Page 95 of Pages of Amber
“Amber, is everything alright?” Evelyn bent to pick up the box. “What are you looking at?”
“I thought I saw something,” she murmured, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. For a moment, she thought she had seen Lexi. But her search yielded nothing so she turned back around, jogging a bit to catch up with the girls.
She tried to convince herself it was the tiredness from the shopping trip that had her seeing things, but with every movement she made as they reached Beverly’s car and she unloaded her things, Amber could swear it was like a predator’s eyes were watching her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“MAKE SURE YOU PRESS in the soil. The stem should be able to stand on its side when it starts growing.”
“Like this?”
“Perfect.” Amber beamed at Mrs. Rhodes who wore an equally bright smile of her own. “You’re a natural at gardening.”
Mrs. Rhodes flushed, freckles just like her son’s dotting across her cheeks. “Only under your guidance. How did you get into the hobby?”
A small smile crossed Amber’s face, but the usual sadness and pain that resided in her chest at the thought of her dad was nowhere to be found.
“My dad taught me. He loved gardening. It was his way of relaxing after a tough day. I used to join him in our little backyard to plant different kinds of flowers.” She smacked her gloves. “I continued after he died. The greenhouse back home honors his memory.”
Mrs. Rhodes’ smile was sympathetic. “He sounds like an amazing man.”
“He was an amazing dad, too.” Amber rested on her knees, a soft laugh escaping her. “He grew my favorite flower and gifted it to me in a beautiful ceramic vase for my tenth birthday. I kept it right by my bed so it was the first thing I saw each morning when I woke up.”
The pink blossom had never failed to put a smile on her face. A flower so resilient and beautiful. She grew the pink cosmos in the greenhouse every year without fail.
Mrs. Rhodes pulled the glove off her left hand, laying it on Amber’s forearm. “It must have been hard to lose him.”
“It was,” the admission came out in a whisper. “I miss him more and more every day.”
She never got to talk about her father. Her mom had blown up after Amber had mentioned him. He was a ghost in his own home. A soft squeeze on her arm lifted her head. Mrs. Rhodes had rolled her jeans to her knees and pulled her hair in a ponytail to join Amber on the grass. She’d wanted to learn from Amber. She was interested in planting seeds with her. Her mom had never even stepped into the greenhouse.
“You’re an amazing girl, Amber. He’ll be proud of you no matter what.”
Warmth settled in her chest at her words, a feeling that grew more familiar the longer she stayed at the Rhodes home. They were a real, loving family that cared about each other and looked out for one another. They extended that same generosity to her free of charge.
“Watch out, bro. They’re sharing feelings over there.”
Ronan’s yelljerked their attention to the deck where he stood with his hands cupped around his mouth as he warned Noah who was on his way over to them.
“Am I interrupting?” Noah asked, his gaze darting between her and his mom.
She started to reply when his mom side-eyed him. “Yes, you are. This is girl time, and I don’t get a lot of those when I live in a house full of boys.”
Noah’s lips tipped at the cover. “I’ll leave, but Dad sent me to ask for the grocery list. I’m heading out to fill up the tank for the trip tomorrow.”
Amber stifled a laugh at the indignation that colored Mrs. Rhodes’ face. “I told your father it was in the second cabinet to the right.” She began to stand.
“I can get it,” Noah said quickly but she was already on her feet.
“No need. Girl time is ruined.” She huffed, brushing dirt and blades of grass from her knees. “Must I do everything myself in this household?”
Ronan jumped away from the door as she headed inside, narrowly avoiding his mom on the warpath.
“Girl time, huh?” Noah asked, pulling her gaze to him.
“Yep. Spilling hot gossip and all that. Your mom was about to bust out the baby pictures,” she teased.
He tucked a hand into the pocket of his cargos. “I’m surprised she hasn’t done that already.” He didn’t sound the least bit embarrassed about it. He was calm, collected and cool as usual. “Are you set for tomorrow?”
