who misdiagnosed his chest pains as a panic attack. Years later, Amanda’s husband would succumb to the same heart condition Amber’s mother had discovered that night, but if it hadn’t been for her mother’s quick thinking, Amanda would have had to bury her husband ten years too soon.
When her mother fell in love with Chapel Springs right off the bat, Amber wasn’t the least bit surprised. But when she called a few days later to inform Amber she was moving there for good, Amber’s jaw hit the floor.
Amanda Crawford’s invite, it turned out, had been twofold.
The woman had just purchased an old ranch house she planned to transform into a luxury bed and breakfast and she’d invited the four nurses who had saved her husband’s life that long ago night to join her in the endeavor. And all of them had accepted. Including Amber’s mom. Never mind that The Haven Creek Inn wasn’t due to open for another year and a half.
Four years later, Haven Creek, as locals called it, was considered one of the premiere travel destinations in all of Texas. And it comforts Amber to think of her mother there now, safe, serene, surrounded by both beautiful country and the wonderful group of women who helped walk her through her grief over her husband’s death.
“Stay put, momma,” Amber says. “I think I’m gonna be okay.”
“Caleb’s got everything under control?”
“Something like that. Did you know all that stuff about the trust?”
“I knew your father and Caleb had a lot of conversations about it and they didn’t include me. Like I said, the connection between those two…it was special. I tried not to intrude.”
“And Joel?”
“What do you mean?” her mother asks.
“Did you have any doubts about him?”
“Amber, you have to stop doing this to yourself.”
“Doing what?”
“Beating yourself up like this. Marriage is a roll of the dice and you never know how it’s going to come out.”
“But you can’t win if you don’t play?”
“If you want to be sarcastic, that’s fine, I guess.”
“I figure I’m allowed.”
“Maybe for another few weeks.”
“Remember that expression Daddy used to always say?”
“Which one?”
“Sometimes the road rises up to beat you instead of meet you.”
“Oh, yeah. He stopped saying it after what happened to Caleb’s parents.”
“He only reserved it for the big things too. Not the everyday stuff. The big plans that went off the rails.”
“I remember.”
“Like a marriage. Think he’d use it now?”
“Well, he stopped using it altogether after Tim and Abby were killed, so no, I don’t think he would. And this sounds suspiciously like you beating yourself up again so I’m not going to sign off on it.”
“What about this thing I do with the dartboard? I took Joel’s picture and I—”
“You told me about that already. That’s fine.”
“Okay. Good. Also, my boss is kinda sending me to a sex club,” Amber adds.
“Hold, please,” her mother says quietly.
“Uh huh,” Amber answers, steeling herself for what’s to come.
Her mother places one hand over the phone’s mouthpiece and politely asks whoever’s in the office with her to leave. Amber hears chair legs scrape wood floor, then her mother says, “A what ?”
“A sex club. But it costs a lot of money. So I’m sure it’s real nice.”
“Your boss, Belinda Baxter, who has twice been on the cover of Texas Monthly , is sending you to a sex club?”
“I kinda had the same reaction when she said it.”
“But you’re going anyway.”
“Yes…” At least, she thinks she is.
When Freddy, Belinda’s driver, brought her home from Watson’s earlier that day, Belinda had departed for a day full of lunch, fitness classes, shopping, probably a few stops off at some places that served fine wine in a comforting environment, and then some more shopping.
A note had been waiting for her on Belinda’s desk. Stick to the light list for the rest of the day, it said,
When her mother fell in love with Chapel Springs right off the bat, Amber wasn’t the least bit surprised. But when she called a few days later to inform Amber she was moving there for good, Amber’s jaw hit the floor.
Amanda Crawford’s invite, it turned out, had been twofold.
The woman had just purchased an old ranch house she planned to transform into a luxury bed and breakfast and she’d invited the four nurses who had saved her husband’s life that long ago night to join her in the endeavor. And all of them had accepted. Including Amber’s mom. Never mind that The Haven Creek Inn wasn’t due to open for another year and a half.
Four years later, Haven Creek, as locals called it, was considered one of the premiere travel destinations in all of Texas. And it comforts Amber to think of her mother there now, safe, serene, surrounded by both beautiful country and the wonderful group of women who helped walk her through her grief over her husband’s death.
“Stay put, momma,” Amber says. “I think I’m gonna be okay.”
“Caleb’s got everything under control?”
“Something like that. Did you know all that stuff about the trust?”
“I knew your father and Caleb had a lot of conversations about it and they didn’t include me. Like I said, the connection between those two…it was special. I tried not to intrude.”
“And Joel?”
“What do you mean?” her mother asks.
“Did you have any doubts about him?”
“Amber, you have to stop doing this to yourself.”
“Doing what?”
“Beating yourself up like this. Marriage is a roll of the dice and you never know how it’s going to come out.”
“But you can’t win if you don’t play?”
“If you want to be sarcastic, that’s fine, I guess.”
“I figure I’m allowed.”
“Maybe for another few weeks.”
“Remember that expression Daddy used to always say?”
“Which one?”
“Sometimes the road rises up to beat you instead of meet you.”
“Oh, yeah. He stopped saying it after what happened to Caleb’s parents.”
“He only reserved it for the big things too. Not the everyday stuff. The big plans that went off the rails.”
“I remember.”
“Like a marriage. Think he’d use it now?”
“Well, he stopped using it altogether after Tim and Abby were killed, so no, I don’t think he would. And this sounds suspiciously like you beating yourself up again so I’m not going to sign off on it.”
“What about this thing I do with the dartboard? I took Joel’s picture and I—”
“You told me about that already. That’s fine.”
“Okay. Good. Also, my boss is kinda sending me to a sex club,” Amber adds.
“Hold, please,” her mother says quietly.
“Uh huh,” Amber answers, steeling herself for what’s to come.
Her mother places one hand over the phone’s mouthpiece and politely asks whoever’s in the office with her to leave. Amber hears chair legs scrape wood floor, then her mother says, “A what ?”
“A sex club. But it costs a lot of money. So I’m sure it’s real nice.”
“Your boss, Belinda Baxter, who has twice been on the cover of Texas Monthly , is sending you to a sex club?”
“I kinda had the same reaction when she said it.”
“But you’re going anyway.”
“Yes…” At least, she thinks she is.
When Freddy, Belinda’s driver, brought her home from Watson’s earlier that day, Belinda had departed for a day full of lunch, fitness classes, shopping, probably a few stops off at some places that served fine wine in a comforting environment, and then some more shopping.
A note had been waiting for her on Belinda’s desk. Stick to the light list for the rest of the day, it said,
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