“I expected a call this week.” Annette’s soft smile faded, and she fixed Amber with a stare.
“Been busy, Mom,” Amber said. “Places to go, people to see.”
“No job yet?” Annette asked.
“I’m taking my time. There’s no rush,” Amber said with more bravado than she felt. Annette had a way of looking right past her flippant responses that always made Amber feel like she was a teenager lying about her grades again.
“We’ll talk at Sunday dinner,” Annette said, and Amber held in a sigh. She was not looking forward to Sunday dinner for once. All the aunts and extended family there to hear about her latest failure. You would think she was used to being the black sheep in her family, but it was getting old.
“Come on, let’s go find Daddy. He’s building the balloon arch for Aunt Lily.” Allie headed back toward the mini kitchen in the back where the aunts were yelling at each other about how to set up the refreshments. Ah. Family.
Lily didn’t look like she was listening. “I don’t think he’s going to make it.” She peered nervously out the front windows at Main Street.
Amber tugged her away and wrapped an arm around her. “The studio looks beautiful, Lils. We’re all so proud of you.”
“Thank you. I couldn't have done it without all of you.” Lily said, adjusting her ballerina bun. Lily and Evie were the only two in the family that had been blessed with their dad’s auburnhair, creamy white skin, and clear green eyes, while the rest of the Hart women took after Annette’s Italian side. At least, that’s what Amber assumed. Annette never talked about their dad, and Amber didn’t blame her.
“I think those bracelets you made to hand out are going to be a big hit,” Evie said, examining one of the colorful beaded bracelets. Each one had the studio’s name and colors.
“Come on,” Amber said, threading her arm through Lily’s. “Let’s open your new studio.”
In the surge of family and friends through the door, Amber lost Lily in the crowd. She let herself fall back and watched as Lily took her place at the top of the steps. Pride and admiration mixed with a bit of sadness swelled in her until she had to swallow hard around the knot.
Seeing Lily make her dreams come true put her own life in stark contrast. Her future had always been less defined. Aimless. Murky even, especially when compared to all the ultra-successful, driven women in her family. She couldn’t help but wonder if that would ever change.
She snuckunder the ribbon just as Mrs. Dubois, the mayor’s secretary, handed Theo the oversized scissors. It was standing room only at the top of the steep stairs, with everyone crowded around to get their first peek inside the studio. Someone jostled her for a better view and Amber found herself wedged in between Theo and the building.
Despite the warm day, Theo’s customary suit still looked fresh while everyone else, including her, was battling with the humidity. Her dress didn’t have much fabric to it, but what there was stuck to her limply. Not so for the mayor. Even his short, dark hair was tamed into submission, as if even MotherNature didn’t dare touch him. The mayor emanated a confidence that relied on more than her own flimsy bravado. She idly admired the back of his tanned neck and the outline of his muscular arms in his suit and wondered what it must feel like to have everything under control.
As if she said it aloud, Theo turned toward her, causing her to lean back farther or be squished by his bulk. She winced when the rough brick building cut into her bare back.
“Excuse me,” Theo murmured, surprise on his face when he saw it was her. A large, warm hand settled on her waist and drew her gently away from the wall, and a jolt went through her at the heat. She rather thought his hands would be cold, considering the cool, controlled demeanor he projected.
She was close enough to catch the subtle, expensive scent of his cologne. Theo studied her for a brief second, his gaze dipping to her deep cleavage on display, down to her feet in red cowboy boots, and back up without expression.
Once again, it felt like he had taken her measure and found her wanting. Irritation and an undeniable spark of something else flared through her hotly.
“Us peons are just happy to bask in your shadow, Mr. Mayor,” she retorted. To her surprise, the corners of Theo’s generous mouth curved, revealing a set of dimples that completely transformed him.
Theo Clairmont haddimples.
Wicked, oh-so-appealing dimples.
It really was a shame that he was such a dud because the mayor did hot, melty things to her insides, and he had since she’d been a rebellious teenager and he a twenty-five-year-old man.
Amber was no stranger to men. She had dated enough to recognize that deep, hot pool of desire that swelled whenever she got close to Theo. She recognized attraction for what it was,a simple chemical reaction. She was smart enough to know that Theo Clairmont was just that: red hot lust, the kind that made her shift slightly just to feel the silky slide of fabric on her body and the answering response deep in her body. She didn’t even like the man. He made her feel strangely exposed, and altogether not like herself.
And yet...she couldn’t help but wonder what he was like in bed.
She’d bet money he was coolly polite.May I please fuck you now?
She pictured him, icy and restrained, even in the throes of passion.Probably wouldn’t dream of anything so impolite as bending a woman over a desk and fucking her senseless. The kind of sex that made you see stars.
The mayor struck her more as the roses and candlelight type, who liked things neatly arranged on a pristine bed. Boring and vanilla. She made it a habit to steer clear of that type. Those men usually craved the aftermath: the soft, intimate whispers under the sheets afterward, maybe a bite to eat, and getting to know each other.
Her tastes leaned more toward the thrill of the moment, the dizzying, electrifying excitement, rather than the unveiling after. She didn’t stick around for that.
While Theo did his official mayor thing, Amber stood behind him and idly surveyed the crowd. All the usuals were there. Other business owners, including her mother, whose studio was also on Main Street, and two of her aunts, who owned a florist shop close by, along with curious locals, and reporters having a slow news day, all crowded onto the steps to see the sainted mayor.
