Locked In Amber Ch. 03

"Well, I like to make all sorts of things. I don't get to spend nearly as much time out here as I would like since the business is the main priority. But I make some furniture." He gestured towards the bookcase in progress. "I also make little decorative boxes and other fun stuff."

They continued to work together, making quick progress and small talk. In a short span, they were done and he offered her a sink in a side bathroom for washing her hands. As with Sophia's making of tea, focusing on something task-oriented had allowed Amber's nerves to return to some level of normal. But now that they were done, she felt the nervousness creeping back.

"Come on, let's head back to the house and you can meet Elise," he said, drying his hands on the towel as she waited outside the bathroom door.

"I'm kind of nervous about that. I don't think she likes me," Amber said glumly as they headed back out of the shop.

"Really? Why do you say that?" Spencer shut off the lights and locked the door. "She hasn't even met you."

"She seemed pretty annoyed when she answered the door. In her underwear, I might add. That was pretty awkward."

Spencer stopped briefly and stared at her. "In her under...? Ahh, geez. Sorry about that. I was out in the shop." He started back towards the house. "No, she was probably annoyed with me because I didn't answer the door. I think she's getting ready to go out tonight."

"Ohhhh..." Amber thought back to how the brief meeting had occurred: the underwear, the hair half done up. "Heh, that makes a lot more sense than... well, than what I had assumed." She flushed a bit, feeling ashamed once again.

Spencer looked at her quizzically as he opened the main door, standing to one side and gesturing for her to go in. "Why? What did you assume?"

She glanced at him as she went by. "That she and... you... were, uhh..."

"Oh," he said, absentmindedly, latching the door behind him. Then his eyes widened. "Oh! Right. Girlfriend. Ahh, well, no worries there." He chuckled briefly before continuing, "I imagine it was a bit shocking. I think that, with all the modeling, she just doesn't get embarrassed about undergarments and such and sometimes she forgets that other people might feel awkward."

Amber sat down on a bench in the entryway to remove her shoes. "She actually is a model?"She was looking up at the grand, solid wood staircase gracefully rising from the junction of the hallway and living room to the upper floor.

"Yeah. Been doing it for quite a while now," Spencer replied, slipping off his shoes. "Just got back from a shoot and I think she's going to hang out with some friends she hasn't seen in a long time. She usually does that when she comes back." He headed into the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?"

"Sure. Water's fine." Amber went around the corner and found herself in a gorgeous kitchen. Tall, dark wood cabinets lined several walls underneath massive beams spanning the ceiling. A six-burner gas stove sat elegantly under a stainless steel hood, while an expansive island sat in the middle of the room, a fruit bowl and various personal items sitting on one corner. Marble covered the counters and island while stonework lined the backsplash. It reminded her of a winery she had once visited a couple of years ago, but something about this space felt both professional and homey at the same time. "Wow, this is gorgeous." She sat on a barstool at the island, looking all around.

"Thanks! I like it too." He handed her a glass of water, taking one for himself. He was about to say something when Amber's phone began ringing in her pocket.

"Oh, sorry," Amber replied. "It's Katelyn. She was going to check on me. Mind if I take it?"

Spencer nodded. "Sure, I'll just give you some space." He walked out of the room and Amber connected the call.

"Hey, hot stuff. Did you get your nap in? Did you want to meet up tonight? Aaron's playing Playstation with some friends, so I'm totally free."

"Hey, funny you ask. No nap. It's been a crazy afternoon. The doorbell rang and I ended up talking with Ms. Carlucci and now I'm up at Spencer's."

"Oh, that's a bummer. About the nap I mean. Ms. Carlucci... isn't that the woman your dad is seeing?"

"Well, they aren't dating or anything, but she makes us dinner a lot."

"Sounds like dating to...wait! I just realized what you said. You did say you're at Spencer's, right?"

"Yes."

"Right now, you're there with him?"

"Yeah. Well, not right with him now, he just stepped out. Anyway, I came up to apologize and, well, it's a long story. There's a girl here... apparently, he has a Romanian sister who's like a clothing model or something and we haven't talked much yet... Spencer and I, I mean. Well, I haven't really talked to the sister either, but... well, I just got here a bit ago. Anyway, my head's just swimming around and I'm babbling. I am in a total fog and so disconnected."

There was a pause at the other end. Finally, Katelyn spoke up, "And you think your life isn't interesting... Ha! It's officially way more interesting than mine! Well, I'm assuming you're not wanting to meet up tonight? I totally understand, by the way. No worries."

"Okay, sorry. Maybe tomorrow?" Amber inquired.

"Sure thing. Really, nothing to worry about. You're not standing me up, but promise I get all the deets." The teasing in her voice carried through the phone. "Have fun and call me if you need anything." The call disconnected and Amber walked out into the living room.

Spencer was reading one of the Song of Ice and Fire novels. He put it down when she came in. "Everything all right? How's Katelyn?"

Amber sat down on the other end of the couch. It was really comfortable and she sank in. "She's good. Sorry about the interruption, but she had said earlier she was going to call and see how I was."

"No problem. I completely understand. That reminds me, I wanted to tell you that I really liked your friends last night. I hope you'll tell them thanks for coming over. It was a good time. I don't really have people over very often, so it was a nice change. I'd say it was a lot better than Steve's shindig but that's not really saying very much." He smirked.

"Oh, I'm glad! They had a good time too. Aaron and Katelyn, I mean. I don't know about Monique and Tyler since I haven't seen them today, but I assume they did. Thanks for the water, by the way." She nodded at the book sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "First time reading the series?"

