Page 4 of Vodka and Chocolate Drops

“An accident?”

“Really. You have to believe me. I was mad--so mad, but I didn’t mean to do this.”

Scott was quiet for a moment, then gave a sharp nod. “I’m going to talk to the firefighters. Stay here.”

Amber watched him move, solid and in charge, the firemen turning as one to greet him.

Having the fire team here was definitely not going to help make this whole situation with Russell and his book go away, as she wanted it to. There was going to be even more gossip to deal with once they told the story to the town.

She probably should have run away. She eyed her aging car. Maybe it wasn’t too late. It was still packed from earlier.

Scott rejoined her. “They don’t think there’s a risk of forest fire, but want to spray adjacent areas in case.” He crooked his neck so he was eye to eye with her. “You sure you’re okay?”

She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. Of course she wasn’t okay. She was in the news. She’d been exposed as the heroine in a book her ex had written. She’d been deceived. And now she’d destroyed everything her ex had left behind. This wasn’t a typical breakup and things could get very messy if insurance didn’t cover heavy machinery whoopsies.

“I saw the interview at noon and I know it’s hard--”

“That’s what she said,” Amber said, twisting his innocent words into an innuendo--her fallback reaction when it came to deflecting attention from her frequent shortcomings. The last thing she needed was sympathy from her best friend seeing as his life was essentially the definition of perfect harmony.

Her joke didn’t cause Scott to break into his usual smile. Instead, a fine line formed between his brows. “Are you done making light of this?”

“It was an accident, okay? I slammed on the brakes when it was going too close to the edge, and the trailer’s tongue came off the bucket. I couldn’t catch it.”

Scott studied her for a moment. “Not an accidentally-on-purpose incident?” His own arms were crossed, his eyes boring into her in a way that unnerved her. “Russell wasn’t very nice to you on TV. I could see how that might cause a desire for retribution.”

Scott was baiting her for a confession. He was questioning her as an officer of the law. How dare he! They were best friends.

“Don’t take that insinuating tone with me,” she said, poking him in the chest and then regretting it. The man had to be wearing a flak jacket, as she’d just about busted her finger. “Youknowme. I would never intentionally engage in the destruction of another person’s property.”

“I’m just doing my job. It’s nothing personal.”

“I don’t think you could get less personal.”

Scott’s jaw flexed, his expression unreadable. “I can’t allow my personal bias to interfere with an investigation.”

“Investigation!”

“Anytime there’s an explosion, the fire department is called and insurance may be involved, I have a duty to check things out.”

Scott was so familiar, yet unexpectedly different. He was very much an authoritative man-in-charge instead of her goofy pal who always tried to make her smile. It still surprised her, after being in Blueberry Springs for almost a year, that her best friend was no longer that lanky kid she used to cause mischief with, but was now a respected member of the community, an officer of the law. She usually admired that, but right now she needed her friend.

She sat heavily on one of the boulders that lined the driveway, wishing there was someone who understood.

“Amber,” Scott said softly, his jaw working, his brow drawn low, “I have to know that you’re done with this stint of revenge. That you won’t hurt Russell. That you’re safe.”

She jumped up, insulted that he would even have to ask--job or not. “You know me better than anyone else does. YouknowI won’t go after him and that this was all an accident.”

Tears were threatening to spill over once more, so she stopped talking and sat again, facing away from Scott.

“Amber, you’ve been through a lot today. It’s normal to crave payback.”

“What I want is for everything to go away.”

Sighing, Scott sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She tried to lean away, but ended up giving in, savoring his strength and the way his body felt against hers.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Scott said, “It’s meat loaf night at Mom and Dad’s. You should join us.”

Amber had joined them often enough to be considered one of the family, but tonight she needed some space to think--away from Scott and his new investigative side.

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