by SJ McCoy
“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to that.
She laughed. “Sorry, Austin I couldn’t help it. You’re such a stand-up guy, and you think everyone else lives up to your high moral standards. I don’t like to disappoint you, but I’m not one of those women who’s looking to hook a guy and get married. I just want to have some fun—and your brother seems like he’d be a lot of fun.”
Austin held his hands up. “Okay. If you don’t think it’d be a problem …”
“It wouldn’t. And I hope you’re not disappointed in me.”
“Why would I be?”
She shrugged. “You’re just like the perfect guy. You do everything right, and here I am admitting that I’m not above having a bit of fun for the sake of fun.”
He had to smile. “Whatever makes you think I’m perfect, you couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t do everything right. In fact, right now. I’m in the middle of doing something very wrong.” He chuckled. “And just so we’re clear. I like fun as much as the next guy.”
She smiled. “Sure, you do, but to you it’s not fun unless it means something more. I probably shouldn’t say anything, and I’ll shut my mouth after this, but I heard about you and Amber. I think that’s awesome. She’s a sweetheart. You deserve someone like her. I’m so glad you finally got rid of Nadia.”
He had to smile. He’d broken up with Nadia months ago, and Crystal had never said a word. They had a great working relationship. She was the same age as him, and an attractive woman, according to some of his friends, but he didn’t see her as a woman. She was an employee, technically. A colleague in his mind. And their relationship had always been professional. In fact, this conversation was as personal as it had ever gotten.
“Did I say too much?”
“No. I’m glad you spoke up.”
She smiled. “Me, too. I’m not going to expect you to start sitting and chatting with me. But if Dallas is going to come and join the team, things will change a bit around here, and I’m glad to know that we’re straight with each other before they do.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
She handed him a file. “This is everything we have on the place you’re showing the Kellys this afternoon, and the sellers have just dropped the price on the one you showed them out on East Shore last weekend. You said that they liked it, but it was over their budget. They might want to revisit it now.”
“Thanks, Crystal.” He took the file. “I’ll give them a call and see what they think. We could stop into the one on East Shore first if they want to take another look.”
“Okay. I’ll be out here if you need me.”
Austin went into his office and closed the door. He opened the file and then blew out a sigh. Things were getting away from him. He was supposed to have gotten in touch with Kenzie and Chase this week, and it had totally slipped his mind. It’d taken Crystal to let him know about the price drop on the house the Kellys were interested in. And he hadn’t followed up with Dallas about work—or about getting him set up with his own place.
He’d been distracted. Every spare moment he had, he’d been thinking about Amber. If she was going to stay with him for the next week like Jade had suggested, he’d no doubt be even more distracted. He should get ahead of things while he could.
By the time he was ready to go and meet the Kellys, he had appointments lined up with Kenzie and Chase and with Abbie at her mom’s place. He’d left Dallas a message to call him—they needed to talk about getting him set up with own place as soon as possible.
“Will you be back?” asked Crystal.
“No. I’ve caught up on what I needed to and the Kellys are the only appointment I have this afternoon.” He smiled. “Why don’t you close up and take the afternoon off?”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. “Of course, you can stay if you want to …”
She laughed. “Err, no. I’ll get out of here if you really don’t mind. I’ll forward the phone to my cell, though—just in case.”
“Great. Thanks. I’ll see you Monday then. You have a good weekend.”
“Thanks, Austin. You, too.”
He couldn’t help smiling to himself as he drove away. He planned to have a very good weekend indeed just as soon as he picked Amber up. His smile faded when he remembered what she was doing right now. She’d be talking to her parents. He’d deal with that whole situation next weekend when they came to visit. It didn’t have to spoil this weekend.
~ ~ ~
Amber dialed her Dad’s number and made a face at Jade while it rang.
“Amber.”
“Hi, Dad.”
“I’m surprised at you. I might have expected something like this from your sister, but not you.”
“I’m sorry. It just all happened so quickly.”
“It must have. Don’t you think you’re being hasty, agreeing to marry someone you barely know?”
“I do know him, Dad.” She smiled at Jade. “He’s wonderful.” At least, she didn’t need to lie about that.
“I’ll be the judge of that. And besides, you know you have a wonderful man here who wants to marry you.”
Her heart sank. She wished her dad could see that Milo wasn’t nearly as wonderful as he believed. She had to wonder what he’d think if she told him exactly what Milo had said to Austin about her. “Milo’s not the one for me, Dad. I tried to tell you that before. I know you think he’s good for the business. I’m not even sure I agree about that, but that’s your call to make. He’s not good for me. You might not agree, but that’s my call to make.”
Jade gave her the thumbs up at that.
Her dad sighed. “I’d never try to force you to stay with him if he doesn’t make you happy. I thought he did.”
Amber gave Jade a surprised look, and Jade pointed at the phone, she wanted her to put him on speaker.
