My Everything - Seth & Amber (28 page)

“Yes,” they both said in unison, and Katie
threw in a 'duh' for good measure.

“Okay,” she began, “Last night I had gotten
an upsetting call from my mom right as I was finishing up your
dress. Seth came home in the middle of it with Chinese food.

“When I got off the phone, he asked if I was
okay, did I want to talk about it, did I want to eat. I told him no
to all of those things, that he could go ahead, I wanted to finish
Chelle’s dress.”

“Sorry,” Chelle said, chagrined, her face
telegraphing the guilt she felt about Amber having to work on her
dress.

Amber shook her head, she didn't want her
friend to feel bad. “No, believe me, I have truly appreciated the
distraction of the wedding and making the dresses. It’s been very
therapeutic for me. Some people drink, some people run, some people
go to see professionals shrinks. I design and sew. It’s my
therapy.”

“Yeah, yeah, back to the good stuff,” Katie
said, looking around to make sure no one would interrupt them. If
there was one thing Katie loved, it was juicy gossip – the juicer,
the better.

“Right. So he goes in his room. I think he’s
in there for the night, so I turn up my oldies station on Pandora,
and I'm sewing away, getting lost in it, trying to melt my troubles
away and all that.

“Then, when I finish sewing, he comes out of
his room looking...” Amber held up her hands, “Well, honestly,
there are just no words to describe how insanely sexy he
looked.

“He looks at me, intense – of course – and
asks again if I want to talk, if I want to eat, I say no. Then he
asks me if I want to dance.”

“Awwwwww,” both girls cried in unison, and
Katie added, “That’s so romantic.”

“Right,” Amber said excitedly. Then, seeing
that several people were starting to migrate closer, she began to
talk faster so that she could get the entire story out and get her
friends' perspectives, “Okay, summing up. Then I ask him if he’s
bringing a date to the wedding. He says no and asks me if I am. I
say I’m not, and that I would rather be there with him. He says,”
she dropped her voice to mimic his, “'Amber, we can’t be together.'
I say, so you want me to bring a date, then? He immediately says
no.”

“Did you ask him why he said you can’t be
together?” Katie asked breathlessly, then, looking up, her eyes
grew wide.

“No. She didn’t.” Amber heard Seth’s deep
voice from a few inches behind her.

Oops. Busted.

Katie immediately turned all her attention to
baby Mya and Chelle suddenly became very interested in the contents
of Mya’s diaper bag.

Chickens!

Amber felt exactly like she had when she was
in high school and she had written in a note that she liked a boy
and then it had accidentally been passed to him. She turned her
head, smiling, hoping Seth wasn’t mad that he had been the star
attraction in their gossip fest.

When her eyes met Seth’s, she could tell he
wasn’t upset. In fact, he looked like he thought the whole thing
was funny.

“What did I tell you about sneaking up on
me?” she crossed her arms, pretending to be irritated.

His mouth twitched in amusement, “Are you
okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m surrounded by my friends, who
are like my family.” She smiled up at him, then reached out and
touched his arm. “You don’t have to keep checking up on me.
Honestly. Enjoy yourself.”

His eyes flashed with a heat that she felt
all the way to her core. She knew he had said they couldn’t be
together. She knew that they both agreed that what had happened the
night before was not going to happen again. But, damn - Amber knew
all the signs that said someone was just-not-that-into-you, and
Seth did not display
any
of those.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

She knew that Katie was right, she saw it
now. Seth
did
look at her the way Jason looked at Katie.
Heck, for that matter, he looked at her the way Riley looked at
Chelle, the way Bobby looked at Sophie, and the way Alex looked at
Jamie. He looked at her like a man in love.

Amber
had
to believe that he could
work through whatever was holding him back from being with her,
from being happy.

“Okay, but come and get me if you need me,”
he said, his tone serious.

Amber nodded.

When he walked away, Katie leaned up,
whispering, “Umm, you guys are
totally
together.”

Amber laughed as she turned to her friends,
“Right?! Now hand over miss Mya, you baby hog!”

