Page 38 of Pages of Amber
He grunted. “I could give it a seven over ten. I’ve had better.”
She raised a dubious eyebrow. Shaking his head, Noah snatched the bottle of water from Emmett’s grasp, ignoring his protest.
“One taste of my mom’s tacos and you’ll never enjoy any other taco again.”
“It’s true,” Emmett chimed in around a mouthful of his fourth pretzel. “I ate my first taco at his house and I still dream about that perfect crust and spicy beef.”
“That’s because you’re a glutton,” Evelyn elbowed him.
“I’m not a glutton. I’m a food connoisseur. I appreciate all the good food in the world and Mrs. Rhodes’ food happens to have a top spot on that list.” Leaning closer to Amber, he said, “To be honest, that’s kind of why I’m Noah’s friend. No way I’m passing up his mom’s cooking.”
“Thanks, dude. Now, I know how much you love and value our friendship,” Noah drawled.
“Whatever. You better save some food for later. We’re not leaving until we’ve gotten hotdogs from Nathan’s,” she said. “It’s a tradition my family does every time we come here. We’d be out of our minds not to visit Coney’s most famous food stand.”
“But first, Noah hasn’t picked a ride to go on,” Emmett pointed out.
With all eyes on him, Noah shrugged. “I’m good. We can go to Nathan’s.”
Evelyn remained adamant. “Nope. Everyone has to pick a ride, including you. Which one will it be?”
Amber hid her smile at the long-suffering sigh that escaped him. She wondered how often the twins ran Noah in circles. They were so hyper and energetic, moving from one place to the next. Noah preferred to take his time. He was steady and careful, handling everything with an almost nonchalant air. For years, she’d thought their arguments didn’t faze him. Until she’d begun to learn his tells. One of which was clear to her now. When they’d stopped at the gates to the two parks, he’d looked in the direction of the Ferris wheel, its huge spokes unable to miss at its height in the sky. But Emmett and Evelyn had been more excited for the rides in Luna park. She had never been on the wheel and could already imagine the view that would greet her up there.
A glance at Noah revealed she wasn’t wrong in her guess. He was looking up at the wheel, its carriages much closer this time. She wondered why he hadn’t said anything, but from experience, even she knew that getting things from Noah was like pulling teeth.
She took the last drag of her empty cup. “How about the Ferris wheel? I’ve never been on it.”
“But it's so boring.” Emmett huffed. “And I’m hungry again.”
Amber’s jaw dropped open. “You just inhaled four pretzels, a mini cotton candy and a soda.”
Evelyn’s cheeks pinked as she glanced sheepishly at Amber. “Actually, I’m hungry too. That was nowhere near enough to fill me.”
She felt full after having a single milkshake. She'd probably explode if she tried to eat as much as they had in such a short span of time.
“You guys go ahead. Amber and I can catch the Ferris wheel.”
Amber blinked, her head on a slow rotation in Noah’s direction. Sure, she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel but she hadn’t thought she’d end up alone with Noah. The twins barely registered her shock or the crazy offer, their stomachs in the lead as they hurried away.
“Come on.” Noah bumped her shoulder with his as he began the walk to the large wheel. He paused when he noticed she wasn’t beside him. With a wicked smile lighting his face, he challenged her. “Unless you’re scared, m’lady.”
Her fingers twitched. She wasn’t scared of anything, much less of being alone with him. They’d been alone dozens of times before, when they faced off at school, when they studied at the library, or when she was dragging him along to talk with people. This wouldn’t be any different.
With her own smirk in place, she did what she did best. She challenged back.
“Last person to get there pays the ticket.”
He cheated.
She didn’t know for sure but being ninety-eight percent sure counted for something. Noah was barely out of breath from running the distance to the Wonder Wheel platform, whereas Amber gasped for air as he paid their tickets.
She hadn’t imagined him slowing down at that last turn, right? She shook her head as he joined her in line. Maybe she had. She was really out of breath and must have hallucinated that Noah allowed her to win their little race. She was also too tired to fight it. It had been a long day at the amusement park and she hoped this would be their last ride.
At their turn, the operator gave her a hand into the carriage. Noah stepped in, taking the seat beside her. His closeness in the small space made her cheeks heat up. She kept her face turned away as she buckled in and waited for their launch.
“I love this ride.” Noah broke the silence. His head rested against the glass enclosure, arms folded as he kept his eyes on the skyline that grew nearer as they went higher. “I used to make my parents promise it was the last ride we would take. The view at this time is the best.”
The sun had started to dim on their way through the park. The lights below them started to blink on, one after the other. The sight of them was like tiny stars below her. She couldn’t imagine a better view.