Amber hit the button and set the phone down. “I’m sorry. That’s my fault. I know you like him, and I didn’t want to disappoint you or make things difficult so I didn’t say much, but he didn’t make me happy. In fact, he made me miserable.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Amber’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s not your fault, Dad. I messed things up by trying to do what I thought you wanted. I wanted to make you happy.”
He sighed. “I know. You’ve always done that. I wish you wouldn’t. What would make your mom and me happy is you doing whatever you need to make yourself happy. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for you.”
Amber sniffed. She felt stupid. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry; be different. Do what you need to do. Take a leaf out of your sister’s book.”
Jade nodded at her happily.
“If you’re done with Milo, then that’s fine by me.”
She blew out a big sigh of relief. “Thanks, Dad. Will it make things awkward for you at work, though?”
“No. I …” He was quiet for a long moment.
“What?”
“To be honest with you, I’ve been questioning just how good he is since you left.”
Jade nodded vigorously and mouthed, tell him!
Amber pursed her lips. She didn’t want to throw Milo under the bus, but then it struck her. If she didn’t, she was pretty much throwing her dad under. She took a deep breath. “I’m not saying this to be vindictive, but now that you know that I don’t want to come back, you should probably keep an eye on him—and on how things get done. I used to do a lot more than he let on.”
Her dad sighed. “I’d started to figure that out for myself. There’ve been a few issues since you’ve been gone.”
Amber didn’t know what to say.
“But you know what? That really isn’t your problem. You’re done with him. That’s all we need to know. We never wanted you to feel tied to the business, you know.”
“You didn’t?”
He let out a short laugh. “No! You silly girl. We wanted it to provide for you if you wanted, and you never
led us to believe that you didn’t want it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to let you down.”
“You couldn’t, not if you’re doing what makes you happy. And speaking of which, Mom tells me that you want to stay on at the post office. Would that make you happy?”
“Yes. I’m enjoying myself there.”
“And this Austin—he makes you happy?”
“He does, Dad. I think you’ll like him.”
“We’ll see about that next weekend.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “You will.”
“What do I need to know about him?”
Amber thought about it for a moment. She wanted to say that he was kind and generous, that he was a good man and he was good to her, but she didn’t think that was the kind of thing her dad wanted to know.
Instead, she went with, “He’s a realtor. He has his own brokerage. He also does property management and he owns several rental properties. In fact, he owns the apartment Jade and I are living in.”
“He’s your landlord?”
Amber made a face at her sister. That had probably sounded wrong. “Yes. He was one of the first people we met when we came up here.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
She rolled her eyes. She’d gone for what she thought might impress him and still messed it up. “You should ask Lenny. She’ll vouch for him. She’s known him all his life.”
Her dad let out a short laugh. “Don’t worry. She’s told me all about how wonderful she thinks he is, but remember that your grandmother and I don’t always see eye to eye.”
It was true. Amber had forgotten that.
“Well, if you won’t take my word, or hers, then I guess you’ll just have to judge for yourself next weekend.”
“I intend to. And your mother.”
“How is she? Is she there?” Amber had expected that they’d both want to talk to her.
“No. She’s out.”
“Is she mad at me?”
Her dad sighed. “I wish you’d give us some credit, love. She’s worried about you, not mad at you.”
Amber felt bad. “Well do me a favor and tell her she has nothing to worry about. She’ll see next weekend. You both will.”
“We will. And I have to tell you, Amber, we’ll let you know if we think you’re making a mistake.”
She couldn’t help letting out a little laugh at that. “Oh, I know you will. But I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.”
“I’m open to that, but I’m not holding my breath. Anyway, I need to get going. We’ll see you next Saturday.”
“Okay. Let me know what time you’re landing? I’ll come and pick you up at the airport.”
“That’s okay. I’ve booked a car. We’ll come and see you.”
“I guess we’d better tidy the apartment then.” She wanted to joke with him and leave things on a lighter note.
He didn’t go along with it. “I’m not stupid, Amber. I want to see where you’re really living. We’ll expect to come over to this Austin’s place.”
Jade smiled and nodded at that, and Amber couldn’t help but smile back, knowing that Austin’s house would impress them. Her smile faded as she wished that they’d be impressed by more important things.
She wondered if she should argue and tell him that she wasn’t already living there, but she knew there’d be no point. “Okay.”
“Okay then. I’ll call you and let you know what time we’ll be landing.”
“Okay. See you next week. I love you, Dad.”
He sighed. “I love you, too, Amber. We don’t seem to do that in a way you understand, but we do love you.”
“I know.”
“Bye then.”
When she hung up, she made a face at Jade.
“What? That went way better than I thought it would.”
“I suppose.”
“What’s up then?”
Amber shrugged. “I don’t know. I wish I wasn’t lying to them. I wish I’d had that conversation with him about Milo months ago. I should have done it as soon as I left.”
“Yeah, you should. But better late than never, right?”
“I suppose.”
“Come on, cheer up. It’s over with now.”