“Fine,” Katie said begrudgingly, and then
added, “You get her for five minutes. Your time starts now.”

“Seriously, Katie, why don’t you have one of
your own? You know you want one,” Chelle said in a sing-song
voice.

“No. I’m good. I’ll just share yours,” Katie
said firmly.

As Amber reached for baby Mya, sitting and
talking with her friends after spending an amazing night with the
man she loved, she was filled with happiness and gratitude. Sure,
life might not be perfect, but she had a lot to be thankful
for.

--- ~ ---

“So I hear you’re workin’ with Cameron over
at Titan,” The Colonel said as he and Seth stepped out onto the
enclosed patio of The Grill.

“Yes, sir,” Seth confirmed.

“Now, your dad said something about the
possibility of you going into law enforcement. Is that still the
plan?” The Colonel asked as they sat at one of the tables.

The Colonel had asked Seth to accompany him
out here so they could ‘catch up,’ but by no means did Seth believe
this was a casual conversation. Obviously, The Colonel had
something he wanted to talk about with Seth. Normally, Seth would
tell whomever it was to get to the point. But this was The Colonel,
so he just waited.

“I’m thinking about staying at Titan,” Seth
answered honestly. Cam had given him his business proposal for
Elite Security and Seth had been impressed.

He also enjoyed working with Cam. His friend
helped him remember who he was. Who he
really
was.
Before.

“Now son, I think that’s a good idea.” The
Colonel rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, “You
know, when I came back from Germany after WWII, I was offered a job
as a sheriff's deputy. It was good pay, honest work, and we already
had two little mouths to feed. I didn’t want to take it, but I
decided it was the right thing to do, for my family.

“When I told my Marie about it, she didn't
say a word, just shook her head no. I told her that I had already
made my decision. She stared at me for a few minutes and then told
me that I needed to change my decision, because I had seen enough
death for one lifetime.

“My Marie was a smart lady. She knew that I
had changed in the war. She knew that I had seen things and done
things that had changed me. Now, she never asked me about it. But I
know she knew.

“And she never pushed. She gave me time to
find my way back to myself. Which I did. It took me a good long
while, and I did try to find myself at the bottom of a Jack
Daniel’s bottle for a time there.

“But my Marie, she stayed by my side. She
never gave up on me, and she kicked me in the rear when I needed
it. I made my way back because I had the love of a good woman.”

Seth nodded his head. He felt himself
suddenly wishing he would have known Marie. The Colonel hadn’t
moved to Harper’s Crossing until after she had passed.

“Now, I hear that Amber is staying over at
your place,” The Colonel said sternly.

“Yes, sir, she is.” Seth stared him straight
in the eye. If that’s what The Colonel had a problem with, then
this would be the first time Seth had ever known the man to be
wrong. Seth's home was exactly where she needed to be. Amber’s
safety was not negotiable.

“Good,” The Colonel said.

That answer shocked Seth.

“You know, I spent a lot of time with that
young lady after her brother passed. Poor thing. Just about broke
my heart seeing her cry like that. But she’s a strong one. She got
her store together and, boy, all the ladies sure do love going
there.

“She’s been there for her mama through all of
her problems. You see what I'm getting at?”

“I think so, sir,” Seth replied solemnly.

Undeterred, The Colonel pressed on, “She’s a
good woman, and you don’t throw away the love of a good woman, even
if it's because you feel like you don't deserve it. Nope. You stand
up and be a man worthy of her.” The Colonel’s eyes narrowed, “You
hear me, son?”

“Yes, sir,” Seth replied, a little shaken
that The Colonel had so clearly and accurately been able to see
into his soul.

The Colonel stared at Seth for a moment, then
nodded his head and stood up. “Well, alright, then.”

As they made their way back inside, Seth was
trying to process what The Colonel had just said. He respected him
more than any other man he knew, besides his father. When he
talked, Seth listened.