Spencer glanced down. "No, it's my third. I keep hoping Martin finishes and so every few years I reread the series to stay fresh on the storyline. Have you read it?"

"Yeah, just once though." Having come upon a similar interest that was plenty safe, Amber found herself opening up again as they began discussing the books and, inevitably, comparing them to the HBO series. Spencer too seemed to open up some and seem a bit more relaxed.

Amber's phone quacked, startling her out of her conversation. It was Katelyn's tone.

KM: Hope you have fun tonight. I just demolished one of Aaron's friends in the last battle round and he's having a hissy fit—beaten by a girl. HAHAHA

Amber smiled. "Sorry, Katelyn again. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, I liked them both for different reasons. The books are far richer, of course, but there's something to be said for the visual appeal, the cinematography, the costumes. I'm just not one of those people that feels you have to say it's only one or the other."

"Yeah, right?" Spencer agreed. "It seems like there's always someone who isn't happy about one or the other and some people can't seem to comprehend that one might like both."

Amber's phone quacked again.

KM: Seriously, though. HAVE FUN!

"What's with the quacking?" Spencer inquired.

"Oh, that? Well, when Kat was little, she absolutely adored ducks. She had stuffed animal ducks, pictures of ducks. I think her grandma even gave her this weird porcelain duck one time. She's totally grown out of it now, of course, but I found the tone and set it for her just to drive her crazy. Every so often I go in and put it on her phone as a ringtone." She grinned.

Spencer smiled. "Sounds like a good friend."

"Yeah, she's..." Amber started to respond before movement on the staircase distracted her. Elise was coming down from the upper floor. It appeared that she had completed her preparations and was ready for a night out on the town. She was dressed to kill and carried herself as if she knew how to wield it like a deadly weapon. Her attire hinted at a steampunk flavor with a black ruffled skirt that ran a diagonal cut mid-thigh on the left side down to knee-length on the right. Her top, a sapphire blue bustier with black lace trim, perfectly matched her eyes. Around her neck was an intricate black Victorian necklace with a sapphire pendant that hung tantalizingly towards her cleavage. Her deep auburn hair fell around her head like a waterfall, the waves giving it a texture both smooth and inviting.

"...the best.'' The sentence stumbled, barely audible, from Amber's lips and fell flat.

Spencer didn't seem to notice as he stood up. "Hey, Sis. This is my friend Amber. Amber, this is Elise." Amber stood up and held out her hand awkwardly thinking about their first meeting some 45 minutes ago.

Elise took Amber's hand with a brief shake. Her skin was soft and warm. "Ahh, yes the girl at the door." Her Eastern European accent lilted the words melodiously and there was no hint of annoyance in them. "I see Spencer caught up to you. You seemed confused, no? All is well, I hope?"

"Yes, thank you. I wasn't expecting you to answer the door and..., well, it's been a really weird and long day." Amber let out a deep breath.

Spencer sat back down on the couch. "It didn't help that you were apparently in your underwear and seemed mad at her," he said nonchalantly with the comfort a brother has with being totally frank with his sister.

"Oh, that." Elise made a dismissive motion with her hand. "People have seen me in less. I don't know what the big deal is. Anyway, I was getting ready for tonight and you didn't answer."

She turned to Amber. "I am sorry if you thought I was annoyed with you and that you were shocked. Welcome to our house."

"Oh, uh, it's okay. Um, really," Amber stammered. "Thank you."

Elise glanced between Amber and Spencer, her lips lifting in the slightest half-smile. "I will leave you two. Nicolette is waiting. Do not wait up for us." She winked at Amber and walked out the front door. A few moments later, the deep rumble of the sports car's engine could be heard as she left the driveway. Amber realized she was still staring towards the front door and snapped her attention back to Spencer who was putting a bookmark in the novel.

People have seen me in less? "Uh, Spence? What kind of model is she?"

He made his way over to the bookshelf. "Well, she's done all kinds, but I think the majority now is swimsuits and lingerie."

Of course, she is.

"What was that?" He was looking over at her.

Amber realized she must have voiced her thoughts out loud. "Oh, ahh, nothing." Embarrassed, she was about to change the subject when her phone quacked and she glanced down.

KM: Are you having fun yet?

Another quack. This time, there was only a single emoji -- an eggplant.

Another quack, this one followed by a picture of a banana.

"Oh my God," Amber laughed and texted back a stop sign emoji.

Another quack and a red heart with a thumbs up.

"Katelyn having fun?" Spencer had an inquiring look on his face.

"Yes, sorry. She's just trying to lift my spirits. She's my best friend, but she's completely incorrigible."

"See, I knew you weren't a dolt. Dolts don't say 'incorrigible'. Scientific fact." Amber looked up to see him smiling at her. And she smiled back. At that moment, her stomach growled loudly.

Embarrassingly loud.

And long.

Spencer barked out a short laugh. "That's the second time today, Amber—don't you ever eat?" He thought for a second and then said, "You know, I didn't really have plans for the evening and was going to eat leftovers, but we could order a pizza or something."

Amber's first instinct was to be embarrassed at the growling in her stomach. She hadn't really even eaten much lunch. But then she thought about wanting to talk to Spencer about the previous night and he seemed game for spending more time together, which was a major positive. The embarrassment quickly turned into confidence she didn't usually feel. "I have a better idea. Do you like lasagna?"