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It was then that Quentin knew the real reasons for his hesitation. Sure he respected his friends’ wishes and wanted to stay clear of their sister, but honestly, in the back of Quentin’s mind, he had to wonder if their reservations were reasonable.

Amber chirped for about thirty minutes before Quentin glanced down at his wristwatch.

“Oh, I’m sure you have someplace you need to be as important as you are,” she said.

“Actually, I have a meeting in an hour and have lingered longer than I should’ve. Thank you for the coffee, Amber,” he said, rising from his seat.

Amber stood at the same time. “I should be the one thanking you. I didn’t pay for the coffee, remember?”

Quentin tilted his head in silent agreement. Amber pulled a ten-dollar bill from her change purse.

“How about I leave the tip?” she said, tossing the bill down.

They strolled away from the table, and the doorbell chimed as they exited. “You paid more for the tip than I paid for the coffee,” he said.

Amber shrugged. “I know you’re a millionaire an all, but I can’t let you show me out.” She laughed, paying no mind to her footing as she stepped off the sidewalk backwards and continued to speak to him cheerfully. A Volkswagen shot down the street seconds away from running her over. Instead of calling out her name, Quentin moved quickly to pull her back but wasn’t faster than the speeding vehicle.

“Aaaah!” Amber squealed as Quentin shoved her out from in front of the oncoming collision. There was only a second to spare before the impact with the sailing automobile. It hit him at the waist, and his body rolled up the front, smashing hard against the windshield.

“Oh my God!” Amber shouted, rising to her feet to run over to Quentin. The horn inside the Volkswagen blasted as the driver’s face rested on the steering wheel. Neither the driver nor Quentin moved as everything around them stopped, and any nearby pedestrians called the police. Amber called out to Quentin, but he was none the wiser as he was out cold.

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