Take the Trophy and Run Read online

  With a swirling in his gut, Stan knew that was just what he wanted. He was crazy in love with Amber, he’d spent all of his life with her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her—on a deeper level. They weren’t just buddies, like she kept saying. They were soul mates. He doubted men usually thought like that, but he did. At least about Amber.

  He turned to his friend. “Unfortunately I know what her answer would be, and it wouldn’t be the one I want. She’d tell me it’s not like that, that we’re just good friends. Lifelong buddies.”

  Hayden’s eyes lost their sparkle, and his whole body sagged. “I wish it had been like that when I married Marissa. We weren’t friends. We didn’t like the same things, we didn’t do the same things. Most of the time we didn’t know what to talk about when we were both home at the same time. We both knew we never should have gotten married. We barely knew each other, and we never worked at getting to know each other. She didn’t even feel guilty when I caught her with her new boyfriend, six months after our wedding. When she served me with divorce papers and left town, I wasn’t surprised. It was almost a relief, but it still really hurt.”

  Stan gritted his teeth. When he found out he’d wanted to deny it because he couldn’t bear that it was his best friend that everyone was talking about. Except it was all true. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “That’s because I didn’t want to believe it. Until I actually caught them together.” Hayden shrugged. “I’m over it now. For the most part, anyway. But what I’m saying is that what I’m looking for is what you and Amber have. I don’t know why you’re too stupid to see it.”

  Stan saw it, but Amber didn’t.

  “You need to ask Amber to marry you, dude.”

  “I would, except I know what she’d say, and it won’t be the answer I want.”

  “Then you have to do something to change her mind.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. You know her better than I do. Think of something.”

  Stan stared blankly at the television. The game was over, he didn’t know the score, and he didn’t care.

  Hayden stood. “I’m going home. When you think of something, bounce it off me.”

  “I will.”

  He hoped.

  Amber’s phone rang. Again, she cringed. It was almost as if highlighting their names on her spreadsheet of the garden club’s membership had somehow made them call her. Strangely, instead of asking about her garden or setting up an appointment for the annual inspection, they all asked about Stan.

  As if she’d know.

  She hadn’t seen him since yesterday. As far as she knew he was at home, watching the ball game with Hayden. After the third call asking about him, she’d nearly panicked and asked if something was wrong that she didn’t know about. Pamela had only laughed and said that she was curious after seeing them together on Sunday.

  They hadn’t been any more together on this last Sunday than they’d been any other Sunday. Unless Winnie had told someone how long they’d hidden in the sanctuary until she got fed up and left, informationless.

  All they’d done was pray, which was what people were supposed to do in the sanctuary.

  The caller ID showed that it was another member of the garden club, but this time the caller wasn’t on the operating committee. This time the caller was her friend, Sarah.

  Amber grinned and flipped the phone open.

  “Stan’s fine, thank you for asking,” she said instead of hello.

  “How did you know I was going to ask?”

  Amber squeezed her eyes shut. “Not you too.”

  “I guess I’m not the first, second, or tenth caller?”

  “Maybe the tenth.”

  She could hear the smile in Sarah’s voice without seeing her. “Then you have to tell me. You know you two have been the talk of the garden club these last few days.”

  “Ever since Friday night, right?”

  “You got it, girlfriend. Feed me the juicy details.”

  “You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

  The second the words left her mouth, she realized she’d just told. Sarah’s silence told her that her friend understood what she hadn’t said.

  “It wasn’t like that . . .” Amber mumbled, her voice trailing off.

  “So it finally happened. There was talk about a betting pool.”

  “There was not.”

  “The only reason there wasn’t was because I told them I refused to ask for details. Unless you want to tell me.”

  “I just said—”

  “—that you don’t kiss and tell. Then intimate. Let me guess between the lines. I hear he was hot in his suit. He wore a tie. Don’t you just love that mustache?”

  Amber tried not to groan. She refused to let Sarah bait her. “What was I wearing?”

  “A dress. With high heels. That’s how I know it was serious.”

  “Those black ones are my favorite shoes.”

  “That you only wear on very special occasions. Come on, Amber, you two went to the Fancy Schmantzy, not McDonalds.”

  Figures from her budget ran like a ticker-tape through her head. “There’s nothing wrong with McDonalds. I eat there all the time.” When she had extra money. Which hadn’t been often lately.

  “Quit trying to change the subject. Talk is that you two were making goo-goo eyes at each other all night. It’s been killing me not to ask, but I’ve waited long enough. I have to know.”

  “Goo-goo eyes?” She rolled her eyes, which were not goo-gooing.

  “Details, my friend.”

  “We had a nice time.” The whole time she’d had difficulty comparing her usual buddy Stan to the charming man across the table. Not that he was ever rude or crude, but he showed and demonstrated manners and behavior fitting the class and dignity of the suit. She’d felt like she’d been swept away on a magic carpet ride, while her butt remained stuck to the padded chair at the restaurant.

  “And?”

