Hot Pink Heels (The Street Series) (21 page)

Laura looked up at her in disbelief. “You mean Jack hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what?” Amanda was staring at Laura as she slid a pair of bright peach sandals with jeweled accents onto her feet.

“Oh, Amanda, they haven’t been together since the benefit,” Laura smiled now. “They were never meant to be together, I just knew it, but I had no idea it was because he was meant for you.”

“Now hold on, I think you’re getting carried away,” Amanda said. “He may have broken up with Clarissa, but don’t let wedding bells sound in your head just yet.”

“Turn around, please,” Laura said. Amanda obeyed, and the skirt billowed lightly out from her hips. The fitted top was just right; both demure and a bit edgy at the same time. Laura smiled up at her again, and Amanda forgot what she was arguing with her about.

There was something about that woman’s smile that could get into a person’s heart. She might as well face it; she wasn’t just in love with Jackson—she was falling just about as hard for his mom and dad.

Laura guided her over to the
full-length mirror, encouraging Amanda to spin again. The colors of the dress, ranging from pale peaches and pinks to vibrant neon orange and pink would definitely turn the heads of anyone at the fancy restaurant Clarissa would no doubt take Amanda to.

The sandals were flattering, accenting Amanda’s delicate ankles while the low heel would give her a slight advantage over Clarissa.
Not that she’d need it, of course
, Laura told herself.
But, it never hurts to put your best foot forward
.

Amanda saw herself in the mirror and was transported back to her bedroom as a teenager, with her mom standing next to her as they admired her prom dress together. “
You look so beautiful, honey,” Susan had said. She’d helped Amanda finish accessorizing the dress before touching up her hair and sending her off with her date, who happened to be the local pastor’s son.

Her junior prom was the last night she’d really felt close to her mother. They’d trusted her date, and he’d turned out to be nothing more than a typical guy looking for a good time on prom night. Amanda hadn’t really wanted to go all the way with him, but she was tired of being the only girl in school who was still a virgin.

So, when he’d suggested they get a room at a cheap motel, she hadn’t exactly jumped at the idea, but she’d let him take her there. He’d been cautious and had brought protection, and although she knew she should be pissed that he thought she’d be that easy, somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a voice telling her to take the leap and become a real woman.

She’d given up her virginity easily on a cold night in late March. The fact that she hadn’t struggled, hadn’t enjoyed it and Matt hadn’t even noticed
was just one more nail in the coffin of her faith. If the pastor’s son couldn’t even live right, then how were the rest of them supposed to follow God?

The rumors had made their way around the school that she was no longer on the “V-list” and although she’d thought she wanted to be a part of the popular crowd, instead she just felt disgust for herself. Eventually, the rumors got back to her parents, and when they had confronted her, she calmly and
almost carelessly admitted the rumors were true.

Although she’d stayed for four more years, that was when things really got bad with her parents. Her brother was so disappointed in her that he’d refused to talk to her
for a month, and Angie was so busy trying to run interference between their parents and Amanda that she hadn’t had time for the sister she was trying to protect.

Snapping back to the present, Amanda saw Laura staring intently at her. “You know God doesn’t care what has happen
ed in your past,” Laura said. “But he does want to change your future if you’ll let him.” She gave Amanda a quick smile before stepping out of the room to allow her some privacy to finish getting ready.

Jackson was back in the book of Hosea. He just couldn’t figure out why that story was stuck in his head so much, but it seemed very
fitting for his circumstances. He didn’t believe God would want him to marry a prostitute or an unbeliever, but here it was in black and white for Hosea.

He actually felt like Amanda had once been a believer, and maybe she’d just been so hurt she had given up on God. He wasn’t sure, but that didn’t give him permission to date her or pursue a relationship with her other than friendship.
Couldn’t you have given her some buck teeth, or a huge wart on her nose? Would a little ugly be too much to ask, God?

Jackson laughed at himself.
What was he going to do about her? He thought back to all the different sides of Amanda he’d seen so far. There’d been the temptress in that tiny excuse for a skirt, followed by the classy girl at the fundraiser and then there was the cool and sexy lady in the black cocktail dress.

Although Amanda seemed comfortable in all of those positions, the one he found most tempting and desirable was the sleepy and ultra sexy Amanda in the too short nightshirt, the thin material caressing every curve of her body.

Okay, you’ve gotta get a grip and steer yourself away from this line of thought
, Jackson warned himself. He needed to get back to work. Flipping his laptop open, he tried to focus on the artwork sent to him for the sign they would place on the warehouse to announce the upcoming services.

Amanda paced the kitchen once again
, but her nerves were from a completely different place in her mind than last night. She was waiting for Clarissa to pull up, and Laura was at the stove, just putting in the last batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

“Amanda, seriously, you really are going to have to learn some patience,” Laura laughed. “Clarissa will be here on time—she is always on time.”

Glancing at the cuckoo clock, she saw that she still had several minutes before 10 o’clock. Forcing herself to sit, Amanda started biting at her nails. “What could Clarissa possibly want to discuss with me?” She fidgeted, looking at the clock again. One more minute had passed, but she couldn’t sit around. Bouncing out of her seat again, she walked over to the sink and started to wash the mixing bowl.

“Amanda, you’ll get your dress dirty,” Laura said, brushing her away.

“Well, you did say I was living here rent free in exchange for helping around the house,” Amanda protested.

“Yes, well, Chuck and Jack seem to be determined to get me some help,” Laura smiled. “I guess they must think I am so weak and frail I can’t cook a few meals and keep a house tidy when there are only two
neat nicks living in the house. Anyway, we can discuss your duties later, but for now, it looks like Clarissa is actually two minutes early.” She nodded toward the driveway, where Clarissa was pulling in with the top down on her red convertible.

