Page 16 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘Bullshit,’ he rasped back, standing and coming to meet her chest to chest. Well, not exactly. With his size, she was pretty much hate-eyeing his pecs right now. In fact, she was so het up, she could probably reach over and nipple twist him to death if she wanted to. ‘You let Bradley put you on hold, and you deserve more, Cherry. So much fucking more. You need to do your own shit!’

‘Don’t Cherry me, Master Chef!’ She was shouting now.Glancing around, half the pub suddenly looked away to study the wallpaper, the beermats, anything but look in their direction. Sharon was staring at them both, a look Amber didn’t understand clouding her face. She looked almost… amused?Nah.

‘Mr Master Chef if you don’t mind, and I’ll Cherry you as much as I like!’

Her head whirled around to laser focus on him again. His jaw was so tight, she thought his teeth might pop.

‘And, anyway, if you’re so good, why are you still here?’ She jabbed her hands towards the kitchen. ‘You could have gotten a better gig months ago. You didn’t want to work with Bradley, you turn down offers all the time! You hark on about me being stuck, but you’re still here too!’

‘Yeah,’ he fumed. ‘I am, and it’s a good job too, because you need someone to give you a kick up the behind! No-one else will do it, will they? You’re on your own, Amber!’

‘I DON’T NEED YOU!’ she shouted back. That last comment had cut through her like a chuffing samurai sword. ‘I’m fine on my own! I’ve been on my own most of my life, Tyler.’

He took a step back, his body draining of anger before her. ‘Amber, I didn’t mean that. I meant?—’

‘Oh, I know what you meant.’ Her voice had dropped to a raspy whisper. ‘And we’re done talking. My relationship with Bradley is none of your business. What I do in my life is my problem, not yours.’ Her chest was heaving with frustration and hurt. She was so upset, so hopping mad and embarrassed that she couldn’t get a breath into her lungs deep enough to quell everything within. Gripping her bag to her like a life raft in the sea of watching faces, she headed straight upstairs to her flat. She knew she was being rude, but she was done. For once, she wasn’t the nice woman who made everyone else feel welcome. Quite frankly, right now she wished that they’d all jog on. The problem with living in Hebblestone wasthat everyone knew your business. Before now, it had never been an issue. Maybe it had helped that Bradley didn’t live here too, but she couldn’t think about that right now. It just reminded her that he’d left rather than staying to fight for their relationship. That, sooner or later, everyone left.

She got to her flat door when she heard him.

‘Tyler, just leave it. Please.’

Her stupid key wouldn’t fit in the lock. Her shaky hands were rimming the metal, and she grabbed it with her other hand to steady it enough to push it home.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.’

Her door opened, and she faced him with a weary look. She felt exhaustion running through her entire being.

‘Yeah, you did. And you have a point with most of it, but I just don’t want to talk about it any more.’

‘What if I do?’ She drank him in as he stood there. Halfway up the steps, his face contrite, stricken. ‘I have more to say.’

‘Whatever you have to say doesn’t matter. I meant what I said.’ She bit her lip. ‘I’ve been feeling weird around you lately, and it’s not right. I’m still getting over Bradley, and I have my own stuff going on. We just hurt each other, in front of everyone? Can’t you see that?’

He looked devastated.

‘I know.’

‘That’s not us, Tyler.’ She laughed, but it was thin, strained. ‘I need you in my corner, like before. You’re right, you do look after me. Too much, probably.’

‘I like taking care of you, Cherry.’

‘Don’t call me that.’ Her eyes slammed shut as she tried to pull her thoughts together. ‘Listen, Bradley is going to get the eatery open. You’ll leave. Things will change and, if I don’t do something, I will still be here, living this life. I don’t want to lose you?—’

‘You won’t,’ he growled. ‘Ever.’

Her heart did that flip-floppy thing it had been doing lately when he spoke to her like this. She really needed an ECG or something, because it felt like the damn thing stopped for a split second and then raced to catch up with itself.

‘Good,’ she started to turn away, not wanting to face him. ‘Because you’re a good friend. I wouldn’t want that to change when so many other things might. I have to follow my own path.’

‘Friend,’ he echoed as she half hid behind the closing door. ‘Right.’Did I just hear him swallow?‘Got you.’ The door was open a crack now. She felt like when she was a bitty thing and her parents would get her to hide behind the couch so the rent collector couldn’t spot them through the window.Guilty, sly.

‘Goodnight,’ she pushed out, hating herself.

He didn’t reply until she’d locked the door behind her.

‘Yeah. Goodnight, Amber. Sleep tight.’

6

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