  “The food was good.” Better than good, she’d never eaten so well in her life. Of course, she’d never eaten a meal that cost so much in her life either. Everything was top quality, seasoned and cooked to perfection, and served with style. Stan’s meal was as excellent as her own, and the rich cheesecake they’d had for dessert had been a taste sensation.

  “And?”

  “Then we went home.” Because he was being such a baby about being in her car and that she’d driven to the restaurant, she’d let him drive home. That had been a mistake, because she’d ended up admiring how good he looked and thinking about how different the evening had been than anything they’d ever done before. Going out with him had been wonderful.

  “And?”

  “Then yes, just like you heard, he kissed me good night.” A spectacular kiss that had her nearly melting into a little puddle on the kitchen floor. She’d been kissed senseless by her most long-standing and best friend in the world. She’d felt his pulse many times before, mostly she’d had to check that he was still alive after landing on the ground after falling off of something. But this time she’d felt his heart beating against her cheek while he had his arms wrapped tight around her, and she’d had her arms wrapped tight around him. She’d been scared that he would, then terrified that he wouldn’t. Her whole world fell off its axis. The most romantic date she’d ever been on in her whole life had been with her buddy, Stan.

  “And?”

  “He went home. I made tea.” Except that, by the time she could get her head off the table, the kettle had boiled dry and she had to put on a second pot of water. Then she’d stared at the cup until the tea got cold, without having a single sip.

  “That doesn’t say very much for your romantic evening with Stan.”

  Amber’s throat clog
ged up. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think. Do I want more? Just like in all the books I read, everything has changed. What if I’m no different? We’ll never be able to go back to the way it was before. What if we start dating, and it doesn’t work out?”

  “You ask too many questions. I think it would work, but that’s not really up to me to decide. It’s up to you. There’s one question that you didn’t ask, and that’s the one you need to think about. If you continue on with Stan, it will either work or it won’t. There won’t be any middle ground. There never is. Is it worth the risk? I think I’ll leave it at that. I have to go. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  Amber flipped the phone closed and slipped it into her pocket.

  She didn’t have to think about her friend’s question. She already knew the answer.

  While the prize would be wonderful, the expense was too high. It was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Just as Amber expected, a couple of days after nearly everyone in the garden club phoned her to ask about Stan, she got a call from Caroline in the middle of the afternoon, stating that Gnorman was in her garden, holding an envelope.

  Just like everyone in the garden club would expect, Amber called Stan, and he immediately agreed to accompany her to Caroline’s to get said envelope.

  He picked her up after they both closed, and they arrived at Caroline’s in good time. Instead of getting out of the truck, they both stared at the huge home.

  Caroline’s mansion was as opposite from Sherry’s modest dwelling as the sun from the moon. Caroline’s home was huge, a two-story Victorian built in the late nineteenth century by Caroline’s great-grandparents, who were among the founders of the town of Bloomfield.

  “Wow,” Stan said with a whoosh of air. “How many bedrooms does this place have?”

  “I don’t know. Lots. All I know is that Caroline and her daughter live in the back, and the guest bedrooms are on the top floor. That big section in the front is the tearoom.”

  “I’ve never been here before, I’ve only driven past. What about you?”

  “I’ve been to the tearoom, but it’s been years. I’ve heard her garden is spectacular and she’s won prizes for her azaleas, but she’s never won one of the big contests.”

  “If the house is this huge, I can only imagine how big her garden is. I guess being so busy with the B&B, she probably can’t spend as much time as a garden that size needs, and that’s why she’s never won The Spring Fling.”

  “Probably. Let’s go talk to her.”

  When Caroline answered the door, Amber could tell that she and her daughter were just about ready to start eating supper. Being the friendly hostess that she was, Caroline smiled widely and invited them in, not acting like she was in a hurry to get rid of them. Amber refused to take advantage of the nice woman. In many ways Caroline reminded Amber of her own mother.

  Since the tearoom was now closed, this was Caroline’s personal time. All day long, as well as at the garden club meetings, Caroline kept her salt and pepper hair tied back, but this time it was loose, hanging to shoulder length. Amber liked it that way,

  “I’ll take you back to the garden. Let’s cut through the tearoom, it’s quicker than going outside and all the way around. Please don’t mind the mess. I haven’t cleaned it up from this afternoon yet.”

  The tearoom wasn’t as much of a mess as Caroline had claimed. Amber thought the room seemed as charming as the name, The Pink Geranium. All the tables had antique white tablecloths, and the tables that hadn’t been used that day were still set with pretty pink and pastel green napkins, which matched the baskets of pink geraniums hanging on the walls.

  As they followed Caroline between the tables, Stan nudged her and leaned so he could speak softly to her as they walked. “How long is geranium season? Does she grow them all year long to go with the name of this place?”

  Amber didn’t know whether to laugh or cry that, once again, she and Stan were thinking of the same thing at the same time.

  She waited for Stan to comment that the pastel green walls were the same color as the green napkins on the tables, but he didn’t.

