Christmas on the Coast - Lee Tobin McClain Page 0,4
could hear the wariness underneath. Trey was still evaluating whether Paul was a risk to his son.
And the man was well within his rights. It was Paul who’d done something wrong. “Not well,” he said. “Amber interviewed my wife for her book.”
Amber beat the eggs to a froth with a big silver utensil, poured them into the pan and pulled a small bundle of something green out of the fridge. She snipped pieces into the eggs, then turned to face them. “Davey said she’s in heaven,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.” He flashed back on Wendy, fixing eggs for breakfast. Not like these eggs—just plain ones—but it had been sweet to have someone cooking for him.
“He’s resilient, like all kids.” Paul looked down at his son. “But it’s taken its toll.”
“On both of you, I imagine.” Amber turned back to the counter and sliced thick pieces of brown bread.
What could he say to that? “How’d the book do?” he asked Amber. “What with all that’s been going on, I haven’t had time to look for it.”
“It did great,” Trey chimed in, sounding proud. “In fact, she has an offer to do another one. You going to go for it?”
Amber stirred the eggs and turned off the burner. “Pretty sure I am.”
“This next book project seems kind of risky to me,” Trey said. He reached across the table and started reading the spines of a stack of books. “Nepal, Tibet, the Himalayas...”
“Well, mostly Delhi and Calcutta,” Amber said, smiling, “but I do hope to squeeze in some side trips. They want me to do a book on cancer patients in South Asia,” she clarified to Paul. “How they do with non-Western medicine.”
“Wow. So you’re going to, what, live there?” Paul couldn’t fathom it. He’d wanted to travel, a lifetime ago.
“More like a couple of long trips,” she said. “I’m excited.”
“Cool.” Amber was way far from his comfort zone and his type. The odd little flutter of heat he’d felt was just one of those opposites-attract things.
Amber scooped eggs onto two plates, added slices of bread to each and brought them over to the table.
“You’re not eating?” Paul asked.
“She never eats.” Trey took a big bite. “Even though she’s a great cook.”
“I do so eat,” she said in a play-whining tone that told Paul she and Trey were close. “Just not in the middle of the night.”
Paul dug into the eggs, flecked with spices and rich with cheese, and realized he hadn’t had dinner. Had he fixed something for Davey? Geez, what kind of...yes. He’d cut up a hot dog, stirred it into some mac and cheese. Not exactly healthy, but at least he wasn’t starving his kid.
Amber sat down at the table with them and pulled out a big map. “See, I want to start in Delhi. That’s where my publishers have some contacts. But I’d like to get out into the countryside, too, see how people manage disease when they don’t have access to modern medical centers.” She was running a red-painted fingernail over the map as she talked. “And then I’ll be so close to Nepal, I have to make a side trip there.” Her eyes sparkled.
“I don’t like the idea of you traveling alone,” Trey said. “Neither does Erica.”
“I’ll start out alone,” Amber said, “but I doubt I’ll be alone for long. There’s a big expat community in most of these places, so it’s easy to find friends to travel with.”
Trey shook his head.
Paul kind of admired that loose attitude toward planning a trip, especially to the other side of the world. “I don’t think I could do that,” he admitted.
“Well, you couldn’t. You have responsibilities here.” She nodded down at Davey. “But my nest is empty, and except for helping out with the Healing Heroes cottage, I’m free to pick up and go anytime.” Something flashed across her face and then was gone.
Maybe some of her enthusiasm could be bravado. Maybe she was traveling alone because she didn’t have anyone to go with.
For just a minute, that wide world of adventure beckoned. He’d never even left the country.
But no. His job was to be safe and keep his son safe, not go globe-trotting.
“So you’re staying in the cottage?” Trey asked, and Paul realized the man was still observing him in the guise of making conversation. Probably deciding whether to call child protective services.
Paul couldn’t blame him. What had happened tonight hadn’t just scared Amber; it had scared