Could he really be a man worthy of Amber? Was
it possible? Could he find his way back to himself? Questions
swarmed inside his head as he and The Colonel walked into the
banquet hall. Seth scanned the large room, but didn’t see
Amber.

Alex came over and slapped Seth on the
shoulder, “You set him straight, Colonel?”

Seth narrowed his eyes. Alex thought he was
so funny.

“I can still bop you on the head, young man,”
The Colonel said to Alex, demonstrating said 'bopping' motion with
his ring finger.

And they all knew he could. And they all knew
it hurt like hell.

Alex put up his hands in surrender. “Sorry,
Colonel!”

The Colonel shook his head, smiling as he
walked away. Seth once again looked around and didn’t see Amber
anywhere.

“Man, I’m getting married tomorrow,” Alex
said, his voice tinged with awe.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Seth knew
the answer, but he wanted to make sure one last time.

“I’ve never been so ready for anything in my
life,” Alex said enthusiastically as he looked over at his
bride-to-be, who was sitting at a table with Joey asleep on her
lap. “Honestly, I can’t imagine my life without her and Joey in it.
They're the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

“I’m happy for you,” Seth said sincerely.

“What about you? How are things going with
Amber?” Alex asked.

Before he had a chance to answer, Katie came
in the side door and rushed up to Seth. “There you are! Amber was
looking for you.”

“What’s wrong?” Seth chest tightened.

“She got a call that her mom was in the
hospital. She wanted me to tell you she left,” Katie said, a little
out of breath from her quick trip across the expansive room.

“She went by herself?” Seth asked, his voice
hardening.

“It happened so fast,” Katie’s hands flew up
as she explained, “One minute, we were all talking. Then she got
the phone call and excused herself. The next thing I knew, she was
grabbing her purse and saying she had to go! I walked with her out
to the car, that's how I know that her mom is at Harper’s
Community, and that she wanted me to tell you when you came back.
Then I went out looking for you – this literally
just
happened...”

Seth was out the door before she finished her
sentence. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Amber.
She didn’t answer. He tried again. No answer. He shoved aside the
panic and an eerie calm and sense of purpose overtook him. He was
in Mission Mode.

He pressed numbers on the phone again, trying
a different tactic.

“Harper’s Community Hospital, how can I
direct your call?”

“I was calling to check on the status of a
patient. Her name is Susan Webb.”

“Are you family?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t give out any
information on the patient.”

“Can you put me through to her room?” Maybe
Amber would be there.

“No, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Sir, I can’t give you any information.”

Seth remained calm, even though he was
certainly not used to being denied when he used his Mission Mode
tone of voice. Panic clouds judgment, and prevents effective
thinking. That wasn't just a line he gave to the women in the
self-defense class – it was how he operated, it was a basic
tactic.

“Can I please speak to Vickey or Thelma?”

“One moment, sir.”

“This is Vickey, can I help you?”

“Vickey, this is Seth Sloan.”

“Hey Seth, how you doing?”

“I need some information on a patient. Susan
Webb. She's Amber’s mom and I just found out she was admitted.”

“Hold on one sec.” He waited as he heard
typing. “Oh, Sweetie, it looks like she's on an involuntary 72 hour
psych hold. Attempted suicide.”

Shit.

“Have you seen Amber there?” Seth needed to
make sure Amber was okay. She shouldn’t be alone when she found
out, if she hadn't already.

“No, but that ward's not on my floor.”

“If you see her can you tell her to call
me?”

“Sure thing, Sweetie. See you at the
wedding.”

As he hung up with Vickey, he tried to call
Amber one more time. No answer.

Shit.

Amber’s knuckles were white as her fingers
wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. She forced herself to
breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly,
deliberately. Flashes of headlights zoomed past her in a blur as
she raced down Main Street. Her foot was heavy on the gas pedal.
She knew she should maintain a safe speed but she needed to get to
the hospital.

This was all her fault. What had she been
thinking
giving her mom that money? Amber knew it wasn’t a
coincidence that her mom had overdosed less than twenty-four hours
after that five hundred dollars had been deposited in her
account.