  Emily shrieked as a deluge of beer hit her in the face. Amber blinked at the empty glass in her hand. It had happened so quickly she’d barely registered what she was doing. Her chest ached as rage pulsed through her, rage at Emily, at her deadbeat father, at the cruelty of coincidence. She hadn’t seen Waylon in more than a year. Why did he have to turn up here? Why did he continue to ruin her life? She stood there, shaking, too nervous to peek at Logan, wondering how furious he was with her.

  “How—how d-dare you! I—I’ll make you pay for this!” Emily’s screeches echoed around the ballroom. The band had stopped playing. The people surrounding them hadn’t moved an inch, riveted by the spectacle, while the reporter from The Gazette was gleefully recording the whole debacle with her camera.

  A strong hand clamped around Amber’s wrist and pried the empty glass out of her grip. Logan… She risked a glance at him. His face was set into implacable lines, his eyes stony, as if he was holding onto his temper with great difficulty.

  “We’re leaving.” His harsh tone brooked no argument.

  Regret flooded her like an icy torrent. She opened her mouth. “I’m…” I’m sorry, she wanted to say. I’m sorry for embarrassing you. I’m sorry your parents hate me. I’m sorry I can’t behave better under pressure. The words stuck in her throat, choking her.

  Emily shoved herself between them. Beer-splattered hair, eyeliner running, she was trembling with rage. “You cheap little— Get out of here. You don’t belong here. You’ll never belong.” She aimed her livid gaze at Logan. “And you. I’m through with you. I wish I’d never helped you with Jed Winston!”

  She stomped off, leaving Amber and Logan and their gob-smacked audience.

  “Let’s go.” Logan’s fingers were like iron claws around her elbow.

  They began the tortuous journey through the crowd. Amber knew what it was like to be stared at by a hostile crowd. She had never let it bother her before, but tonight she felt like she’d been skinned alive, and the only one not gawping at her was Logan, who couldn’t stand to look at her and just wanted her to disappear.

  When they exited the ballroom, Emily’s last words came back to Amber, and she stopped, yanking her arm out of Logan’s grip.

  “Jed Winston is the chair of the planning committee. What did Emily mean by helping you with him? Have you been talking to him in secret?”

  “We played golf. Emily arranged it. So what?”

  “You went behind my back!”

  “So did you. I know you’ve been stirring up opposition.”

  “At least I didn’t try to schmooze anyone.”

  “It’s business, nothing personal.”

  She flinched, her heart trembling, tearing. “I see. And I suppose seducing me was all part of the plan to lull me into a false sense of security.”

  Anger flared in his hard green eyes. “You went into this with your eyes wide open, babe. Don’t try to lay the blame at my door.”

  How could she have been so blind about this man? She’d thought there was something special budding between them, but she was wrong. She was nothing but a convenient lay to him, and now an embarrassment to be hurried out.

  Footsteps sounded behind them.

  “Logan!” a harsh voice called out.

  Logan’s father was striding toward them, his mother not far behind, white with shock.

  Logan bit off a curse. He looked consumed with burning fury. Even worse than the time she’d dumped Coke all over him. His face was like granite, his mouth a grim line, his breathing rapid. A muscle ticked in his jaw, testament to the anger boiling inside him and the effort to control it.

  Amber glanced back at Logan’s parents. They were furious with her, of course. She’d humiliated them in front of their important friends, and now they were going to harangue her and point out to Logan yet again why he shouldn’t be seen with her. As if he needed any more convincing.

  Tears stung the back of her throat. Oh God, no. She couldn’t break down, not here, in front of a grim Logan and his livid parents. All she had left was her tattered pride.

  Gripping her purse under her arm, she ran for the exit.

  “Amber!” Logan called out, sounding frustrated, but she didn’t stop.

  …

  Logan started to run after Amber, but someone grabbed his arm and forced him to a halt. He frowned at his father in frustration. “Dad, let go of me.”

  “No,” Blaine barked out, a vein popping in his forehead. “You and I need to talk.”

