Chapter 4
“So you got shit-canned,huh? Nice work.” Valentine Monroe, Amber’s neighbor, smirked and threw herself onto the couch.
The girl’s pitch-black hair hung in limp strands over her face, and her black clothing stood out like a death knell in Amber’s colorful apartment. It was early Saturday morning and already sweltering hot with no AC. One more thing she couldn’t afford to fix.
“Get out,” Amber said mildly. “You’re not helping.” She sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by fabrics and patterns, her fingers deftly picking the stitching out of a swatch of fabric.
Throughout her apartment, various bins and baskets overflowed with scraps of fabrics, jackets, and a shoe collection that made her tingle in her loveliest places.
All of her clothing was thrifted or purchased on deep discount from boutiques. Clothing was the one thing in her life she knew with absolute certainty she was good at. Buying it, designing it, choosing the exact right shade to flatter people, she knew her stuff.
She’d had a fascination with fashion since she was little. How what you wore made a statement about you, and how you could change that impression on a whim. It was a creative escape she had held onto from the first time her aunt Rosa brought her a little secondhand Singer sewing machine to their apartment.
She stroked the silky Versace print in her lap. It looked like Frankenstein now with the cuts, but she had an idea to turn it into a cute scarf dress that crisscrossed over her chest and tied at the waist.
“I’m almost eighteen. I can take your spot. Think Killian would hire me?” Valentine asked. Val, her little sister Holly, and their mom, Sandy, had moved into the apartment next door to Amber’s last year.
Amber had met them during one of her volunteer shifts at the Maple Street Center, a temporary shelter for domestic violence survivors. She collected secondhand clothing throughout the year, gave them a wash and usually added something pretty, before donating them to the women and kids there.
Amber had connected with Sandy and the girls on their first night at the shelter and eventually helped get them their apartment, although she had told no one else that. Sandy was a proud woman, and she was trying her best to make a living and raise the girls.
Amber helped them out as much as she could. It made things tight financially, but she had made it work for almost a year now. Her little setback at work wouldn’t change that.
“Nope. We’ve been over this. Where’s Holly?” Amber leaned her head back against the couch and heard the telltale crackle of cellophane. Her stack of overdue bills. When she got home last night, in a fit of temper, she had stuffed them under her couch cushion. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.
With the sun coming in and the scent of bacon wafting up from the downstairs apartment, Amber could almost close her eyes and forget that she had no money and no job. What she did have was $200 in the bank after she paid her rent. As for the loan, she wasn’t going to think about where that would come from.
“Why do you care? You’re not my family,” Valentine sneered. Well, she tried. Her heavy black eyeliner hid some of her glare.
“But I’ve always wanted a sweet sister just like you,” Amber shot back. “We could do each other’s hair and stay up all night and talk about each other’s crushes.”
“You’re so weird. And you’re way too old to be my sister.” Val’s nose wrinkled in disgust. Amber knew there was a cute smattering of freckles hidden under the gobs of makeup on Val’s face, but they never saw the light of day. One day Val would turn into a lovely young woman. Today was not that day.
Dealing with teen angst took her most impressive charm skills and she wasn’t usually successful. Sarcasm tended to work better with Val, anyway.
“Seriously, where’s Holly?”
“I left her next to a white van in the parking lot.”
Amber glared at her. “Not funny.”
Val rolled her eyes. “Relax. She’s at Allie’s for breakfast. You know your sister’s a way better cook than you, right?”
“Thanks, Elvira. So, tell me again about this kid in your AP English class. What”s his name?”
Despite the dyed-black hair that Val kept artfully arranged to hide her face, a rosy flush colored her cheeks. “Dylan. He asked me to the Midsummer Night Ball, but I”m not gonna go,” she said nonchalantly. “That dance is so lame. Everyone gets drunk and acts stupid.”
True, if Amber’s own night was any indication. Because the school was so small, Northfield hosted a ball every summer for the entire high school. It was a special night that the town went all out for. The girls got their hair and makeup professionally done, and wore designer dresses, while the boys wore tuxedos, and rented limos. Amber would never have been able to afford to go, but her date had paid for her ticket, and she made her own dress. No one had been able to tell it wasn’t designer.