She blew out a sigh. “It isn’t! It’s just beginning. This time next week, they’ll be here. And I’ll have to lie to their faces, and so will Austin.”
“Yeah, but only for a couple of days and then they’ll be gone, and you’ll be free.”
It was true. Even though Amber felt bad about lying to her parents, she did feel relieved that she’d finally been clear with them that she and Milo were over and that she wouldn’t be getting back with him.
“What time’s Austin coming back for you?”
“He said probably about two-thirty after he’s done showing a house.”
“Good. Then why don’t we pack you a bag for the week—and put all your sexiest undies in it?”
She had to laugh. “I’m not going to pack for the week. I’m staying there tonight, then we’ll see.”
“Are you telling me that you wouldn’t want to spend the week with him—even if it wouldn’t be helpful to know your way around his place before the folks come?”
“No. I was going to say I’m not a liar, but apparently, these days I am. I won’t lie about that though. Of course, I’d love to spend the week with him, but he hasn’t asked me to. It’s better to see how tonight goes and then take it from there.”
Jade laughed. “Okay, then we’ll just pack your sexiest undies for tonight—and maybe while you’re gone, I’ll pack you another bag for the rest of the week so it’s ready for when he asks. You know he’s going to ask.”
Amber couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know that he would—but she hoped so.
Chapter Fifteen
It was four o’clock by the time they got back to Austin’s place. The Kellys had been thrilled to hear about the price drop on the house on East Shore, and after they’d gone back to look at it again, Austin had taken them back to the office to write up an offer. He’d been aware of the afternoon ticking away from him, but there was no way he would have made them wait until Monday.
Amber gave him a worried look as he brought the car to a stop. “Are you sure you want me to be here?”
“Of course! What makes you think I wouldn’t?”
She looked uncomfortable. “You still have work to do, don’t you?”
“No. I took care of it. That’s why I took so long. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not complaining. I just don’t want to mess you up—keep you away from what you need to do.”
He smiled and reached across to take hold of her hand. “I’ve done what I need to do. I’m sorry I was quiet on the way back here. I was running it all through in my mind, making sure I hadn’t missed anything.” He smiled. “If you want to know the truth, I was distracted all afternoon, thinking about you, looking forward to …” He almost said tonight, and that wouldn’t have been a lie, but it might give her the wrong idea, and it wasn’t the whole truth. “… looking forward to being with you again, and to seeing where we can go, now that you’ve told your parents.”
She smiled. “Is it wrong that I feel relaxed and happy, even though I’ve lied to them?”
He pursed his lips. The answer to that should be yes, but it didn’t feel that way. “I think the relaxed and happy comes from being honest with them—about you staying here and about not wanting to get back with Milo.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
They both looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching. Austin got out when he saw Dallas’s Jeep come around the corner. Amber got out and came around to join him.
Dallas jumped out and grinned at them. “Hey, guys. Sorry. I won’t be long. I just need to pick up some of my stuff.”
“Where are you going?” Austin had an uneasy feeling he might know where.
Dallas winked at him. “That’s none of your busine
ss. All you need to know is that I’m getting my stuff and getting my ass out of here, so that you guys can have some peace and quiet.”
Austin ran up the steps and let Roscoe out when he saw him bouncing up and down behind the door. “Come on, fella. I didn’t mean to leave you this long.”
Roscoe jumped around him and then moved on to Amber. He did his now customary move of sticking his nose up her skirt. At least she laughed and bent down to make a fuss over him.
Dallas caught Austin’s eye. “I was going to ask if you want me to take Roscoe with me.”
Amber straightened up. “No.” She glanced at Austin. “Sorry. I don’t know what you two are thinking but I’ve been looking forward to seeing more of my buddy here.”
Roscoe stuck his nose straight back up her skirt when she stood up.
Dallas laughed. “What worries me is that he’s hoping to see more of you, too.”
Amber’s cheeks tinged with pink.
“It’s okay,” said Austin. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re just going to hang out here. I’ve left him by himself a lot this week. I want to get some time with him.”
“No problem,” said Dallas. “I’ll just run up and get my stuff.”
“Did you decide on a place?” asked Austin.
The way Dallas smiled told him this wasn’t about moving into an apartment. Sure, he was getting out of the way to let Austin get some time alone with Amber, but that look said he was after getting some time alone with a woman, too.
“I did,” was all he said.
Austin couldn’t help but think that giving Crystal the afternoon off hadn’t been the best idea. He’d put money on the fact that Dallas would be spending at least the night at her place.
“Problem?” asked Dallas.
“You tell me.”
Dallas grinned. “There won’t be. I promise. From what I hear, I even have your blessing.”
Austin pursed his lips. He supposed he kind of had given him and Crystal the green light in his conversation with her this afternoon.
He shrugged. “I am not my brother’s keeper.”
Dallas laughed. “That’s right. Live and let live. I’m getting out of your hair. You stay out of mine.”
After he’d gone, Austin looked at Amber. “Well, that wasn’t too subtle, was it?”