  “Later.”

  Logan stared after Amber’s disappearing figure, her long shapely legs in those killer heels taking her away from him. Damn everything to hell. How had the evening nosedived so rapidly? Why hadn’t he been able to prevent it? Earlier, his heart had jumped into his throat when he’d first caught sight of Amber outside the ballroom. That silk dress had almost killed him, the way it slid over her curves, highlighting her sexy sass, making him earthy promises. His spirits had soared at the prospect of spending the evening with her. Then, in a matter of minutes, everything had crashed and burned.

  “Now,” Blaine hissed, jerking on his arm.

  Logan stared at his father in surprise. He hadn’t seen his dad so worked up in ages. Amber had vanished from sight. They’d both said harsh things to each other. Maybe it was better to give her some space before he went after her. Besides, his father looked like he was going to have an aneurism, so it was probably wise to let him have his say.

  He followed his father down the corridor and into an empty meeting room. Blaine slammed the door shut before turning on him.

  “What the hell just happened in there?” Blaine growled, head thrust out, hands on hips.

  “It’s complicated. Emily was rude to Amber, and Amber—”

  “Is it true?” Blaine interrupted.

  “Is what true?”

  “That you’re sleeping with her, with that Amber girl.” Blaine waved his hand as if to indicate it was a distasteful suggestion.

  “Yes, it’s true,” Logan said in a dangerously quiet voice. “I’m sleeping with Amber Miller, not that it’s any of your business.”

  His father glowered at him from under lowering gray eyebrows. Then, he exploded, “Are you out of your mind? She’s the one who’s organizing all the objections to your mega center and you’re sleeping with her? That’s insane! You’ve lost your head, and she’s got you wound around her little finger like a goddamn puppet.”

  “You’ve got it wrong,” Logan snapped. “She hasn’t influenced me at all. I’m still determined to get my mega center going.”

  “You can’t see what’s in front of you.” Blaine paced back and forth, working himself up into a frenzy. “This is exactly what I was afraid of. We’ve talked about this already. I warned you, but you didn’t listen. So I’ve come to a decision. You’re not ready for the top job. I’m returning as CEO. You’ll be vice president until you’ve proved yourself.”

  “What? You can’t do that!”

  “I can, and I will. The company needs a steady leader, someone who’s got his eye on the ball.”

  Logan’s head began to throb as if a sledgehammer had fallen on him. “Oh, yeah? You think you were doing such a terrific job, do you?”

  “I sure as hell wasn’t sleeping with the woman standing in my way.”

  “No, you weren’t doing much of anything. You were asleep at the wheel, happily letting the company drift toward the rocks, and you would’ve sunk it by now if I hadn’t taken over.” Logan hauled in a breath. He knew he was letting his emotions get the better of him, knew he would later regret his words. But for now he couldn’t stop them tumbling out.

  “You think it’s been such a picnic taking over from you? Since you’ve been so brutally honest with me, Dad, let me return the favor. You did nothing to adapt the company to the changing economy. You let dying, unprofitable businesses go on for too long. You loaded up the company with so much debt that we were months away from bankruptcy. And I’ve had to make the hard
decisions you were unable or unwilling to make. I’ve had to tell people to their face that I don’t have jobs for them. I’ve had to sell businesses, cut wages, restructure debt. And all along, I’ve had to protect your pride, too. I can’t tell Mom that you screwed up, that everything she takes for granted could be snatched away. And I can’t tell Sophie that her wedding is costing us more than we can afford. So don’t lecture me on leadership, Dad, because you haven’t shown that for years.”

  His father stood rigid, his contorted face slowly turning purple, his nostrils forcing out hot steam.

  “How dare you talk to me like that!” his father roared, shaking with fury.

  The rant continued, but Logan barely heard it, allowing the barrage to pass over his head. He shouldn’t have been so blunt, though it was high time the truth came out. Was his father really going to take the CEO position from him? All because of Amber? His thoughts spiraled back to the woman who had triggered this conflict. Where was she now? Did she hate his guts? Should he go after her, and if he did, what would he say?

