“Wow, he’s really got you fooled.”
Amber glowered at her. “Just for one minute, can you take off your armor? Please? Last night when we were talking, for the first time ever, I forgot that I wasn’t just like everyone else.” It was only for a little while, and when she realized it, it had scared her as much as it had intrigued her. But it was so freeing, she couldn’t stop thinking about how good it had felt. “I finally meet a guy who piques my interest enough for me to want to get to know him better, and not only is he God’s gift to women, but he’s only here for a couple of weeks.” She huffed out a breath. “It doesn’t matter. I told him I wasn’t interested.”
“You probably did the right thing.”
She said it so casually, it pissed Amber off. “How would you know? You’ve never opened your heart to any man. You don’t know what it feels like to hear things that make you want to know more about someone. Like who was taking care of him when he was taking care of his siblings? And why didn’t he go to Boyer if he grew up in Port Hudson? Which he did, by the way. His mom worked at the library when I was there. I had no idea she was struggling. She was so confident and happy. It’s no wonder he’s the same way. But I can’t help wondering if it was hard for him to go away to college and leave them all behind. Or if he welcomed the break after having so much responsibility.”
“You really like him,” Sable said softly.
“No kidding. But I can’t like him, Sable.”
“Why? Just because he’s prancing around like the Pied Piper with a magical skin flute and you’re pure as winter snow?”
Her sisters thought she was pure and naive, but she’d been with men. She just didn’t flaunt it the way some of them did. “That’s part of it. You know I don’t do well with stress or competition.”
“No, I don’t. I know you avoid it like the plague, but owning this place is stressful and you’ve never let that get in your way. You worked your ass off to make ends meet the first few years, and you still do. You blow away your competition. The Oak Falls bookstore closed because of your success.”
“That’s different.”
Sable studied her face for so long, Amber finally groaned and threw her hands up.
“I need to get my things. I’m going to see Phoenix play tonight. Want to come with me?” She headed for her office, and Reno got up from his bed beside the register, ambling after them.
“I can’t. I’ve got band practice.” She followed Amber into her office, and her expression turned to one of surprise. “I’m such an idiot. This is about sex, isn’t it? That whole rant about sex? It has to be.”
Amber grabbed her jacket from the rack in the corner. “I don’t know anymore. I just know it feels like I made a mistake telling him I wasn’t interested, but I also think I did the right thing.”
Sable picked up the jar of acorns from the shelf behind her desk. “How did he know about the acorns?”
“He didn’t. His grandmother filled her vases with them and said they were nature’s magic.”
“Are you kidding me?” Sable scoffed and put the jar back on the shelf. “The guy’s as soft as you are.”
“No, he’s not. He’s very alpha, trust me. He’s just got a big heart beneath all that bravado.”
“Well, if anyone could see that in a person, it’s you.” She took Amber’s jacket from her hands and held it up, helping her put it on. Then she took Amber by the shoulders, and with a serious expression said, “Listen to me, because I’m only going to say this once, and I might rescind it in five minutes.”
Amber leaned in to her sister. “Do you know how much I love you?”
“How could you not? I’ve always got your back. Listen, if Morgyn were here, she’d tell you that those acorns meant something more than a coincidence.”
“And you want to tell me they don’t. I know how you feel about him, Sable.”
“But what you don’t realize is that how I feel doesn’t matter. Lord help me for saying this, but this is your life, Amber. You’re allowed to have fun with it, break rules, and have wild sex with ex-football players if you want to.”
Amber felt her cheeks burn.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, but if you want this guy that badly, go for it. Fuck him six ways to Sunday.”
“Sable!” Amber whispered harshly.
She rolled her eyes. “I mean have your way with him six ways to Sunday, okay? Just do it with your eyes open. Not literally. You know what I mean.”
“I don’t know if I can do that without getting hurt, even if I go in with my eyes open. And I mean that literally, because can you imagine how hot he must look while he’s…?” She giggled, unable to believe she’d said it. “My heart is different from yours, Sabe. I can’t do those things without my feelings coming into play.”
“I know. But some heartbreaks are worth it, which is why if you choose to go that route, I’ll be here when he leaves town to pick up your pieces and put you back together.”
Tears welled in Amber’s eyes.
“Oh God. Here we go.” Sable pulled her into a tight hug. “No waterworks, okay?”
“Sorry.” Amber stepped out of her embrace and wiped her eyes.
“Just do what feels right to you, because at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters.”
If only that were true.
It didn’t matter anyway, because this time she was sure he wouldn’t be back.
WISHING CREEK WAS about half an hour outside of Oak Falls, and Lyrics and Lattes was located off the beaten path in an artistic hub. Brick shops were separated by concrete alleyways with clear plastic arches overhead to protect them from the elements. The sides of the buildings were decorated by local artists with murals, ceramic and clay planters, framed pictures, photographs, stone and metal sculptures, and more. Just being in the area made Amber feel like she’d traveled far away from her safe little town, but not far enough to cause her to worry.
She pulled open the door to the coffeehouse and stepped inside with Reno, who was wearing his service vest. They were greeted by the din of the crowd and the welcoming scents of fresh-brewed coffee and food presented as creatively as the art on the walls, most of which was for sale. Tall, thin windows overlooked the alleyways, and a high shelf decorated with colored bottles ran around the perimeter of the room. All the stools at the coffee bar were occupied, along with most of the mismatched, colorful chairs surrounding mosaic tables scattered around the room.
“Hey, Amber.” Jolene, the energetic fortysomething artist who owned the coffeehouse hurried over, her dark ringlets flouncing around her face. She knew better than to try to engage Reno when he wore his service vest. “You look ready for a hot date. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Unless you’ve got one tucked away somewhere, it’s just me tonight.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a decaf French vanilla latte.” Jolene winked. She’d once asked Amber what kind of guys she liked to go out with, and Amber had said, Men who are like decaf French vanilla lattes—sweet, smooth, and always satisfying, and decaf French vanilla latte had been code for Amber’s type of guy ever since. “Come on. I saved your favorite table. Can you believe this crowd? Phoenix is really reeling them in.”