Unfortunately, it had ended up ripped and she had walked home, regretting her choices that night.
“I could buy your ticket, if you wanted to go,” she said carefully. “And you could wear one of my dresses. I’ve got more than I know what to do with.”
“He already bought the tickets. He works for his dad at some technology company. But maybe I could borrow a dress? If I decide to go, that is.” She scowled. “I don’t even know if I like him like that. He’s so nerdy.”
“Ah.” Amber said thoughtfully. “Not cool enough.”
“Ew. Rude. He’s totally nice and he’s so thoughtful...” Val tossed a pillow at Amber. “You did that on purpose.”
Amber caught it and propped it behind her back. “Duh. So, why don’t you want to go out with him?”
“It’s weird. He’s, like, so nice that I’m scared I’ll ruin it.” Val picked at her black nail polish. Despite the heat, she wore an oversized hoodie that she had pulled up to her chin like a cocoon as she sat huddled on the couch. “I can be kinda mean.” She looked up and glared at Amber. “Don’t you dare laugh.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Amber said solemnly. Val was kind of scary, but Amber knew how much she loved Holly and Sandy. The kid had been through a lot in her seventeen years. She hoped Dylan could recognize that and be patient.
“Whatever. I don’t even care.” Ah. The refrain of every teenager. Amber hid a smile while Val got up and opened the fridge. “Don’t you have any real food here?”
“Ramen,” Amber said. She let Val escape, recognizing that behavior too. It was eerie watching Val sometimes. Amber saw so much of herself in Val’s stubborn independence.
“I’m still gonna talk to Killian about a job.” Val threw herself onto the couch again.
“Your only job is to graduate from high school next month and get into college. And who’s going to watch Holly at night, huh?” Amber asked. “Your mom works, and I’ll have another job soon.” Hopefully. “We’ve talked about this before, Val.”
“If I got a job, I could help you guys out.” Val’s voice dipped, all traces of snark gone. “I know you’ve been helping my mom out with money. Let me help too.”
“You let us worry about that,” Amber repeated firmly. “Did you sign up for the summer SAT test yet? What about filling out those college applications I left for you? It’s not too late. Colleges save room for late applications.”
Val picked at her sleeve. “No. I told you; I don’t even know if I want to go to college, and all those applications cost money to send in.”
“I told you I’d take care of those. See, I’m making it rain here.” She grinned and grabbed a pile of tips from the night before on the coffee table and let them drift down over them, hoping Val would let it go. Amber would get four more jobs if she had to, but she didn’t want Val worrying about money.
When the three of them had moved in last year, she’d quickly taken the girls under her wing. Holly was a sweet little angel. Her sister was more like Satan, but Amber had a soft spot for her. Val had a lot of potential, and Amber wasn’t going to let her waste it like she had.
“Fine, treat me like a child, but we’re not done talking about this,” Val said, disgust clearly on her face. “I don’t need a college degree to wait tables. It’s not like you ever got one.”
Amber didn’t even flinch. Val could be ruthless, but Amber had been around longer. It took a lot more than mentioning her failed college experience to shake her up. “Oh, I used the rest of your milk,” Val called on her way out. “And good luck today. It’s hot as balls in your apartment.”
Teenagers were fun.
Despite Val’s best efforts, Amber knew exactly what was behind her prickly attitude because she had been in that same place plenty of times. Truthfully, she still was.
As soon as she met the three of them, she recognized her own family. Sandy was a good mom, but like Annette, she worked nights, and the girls were on their own enough to get into trouble without someone to watch out for them.
Val was a smart girl, and if she didn’t have someone to push her, she was going to end up working a steady stream of odd jobs to pay her rent instead of going to college. Soon the years would pass, and she’d be sitting in a stuffy apartment, jobless and broke at nearly thirty years old, trying to figure out why she felt like she was moving in reverse while everyone else sped by.
