by SJ McCoy
She straightened up and smiled at him. “Well, excitement over, I guess. I wish I’d known he was your dog.”
Austin shrugged. “I don’t like to bring him around people too much. He’s not always the friendliest. We do fine at home, but he’s not big on strangers, and with my job, there’s a lot of dealing with strangers.”
She nodded. She knew he didn’t consider her a stranger; they were part of the same group of friends, but they weren’t exactly real friends either. “Well, he’s okay. And that’s all that matters in the end. I should get going.”
She started toward the back gate, but he caught her arm. The feel of his hand on her made her breath catch in her chest. Apart from that little close encounter up against the wall a few minutes ago, this might be the first time he’d touched her. It was only a hand on her arm, but her body reacted as if it were something much more intimate than that.
“Let me give you a ride home?” His hazel eyes seemed to sparkle gold and green as she looked into them. “It’s the least I can do.”
She held his gaze for a moment. She could think of a whole lot more that she’d like him to do, but that wasn’t what he meant. She made herself relax and smile. “Thanks.”
Chapter Two
“So, err, how have you been?” Austin felt dumb as soon as the question was out. Surely, he could come up with something to talk about instead of just exchanging meaningless pleasantries.
She smiled and waited for him to unlock the door of his SUV. “Fine thanks. Lenny’s doing much better. I’m spending more time in the post office than in the house these days. Oh, and I’m going to her place now; I’m having dinner with her.”
Austin let her in and then hurried around to the driver’s side to join her. He knew how well Lenny was doing—she was back to normal after her heart attack; at least, that was what she claimed. What he didn’t know was what Amber and her sister, Jade’s, plans were now. They’d come to Summer Lake to take care of their grandmother. But they’d seen her through the tough part, taking care of both her and the post office that she ran. He often wondered how long they planned to stay.
He glanced over at her, wondering whether he should ask. He remembered the first time he’d seen her—when she and Jade had come into his office looking to rent a place. He’d been bowled over by her. He shouldn’t have been. He was still with Nadia at the time. But Amber had turned his head right around, and he hadn’t been able to get right with himself since.
She gave him a puzzled smile. “What?”
Shit! He’d been staring at her. Thinking about the first time he’d seen her. And thinking about how beautiful she was. He smiled back. “Sorry. Nothing. I was just wondering …” Was he really going to ask her? Yeah. He’d never get a better opportunity. “I don’t mean to be nosey or anything, but I was wondering how long you and Jade plan to stay.”
He wished he hadn’t asked when her smile faded.
“Sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No! It’s okay. It’s not that I mind you asking; it’s just that I don’t know the answer. Lenny says she’s fine to do for herself now—and she is, mostly. But I hate the thought of leaving and her being all alone.” She frowned, and Austin guessed that there were other reasons she didn’t want to leave, but he knew better than to think that he might be one of them.
“I guess all you can do is play it by ear.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry. Am I being dumb, here? Are you trying to figure out how long we’re going to want the apartment?”
“No!” He’d rented them the best apartment he had—the top floor of one of the buildings out on the airport road. He’d given it to them at a better price than he would anyone else, too. But if she—if they—wanted to stay there forever, he’d be more than happy. “No. I’m not worried about the apartment.” He started up the engine, realizing that he probably shouldn’t keep her here talking all night, no matter how much he might like to. “I was curious if you plan to stay.”
She glanced over at him, but he kept his gaze fixed on the road as he pulled out. When she didn’t say anything, he wished that he’d just come right out and asked the question rather than told her that he was wondering about it.
After a little while, she blew out a sigh. “To be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I should go home.”
His heart was racing. He didn’t want her to leave town. He wanted her to stay. He’d wanted to ask her out ever since he and Nadia broke up, but at first he’d felt like he should give it a decent amount of time, and then since that time had clearly passed, he’d kept chickening out. Maybe this was it? Maybe if he didn’t ask her now, she’d leave, and he’d never get the chance again.
“Do you want to go home?”
She shook her head rapidly. “No! I’d love to stay here, but …” She shrugged. “My parents’ business … I used to help with the books.”
“Do they need you back?” He’d understand if her family needed her.
“No. The work isn’t exactly rocket science. They could hire someone else to come in and do it, but he refuses to.”
That was an odd way to say it. Perhaps her father wanted her to come home?
She smiled. “If it’s up to me, I’ll be here for a long while yet.”
Austin chose to take that as confirmation that he should ask her out. If he didn’t do it in the next couple minutes, they’d be at Lenny’s, and it’d be too late again. “I’m glad to hear it.”
She looked over at him.
“I’m glad to hear it because I’ve been wanting to ask—” His phone started to ring and cut him off mid-sentence. He just could not catch a break when it came to Amber.
She smiled. “Go ahead; take it. Don’t mind me.”
No way was he going to take the call. It could wait. The trouble was, it’d interrupted the moment. He turned onto Lenny’s street.
Amber picked up her purse and the bag. “Thanks for the ride.”
Damn! She was going to get out, and he wasn’t going to get the chance to ask her. “Thank you for rescuing Roscoe.”
