“Amber, you can’t be thinking of wasting all this food,” I said.

“I’m not,” she replied. “I was just weighing the options.”

“What options? The only choice is to stay here,” I said. “With your daughter.” With me. I bcouldn’t /bbsay /bbthat /b

part aloud, not trusting it wouldn’t blow up in my face.

“I didn’t say I was going. I was just thinking about it.”

“Why even think about it?” I said, a touch on the harsher side. Maybe it was the jealousy. Or maybe I’d been feeling more possessive of her since we’d slept together.

I didn’t know, but… it felt like the harder I tried to hold onto Amber, the more she pushed me away. And it was entirely frustrating, so much so that I had trouble holding onto my tempter.

Amber, too, was ring at me, like she was as mad at me as I was at her.

Meanwhile, Alice sniffled, looking between us with herrge doe eyes. Then, unfortunatelyb, /bthe tears started to fall.

b“/bI–I d–don’t want yb–/byou to g–g–go, Mommy!” Alice said, holding both hands out for her mom.

Amber and I both cooled at once, like a cold bucket of water had been thrown over our heads. Amber moved to hold Alice, while I sat down, trying to make myself less intimidating and imposing.

Gods, I felt terrible. I had been angry at Amber for distancing herself from me, but I didn’t mean to frighten or upset Alice.

“D–bdon’t /bbf/b–fight,” Alice said, crying into Amber’s shoulder.

b“/bI’m bsorry/bb, /bAlice,” Amber said,bing through her daughter’s hair. “Everything’s okay. We’re going to stay right here and eat the dinner Julian prepared. Right, Julian?b” /b

“That’s right, Amber,” I said softly, for my daughter’s sake. “Everything’s okay now. No one is fighting.”

For a while, Amber and I yed nice in front of Alice, talking as friends, all smiles for Alice’s benefit. Halfway through dinner though, Amber pulled away.

“I forgot, I should call Rafael and ask for a raincheck,” she said. At my darkening look, she insisted, “It’s only polite after his invitation. I don’t want him to be expecting us when we aren’t going. I’ll be right bback/bb./bb” /b

Amber bstood/b, grabbed the phone from her purse, and, to my surprise, simply went out into the living room area to make her call. Something that private, I thought she would take in her room.

Seeing she wasn’t hiding anything helped me rx somewhat, though I still felt on edge at the presence

of Rafael at all, through phone call or in person, invading our little private hotel space.

Amber’s POV

“Rafael, I’m sorry, I should have called sooner,” I said, the minute I was able to get the man on the phone.” Alice and I are going to need a raincheck.”

I meant to say that next time, Julian should be included too, but Rafael cut me off before I could.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I thought you might be busy tonight. I know it wasst notice.”

“Still, I am grateful,” I said.

“Good,” Rafael replied. “In that case, please know that the offer is always open to you. You are wee to

That was generous, but… “Julian…”

b“/bYou and Alice,” Rafael said, cutting me off again.

I didn’t need to say the words to be understood, it seemed, nor did he have to say more than he did.

While Alice and I were always wee, Julian was not.