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“I can’t believe it. They are so arrogant, those two, with their designer cottage and the perfect couple. Serves them right.”

“Aw, you don’t mean that,” Grace said. She shouldn’t have shared the news after all but admitted to herself that she’d stirred the pot.

“I mean every word.”

“Amber, you’re just ticked off at Dave for choosing Katrina over you.”

Glancing over at Grace, Amber shook her head. “How long have you been waiting to say that to me? Real nice, Grace.”

“Why else do you have so much contempt for a little baby?”

Amber’s shoulders slumped down when she gave up, her body deflating in surrender. “I’m jealous, I guess. I wanted a baby with Dave and he wouldn’t discuss it. He’s with her one night and bingo! She’s knocked up.” She looked over at Grace again. “Did Rose say anything about the new mother being upset about the baby’s diagnosis?”

“Just that they are as proud as can be.”

At the curb in her crappy car, she sobbed, shamed and regretful. Just when she’d made so much headway, almost everyone had forgiven her for being a jerk. She wasn’t to blame for what had happened between her and Dave; he was the guilty party, and she took advantage of his guilt. It was nice having a friendship, sort of, with him and Katrina. Now in about two minutes, she’d destroyed that. She’d called his baby a reject.

A horn beeped, and she turned left toward the park, stopping in the parking lot. Nothing was going to help her at that point, but she might as well cry it out. Back at Phil’s house—his estate, his mansion, whatever the hell you called it—was uncomfortable. If she was going to stay in a relationship with him, and he was talking marriage, she had to have her own space in that mausoleum.

But the worst, she’d burned the last bridge between herself and the brothers Chastain.

Chapter 7

Wandering around Spencer’s gave Dave a chance to cool off. Anything that looked remotely appetizing got thrown into the cart despite having zero appetite, thanks to the confrontation.

“I’ll take two of those ham sandwiches,” he told the deli counter clerk.

Why had he even acknowledged Amber? The minute he saw her flushed face, he should have walked away. One thing for certain, he wasn’t telling Katrina about the encounter.

He wouldn’t have to because Maggie would do it for him later that afternoon. Dave called Justin to unload and he told Maggie who called Katrina ASAP.

“Are you sitting down?” she’d asked. “Of course, you’re sitting down; you just had a baby three days ago. Is a small human attached to your body?”

Katrina roared with laughter, making the baby jump in his sleep. “I’m standing up and I’m not nursing. What are you doing?”

“I’m sitting on the porch watching the sun go down while Justin’s getting the baby. I have something to tell you, but it’s probably going to upset you, even piss you off. Where’s Dave?”

“He’s in back, planting a tree. I’m pouring drinks to take out on the terrace. What’s up?”

“Today, he was out and about, correct?”

“Yes. He ran errands. Post office and grocery store.”

“Well, and this has to be fast, Amber hunted him down at the PO—”

“It’s behind the train station. How would she find him there?”

“She must have followed him. Anyway, Grace told her about baby David’s diagnosis, and she called him a reject to Dave’s face.”

Katrina gasped, speechless for a moment while Maggie continued, telling her that Amber had slapped Dave across the face, too.

“You should know about it in case she comes snooping around with her do-gooder bullshit. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. I could tell he was upset when he walked in, but he said he was fine and it passed. If I ask him if there’s a problem and he says it’s nothing, I have to take it at face value. What should I do?”

“Tell him I told you. There is more to it, but Justin had had a glass of vino for lunch and couldn’t remember every word.”

“We need recorders.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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