Page 97 of Pages of Amber
“No take backs.” She laughed. She paused at the look that graced his face. “What?”
He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. “Just imagining your book on this shelf one day soon.”
The thought sprang to life within her. It was easy to imagine her book occupying the same shelf space as those of famous authors. Her stories finally had a chance to see the light. She clutched the books she held to her chest, imagining she held her book instead. She smiled, the wondrous feeling in her chest almost too big to carry.
Amber tucked her phone into the pocket of the fresh pair of jeans she’d changed into earlier. She climbed into the truck, placed the bag filled with her purchase in the backseat and clicked in the seatbelt as Noah kicked the truck in gear. Mr. Arthur waved them off. As they rode down to the gas station, Noah told her about his aunt handling him and his brother as little troublemakers when they visited her.
“She really did that?”
“She has four boys. With me and Ronan there, it was six kids making trouble at the ice cream shop. She didn’t hesitate to pull us by our ears into the car. It was the worst punishment because we could see everyone else enjoying their frozen treats except us.”
Amber giggled. “She sounds vicious. I love her already.”
His next words were interrupted by her ringtone. She lifted off the seat to pull out the device, but froze at the name of the caller ID flashing at her. The call rang out and the screen dimmed but she couldn’t shake herself out of the trance.
“Amber? What’s wrong?”
Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth as she said, “My mom called me.”
Noah’s head whipped toward her as he struggled to keep his focus on the road. “You didn’t answer.” The statement was stern.
“I don’t know what to say!” Her words came out panicked. “I thought she’d never speak to me again. This can’t be real. Am I dreaming? I might be, because how else would I see her call my phone. It was probably a mistake. Like a butt-dial. She probably won’t call again–”
Her ringtone interrupted her rambling, the vibration of the call sending a mixture of dread and hope though her.
“Pick up,” Noah prompted. When she didn’t move, he reached out and snatched the phone, hitting the accept button and putting the call on speaker.
For a moment, the car was silent.
“Amber, honey. Are you there?”
Oh God. She was dreaming, or maybe this person knew her name but had the wrong number.
“Yes?” she answered cautiously.
A sigh of relief came through the line. “I thought I was too late. I came to see you and I was knocking for so long, but when no one came to the door, I thought you’d left, that I’d missed my chance to see you. Until Noah’s mom said you stepped out to run some errands.”
Noah returned the phone to her hand so he could drive properly. Amber stared at the device in disbelief.
“Mom, where are you right now?”
“I’m at the Rhodes' house. I came to see you.” Her mom said softly. “Amber, I’m so sorry for everything. I wasn’t just a horrible person. I was a horrible mother. I caused you so much pain. I’m the one who tore our family apart, not you. I should never have said what I did. I wasn’t thinking straight and I accused you of the worst thing imaginable.”
“Mom…” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
“I listened to your voicemails. All twenty two of them. It broke my heart to hear you cry. And when you said you were leaving tomorrow, I had to get down here as fast as possible. I told them I had to leave the institute, even if for a few days. I had to see you before you left. I had to tell you everything.”
“What institute? What are you talking about?” She grasped her phone.
Noah alternated between looking into the rear view mirror and her. His hand tightened on the steering wheel as he increased their speed.
Her mom sighed. “I wish we could talk in person. Dottie convinced me to join a therapy institute to help me. It took weeks for me to get used to the place but I know it’s for my own good. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want you to think–”
“No, mom. Don’t be ashamed that you’re getting help. You and your health are priority number one.” She darted her eyes around the truck. “You’re right. It’ll be better if we talk face to face. Can you wait for us to get back?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” The reassurance made a tear slip from her eye. “I’ll be right here until you–”
“That car keeps coming up fast,” Noah murmured, a second before a loud crash sounded behind them. They flew forward, the tires screeching against asphalt. Amber fell forward onto the dashboard, her seatbelt choking her.