“The pleasure was all mine. He’s a good boy.”
Austin nodded. “He is.”
She reached for the door handle. It was now or never.
“I guess I’ll see you around.”
He nodded again. He’d failed again. “Are you coming out tomorrow night?” he asked as her feet hit the ground.
“I think so. I think we’re meeting up with Ally. Angel said everyone’s going. Will you be there?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you then, then.”
“I guess so. Can I buy you a drink … as a thank you?”
She laughed. “There’s no need. Like I said, I enjoyed meeting Roscoe.”
“I’d like to.” He held her gaze for a moment, hoping that she might understand that he wanted to do more than say thank you, even if he was screwing this up.
Her expression changed. He hoped that was a good sign, but he wasn’t sure. “Okay, then, thanks.”
He watched her walk up the path to Lenny’s front door. Jeez. Logan would give him some grief if he’d witnessed that little exchange. How to mess up asking a girl out in three easy steps! His only consolation was that he’d bought himself the chance to try again tomorrow night.
He checked his watch and pulled away. He needed to get moving. He didn’t want to be late to Colt and Cassie’s.
~ ~ ~
Amber let herself into Lenny’s and leaned back against the door. Phew! That was the first time she’d been alone with him. He always made her feel a little bit stupid, but jeez! She’d been tongue-tied the whole ride. Talk about awkward conversation! Still, he hadn’t raced away as fast as he could, like she’d expected him to. No, he’d asked if she was going out tomorrow night—asked if he could buy her a drink. She pressed her lips together but couldn’t hold the smile in. Did that mean …? It kind of felt like it did. The way he’d looked at her seemed as though he was saying
that he wanted to buy her a drink, as in a kind of date type thing. She pushed away from the door. Or did it? Was she just getting carried away?
“Is that you, Amber?”
“Hey, Grandma. It is. Sorry it took me a while.” She went into the kitchen and found Lenny slicing strawberries.
“No problem. There’s no set time for anything in my house, you know that.” Lenny’s expression changed when she looked up. “Good Lord! What happened to you?”
It took Amber a moment to understand, then she looked down at herself and laughed. “Oh! Sorry. I forgot. I’m filthy. I should get washed up.”
“What happened? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It was funny really. I found a dog in a hole.”
Lenny raised an eyebrow.
“Someone dug a huge hole by the trees at the edge of the parking lot—you know, down by the beach? Well, I heard whimpering, and I had to see what was going on. I ended up getting down in there with him to get him out.”
“And where’s this dog now? Did he run off?”
Amber shook her head. “You won’t believe this. I was bringing him back here with me, thinking you’d know who he belonged to, but he ran off. I followed him, and it turns out that he belongs to Austin. Apparently, his brother’s in town and was supposed to be watching Roscoe for him.”
Lenny chuckled. “That sounds about right. Austin’s the responsible one, Dallas is …” She shook her head with a smile that said while she might disapprove of Dallas, she had a soft spot for him. “Dallas is another story altogether.” She met Amber’s gaze. “Which one of them do you like better?”
Amber felt the heat in her cheeks. Jade and Lenny had teased her about her crush on Austin often enough. “Do you really need to ask?”
“I hoped not. I like Austin for you, but Dallas … no. He’s different. If anything, the difference between those boys is like the difference between you and Jade.”
“I can see that. I only met Dallas for a few minutes, but …” She rolled her eyes. There was no point trying to hide anything from Lenny, and she didn’t even want to. It was nice to have someone to talk to about how she felt. “He’s no Austin, is he?”
Lenny laughed. “He isn’t. And now you know Roscoe, too. If I’d known you were planning to climb into a hole to rescue him, I would have been scared to death. That dog doesn’t have the best reputation.”
“Austin said he doesn’t often like strangers.”
“There’s an understatement. I have to call Austin when we have a package for him that won’t fit in the mailbox. None of my guys will deliver anything to the house because of Roscoe.”
“Really? I was a bit concerned at first, but he was a sweetheart with me.”
“Dogs know.” Lenny smiled. “Anyway, you go and get cleaned up, and I’ll finish fixing dinner.”
“Thanks.” Amber held up the bag. “I brought cupcakes, though I’m not sure what shape they’ll be in.”
“The shape won’t affect the taste.” Lenny took the bag. “Go on. Wash your hands at least. It’s not often I see you with a hair out of place.”
Amber smoothed her hair down, self-consciously.
“Leave it be. I’m not criticizing. I’m pleased if anything. It’ll do you good to loosen up a bit—and if you’re going to start getting dirty, I can’t think of a better guy than Austin for you to do it with.”
Amber had to laugh, even as she felt her cheeks flush again. “I wouldn’t mind, but he’s still not shown any interest.”
Lenny’s smile faded. “Really? Not even after you rescued Roscoe?”
Amber shrugged. “Well, he gave me a ride back here … and he did ask if I’ll be out tomorrow night … Okay, will you tell me what you think this means?”
“What?”
“He asked if I’ll be out tomorrow night, and when I said yes, he asked if he could buy me a drink. Does that mean …?”
