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I rolled my eyes. “I’m remembering now why I hated your parents so much.”
Amber laughed gain, taking my hand. “C’mon, let’s go to the dining room, there’s bound to be lots of old grandmas with nothing better to do than gossip.”
We went and ate off the buffet table, where I made sure to talk with my mouth full and generally have no manners. I did have manners, thanks, that was actually one of the things that Amber had always said she liked about me. I was charming, dammit, not some drunken idiot. But I was happy to play that part for an afternoon if it helped Amber to be with the man she loved. One of us should get to be with the person we wanted.
We took a golf course around and I drove way too fast in it, zooming around, tires kicking up the pristine course and all the carefully laden grass. I had fun insulting all the rich old men, with their sour pinched faces and their bigoted attitudes, their allergy to poor people.
By the time we walked over to the pool, Amber’s parents had definitely heard about us. Her mother was waiting, arms folded, looking like someone had told her that a dog had pissed in her shoes.
“Amber!” She walked up without preamble. “Just who have you brought to the club?”
Amber wrapped herself around my arm, practically hanging off me. “This is my boyfriend, didn’t you know, Mother? Pike’s back in town—you remember Pike, Mother, of course, he used to come over all the time—he was such a little troublemaker back in the day, weren’t you baby?”
I winked at Amber and drawled, “Sure was. Remember that one time—”
“I’m sure I don’t want to remember anything.” Amber’s mother sounded horrified.
“Oh! He got a new tattoo though! Pike, baby, please, show her the tattoo. It’s so cool!” Amber bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, simpering at me, petting my chest. She was clearly having the time of her life hamming it up for her mom, and from the way I could practically see steam coming out of her mom’s ears, it was working.
“Sure thing sweetheart,” I told her, and I lifted up my shirt to show her my tattoo. I couldn’t help but remember Billie’s face when she’d seen it, the way she’d traced it with her fingers, put her mouth on it like she wanted to try and taste it.
I focused in on the look of horror and disgust on Amber’s mother’s face, shoving away my thoughts about Billie. “Where’s Father?” Amber asked.
“He’s been out on the golf course.” Excellent, so that meant he’d already seen us, most likely.
“Oh, great!” Amber pulled me to a pool chair and once I sat down, she sat on my lap. “He’ll be back soon, right?”
“Any moment, I imagine,” her mother replied, struggling and failing to hide her upset.
Sure enough, a golf cart arrived and neatly parked by the side with a few others. I recognized Amber’s father as he got out. The look on his face when he saw us was absolutely priceless. I wished that I had a camera so that I could snap a photo of it. I think seeing his car in flames would’ve been less upsetting to him than this.
Amber laughed. “Seems our plan is working.”
“Great.” I watched as her father stormed over to her mother, practically dragging the other woman inside, the two of them conversing in low voices and glancing over at the two of us as they headed in, out of sight. “Now can you get off my lap?”
“Oh my God.” Amber laughed again, sliding off me. “You really have it bad for her, don’t you?” Her voice was soft, sympathetic.
“It’s none of your business,” I said, and I meant for it to sound casual and dismissive, but it came out a lot softer, a lot more hurt.
Amber patted my hand in sympathy. “I get it.”
I never would’ve expected myself to be seeking friendship and support from Amber, of all people, and yet here we were. “I just have to figure out how to convince her to give me a chance.”
“You’re Pike Transcom. You’re the most charming guy in the whole damn state.” Amber squeezed my hand. “You’ll figure out a way.”
Yeah, I sure hoped so.
16
Billie
Ugh. Church always dragged on, and if it wasn’t such a social opportunity, I’d skip it. But skipping church wasn’t really an option in our community, and not just for religious reasons—it was a chance for the whole community to come together, for people to see and be seen, and it was the one reliable place you could always see someone and get caught up on their lives. It was a major social faux pas not to be there.
I leaned back in my seat on the pew, resting my head against it and staring up at the ceiling. The pastor was droning on about perdition, and I was doing a great job of tuning him out. I always had. Pastor Lawrence was a good guy, and we all liked him, a real sweetheart, but he was dull as fuck.
