“Don’t count on it going anywhere.” Amber swirled the ice in her glass. “Is this sugar?”
“Sweetener. Why just friendship if you were the only one at the school that day with whom he flirted?” Lela’s eyes twinkled with wisdom and motherly mischief.
The glass in Amber’s hand clunked down a smidgen too hard. “I’m going to throttle Celia.”
“Oh, spare her life another day. She only told me a little. Plus, we have a Cupid conspiracy.” Lela winked.
“Is nothing in my life private from you two?”
“Of course not, dear. What’s the fun in that?”
Off the stool now, Amber placed her glass on the tray. “On that note, I’m out of here. Give Daddy hugs for me.”
Lela stood, peering at her watch. “Why don’t you wait five minutes and he’ll be home? I’m sure he’d love his hugs directly from you.”
“I used to be the family peacemaker. Now it’s you.”
“I prefer the term moderator. Your dad regrets not being there for you all those years. If life provided second chances, his choices would be different. So would mine. We were young and kids don’t come with instructions in the box.”
Amber laughed.
“I regret putting you in the middle. You should have had a carefree childhood, not being a full-time ambassador working peace negotiations between the two people supposed to be taking care of you instead of arguing.”
Amber shrugged. “You were like a single mom with Dad gone all the time. Which is precisely why I want my future adoptive children to have a dad with a stationary job.”
She expected her mother to comment, but Lela stood silent. The kind of silent which usually meant she didn’t agree with Amber, but wanted to let her figure it out on her own.
Her father pulled up. She met him ascending the porch steps.
“You leaving already?” He set his briefcase down.
“I have to get to the market before it closes. Psych’s out of tuna and freaking out.”
He laughed. After visiting several moments, he walked Amber to her car and opened the door for her. He leaned in for a hug. Amber hated that she patted him awkwardly.
“Be careful. Deer are moving. Hunting weekend has them spooked,” he said as she got in her car. He pushed her door closed. Then he rested his hand on the glass a moment, as though cupping her chin through the transparent barrier the way he used to when she was little before they’d drifted apart emotionally.
Halfway back to town, Amber rolled her window down.
“Deer aren’t the only things wigging out, Lord. Not only am I learning how to relate to Dad, Cupid’s henchmen are moving in for the kill where Joel’s concerned. I don’t know whether to flee or fling up a white flag. I’m glad You know what You’re doing, because, though I’m not one to let feelings lead me around by a leash, I sure don’t feel ready for this new season, whatever it brings.”
Chapter Six
Amber stepped out of her car after returning from church. A cool breeze lifted hair from her face. Refreshing mist showered the air which smelled like fresh-cut grass.
She hadn’t gotten used to the humidity here yet, so thick you could chew on it. She lifted supplies out of her trunk, enjoying the fragrance of impending rain as Celia drove up.
“What is that smell?” Celia waved a hand across her face while holding the door for Amber. She passed by the foyer with the piled-high milk crate.
Amber caught a whiff and almost gagged. “Maybe the roof is leaky.”
“Tell your landlord. That smells moldy. You don’t need that with your allergies.”
Amber set the crate down and went to make lunch. “Yow!” She jerked her leg, half expecting to see a stinging scorpion attached to her ankle. Wait, Illinois didn’t have those.
“Cat! What was that all about?” She rubbed red puncture holes with circular motions. Psych lunged, digging an arsenal of sharp claws and needle-tip fangs into her tender flesh.
“Hey! What is your problem today?” She tapped his paws and nose until he let go. The cat flipped around in an unnatural spine bend and skittered across the carpet, snagging Berber into tufts as he went. “Great. You’re dying for me to lose the deposit on this apartment, aren’t you? Of course, if you bite me like that again, only one of us will leave here.”
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