Page 93 of Pages of Amber
Amber shook her head immediately. “Please, no more presents. You’ve done more than enough.”
“You deserve them,” Noah cut in. His grin was mischievous as he said, “If we want to give you all the presents in the world, you’d have no choice but to collect them.”
“Noah, I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He nodded at his mom to continue. Mrs. Rhodes took her seat, fluffing her napkin across her lap. “A couple weeks ago, Noah came to me with a request about your book. We’ve been working on getting through to the right person and last night, we were successful.”
“The right person?” she asked. Where were they going with this?
“Yes. Noah suggested we help you look for an agent who might be interested in your work. The good news is, an old friend of mine knows someone who lives in Hudson Valley, close to my sister. We called her and after a few questions, she said she wants to meet with you after your exams.”
Amber couldn’t breathe. A publishing agent? She was going to talk to a publishing agent who was interested in her work? The tears came first, spilling down her face. Then the blubbers.
“An agent? Is this real? Someone pinch me and tell me if it’s real.”
“It’s real,” Noah chuckled, swiping her cheeks. “Congratulations, m’lady. You’re one giant step closer to making your dream come true.”
“When can we meet her? How? What if…” The questions poured from her. She wasn’t making much sense, but the tears and the overwhelming joy in her heart made it hard to think.
“Let us worry about the details.” Mr. Rhodes clapped his hands, excitement clear on his face. “In the meantime, let’s get packing. We’re taking a little family trip to Hudson Valley.”
“I know I didn’t bring it up but that was because I was waiting for you to say something first. I’m running out of patience though so I need you to put me out of my misery,” Evelyn said as she cornered Amber at the sink.
Elbow high in sudsy water, Amber tilted her head at her friend. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” Evelyn squinted at her. “We’ve all seen the way you and Noah look at each other. You’re always holding hands and I saw you kiss his cheek at school last week. You’re basically inseparable. Are you guys together?”
“Uhm.” Heat rose to her face as the line of questioning was one she wondered about herself. They hadn’t fixed a label to what they were. She loved being around Noah, sharing late night talks, kisses or debating random things. “We’ve had our moments, but I don’t know if–”
“What are you talking about?” They whirled around to see Noah leaning against the doorframe, an amused smile on his face. He looked so good when he smiled. “You’re my girlfriend.”
Evelyn let out a squeal, her hands slapping over her mouth to muffle the sound. Amber blinked, her hands floating amongst the dishes in the sink. He said she was his what?
A swallow worked through her throat, as she fought the mix of surprise, hope and elation in her. “Well you said it so you can’t take it back.”
“I won’t.” He said simply, reaching for a bottle of water on the counter. “Not for anything in the world.”
Then he winked and walked away. Her jaw fell as she watched him cross the floor to deliver the bottle to his mom. Who said something like that and walked away?
Noah Rhodes, apparently.
“It’s been quite an eventful evening.” Evelyn laughed. “My heart can’t take all this excitement. And soon, you’ll be going on a trip to see your agent.”
“She’s not my agent yet,” Amber corrected though the hope in her wished she would be.
“Doesn’t matter. We’re looking on the good side of things.” Evelyn gasped. “You know what this calls for? Shopping!”
“We aren’t done with our exams, Eve. There’s time to do that later.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s never too early to plan.” She did a full body shake. “I’m gonna call Beverly. We’ll plan the best girl’s day out ever!”
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE TIME READ THREE am on the dot.
Amber turned over, her phone clutched tight in her hand.