Well. That was too depressing to contemplate. Amber halfheartedly picked a few more stitches out before getting up to stretch her back and check the fridge. She peered at the sad-looking assortment of half-empty condiments and an unidentifiable takeout container Johnny had left in her fridge when the doorbell rang.
Expecting Johnny, Amber swung the door open wide and stepped back. “I was just wondering what you left in my fridge—” she said and then stopped short.
Theo stood in her doorway, wearing a pair of silver aviators and a crisp white button down with slacks, looking every bit as untouchable and remote as last night. She swung the door closed.
“A morning person, I see,” he said, stopping the door with a polished loafer.
“It’s way too early to put up with you.” She wedged her bare foot against the bottom of the door and sent up a prayer that he couldn’t see too much of her shabby apartment.
Theo grinned and tucked the sunglasses in the collar of his shirt. Two undone buttons revealed the strong, tanned column of his neck. His hair, perfectly swept back in place, revealed the sharp contours of his cheekbones and proud nose. A face that probably hadn’t seen many closed doors.
“Hello, Amber. May I come in?”
“No,” she said, attempting to close the door in his annoying face again. No one needed to look that perfect on a weekend. It wasn’t natural. He had probably slept like a baby in a perfectly air-conditioned bedroom. The thought further soured her mood.
Theo”s gaze swept over her, assessing. ”Nice outfit.”
Amber glanced down at her cutoffs and tangerine bikini top with the oversized gold buckle holding the two skimpy triangles together. The top was a touch too small over the girls, but she wasn’t naked. Besides, this was her apartment.
“This is a vintage de la Renta.” She had stalked the eBay listing forever to win it for a steal at the last possible second. “My AC is broken,” she muttered. “What do you want, Mr. Mayor?”
He sighed. Deeply. “Call me Theo. May I come in?”
“Still no.”
He looked at her strangely. “I’d like to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“I have a proposition for you.”
Amber”s eyes narrowed as a flashback of other well-suited businessmen with shady offers came to mind. She couldn’t help the flicker of disappointment that the mayor was a mere mortal, after all. Somehow, his cool manners and elegant facade had fooled her. “If you’re here for some kind of ‘special services,’ you’ve got the wrong idea.”
A flush crept up his neck. ”That”s not what I meant,” he said stiffly. “I would like to offer you a job.”
“Doing what?” Suspicion laced her tone, and she crossed her arms.
“My assistant unexpectedly eloped last week. I need someone to fill her position, and you were highly recommended.”
Ah. Now it made sense. “Ford put you up to this?”
Theo nodded once. “Ford suggested that you might be interested.”
She thought about it for less than a second. Did she need the cash enough to be at the beck and call of those icy blue eyes all day? “Yeah, no thanks.” She started to close the door only to find Theo’s foot still wedged at the bottom.”
“May I ask why? You are looking for a job after last night’s...misfortune. Right?”
Amber narrowed her eyes. “This might come as a shock to you, Mr. Mayor, but not everyone jumps to do your bidding or wants to. I’m not interested in working for you. You’ve done your duty to Ford. Now you can leave.”
“You don’t even know what the job entails,” Theo said.
“Let me guess, fetching your coffee? Please. I have better things to do than be your glorified maid. The answer’s no.” Had she served coffee and taken dry cleaning for employers in the past? Absolutely. But the thought of working for the mayor chafed in a way that made her tone sharp.
The scales were already alarmingly tipped in his favor and had been for a long time. Something in his knowing eyes made her feel like he could see all the way inside her, where she didn’t even want to look herself. Besides, the last thing he needed was yet another woman at his beck and call. She wasn’t that desperate.
“Excuse me,” Theo said, looking utterly bored. “I thought you might be interested, but I can see I was wrong. Good luck on your future endeavors.”
Good luck, indeed. She stood in the doorway until the slam of the heavy outside door jarred her and she jumped.
How ridiculous to find herself staring after a man when she’d spent her entire life making sure she was the one who left first.