Hot Pink Heels (The Street Series) (15 page)

“That belonged to Melanie,” said Laura. “She was my daughter, Jack’s sister. She was your age when she went missing, and the locket is the only thing they ever found. The chain was broken, but they found it with the locket on the next street over.
She disappeared while jogging one morning. That was two years ago.” Laura’s voice broke.

Amanda just stared at her, not knowing what to say. She felt her own eyes filling with tears.

“I’m sorry, you don’t need to hear all of this,” Laura said, her voice thick with unshed tears. “I just wanted you to know we’re not psychos who just keep a bedroom ready for the next girl to stumble into our lives.”

Amanda laughed a bit. Stumble into their lives is exactly what she’d done, she thought, remembering the way she’d toppled into Jackson’s car a few weeks ago. Then she’d fallen on the sidewalk
, and she was afraid she’d been falling ever since. She felt an ache of sadness for Laura’s loss, and thought about how hard it would’ve been for her to hear that her sister or her brother had disappeared without a trace.

That’s basically what you’ve done to your parents, Amanda. Think about what you’ve put them through and you could just pick up the phone and let them know you are alive. This poor woma
n has no idea if her daughter is alive or dead.
Amanda determined then and there that she would call her parents at the first opportunity, or at least write them a letter or something to let them know she was alive and well.

Of course,
well
was a relevant term, and she was sure her parents wouldn’t consider her current or recent career choices ones that signaled her well-being. “I’m sorry about your daughter,” Amanda said softly, not sure Laura had even heard her.

“Thank you, dear,” Laura said. “I’ve never given up hope that she could be alive, but each day makes it less likely than the day before. I know yo
u’re probably exhausted, so I’ll just leave you to change and get in bed for a few hours, but feel free to join us in the kitchen whenever you like.”

She started to close the door behind her, but added, “By the way, that dress looks lovely on you.” Laura hadn’t missed the way her son’s eyes had traveled over Amanda like a caress, the look on his face all but throwing out hearts and flowers. She felt God telling her to take care of Amanda for Jackson, because she truly believed in another reason for this all to work out, besides the fact that her son was obviously smitten with the woman.

Laura wanted this to work out because she believed God would bring Amanda back. He hadn’t used an audible voice and some might chalk it up to women’s intuition. Call it whatever they liked, Laura knew Amanda was in the perfect position to get to know God.

Amanda slipped
a long t-shirt over her head, the soft material clinging to her skin like a whisper and skimming her thighs in an undeniably appealing picture. Suddenly, the night’s events hit her hard, and she saw by the clock on the nightstand that it was almost five already. She trudged toward the bed and snuggled under the now familiar pink and green quilt. She was asleep nearly as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Amanda’s eyes cracked open
when the sunlight finally reached her face. Shielding her eyes, Amanda saw it was long past the time she was due at the diner. She knew last night she’d miss the shift, but it was a steady job and she was frustrated all over again.

Great, now I’ve gotta find something else
. Sal was probably cussing her out right about now.
Yeah right, it’s already almost 10, so he’s probably already told everyone she was fired and called in a replacement.

Stretching, Amanda figured she might as well enjoy
the leisurely morning while she could. She moved to the window and looked out at the perfect little neighborhood with sprawling yards, clean streets and whole sidewalks.

Checking the closet, she saw it had been filled with several blouses, a skirt, a pantsuit and
yes, there was her black dress, hanging neatly with her heels lined up on the floor along with an unfamiliar pair of sandals.
Laura.
Amanda realized she must’ve been sleeping so hard that Laura had been able to come in and hang up her clothes without waking her. Somehow, instead of feeling strange, it made Amanda feel cared for.

There was a photo album on the desk, so Amanda grabbed it and slipped back under the blankets on the bed to check it out. Three pages in, it was apparent that this book was all about Melanie, Jackson’s sister. By all appearances, she’d been a beautiful girl with a bright smile.

There were photos of Melanie and Jackson, first with Jackson’s diploma in hand and Melanie still looking like a teenager and then with Melanie in a robe with a golden tassel on her mortarboard. Jackson’s goofy smile and thumbs up brightened what would normally be a more serious picture.

The next page held various photos of Chuck and Laura with Melanie. She was proudly displaying her diploma with Laura by her side while Chuck photo-bombed the picture from behind, holding rabbit ears over Laura’s and Melanie’s head.
There was another picture of Laura and Melanie grinning up at Chuck, caught red-handed with his hands still in position behind them.

A happy family, by all accounts, and the pictures continued to tell the tale of Melanie’s graduation day, complete with snapshots of her with high school friends both before and after the ceremony.

A gentle knock had her slamming the book shut before she called out “Come in.” The doorknob turned and a tray appeared around the door before Amanda saw Laura’s face. She was wearing a bright smile and a purple sweater complete with kittens on it and she was carrying a tray loaded with fresh fruit, toast, orange juice and scrambled eggs.

“Good morning, dear,” Laura said, crossing the room with the tray. Amanda tried to slide the photo album under the sheets, but Laura set the tray down and picked up the book. “I see you’ve found Melanie’s scrapbook. I was hoping to finish it with her college graduation pictures, but she disappeared just two months before her graduation.”

Amanda didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to pry, it’s really none of my business.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Laura smiled, waving off her apology. “I’m glad I made this album so we could remember her smile, and I certainly don’t mind having others look at it.”

Amanda looked down at the tray on her lap. “What is all this?” The eggs had her mouth watering and reminded her it had been a long time since the tiramisu she’d laughed about with Myra.

