The nicknames were as bad as the photo.
Ash crossed the sidewalk and unlocked his car. “Jenna said no.”
“What?”
Amber’s high-pitched, eardrum-bursting screech made his ears ring. He winced, lowered the phone.
“I can’t believe this. Why would she say no? That’s so rude. We were practically family.”
“Think about what you did before you start going off on Jenna.”
“I made a mistake. Two years ago. That’s, like, forever.” Amber was probably shrugging, her favorite gesture, and one that rarely meant confusion or indifference. “Does she want more money?”
“I offered more. She still said no.”
“That makes no sense.”
“An in-person apology from you might have helped your cause.”
“Not possible. I couldn’t be late to my spa pedicure.”
Unbelievable. A headache threatened to erupt. He rubbed his temples and decided against sitting in the car to continue this discussion. He wouldn’t be tempted to raise his voice out here. “That’s the important appointment you couldn’t miss?”
“Don’t go all cross-examining incredulous on me. Foot care is important.”
Ash gritted his teeth. “Finding a photographer for your wedding should be more important than your toenails.”
But he wasn’t surprised by Amber’s actions or her words. Their parents had divorced when she was three. Ash had been thirteen, not old enough to understand why his mother had left or why she hadn’t wanted visitation rights, but his younger sister had been traumatized by their mother’s absence. Nightmares, hunger strikes, tantrums. The behavior issues kept compounding instead of improving. He’d done what he could to make things better for Amber. So had their father. Maybe they’d gone too far indulging her all these years.
“Puh-lease talk to Jenna again.” Amber used her little-girl voice. “Offer her more money. I know. Ask her out on a date. You guys were a cute couple.”
“We were.” He remembered more good times with Jenna than bad ones. “But those days are over.”
“Second chances, bro.”
Not going there. At least not with Amber.
He should get in his car and drive away, but he didn’t want to leave yet. “Jenna accepted my apology. If you want to change her mind about photographing your wedding, your first step is apologizing in person.”
Silence filled the line. Not surprising. Amber never liked being told she was wrong.
Something moved in his peripheral vision. He looked, but saw nothing.
“I made a mistake and didn’t own up to it,” Amber said finally. “But you’re the one who overreacted because of a joke.”
“I didn’t overreact. My opponent used the photo in an ad. My campaign manager resigned. I had no choice but to drop out of the race.”
Or face the biggest loss in the district’s history.
“You aren’t cut out for politics. If Jenna had been the right woman for you, Dad said you would have stuck by her, not blamed her the minute something went wrong.”
Ash stiffened. “What are you talking about? Dad led the case against Jenna.”
Motive.
Means.
Opportunity.
The last two had been slam-dunks where Jenna was concerned. Only her motive seemed inconclusive. His father, who had sat at both prosecutor and defense tables, thought she might not want to share Ash with constituents and be thrust into the spotlight, given her upbringing, but the odds had been against Jenna from the start.
“Dad never liked her,” Ash continued. “Wrong family. Wrong part of town. Wrong schools. Wrong type of wife for a lawyer with political aspirations.”
“You must have agreed or you wouldn’t have called her a liar and broken up with her.”
Maybe he hadn’t loved Jenna enough to trust her or forgive her.
I would be happier if you’d believed before this.
Maybe she deserved a man who would have done both those things.
“I was wrong.” Praying for guidance would be the smart thing to do, but not even prayer brought him comfort these days. Nothing did. “I hurt Jenna, and I’ve apologized for my mistakes. It’s your turn.”
A loud sigh sounded in his ear. “O-kay. But I want you with me.”
Amber sounded nervous—like the time when she was eight and didn’t want to ride the roller coaster at an amusement park near Tacoma. “When?”
“I’ll be finished in an hour.”
Not enough time to go back to his office. “I’ll grab a cup of coffee, then meet you at Jenna’s house.”
Another sigh. “Fine. But if I’m going to this much trouble, she’d better change her mind about photographing my wedding.”
“Don’t you mean your and Toby’s wedding?”
Amber harrumphed. The line disconnected.
Ash opened the car door. Something flashed by again. He looked over the top of his car. Focused. Not a blur, a puppy, the one he’d seen a few minutes ago. She chased her tail.