Lenny grinned. “I believe it does. I’ve told you all along. He’s interested. It’s written all over his face whenever I’ve seen the two of you around each other. But when you first arrived, he was still with that little bitch, Nadia.”
“Yes, but he broke up with her a while ago …”
“True, but would you have wanted him to dump her and come straight to you?”
Amber shook her head.
“That’s right. He’s a good boy.” Lenny stopped herself and smiled. “You have to remember; I’ve known him since he was a baby. He’s not a boy. He’s a good man. You should be glad he’s taken his time and put a respectable distance in between ending things with her and starting things with you.”
“But he hasn’t started anything with me.”
Lenny chuckled. “We’ll see if you can still tell me that on Saturday morning.”
Amber smiled at herself in the mirror above the sink while she washed her hands. She’d love to think that tomorrow night might be the start of something between Austin and her. Her smile faded; her parents probably wouldn’t love it, though.
~ ~ ~
Dallas came out onto the front porch to meet Austin when he got home. “I was going to apologize, but maybe you should be thanking me?”
“Don’t push it, little brother, don’t push it.”
Dallas grinned. “Okay. I won’t—for now. But, if you don’t ask her out soon, then I will start pushing it. She’s into you—it’s obvious. Just get on with it.”
“You think so?” He regretted the question as soon as it came out.
To his relief, Dallas nodded seriously. “I’d wondered if perhaps you were lusting after some chick who wasn’t interested. But that’s not the case. You say the word, and she’ll—”
“Don’t!” Austin didn’t want to hear whatever Dallas might come up with—that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t wish that she’d do it, but he couldn’t have his brother talking about her that way.
Dallas waggled his eyebrows. “I’ll let you fill in the blanks for yourself, but since you asked, yes, I do think she’s into you. In fact, I’d put money on it. So, would you stop being such a decent guy and get on with it? I’m telling you; she’d be happy to get indecent with you.”
Austin pursed his lips.
“Go on, smile about it!” Dallas laughed. “Though if I were you, I wouldn’t have come home alone.”
Austin blew out a sigh. “The thought had crossed my mind. But it kind of goes with being a decent guy. I already made plans with Colt and Cassie tonight.” He checked his watch. “I’m pushing it now. Please tell me you didn’t forget the apple juice.”
“I didn’t. It’s in the fridge. What’s the deal with that?”
“It’s for Colt and Cassie’s little girl—I’m taking beer for him, wine for her, I didn’t want to leave Sophie out.”
Dallas shook his head. “You’re going to make someone a wonderful wife someday.”
“Don’t start. Not all girls are looking for a bad boy who’ll treat ‘em mean and keep ‘em keen, like you.”
“You’re right. Can I do anything?”
“No. Thanks. Just stay home tonight—you and Roscoe?”
“Sure. We’re planning on pizza and a movie.”
“Just don’t let him have too much pizza.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Roscoe came to greet them as they went inside. Austin scratched his ears. “I can’t stick around tonight, bud. But don’t go getting yourself into any more trouble, okay?”
Roscoe looked up and panted at him.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be good,” said Dallas.
It was only a few minutes after seven when Austin pulled into Colt and Cassie’s driveway. He loved that the two of them lived here now. It had been Cassie’s childhood home when they were all in high school.
As soon as he cut the engine, Sophie came running down the front steps. “Uncle Austin, Uncle Austin. You’re here! I thought you were never going to come.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist as soon as he got out of the SUV. “Sorry I m
ade you wait.”
“And he’s only a few minutes late.” They both turned to see Colt smiling at them.
“I know,” said Sophie. “But I haven’t seen you for ages, and I want you to come down to the beach with me and help me find some more pink stones.”
Colt winked at him over her head. “Maybe after dinner, but you know Cassie wants us to eat first. Why don’t you go and wash your hands?”
Austin felt her little arms tighten around his waist. Then she looked up at him and made a face. “Promise? After dinner? He’s just trying to get you out of it.”
He had to laugh. “I promise.”
She ran back inside the house, and Colt came to take the beer he got out of the back.
“They should still be cold.”
“They are, and I have some anyway.” Colt raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you okay?”
“Of course. Why?”
“I don’t know. You seem … ruffled?”
“No.” He smiled. “Well, maybe a little.”
“Why?”
He had to tell Colt. “Because a lot’s happened since I talked to you earlier. And I kind of asked Amber—”
“You finally asked her out? Awesome!”
“Hmm. Kind of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I asked her if she was going out tomorrow night. And she is. So, I asked her if I could buy her a drink … does that count as asking her out?”
Colt chuckled. “I suppose it could—in your world at least. The important question is, did she understand what you meant?”
He shrugged.
Colt grasped his shoulder and steered him toward the house. “Then, if you ask me, tomorrow night, you’re going to have to make what you meant very plain to her.” He grinned. “Then again, I’m almost as bad as you are when it comes to women. Maybe we need to ask Cassie.”
Austin laughed. “Probably. She’ll set me straight.”
Chapter Three
Amber rubbed a towel through her hair as she came out of the bathroom and went to knock on Jade’s bedroom door. “Are you up?”
