Downstairs, I found Caroline at the stove, a warm housecoat tied around her waist, turning strips of bacon in a pan.

  She was wearing thick, furry slippers.

  “Morning,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, feeling her big round backside against me.

  “You’re so huggable,” I said into her hair.

  She patted my hand. “You missed Kate. She didn’t even stay for breakfast.”

  “Not surprised. Probably said she had stuff to do.”

  “Yup.”

  I clicked my tongue. “On a Sunday.”

  “She’s going to be busy with the adventure park this week, so she wants to work on planning for the council campaign.”

  “Well, that’s understandable.” I kissed her neck, breathing in her familiar scent. “How are you feeling?”

  She leaned back against me, sighing. “Better.” She turned in my arms, smiling. “Much better. Last night was exactly what I needed.”

  “Good.” I studied her face, noting the slight color in her cheeks.

  “Ready for breakfast?” she said, turning back to the stove and scooping the bacon onto a paper towel.

  “Think I’ll go for a quick run first.”

  “In the rain?”

  I reached around her and grabbed a crispy piece of bacon, taking a bite.

  “Hey!” She gave me an elbow.

  I chuckled, shoving the rest of the bacon into my mouth. “It’s only drizzling out there. I won’t be long. Just want to get my heart pumping.”

  The fresh smell of wet grass greeted me as I stepped onto the porch. As I pulled the door closed, I saw a letter sticking out of the mailbox.

  Taking the envelope, slightly damp from the morning air, I turned it over. In neat girly handwriting, it simply said: “Ryan and Caroline”

  “This is from Amber,” I murmured.

  I returned to the kitchen.

  “That was a fast run,” Caroline said, glancing up from her coffee.

  I held up the envelope. “We’ve got a letter. From Amber, I think.”

  Caroline wiggled her eyebrows. “Oooh, fun! Read it.”

  I opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper, the same neat handwriting filling about half the page.

  Sofia drifted into the kitchen wearing one of my shirts, her hair tousled. “What’s that?” she said through a yawn, leaning on my shoulder.

  “A letter from Amber.”

  She glanced between me and Caroline. “A love letter? What does it say?”

  Returning my attention to the letter, I read aloud: “Dear Ryan, Caroline, Sofia, and Kate—I wanted to thank you all for taking such good care of me last night.

  “I know I was a mess, and you didn’t have to help me, but you did anyway. It meant more to me than you know.”

  I paused, glancing at Caroline before continuing. “Ryan and Caroline, it was so sweet of you to make sure I got to bed.

  “I’ve been thinking about our conversation, about babies and families and everything. It was a good talk. Anyway, maybe we can talk more soon? Thank you for being such good friends. —Amber”

  I felt a warmth spreading over me as I finished reading.

  Sofia put her hands over mouth. “Oh my god! She’s really thinking about having babies with us.”

  “She does remember everything after all, apparently,” Caroline said. “Sounds like she even wants to resume that conversation.”

  “Drunk words, sober thoughts,” I said. “I guess Kate was right about that.”

  Sofia bounced on her toes. “We should invite her over! For dinner tonight!”

  “Or lunch,” Caroline suggested. “Something casual. Low pressure.”

  I looked between them, seeing the excitement in their faces. Last night felt like a breakthrough, and this note seemed to confirm it.

  For the first time since I’d met Amber, it felt like she might actually be open to what we were offering.

  “I’ll go ask her now,” I said.

  Caroline beamed, raising her face up to kiss me. “Perfect. Just be casual about it. No pressure.”

  Sofia slapped me on the butt.

  I stepped out into the cool morning air. The rain had softened to a light mist, and the street was quiet.

  Amber’s house stood across the street, looking as pristine as always. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything—it hadn’t been there last night either. She often parked in the garage.

  I walked up her front path and knocked on the door.

  No answer.

  I tried again, louder this time. Still nothing.

  Peering through the front window, I could see into her front hall. All was still.

  I made one last attempt, ringing the bell this time.

  As the electronic ring died away, I listened. No sounds came from inside. She either fell asleep again, or she was out.

  Walking down Amber’s driveway, a cold drop of rain hit my head, and I looked up to see that the morning’s pale light was being devoured by darker clouds rolling in.

  Fat raindrops were starting to darken the pavement of the driveway. I glanced over my shoulder at Amber’s silent house as I crossed the street.

  Walking up Caroline’s porch steps, I had a nagging feeling that I needed to talk to Amber now— before others got to her first.

  But I dismissed it. That was silly.

  I was probably just excited about getting to know her better, dating her, seducing her.

  It would all happen in due time. I just needed patience.

  The rain was falling steadily again, and I stepped inside and shut the door, shivering. So much for going running.

  Chapter twelve

  Several days had passed since Amber’s note, and I still hadn’t managed to catch her at home.

  Her house had apparently been deserted for the remainder of the weekend, leading us to assume she’d likely gone to her brother’s place to spend time with her godson.

  With the start of the new week, I got the impression Amber had charged back into her work with more focus than ever.

  Caroline saw her car pulling out very early on Monday morning. When I knocked that evening, around dinner time, her house had been dark and silent.

