“Remind me again that teenagers turn into less feral adultsat some point,” Amber said, watching Val’s oversized, back cargo shorts and grungy band T-shirt get swallowed up by a sea of women in spandex.
“She’s a hard nut to crack.” Lily nudged her elbow into Amber’s side. “Reminds me of someone else I knew at that tender age.”
“Who, me?” Amber shuddered. “Please. I never got into grunge.”
“No, but you had a chip on your shoulder a mile wide.” She met Amber’s eyes. “You’re very good to that family.”
Amber hugged the mat to her and shrugged self-consciously. “They’re good people that ran into some bad luck.”
Lily stared at her hard. “Is that why you’re so broke?”
“What? I’m not—” Amber started, but Lily held up her hand.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, but I got a call from a debt collections agency about an overdue bill.” Lily’s eyes were concerned. “I know you’ve been helping them out financially for a while now. Is that why you took the job at the mayor’s office?”
Amber started to deflect, but she shrugged instead. “I just hate to see them struggle like we did, you know? Holly reminds me of you and Evie, and Val’s too young to worry about food and money. Sandy’s working as hard as she can, but money’s tight. I help out when I can, that’s all.”
Lily’s eyes softened. “I won’t ruin your reputation by telling anyone what a softie you are. How can I help?”
“You can’t,” Amber said firmly. “Theo’s paying me the big bucks, and I’m getting caught up now on bills. Besides, you just opened the studio. You need to focus on that.”
“You’re still taking care of me like I’m Holly’s age,” Lily said with a touch of frustration.
“And I always will.” Amber changed the subject. “How's it going with you and Tucker? Did he ever show up for the grand opening?”
Lily looked down and picked at a peeling paint chip on the bench. “No. He came up the next day.”
“He missed your big day?”
Lily stood up and hefted the portable speaker over her shoulder. “It’s fine. He doesn’t understand my passion for dance anyway. He’s too practical for that.”
Lily and Tucker, high school sweethearts—football quarterback and homecoming queen—had always been the perfect couple. Tucker had played football for Northfield High School and took the team to states twice, winning them the championship. He had an offer from a division II school, but the momentum petered out for him after high school and Tucker never got it back. The team let him go eventually because he couldn’t match the talent at that level. Now, Tucker sold life insurance and reminisced about his glory days to anyone who would listen. He was a slick-talking charmer who gave Amber hives whenever he was around.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” Amber said finally. “I wish he had been there to see you. You deserve that.”
Lily smiled and shrugged. “Hey, I saw you and Theo Clairmont were...interestingly aware of each other when he ran by.”
“You know me, I couldn’t not ogle the good mayor. You know you did too.”
“Yeah,” Lily grinned. “I totally did. Who knew all those stuffy suits were hiding that body?” She nudged Amber’s ribs. “It looked like a little more than that, though.”
“Eh, it’s nothing.”
“Since when do you get all red talking about hot men? You’re always so guarded. It’s kind of nice to seeyou affected.”
“I’m not affected,” Amber said, ignoring the guarded part. “It’s just an attraction.” She shrugged. “It happens.”
“I’m just saying that it looked like some interesting chemistry.” Lily sighed. “Sometimes, I wish I could be more like you. Strong, independent. Badass.”
“Me?” Amber laughed. “Badass? Add in broke and one impulsive decision away from being fired daily, and you’d be more accurate. God, don’t let Mom hear you say that. She’d never forgive me for influencing you.” She looked at her sister with new concern. “Are you that unhappy with Tucker?”
“I don’t know,” Lily said quietly. “I’ve been in love with him for so long, I don’t even know what my life would look like without him.”
Love, Amber thought, didn’t look like leaving your partner alone during milestones. But what did she know? She had never been in love before. Lust was much more her lane.
Lust had boundaries, and more importantly, an expiration date. Romantic love had always made her uncomfortable. Familial love? She had that down. She adored her family, as loud and opinionated as they were. Platonic love? Yep, she had plenty of experience with that. Johnny came to mind. They had tried romantic love briefly, but she quickly realized that type of love wasn’t for her. It was too vast. Too consuming.
Lust was her comfort zone. Just maybe not with her boss, as regretful as that was.