  …

  Clutching her purse, Amber hurried across the parking lot toward her truck in the far corner. She couldn’t wait to put distance between herself and this damn hotel.

  As she neared her pickup, some nearby bushes rustled, causing her to jump in fright.

  “Who’s there?” she demanded, her nerves shredded.

  “Only me.” A figure emerged from the shrubbery. Waylon Paterson. She turned away. “Hey, got nothing to say to your own father?”

  “You are not, and never will be, my father,” she hissed and jabbed a finger at him, making him back away.

  “Okay, okay. I guess you’re mad at me for embarrassing you in there, huh?”

  He didn’t seem too torn up about it. He stuck a toothpick in his mouth and watched as she scrabbled in her purse. Where was the damn key? Finally she found it, but her hand was trembling so much she couldn’t fit it in the lock.

  “You look real pretty,” Waylon said conversationally.

  Shut up, shut up. At last, the key slid in; she unlocked the truck and tumbled in.

  “You always were a looker. Just like your mom. How is she, anyway?”

  Amber’s stomach churned. “You stay away from her, do you hear me? If you had a shred of decency in you, you’d know that. We never want to see or hear from you again.”

  She slammed the door, gunned the engine, and roared out of that parking lot as if the devil were on her heels. In the rearview mirror, she saw Waylon gazing after her, sucking on his toothpick. It made her shudder to think she shared genetic material with that lowlife.

  A hoarse sob bubbled out of her. Stupid, stupid crying. It solved nothing. She drove home, unable to stem the tears coursing down her cheeks.

  …

  Logan was still brooding over Amber and ignoring his father’s tirade when the door to the meeting room flew open, and his mother stalked in, her face set and angry. But when she spotted Blaine, red and bellicose, her expression altered and she rushed over to her husband.

  “Blaine, dear, please calm down.” She shifted her focus to Logan. “Look what you’ve done! You’ve upset your father. It isn’t good for him.” She fussed around her husband, running her hands over the lapels of his tuxedo. “Oh, Blaine, please. I couldn’t bear it if you landed in the hospital again. Think of your heart.”

  “My ticker’s fine. I’m not going to keel over just yet.” Blaine rubbed his hands over his face, his ruddiness receding a little. He patted his wife. “Don’t worry. This little talk with Logan is just what I needed.” He shot an ominous glare at Logan. “We’ll continue this later.”

  He stalked out. Logan went to follow him, but his mother stepped in his way. “Not so fast. I have something to say to you.”

  The last thing he needed right now was another lecture.

  “Later,” he said.

  But Heloise grabbed him by the wrist. “No, now.”

  He shook his head. “Is this about Amber? Because I know how you feel about her and I don’t need a rehash.”

  “It’s about your father. What did you say to him? I’ve never seen him so enraged. You must have really upset him.”

  “He wants to be CEO again.”

  “What? No!” Heloise twisted her diamond necklace around her fingers; an ominous sign. “I don’t want him worrying about work again. I don’t want him collapsing again.” She trembled with the force of her emotions. “You can’t let him do that.”

  “It’s his decision.”

  “No, you provoked him. You didn’t like it that he’d only give you full control of the company if you married someone we approved of, so you deliberately showed up tonight with a girl you knew we’d object to, didn’t you?”

  “That’s not true. I showed up with Amber because I happen to enjoy her company, and because Ryan invited her as a thank you for the work we did.”

  “Don’t treat me like a fool, Logan. Don’t you care about your father?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Well, then, you’ll do everything you can to make sure he doesn’t return to work. You might think we’re being ridiculous old fuddy-duddies insisting you settle down with the right girl, but after tonight you must realize how damaging the wrong girl can be.”

  “I’m admitting nothing.”

  His mother gave him a long, assessing look. “Don’t be so stubborn. You’ve had your little fling with that Amber girl, but it’s time to face reality.”

  He shook his head, something in him refusing to back down. “Maybe what Amber and I have is more than just a fling.”