  Caroline suggested messaging her business number — it was advertised on her real estate signs. But I was starting to feel like we were pursuing her too much.

  “Let’s hold off a bit,” I’d said. “I don’t want to force this. She could be avoiding us on purpose. Maybe she’s embarrassed or something.”

  Caroline agreed. “These are big changes for her. She might just need time to process everything.”

  I finally ran into Amber on a very windy Wednesday afternoon.

  Caroline had messaged me with a small shopping list for something she wanted to cook, so I headed for the grocery store.

  I actually kind of enjoyed doing everyday things like grocery shopping, now that I had free time.

  It was part of getting to know the town and its people, and also just enjoying the unhurried pace of life here.

  Being able to take my time to wander the aisles and observe everything was still a novelty to me.

  I walked through the automatic doors of the supermarket, a few crispy brown leaves following me in.

  Taking the shopping list from my pocket, I grabbed a basket from the stack near the entrance.

  The store was busy for a Wednesday afternoon, and it put me in a cheerful mood. I was really starting to feel like I was part of this community.

  Whistling a tune, I made my way through the produce section, grabbing some oranges and bananas.

  Then I headed for the milk and butter.

  I was reaching for a carton when a movement drew my attention. A familiar blonde ponytail was moving near the yogurt.

  She stood studying the label of a yogurt, wearing her usual professional attire—fitted jacket over a crisp white blouse and dark stretchy slacks.

  One hand rubbed her neck as she put the yogurt back on the shelf, picking up another.

  I grabbed the milk and made my way over, feeling strangely nervous.

  “Hey, Amber,” I said, approaching with a casual smile.

  She turned her pretty brown eyes towards me. They widened, as if I’d caught her off guard. For a second, she seemed happy to see me— I thought she might even hug me.

  But her joy was rapidly choked off.

  She straightened up. Her face went cold. Her eyes changed. She stepped back, looking at me as if we were barely acquainted.

  “Oh. Hello, Ryan,” she said, placing a yogurt in her basket.

  The change was so abrupt it left me momentarily speechless.

  “Uh, how are you feeling?” I asked, trying to bridge the sudden gap. “Fully recovered from the party, I see?”

  She tossed her ponytail and adjusted her purse strap with sharp movements. “Oh, yeah, totally. Thank you, by the way. I hope I wasn’t too much trouble.”

  “No trouble at all.” I studied her face, searching for any trace of the openness I’d seen in her note. “We got your letter. That was nice.”

  She smiled without any warmth. “Yes, well. I just wanted to say thanks for driving me home.”

  Her tone was so formal. She was deliberately trying to create distance.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked. “Because in your note you said you wanted to talk more about—”

  “I think there might have been a misunderstanding,” she said quickly, her cheeks flushing. “I was pretty drunk, as you know. I’m sure I said things I didn’t mean.”

  We both knew she delivered her letter the next day, when she was sober.

  But there was no point in arguing. Her meaning was clear, and it hit me like a bucket of ice water.

  Besides, I knew enough not to try to convince her to change her mind. That kind of behavior would only make her run away even faster.

  If she was backing away, the best thing to do now was to mirror that.

  “Okay, whatever suits you,” I said in a carefree tone. “Well, I’ll see ya around.”

  Amber looked me in the eye with something like surprise or disappointment. But she quickly overcame it.

  She nodded briskly, already turning away. “Have a good day, Ryan.”

  She walked away without looking back, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor.

  Chewing my cheek, I briskly walked into the empty cereal aisle where I could think in private.

  “What the hell was that?” I hissed at Cap’n Crisp, as if it was his fault. He just grinned at me from the cereal box. I felt like ripping the stupid whiskers off his cartoon face.

  A few days ago she’d written us a love letter. Now she was treating me like we’d barely spoken before.

  I let out a sigh, putting things in perspective.

  Whatever.

  She must have had stuff going on. After all, I couldn’t just expect her to jump into such an unconventional relationship.

  I looked at the shopping list, crumpled and smudged by my sweaty hand.

  Eggs. Let’s get some eggs.

  I actually didn’t care that much, I reflected as I slowly continued down the aisle. I already had three beautiful women. It’s not like I needed another one.

  Amber was too much of a brat, anyway. Too young. A workaholic — with a drinking problem, apparently.

  “Probably more trouble than anything,” I muttered — then snatched a box of Frosted Crunch, a boyhood favorite, and tossed it in the basket.

  Dismissing a thought about the babies Amber and I were supposed to have, I made my way to the eggs.

  I noticed Amber at the checkout but acted like I didn’t see her.

  ***

  The grocery bags sat on Caroline’s kitchen counter as I recounted what happened with Amber.

  “So she basically pretended nothing happened,” Caroline observed, unwrapping the butter.

  “Pretty much.” I leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “She basically implied that she didn’t mean what she said because she was drunk. Total one-eighty from the letter.”

  Caroline knifed butter into a dish. Her face was thoughtful, but I could see she was disappointed.

  And perplexed. “That’s... weird,” she said finally.

