“Is that any way to greet a nice girl like me?” asked a teasing voice.
My heart did the weird twist and release thing it did every time Amber called. I knew what I owed her, but she was still a constant reminder of my past.
I took a breath and put a smile into my reply. “Hey, sweetheart. Bad timing on my part. I thought you were my dad.”
She laughed. “You’ve got to start remembering who I am.”
“How could I forget?” I joked.
I meant it in a light-hearted way, but the second I said it, my mind went to Beth, and I wished I hadn’t spoken. They were cousins. I’d known Amber first, in fact. She was the daughter of one of my dad’s golfing buddies. Our mothers attended the same social functions. At a party one night, Amber had introduced Beth and me, all those years ago.
“Too late,” I murmured out loud.
“Pardon?” Amber said.
“Nothing. It’s just always a relief to hear your voice.”
She snorted, but I knew she liked the flattery. “You promised me you’d show up tomorrow.”
“I promise a lot of girls a lot of things,” I teased.
“I’m sure that’s truer than I want to think about,” Amber said. “But you made this one to me.”
“Babe…” I searched for the kind of excuse that usually came so easily, and failed. “I’m not going to be great company tomorrow.”
My honesty was a testament to how on edge I was feeling.
“I know. You really aren’t all that much fun in general. But you did promise,” she told me in a sweet voice.
I wanted to laugh at her obvious manipulation. I’m generally impervious to any and all attempts to reel me in, and I was sure Amber knew it. Maybe my emotions were just raw enough, or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for letting anyone down. Whatever the reason, I found myself agreeing.
“A promise is a promise,” I said.
“Yes it is.”
For one second, I thought I heard a hint of smugness in her voice, and I was immediately regretful of agreeing to meet her. I held my temper in check and refused to back down. I clenched my teeth together and made myself bury the irritation under a chuckle.
“You’ll have to remind me where I said I’d be,” I told her cockily. “Lots of promises mean lots of forgetfulness.”
She drew in an irritated breath, and this time I chuckled for real.
“It’s the market in the commons,” she reminded me, just shy of completely impatient.
I should apologize.
I couldn’t make myself do it.
“All right, sweetheart,” I said. “I’ll be there. I’ll even dress nicely so you don’t regret inviting me along.”
“Oh, I won’t,” she assured me, and hung up.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