  “Now you’re really being aggravating.”

  “Am I?”

  Heloise leveled a grim stare at him. “No doubt Amber Miller has a certain attraction, but you know the consequences should you choose to saddle yourself with someone so incompatible, so unsuited to your background, your family, your entire way of life.”

  “Maybe I don’t care about the consequences as much as you think.”

  Her chin quivered. “Well understand this—that woman will never be welcome in our house. Not now, not ever. Do I make myself clear?”

  Diamonds glittering, she swept out of the room, leaving Logan with a foul headache and a sour taste at the back of his throat.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Want something to go with that coffee?” Peggy gestured at her display cases filled with baked goods. “Made some nice apple fritters today. Or how about a chocolate croissant?”

  Amber’s stomach did a queasy roll at the thought of eating sugar-laden pastry. “Uh, thanks, but no thanks. Coffee will do.”

  Peggy handed her the paper to-go cup. “You don’t look too good, honey. Isn’t Monday your day off? You should be relaxing instead of working.”

  “I felt too restless to stay at home, so I gave Greg the day off.”

  Dusting her hands, Peggy leaned an elbow on the counter. “I guess you want to prepare for the big night tonight.”

  “Yeah, the big night.” Amber’s stomach did another flip. Tonight was the night the planning committee would meet, her last chance to put a stop to Logan’s mega center. She’d have to see him again…

  “All my friends are going,” Peggy said. “And Eleni’s, and Martin’s. Should be a good turn out. We’ll show those Wrights they can’t push us little people around, right?”

  “Right,” Amber mumbled, taking a sip of her coffee. Her stomach protested again.

  “Everything okay, hon?”

  Everything was not okay. In fact, everything was a total mess, and she couldn’t see a way out.

  “No, not really,” she said. “Now that I’ve dragged you, Eleni, and Martin into this fight, I can’t help wondering if I’m doing the right thing by all of you. I mean, maybe I’m being selfish. Maybe I haven’t considered what’s best for you three.”

  The older woman shrugged her bony shoulders. “Well, you’ve got the most to lose. The rest of us, we can move our businesses elsewhere, but
you won’t be able to open a hardware store anywhere near Pine Falls. That’s a real shame. You deserve more.”

  “We don’t always get what we deserve.” Privately, Amber had decided that if the planning committee approved the mega center, she would sign the agreement to sell. She couldn’t deprive her neighbors of a nice lump sum. “I’d better get back to the store. Can’t keep it shut for too long.”

  “We’ll all be rooting for you tonight,” Peggy called after her.

  The harsh midday sunshine stabbed at Amber’s eyes as she meandered back to her store four doors down. She flipped the “Back in 10” sign on the door as she entered. Thank God noon on a Monday was a quiet time and she had the store to herself. She trudged to her small office and plopped herself into her chair, flexing the sore muscles in her shoulders. Her entire body felt bruised and stiff as if she’d taken a beating last night, which, metaphorically speaking, was what had happened.

  She closed her tired eyes, but immediately memories of last night swarmed out of the shadows. Would she ever get over the stomach-churning humiliation? Why had she let Emily get to her? Why had she reacted to the woman’s juvenile cattiness by being juvenile herself? But the worst bit was seeing Logan’s distaste. Once again she’d proved to him she wasn’t up to his standards. If last night had been a test to see if she could pass muster in his world, then she had failed miserably.

  Well, so what? She tossed her hair, trying to gather her defiance. So what if she didn’t fit into Logan’s world? She was proud of who she was, and if that wasn’t good enough for him, then too bad. She wasn’t going to change for him. But an ache persisted in her, an ache she’d never experienced before. It permeated her whole body like an all-pervasive bruise, raw and tender.

  The front door jingled. She sighed. Another customer. Could she ignore them for a minute or two? But old habits died hard. She pulled herself to her feet and shuffled out of the office, only to stop in her tracks. Logan’s father stood at the main counter. Dressed in an impeccable navy pinstriped suit, he glanced about the store before his gaze settled on her. He didn’t smile.