  “Right?” I shrugged, shaking my head. “Anyway, whatever. Her choice.”

  Caroline studied my face with that knowing look she got when she could see through my bullshit. “No, not whatever. You like her. You wanted her to have your babies.”

  I chuckled. “Well, I like her, sure. The baby question remained to be seen. But obviously it depends on what Amber wants, too. And if she’s not interested, she’s not interested.”

  “Do you believe that? That she’s not interested?” Caroline’s eyes were skeptical.

  “You clearly don’t,” I said.

  Caroline tapped her fingernails on the counter, thinking. “I mean… It’s like she flipped a switch. There has to be a reason.”

  “What’s the reason?” I said. “I guess that’s the question. Maybe she just sobered up and realized what she was getting into.”

  Caroline looked at me. “Unconventional relationship, older partners, small town gossip? Could be.”

  “Either way,” I said, “I’m not going to chase her. I don’t think there’s any point. If she’s not interested, that’s her call.”

  “Smart,” Caroline agreed. “But I don’t think this is over.”

  I nodded. “Well, with the elections getting fired up, we’re definitely going to be seeing a lot of her, whether she wants to or not. Got a message from Kate earlier.”

  I pulled out my phone. “Mrs. Donovan officially threw her hat in for mayor. And there’s a town hall meet-and-greet Monday night. Both sides will be there.”

  Caroline’s eyes flashed. She smirked. “That’s right, and Amber will be there. We’re all going to see her. Can’t wait to see how she reacts.”

  Chapter thirteen

  Monday evening brought the first official event of the campaign, and the Riverdale Community Center was packed.

  The corruption scandal had made national news, and people were fired up.

  Caroline straightened my collar as we walked through the parking lot. “Remember, we’re here to support Mrs. Donovan. Try not to get distracted.”

  “I won’t get distracted,” I snorted, though my eyes were already scanning the crowd.

  Kate caught up with us at the entrance. “Good turnout. Where’s Sofia?”

  “Restaurant’s swamped. She’s staying to help close.”

  The main hall had been divided into two camps. Mrs. Donovan’s supporters on one side, the polished opposition on the other.

  And there, in a navy dress that hugged her svelte body, was Amber.

  The start of the event was delayed, and it became clear things were in disarray.

  The guys operating the equipment kept tapping the microphones. Then, suddenly, the system blew out with a screech of feedback.

  To make things worse, one of the coffee catering boxes was knocked off a table and exploded on the floor near the front row.

  The crowd grew restless as ever more people kept streaming in. They stood in the back with nowhere to sit.

  The volunteer coordinator was frazzled. “We don’t have enough chairs, and the equipment isn’t working,” she said, running her hands through her hair.

  An old gray beard walked up with the air of having seen it all before. “There’s some sound equipment in storage,” he said, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. I gathered he was a community center staff member.

  “Got some extra chairs, too,” he added.

  “We’ll help bring them in,” I offered.

  Kate and Caroline walked behind me as we followed the old man down a hall.

  “Microphone’s in here,” he said, keys jangling as he unlocked a door marked STORAGE.

  He shoved the door open to reveal a tiny closet crammed with stuff.

  “Up there with the other electrical stuff,” he grunted, pointing to a high shelf where cords hung out of a box. “It’s pretty heavy.”

  “I’ll grab it,” I said.

  He gave me a sharp look. “Just be aware. Lock’s busted on this door. Make sure you keep it open.”

  He grabbed a rickety folding chair and propped open the door.

  “Alright, will do,” I said, squeezing into the cramped storage closet and stepping around a mop bucket.

  With a grunt, he continued down the hall towards the extra chairs. Kate and Caroline followed, leaving me alone to contend with the box.

  I looked up at it on the high shelf. It was big, apparently overflowing with equipment.

  I could reach it alright, it was just going to be a bit awkward with all the cleaning supplies on the floor in front of me and the cramped shelves overflowing behind me.

  Stretching my arms up, I reached for the box, getting my fingers underneath it, and began inching it towards me.

  Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached, and I could hear somebody muttering under her breath.

  Amber tripped over the mop bucket with a shriek and tumbled into the closet.

  “Whoa!” I caught her as she crashed into me, her hands landing flat against my chest, her body pressed against mine.

  I tried to back up to give her some room, but I backed into a stack of heavy boxes.

  But Amber stared up at me with doe eyes, her face inches from mine, both of us breathing hard from the sudden contact.

  “Sorry,” she breathed absently.

  “No problem,” I said, my hands still on her waist, steadying her in the cramped space.

  She seemed to remember herself and pulled back slightly, but there was nowhere to go.

  For a moment, we just stood there, her chest rising and falling, both of us acutely aware of how close we were.

  I could smell her perfume, see the flutter of her pulse at her throat.

  Then she stepped to the side.

  “Be careful—” I began, but Amber knocked over several big containers of cleaning detergent.

  She ran her hands through her hair, flustered. “Uggh! This is turning into a shit show. I need to find an extension cord. The sound guys need one.”

  Her eyes scanned the shelves, but she was blushing with the awareness of being so close.