Amanda’s nervousness skyrocketed, but she smiled briefly at Laura as she headed for the door. “Relax, Amanda,” Laura called out. “Just have a good time—Clarissa’s not an ogre, I promise.”

Amanda knew Laura had no idea what had been said between Clarissa and herself at the fundraiser, so she was under the impression that they were just two girls out for a girls’ day.
She probably has deluded herself into thinking we’re also going to paint each other’s nails, braid each other’s hair and swap stories about our first kiss
.

Holding her nerves back, she decided to meet Clarissa on the sidewalk outside, rather than subject Laura to an unpleasant and awkward exchange. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the screen door open and
headed toward the executioner.

“Amanda,” Clarissa said smoothly, opening her arms for a social hug, which included air kisses. Amanda assumed this was for Laura’s benefit, as she also correctly assumed Laura was watching the two women greet each other from the kitchen window.

“Ms. Black,” Amanda returned, giving the same air kiss she knew was expected of her.
“It was very nice of you to offer to take me to brunch, but completely unnecessary. I’m sure you must be a very busy person.”

“Well, it’s no trouble at all, and I felt like it might be time for us to get to know each other,
so please call me Clarissa,” Clarissa said, tucking Amanda’s hand around her arm as they strolled back to her zippy car. “Plus, when you have your own millions, you can practically do whatever you want, whenever you want.” She laughed, a light tinkling sound escaping her lips.

If she wanted to act, she could certainly name her role, because she’s nailing the ex-girlfriend-turned-best-friend role at this moment
. Amanda told herself to stay alert, because this could get ugly at any moment.

Moments later the two women were speeding down the road toward the freeway, the breeze blowing their hair and the wind all but drowning out any possibility of conversation.

Clarissa pointed out buildings of interest as she was able, shouting out their names and brief facts about the town of Redlands. Amanda just nodded, attempting to show interest but really not caring at all until Clarissa indicated the high school where she and Jackson had attended together.

They rode silently for a few minutes before Clarissa nosed the car off the I-10 freeway and merged onto I-215 for several miles. “Where are we going?” Amanda wanted to know.

Clarissa shouted back, but Amanda could only make out the words “country club,” and she knew Clarissa Black was trying to outclass her.
Well, that won’t be hard
.
Clarissa has more class in her pinky finger than my whole family has all together.

She missed her family, and she did mean to call her parents, but life kept getting in the way.
She was quiet for the rest of the brief ride, and when they pulled into the Arrowhead Country Club, Amanda knew she was in for a rough morning. The mountains as well as the vibrant greens of the golf course surrounded the swanky club.

Clarissa buzzed up to the front of the main building and a uniformed young man quickly opened Amanda’s door while another helped Clarissa from her car at the same time. “Welcome back, Ms. Black,” said the young man who’d helped Amanda from the car.

“I’ll take good care of your baby,” the other one shouted at Clarissa as he zipped away.

“Thanks Tony!” Clarissa turned toward Amanda, smiling. “Jeremy, good to see you again. Please show Ms.
Knox to the powder room so she can freshen up while I speak to Mrs. Mulhoney.”

Jeremy held out his arm for Amanda, his eyes clearly indicating his interest while maintaining an air of propriety. He grinned down at her and led her from the room while Amanda saw Clarissa speaking to an older woman dressed in a somber-looking grey suit. The grey was the same shade as Jackson’s eyes, and it served to remind her why she was here.

She wanted no part in a catfight, and Jackson was clearly out of her league anyway, but if things were really over between Clarissa and Jackson, she wondered if she was about to get an earful of blame.

Since Clarissa had insisted on her going to the powder room, Amanda stepped inside the posh setting and walked over to the mirror. She was surprised to see her hair in such disarray, but she quickly straightened it
before reapplying her lipstick. Amanda wondered if enough time had passed.

She opened the door and saw that Jeremy was waiting for her, a fact that made her quite nervous and left her feeling awkward. “Ms. Black would like me to show you to your table,” Jeremy said in explanation. Amanda shrugged and took his arm again.

Jeremy led her through the main restaurant dining area to a quiet corner in the back. “I hope you like your usual spot, Ms. Black,” he said, as he deposited Amanda in her seat with a flourish.

“Yes of course, Jeremy, this will be fine,” Clarissa said with a smile. “Could you please bring a bottle of champagne? Something light, perhaps?” Jeremy blushed at the full wattage smile she beamed at him, bowed a bit and headed off to find the champagne. Turning to Amanda,
she smiled a bit more nervously.

Amanda noticed Clarissa’s hair seemed to be perfect, as though she hadn’t just spent the past 20 minutes with the top down on the interstate.
How does she do that?
The nerves were setting in, but Amanda promised herself she wouldn’t cower to the other woman again.

“Okay, Amanda, let’s just cut to the chase,” Clarissa leaned closer.

Amanda’s heart stuttered, but she kept her expression neutral. She wondered when that champagne was coming, because she needed a great big gulp.

Jackson had approved the artwork and they could go ahead with the t-shirt order they had planned for the giveaways on the first Sunday night of services. The more pressing matter was how he was going to keep Amanda from getting herself killed without letting anything happen to Whitney. Of course, for all they knew, it could already be too late for Whitney.

Pushing back from his desk, Jackson knew he couldn’t live with the thought of Whitney being hurt either, but they couldn’t rescue all the girls. And most of them didn’t want to be rescued, Whitney included, but there had to be a way.

She might go straight back to the jerk afterwards, but that was her decision. For now, they just needed to get her out so they could tell her about Billy’s threats. After that, it was up to her. Right now, he needed a plan, and he knew just the man to help him. Jackson headed to Harry’s office to hash it all out.