“I know you’re enjoying taking care of Lenny—as much as she’ll let you—but that’s about all you’ve got going on.”
“That’s not true. I go out as much as you do.”
“Yeah, but only because you go out when I do. You haven’t made any friends … or met a guy.”
Amber tried to hide her smile.
Jade laughed. “You get that look on your face every time you even think about him! But Austin doesn’t count. Sure, you met him, but he’s as bad as you are. Not a single date in … how many months have we been here?”
“Maybe that’s about to change.”
Jade blew out a sigh. “We’ve thought that since he broke up with what’s-her-face but—”
“Hear me out, would you? I didn’t get the chance to tell you last night, but I ran into him—”
Jade leaned forward eagerly. “And …?”
“And it’s a long story—”
“But he asked you out?”
Amber bit her lip. “Kind of. I think.”
“For crying out loud, Amber! He either did or he didn’t. There is no kind of.”
“You tell me which it is, then. I found his dog last night and ended up taking him back to Austin’s office. He gave me a ride back to Lenny’s afterward, and before he dropped me off, he asked if I’d be out tonight. When I said I would, he asked if he could buy me a drink.” She stared at her sister and waited. Jade had much more experience with guys than she did. She’d know whether it counted as asking her out—as a date—or not.
Jade took a sip of her coffee. “What else did you guys talk about while he was driving you home?”
“Not much. It was kind of awkward, to be honest. He asked after Lenny, and how long we plan on staying here, and … that’s about it. Well, he said there was something he’d been wanting to ask me for a while, but then his phone rang and then we got to Lenny’s and …”
Jade smiled. “Going off that, I’d guess that the thing he’s been wanting to ask you is if you’ll go out with him.”
Amber couldn’t help bouncing up and down on her toes. “You think so?”
Jade laughed. “I do. I’ve always thought he liked you, but I couldn’t figure him out. I think he’s like you. He’s more responsible and takes his time to do things right. But yeah. If you add it all up; he asked how long you’re going to be here, said that there’s something he’s been wanting to ask you, and asked if you’ll be out tonight and if he can buy you a drink …” She nodded. “That sounds like a date to me.”
Amber hugged her chest. She couldn’t help it. “Then you have to help me figure out what to wear.”
“No way.” Jade shook her head resolutely. “He likes you—because you’re you. I’ll help you get ready. I’ll do anything I can, anything to help you be more you. I like Austin. He’s nothing like Milo. But if you’re going to start going out with him, then we want to be sure that he’s with you for who you are—not because I made you look like someone else, or because of what he thinks he can get out of it.”
The happy excitement in Amber’s chest fizzled out at the mention of his name. “Austin’s not like that. He’s nothing like him.”
“I know. I’m sorry. That was probably overkill. It’s just when you asked me to help you get ready, it took me back to when you two first got together. I still feel bad.”
“It was hardly your fault.”
“I still feel like it was. But let’s drop it. We’ll do your hair and your makeup your way tonight, and I refuse to lend you any of my clothes. Okay?”
Amber smiled. “Okay, deal. I’m beyond that anyway. I’ve learned a lot since then.”
“Good. And I hope you told Austin that you plan to stay here—for good?”
“How could I? You know Mom and Dad want me to go back.”
“They want you to be happy! Milo’s the one who wants you to go home because he thinks he can get you back if you do. You make his life easier. When you’re there you do more of the work than he does, and he takes all the credit and jokes about you being his little woman who does the books.”
“I know. Can we forget about him?”
“We can. As soon as you tell the folks that you’re not going home. That that lazy shit needs to hire someone to replace you. Once you do that, you can forget all about him and get on with living a happy little life here.”
“I want to, I really do.”
Jade blew out a sigh. “I need to get in the shower, or I’m going to make us late. Let’s take it one step at a time, shall we? Today, we help Lenny. After work, we prepare you for your big date, and then tonight …” She waggled her eyebrows, “you could ask Austin to help you move on.”
“I couldn’t ask him that, it’d mean telling all about—”
Jade set her mug down on the counter and got to her feet. “I meant you could sleep with him!”
“Oh!” Amber felt dumb.
Jade wrapped her in a hug. “Sorry. I shouldn’t tease you like that. I think you and Austin will have a good time together. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who’d want you to go to bed with him on the first date.”
“Neither do I.”
Jade grinned at her. “And that’s just one of the many reasons that you’re so taken with him, right?”
She nodded happily.
~ ~ ~
Diego slapped Austin on the back as they came out of the title office. “Thanks for all your help.”
“It’s been my pleasure. I’m sorry it took longer than I first expected.”
“That was hardly your fault.” Diego smiled. “I believe everything works out as it should, in its own time.”
Austin nodded. He had a sudden urge to ask the older man why he believed that. Diego had just closed on a house here. He had a new woman in his life, and it sounded as though the two of them were about to get serious. It was hardly his place to ask, though. Diego was his friend Zack’s dad, but Austin didn’t know him that well. Perhaps, if they could sit and chat for a while Diego might be able to give him some advice before his date with Amber tonight. He needed all the advice he could get. His track record with relationships was less than stellar—and he wasn’t even sure that Amber understood that this was a date.
“I’d like to think that, too. What do you say, do you want to come over to the Boathouse for a drink to celebrate?”
“Thanks, but no. I want to get back over to the lodge at Four Mile and bring Izzy back to see the house.”
“Oh. She’s with you?”
Diego nodded.
“I’ll let you get going then.”
“Thanks. Will you be out tomorrow night? Zack said everyone’s coming over here.”
“I will. Though I’m not sure how long I’ll stay.” He couldn’t even think about what he’d be doing tomorrow night until he saw how tonight went—best case he might be taking Amber out again; worst case, he might just have to come out to show his face and let everyone know he hadn’t died of shame after somehow screwing things up.