“Now Amanda, please let an old woman spoil you a bit,” Laura said. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a daughter to spoil and I’ve missed it so much
—please don’t fuss about a little breakfast in bed.”

Amanda’s cheeks colored, but she simply said, “Thanks.” She picked up the fork and began attacking the eggs. “What kind of jelly is that?” She pointed with the fork at the dark jar on the tray.

“It’s homemade rhubarb jam,” Laura chuckled. “A Brennan family secret recipe.” She winked at Amanda, drawing a smile. “Okay, it’s not that much of a secret, but we are proud of our jam.”

Standing, Laura smiled down at Amanda. “If you want to see some really funny pictures, check out the albums on the shelves in the living room,” she shared conspiratorially. “Those are from Jack’s childhood.” Her eyes twinkled and she turned for the door.

“I’ll leave you to enjoy your breakfast,” Laura said. “Take your time—there are towels and things in the bathroom just like last time. You and I are the only ones here this morning, so don’t rush.”

“Oh, where’s Jack?” Amanda couldn’t help herself. The words were out before she could stop them, so in an attempt to appear unconcerned, she asked about Chuck as well.

“Well, Jack headed home because he had to work this morning and Chuck is out on his bike,” Laura explained. “Jack said he’d call around lunchtime to check on you.” She watched Amanda’s face for a reaction, but Amanda gave herself credit for her superb acting job. She let none of her disappointment show as she took a bite of her toast and nodded.

Despite her unending annoyance
s and frustrations with Jackson, she was also frustrated with herself over the giddy way she responded whenever he was around. And now she had discovered she was also suffering from disappointment that he was
not
around.
Face it girl, you’ve got it bad. You might as well admit you’re already half in love with him—hell, you’ve been half in love with him since he picked you up that first night.

Half an hour later, Amanda had finished her eggs and fruit and she was flipping through the rest of the album while working her way through her toast. The memories displayed on the pages were beautiful, a beautiful display of Jackson’s family and their love and commitment to each other.

Setting the book aside, she
slid out of bed and walked to the dresser. She chose a worn blue t-shirt with a faded cross and a Bible verse on it and then selected a pair of soft jeans. Looking at the two simple bras in the top drawer, she realized she didn’t have one with her, so she shrugged and chose a pale yellow one and headed for the bathroom across the hall.

She opened the door and ran straight into a hard body, catching herself with her hands on familiar biceps as she looked up into Jackson’s shocked expression.

Jackson’s arms tightened around her involuntarily, steadying her for a moment before dropping to his sides. He stepped back quickly before realizing how sexy she looked in the sleep shirt as it clung in all the right places before stopping suddenly at a spot just south of…
Oh. My. God. I can’t get out of this one myself, God. She looks so innocent and fresh and I just want to kiss her senseless. Okay, God, that’s not all I want to do with her, so you’ve really got to help me out here.

“Oh, Jack,” Amanda said, her throat tightening when she saw his eyes
narrow and his struggle to stay focused on her face. “I didn’t know you were here, I mean, your mom said you were calling at lunch, and…” She was babbling and she had no idea what she was saying, because her brain suddenly seemed to have shut down.

Jackson’s mouth was dry, and he
focused on a spot just over her shoulder, determined to fight through this temptation without giving in. “I’m sorry, I should’ve called first, but I was worried about you,” he said. He realized how stupid that sounded. “I mean, I didn’t like that I had to leave without telling you where I was going and I know you’re fine here with mom and dad, but I just wanted to check on you.”

Now Jackson was the babbling idiot and he just couldn’t resist taking another peek at those endless legs. “I was just about to take a shower,” she said lamely.
Great, yeah, now you just can’t help seeing Jack in the shower with you. Shut up, Amanda!

Jackson swallowed, but the lump in his throat grew larger. His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke. “Yeah, um, okay I’ll let you get to it then,” he said. He moved right to let her pass, but she’d moved left to go around him and they found themselves close enough to exchange breaths.

His hands came to her waist, and he told himself it was just to move her out of the way, but when he felt her warm skin through the thin shirt, his fingers tightened enough to have Amanda sucking in a breath. Her spare clothes slipped to the floor as her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer.

Their breathing was mingling, lips dangerously close, but Amanda refused to be the one to
complete the connection this time. “Kiss me, Jack,” she begged. His forehead rested on hers and his eyes were closed as his hands fisted together at the small of her back. The action pulled her shirt up another inch as it bunched under his hands.

He gripped the shirt, aching to slip his hands under the edge of the silky material to find the hot flesh beneath it.
Pressing closer, they stood, core to core, trembling, but the sound of the back door had them springing apart.

“Jack? Is that your car I heard pull up a few minutes ago?” Laura’s cheery voice rounded the corner before she came into view, summing up the situation by the looks on their faces, the harsh breathing and the electric charge in the air.
Yep, you were right, God, she’s the one.

Smiling smugly, she moved forward to hug Jackson, pretending not to notice his white face and the fact that he’d yet to greet her. Amanda was wearing an equally white expression and although she certainly didn’t condone sex outside of marriage,
Laura was happy to discover her son had found his match and was having a hard time staying away from her.

“Amanda, I was just doing some yard
work and I thought I’d come in to see if you needed anything, but you just take your shower and we can chat afterwards,” Laura said amiably. Amanda nodded and swept past Jackson, careful to keep her distance.

She shut the bathroom door and leaned against it, pressing her hand to her stomach, which was still swimming with the butterflies that had been madly fluttering during their exchange.
Then she grinned, sure of one thing now: She was in love with Jackson, and she was pretty sure he was falling for her too.