I started to pack up my stuff and I knew deep down that I was running. I was okay with that, though. The idea of facing him was far worse. I could live with wondering and a little bit of regret. I had been doing just fine with it for the last ten years.
I guess in a way, I had always wondered what would happen if I saw him again. There had been many scenarios that had run through my head, though none of them would have included me getting drunk at my grandfather’s funeral and throwing myself at him, only to be turned down.
I could have seen that coming, but that's exactly what happened. It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it was an answer. I was just going to have to live with it. That didn't mean that I needed to stick around and wallow in it, though. I called Gemma, my assistant, and had her book me a flight home.
“You're coming back already?”
I agreed that I was, and I was once again thankful for her ability to read the room or at least the tone of my voice. Instead of asking me why and asking me a bunch of questions that I didn't want to answer, she just told me that it would be taken care of, and I knew that it would be.
“Just make it the earliest one that you can, Gemma, okay? Call me when you get an answer.”
“Okay, boss. It'll be good to have you back. Nothing ever goes right when you're away.”
Her words were all the answer that I needed. Of course, I couldn't just run off and live here. I had responsibilities. I had a life. Why I had been willing to forget about that for this particular man, I guess I would never know.
But you have your answer. I needed to remind myself of that a few more times, until it really sunk in. I didn’t want to believe it, but that’s what had happened. I was just going to have to move on.
The doorbell rang, and I wasn't sure who it was, but I wasn't expecting Frank to be standing there with coffee and donuts.
“I got the white cream eclairs that you like. I bet you haven't had one as good as Sal's in a while.”
I was stunned. This was the breakfast that he had brought me so many times, so long ago. Why was he making this harder than it had to be?
“What are you doing here, Frank?”
He looked at me like I had gotten knocked in the head one too many times.
“I'm bringing you breakfast. Didn’t you hear me about the eclairs?”
“I'm not really a breakfast person, anymore, Frank.”
“Yes, you are. No one turns down Sal’s eclairs. The girl I knew used to love them. Don’t tell me you turned into the girl that is dieting all the time. You look great.”
“Isn't it obvious, Frank, I'm not that girl, anymore?”
He shook his head and smiled. The way that his blue eyes stared so intently into mine made me wonder why he was so happy. Frank was not reading the room.
“No, you’re not a girl, anymore, Amber. You're a woman and you're damn magnificent. I've missed you so much. I am glad that you’re back.”
My heart melted, and even though I was at that very moment packing to leave, he was saying all the right things that made me never want to go. Damn it. Why did Frank have this hold on me?
7
Frank
As soon as I walked in the old house, I knew that Amber was taking off. It reminded me of the time she had said that she was going to run away, so she didn’t have to go back with her parents. She was hasty and didn’t think things through. This was one of those times, and I found it refreshing, since she hadn’t changed all that much. The young and fiery girl was still in there, no matter how much she liked to believe that she was all grown up.
I put the bag down and handed her the coffee. She had to put down the clothes that she was folding to put in her suitcase.
“Where are you going? You just got here.”
She shrugged and said that she wasn’t going to be able to stay that long.
“So, that’s what you were planning? You were going to have your way with me and leave before I woke up? That’s cold, Amber.”
She looked away, and I knew that even though I was messing with her, there had to be a little bit of truth about it. She certainly looked guilty and for several minutes she couldn’t even look me in the eye.
“I wouldn’t say that it was my plan. I didn’t think I would ever see you again, and I just lost it, I guess. Sorry about that. I know that you must hate when women throw themselves at you. I am sure that you’ve had it happen all the time.”
She was mad at me, and I didn’t understand why. Was it because I had brought it up? Was I supposed to forget it all? I hadn’t been able to forget her in all this time. It wasn’t going to change now. My second chance was quickly leaving me, and I wanted to pull it back.
“I am not with anyone.”
“Yeah, but they want to be with you, don’t they?”
I shrugged. “I am not going to say that I haven’t dated. I’ve been away a long time, but there is no one special in my life. Is there someone special in your life?”
Amber shook her head. “No, I am about as single as it gets.”
“Then where are you running off to?”
“I have a job, a fashion business that I told you about.”
“It’s yours, though, isn’t it? Why can’t you stay here and just work remotely? People do it all the time.”
I was trying
