Carter Reed 2 (Carter Reed #2)(23)

“We are. Damn the snow, I say,” Theresa announced.

She finally let Amanda loose so she could give Noah and me a hug. Things felt a little awkward with both of us, though Amanda made all the needed motions so the hugs seemed normal. She searched my face and gave me a small, tight grin before moving back. Theresa linked elbows with her and began pulling her to the bedroom she was going to use. As they went down the hallway, Theresa explained, “Going out is not a chore. You and Emma act the same way lately…”

As her voice faded, Noah shook his head. “She doesn’t give a damn about dancing tonight. She’s just avoiding me.”

I stiffened. My boss wasn’t one to share things with me. But I could see the pain Theresa was putting him through on his face. We had never discussed their relationship, but maybe now was the time. “She’s scared of losing you,” I said. “That’s all it’s about.”

He cursed under his breath, raking a hand over his jaw. “I’m getting damn tired of it. If she doesn’t want to move in, she doesn’t have to. What does she think will happen? That I’ll die?”

“Yes.”

He looked taken aback. His eyebrow raised. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “She lost her family. She lost her fiancé.”

Another soft curse came from him. “She told you about him? She doesn’t talk about him ever.”

“She brought it up, but didn’t say much about him.”

“He was a wanker. He died in a bar fight. That was the tragedy of it. He didn’t die from a car accident or cancer. He got pissed drunk and started the fight.”

I frowned. “Does Theresa know he started it?”

He nodded, turning to look in the direction she’d gone. “Yeah, but I get it. He died. Her family died. I get it.” He looked at me for a moment. “She’s terrified of losing you too, you know. Our association with Carter worries her. She doesn’t say anything anymore, and she knows Carter will protect us both, but I know it bothers her.”

My eyes got big as I processed that. This made more sense. I patted Noah on the arm, heading for the bedrooms. “Just move her in one day. It’s the only way she’ll go, and she won’t leave. She’ll be panicked until it happens, but when it does, she’ll settle down.”

He barked out a laugh. “My luck, she’ll quit her job and move to Bali if I do that.”

I chuckled, moving down the hallway to where I could hear Theresa and Amanda talking. He was probably right. I could see Theresa doing that, but she’d come back. I had a feeling Theresa would always go back to Noah. He was her anchor.

Knocking softly on the door, I pushed it open and met Amanda’s gaze in the mirror. Theresa held a dress up in front of her, and Amanda had one hand holding her hair up behind her neck. She faced the mirror, and in that moment, pain sliced through me. In a way, Amanda had been an anchor for me too, especially during the mess of what happened with Mallory.

She bit her lip and looked away as Theresa twisted around to me. “What do you think?”

The dress was black, form fitting, and would stop mid-thigh. I spoke the truth. “Sexy as hell, Amanda.”

Her cheeks grew pink, and she let her hair fall back down. “Thanks. That’s what I go for, sexy as hell on a daily basis.”

I perched on a chair in the corner. Theresa grabbed a different dress from the closet and held it in front of Amanda again. “This one?”

It was pink and lacy. Amanda’s eyebrows shot up. She paled for a quick second before shaking her head and grabbing the black one instead. “I’ll wear this one. I’m good with it.”

“Really? You’re sure?” Theresa frowned at the pink dress. “Maybe I’ll wear this one then?” She glanced at me. “Emma?”

Cue my retreat. I stood. “Oh, no. I’ll find something in my room.” Making a hasty escape, I heard Amanda’s soft laugh, and I paused out in the hallway. A different pain filled my chest. I missed her.

I would miss her.

No. Squeezing my eyelids shut, I told myself I wouldn’t think like that. I couldn’t. We’d have to figure out the cop boyfriend, somehow. She was another sister to me. At that thought, a yearning washed through me. I wanted to talk to Amanda about Andrea, fill her in on everything, but that meant more questions and more answers that I couldn’t give her anymore.

“You okay?”

I looked up. Noah frowned at me, now dressed in a black sweater and jeans. I blinked a few times. Noah was my boss and Carter’s friend. He was big and usually grumbling in the background, especially with Theresa, but right now he looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. I grinned at him. “Theresa is going to go nuts when she sees you.”

“Why?” He cocked his head to the side.

“In a good way. You look good, Noah. She’s not going to be able to keep away from you tonight, especially if she has a few shots.”

“Really?” He mulled that over. “Yeah. Okay. She likes my cologne. I’ll put some of that on, too.” Decision made, he gestured to me again. “You okay, though?”

I looked at the closed door to Amanda’s bedroom. No, but I said, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Carter’s coming back.”