Page 31 of Pages of Amber
“It’s considered being polite. You really should get out more.” To Amber, she stuck her lip out in a pout, eyes pleading. “Please, Amber. I don’t want to be the only girl there again. They’ll outnumber me and pick an action movie. They always do.”
“That’s because you picked some horrible, sappy movie the last time.”
“It was One Day. That movie is gold and I will die on that hill.”
Amber laughed, interrupting them. A movie evening didn’t sound like the worst thing ever. Putting aside whatever had gotten Noah nice enough to say she was – she couldn’t even think of it without her cheeks flaring – it would probably be nice to hang out with Evelyn and get to meet her brother.
“How about nobody dies and I accept your invitation? I’d love to join you.”
“Yes!” Evelyn squeezed her in a hug. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TEN
AMBER THOUGHT IT A loss that she hadn’t met Evelyn sooner.
She was like a beam of sunlight in a cold room. Her light drew a person close but her warmth, her sunshine kept them around her. Amber barely noticed the drive to Noah’s house as she and Evelyn talked through the ride.
Noah kept his gaze on the road. He was so still Amber would have forgotten he was in the car with them if their eyes didn’t keep meeting in the rearview mirror every few seconds. She tried to ignore the weird shivers that raced down her arms every time it did. At least Evelyn didn’t seem to notice. She was turned over in the front seat, her back to the dashboard her seatbelt was the only thing anchoring her as she chatted with vigor.
Amber took in the peaceful neighborhood as the car slowed to a stop. The house before her was a large four -bedroom home that gave off a cozy and inviting air with its blue paint, black shingles and a wraparound porch. A wooden swing hung on the porch, adorned with throw pillows.
Noah neatly parked the dark green Tacoma in the driveway, forgoing the garage which already housed a car. Evelyn had mentioned her brother would be meeting them here. Was that his car? Amber wanted to ask but they were already moving towards the porch steps. She pushed her bag under the seat and shut the car door. She had earlier switched out her leotard for a breezy shirt and a pair of black leggings.
Noah pulled open the front door, leading them into the house. Evelyn immediately made herself at home, pulling her shoes off in a flash and hanging things in the hallway closet. She flew into the house announcing, “I smell cookies!”
A soft giggle echoed from inside the house. Amber froze at the entrance. Was that Noah’s mom? Did that mean the car in the garage was hers and not Emmett’s? Oh god.
“I-Is that your mom?”
Noah turned to her with a raised brow. “Uh, yeah?”
She wrung her hands, suddenly restless at the thought of meeting the woman whose son she called her nemesis and had constantly picked arguments with for years. The whole thing was so weird. Amber had never in a million years thought she would ever be paired with Noah, meet his friends or even have a conversation with him that wasn’t heavily loaded with sass and sarcasm. Barely a week after she had accepted his help, she was stepping into his house, about to meet his mother.
She was a bit freaked out.
Noah didn’t seem to remember that there had ever been bad blood between them. He calmly shrugged off his shoes and turned to walk out of the anteroom. When he realized she wasn’t following, he paused.
“Are you waiting for another invitation?” That stupid, thick brow lifted again. She should shave it off, if only to get him to stop angling it at people like he expected them to jump at his every request. Rude.
“Could you find a worse time to be insensitive? I’m about to meet your mom. What am I even going to say?”
He stilled, brows drawing down like he was starting to understand the enormity of all this. Amber needed him to catch up faster. He was the genius.
“You’re nervous about meeting my mom?”
Her own brows drew down at the smile that slowly climbed onto his face. Noah kept his gaze on her, his dark eyes glinting for some reason. Should she be alarmed?
“Is this when I ask where all your social skills have gone, m’lady?”
Amber rolled her eyes, both at the fact that he was enjoying this and at that damn nickname. All of a sudden, his hand was wrapped around her wrist as he tugged her into his home. Her gaze darted around, trying to take in the living room to the left as he dragged her past it and into the large open plan kitchen to the side of the house. Standing there was Evelyn, her mouth full with what Amber assumed were the cookies she had been after and a dark haired woman wearing an apron. She turned when they entered and Amber held in the urge to gasp when she smiled at them.
She was beautiful.
“Hi mom. I see Evelyn got you to cave.”
The woman smiled, her bright smile dazzling Amber for a moment. Was she an angel?
“She took one look at my cute face and couldn’t resist giving me the best cookies on the rack,” Evelyn boasted, her cheeks comically full. She looked like one of the Chipmunks. Maybe Theodore.