  She let Caroline get a little ahead of her as she slowed to check out the centerpieces on the tables, which were small hurricane lamps with candles in the middle, surrounded by a ring of pastel-colored flowers.

  The Pink Geranium Tearoom was the epitome of charming, making Amber almost consider closing her store for an hour and coming back for lunch. Caroline’s Three Cheese Chicken Penne was to die for, and her specialty peach cobbler rivaled the cheesecake from the Fancy Schmantzy, at half the price for a dessert serving. She hadn’t been here in years; the last time was with her mother, before her parents moved to Chicago. In all those years, not much had changed, and being inside once again made her realize how much she wanted to come back.

  She slowed her pace even more, so she could get closer to Stan. “Do you want to come here for lunch one day?” she whispered, hoping Caroline couldn’t hear, in case his answer was no.

  His nose crinkled and his brows knotted. “I think this place is a little girly for me. If I came here, I’d damage the place’s reputation. Did you see the pretty little cups and saucers? I would be afraid to touch that stuff. I’ll pass.”

  “Fine. I’ll ask Sarah. I know she’ll come with me.” When she got the next payment from the florist, Amber would consider tea and dessert at The Pink Geranium a treat, and if she didn’t order lunch, it was one she could afford.

  “You do that.”

  Amber quickened her pace to catch up to Caroline, who already opened the door leading to her garden.

  Caroline’s garden was as expansive as the house, but even as a marginal gardener, Amber could see that the bushes needed pruning, and the flowers needed to be deadheaded. However, unlike the rest of the garden, Caroline’s azaleas were perfectly groomed, trimmed, and arranged. That section of the garden was obviously Caroline’s pride and joy.

  And there, in the middle of Caroline’s pride and joy, stood Gnorman. Dressed as a thief with a little black mask, he had shown up in the middle of the day like a cat burglar when Caroline was out at the wholesale grocery depot, shopping for the tearoom.

  Amber turned to Caroline. “I know you and your daughter were about to eat, and you need more time off your feet. You go have supper. Stan and I will take the note and see ourselves out through the gate.”

  Caroline smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I hope you find the trophy soon.” She smiled again, turned, and headed back toward her house.

  The second the door closed behind Caroline, Stan crossed his arms and turned to Amber. “Do you realize she’s the first person to mention the trophy?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every time we’ve arrived someplace else to find Gnorman, most people have commented on his costume, or that they didn’t see how he got there. Not a single person has mentioned what’s really missing, and that isn’t Gnorman because he keeps showing up. The real purpose of this is ultimately to regain the trophy. Caroline is the first person to mention that.”

  Amber didn’t open the envelope. She only stared at the closed door through which Caroline had disappeared. “You’re right. Do you think that’s significant?” Her brain spun in circles, trying to make the connection, but she came up with nothing.

  “I have no idea. It’s just that this time is different than what we’ve encountered so far.”

  “Caroline is running a multilayered business between the B&B and the tearoom, so she naturally needs to have more of a mind for the big picture.”

  “Are we looking at the right picture though? Your goal is to get the trophy back. What is it this person thinks they’re gaining by making us run all over town, chasing a garden gnome? Other than making us look like
idiots?”

  Amber sank down onto one of the wooden benches in Caroline’s yard. “Is that what everyone thinks? That we look like idiots jumping every time Gnorman shows up someplace else with another note that doesn’t bring us any closer to finding the trophy?”

  Stan sat beside her, plucked the envelope from her hand, laid it in his lap, and cupped both her hands with his. “No. It’s really not that extreme. Actually, I’ve heard the garden club is greatly amused by watching us run around chasing him. It’s just that knowing they’re watching makes me feel stupid because whoever is doing this, leaving all these clues, there’s something we’re not getting.”

  Amber smiled weakly. “I feel the same way. But I’m so afraid that soon the entertainment factor will wear off, and the committee members will say they want the trophy back where it should be, and I won’t be any farther in producing it.” She tipped her head up, looking at Stan. He’d taken off his coveralls and come straight from work. Even though his clothes were relatively clean, the scents of his shop permeated his clothes and his hair. Being downwind from him, she reaped the benefits of his day at work right now. It wasn’t a bad smell. In a strange way, this was the way she liked him best—less than perfect so she couldn’t be too attracted to him. Especially when he shared what was on his heart.

  He gave her hands a gentle squeeze and looked down at their joined hands.

  “I know my mother is getting a real charge out of the whole thing. I was there checking out my dad’s car yesterday and I heard my mom on the phone. I don’t know who she was talking to, but since I heard her digging for details on our trip to the Fancy Schmantzy, it had to be Victoria. As soon as she saw me, she ended the conversation pretty quick.”

  “I know why. I was talking to Sarah, and she said someone tried to start a betting pool about us.”

  “A betting pool? What about us would be fodder for that?”

  “I’m not sure of the exact details, but it was about last Friday.” She refused to say the word date because she still struggled with the concept of dating her best buddy. She preferred to think that two friends enjoyed a nice evening out, with no particular event in mind, dressed in their good clothes, looking their best, just because they felt like it.