“The wife wants to go furniture shopping. There is no day off with that shit.”
His comment made me laugh and I walked out of the office in a totally different mood than I entered, but one comment stuck with me.
Coaches see more than you think.
Was it a threat or a hint?
While I hadn’t talked to Amber since our kiss, she’d crossed my mind more than I liked. I shouldn’t be thinking about trying to come up with something involved in the investigation just so I could text her. I wasn’t that guy and we weren’t even friends…right?
Fuck, I didn’t think about shit like this. I had enough to worry about. Plus, I wanted a couple of hours to research law schools and the best programs to study for the LSAT away from the house. While it felt great to tell my coach, I was not ready to tell my teammates. We vibed so well with a shared goal, and throwing a wrench into that before the season was the last thing I wanted to do. Away from any of my teammates was the best option.
There was a pizza place that served gelato and coffee off campus that I’d found two years ago when my parents had visited and I grabbed my laptop and promised my roommates I’d meet up with them later. Time alone, away fromeverything,sounded great and I could afford to eat at least three slices of pizza after running two miles that morning.
Content with my decision, I drove to the parlor and didn’t think about my coach, Amber or the investigation once. But that changed when I walked in and found Amber sitting at a table with a middle-aged man. The man I knew to be Martin Rhett.Why didn’t she tell me about this?
I clenched my fists against my sides at the quick onset of anger, then I dismissed it. I’d chosen to trust her and maybe she was going to tell me about it after. Without drawing attention tomyself, I selected a table far enough away where she wouldn’t see me but I could observe them without being creepy.
First thing I noticed was that she smiled often with him. She never looked down at the ground like I saw her do a lot nor did she look tense. She was completely relaxed and I had to admit, I liked this version of her. She had her long curly hair down around her shoulders and the bright red sweater she wore looked great on her. It matched her lips and our kiss from Thursday replayed in my head.
Passionate.She kissed with so much energy I was dying to do it again.Thatshould terrify me, but it was Amber so it wasn’t like we were going to do anything more, right?
She glanced in my direction and I quickly put my head down.Shit.She saw me.
My phone buzzed two seconds later.
Amber:Be honest, are you spying on me?
Jeff:Wasn’t my intention.
Amber:Wasn’t a no, either.
Jeff:Were you going to tell me you were meeting with your uncle?
Amber:Wow, our kiss must’ve really messed with your brain. Pretty sure you said you trust me now.
Was…Amberflirting? Damn, but I found I kinda like it.
Jeff:That kiss did mess with me. I think we should do it again.
Amber:I imagine this is how you get all your women. You tell them what you want and they oblige.
Jeff:Need I remind you, Amber, you kissed me.
Jeff:Twice.
Amber:To. Cover. Our. Asses.
Amber:Only. Reason.
Jeff:Bull. Shit.
Amber:Whatever. We’ll talk later, okay?
I didn’t replybut I had a huge grin on my face when I saw her blush from across the restaurant. She met my gaze for a second—her uncle also turning in my direction—so I forced my attention onto the menu. Despite what Amber said, my gut told me Martin Rhett would be the one who answered the inconspicuous phone number. Why else would his name be onanysheet of paper in my coach’s office? And, why did Cooper Killian know him when there was no reason to?
I have to show the others his picture.The thought of going behind Amber’s back didn’t feel great and caused an uncomfortable rock in my gut, but if she wanted to clear his name for real, it was the right move. Now, the question was to tell her about it or just do it? I made a list of five people I wantedto ask about Martin Rhett and saved it on my laptop. My goal was to work on law-school stuff, not the investigation, but it was hard to focus with Amber and her uncle being in the same vicinity. My attention drifted toward them every few minutes and each time, a different question popped into my mind. Were they close? Why did she look so happy with him? What did they talk about?
Are they in this together?
