Source One

professional. You communicate well. It’ll be fine.”
    Amber pressed her lips together and nodded. If he felt she was ready for the responsibility, she wasn’t going to try to talk him out of it. She’d just have to do her best and prove him right.
    ***
    Amber and Brian saw each other several times over the next two weeks. They alternated between going to restaurants and Amber visiting Brian’s house.
    Amber met Mrs. Quinn. The house Mrs. Quinn owned was several blocks from Amber’s house. And, although Mrs. Quinn’s daughter was ten years older, she and Amber had attended the same schools.
    Amber and Brian had just tucked Katie into bed on a Wednesday night. They walked out of her room, down the stairs.
    “I was scheduled to be at a conference in a couple of weeks, but Mrs. Quinn is going to be visiting her daughter then,” Brian told her as they went into the kitchen. “I’m going to send Jim instead.”
    “Do you want me to stay with Katie?”
    Brian blinked. “Really?”
    Amber nodded. “I’d love to. But I’m not sure how early I can get out of work while you’re gone.”
    “There’s an aftercare program at her school. She stays there whenever Mrs. Quinn is in Colorado.”
    Brian drew Amber to him and kissed her tenderly. “Thank you. Katie will be so excited.”

CHAPTER 13
     
    “How’s everything going there?”
    It was two weeks later, and Brian was on his trip, calling from Arizona.
    Amber stood watching Katie, who was seated at the kitchen counter. “Great. We made pizza, and now we’re having a little manicure party.”
    “You’re doing Katie’s nails?”
    Amber pictured Brian’s smile at the other end of the phone. “Yes. And she’s doing mine.”
    “What color?”
    “Pink.”
    “I had an image of blue or green. Maybe both.”
    Amber laughed. “We miss you.”
    “And I miss both of you,” Brian said. “Very much.”
    Amber’s eyes grew misty. “I’ll put Katie on.”
    ***
    “I wish you’d stop working for Sumner,” Brian said. “Come back and work for me.”
    Brian had returned from his business trip the night before.  Now he and Amber were out to dinner.
    “Why?” Amber asked him.
    Brian shook his head. “I just don’t like the guy.”
    “Don’t worry,” Amber said. “He treats me well.”
    Brian’s jaw ticked.
    Amber sighed. She knew Brian still felt guilty about how he’d treated her.
    She ran her hand down his arm. “It’s just that things are going well. He’s given me some extra responsibility.”
    Brian frowned. “What kind of extra responsibility?”
    Amber shook her head. “Brian, I can’t talk about it.”
    Brian closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and nodded. “He’s in a separate area of technology, but I suppose I understand.”
    Amber pressed her lips together. If Brian only knew that Peter Sumner was also working on wi-fi coding for smartphones. But she couldn’t tell him.
    At any rate, Brian’s business was thriving. Unless Sumner Systems came up with something revolutionary, she doubted Brian’s business would suffer in the least.
    Brian had a contract with the largest smartphone company and Peter Sumner was free to go after another.
    From the correspondence she ’d had with Sumner Systems’ potential client, it looked like the smartphone company was just looking to catch up.
    Amber squeezed Brian’s arm. “Let’s change the subject,” she whispered. “Okay?”
    Brian’s jaw clenched again. But he nodded.
    Brian and Amber were sitting on the sofa in the family room several nights later. Brian’s arm was wrapped around her.
    “Thank you for agreeing to take things slowly.”
    He kissed her gently. “Life really does offer second chances. When Diana and I met, she’d just broken off an engagement.”
    Amber looked up at Brian. “ Really?”
    Brian nodded. His eyes locked onto Amber’s. “I honestly never thought I’d feel this way again, Amber.” He stroked her cheek. “I’m falling in love with you.”
    Amber’s heart beat hard at the look of tenderness in his eyes.
    “Me too.” Her voice was choked as she spoke the words.
    Brian’s words meant everything to Amber. But a sliver of doubt nagged at her.
    “Brian, there are still things I haven’t told you,” she whispered. “Things you don’t know about me.”
    Michelle had gone on a limb to hire her.
    What would happen when Brian found out? Would he fire Michelle?
    Brian took her hands and drew them to his chest. “I like a woman of