It Had to Be Him(61)

“Bye, baby.” Meg gave Haley a kiss, then flagged Amber down.

Amber walked slowly toward her, suspicion dancing in her eyes. “What’s up? Wondering if I got my invite to the silly little girls’ thing you guys are having on Friday?”

“It’s Pam’s party. I have no idea who she’s inviting. Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Amber glanced at her watch. “Make it quick.”

“Okay, uh, you want to sit?” Meg waved a hand toward the bandstand’s steps.

“I’m not sitting on those dirty steps. Jeez, what the hell, Meg? Just spit it out.”

Meg sat, but then realized that left Amber in the power position, lurking above her head, so she stood again. Being short sucked when trying to give attitude. She still only came up to Amber’s store-bought cleavage. After hopping up on a step, she finally stood eye to eye with Amber. “I just found out something I was told you already knew. About our father?”

Amber’s jaw clenched. “Did the person who told you about this also tell you what a whore your mother was? And how she ruined my mother’s life?”

A strange urge to defend a woman she had no memories of rose up in Meg. “It takes two cheaters to have an affair. One’s not any better than the other.”

“Men cheat, Meg. Society gives them a free pass. You’ve always been so naïve that way. But what’s your point?”

“I just wanted to . . . I don’t know. For God’s sake, Amber, we’re sisters. Our kids are cousins. I just want this polite war between us to end.”

“Easy for you to say. My mother’s life was destroyed, and I had to grow up with practically nothing, while you and the rest of the Andersons and Grants lived in mansions. Worse, you got a freakin’ free pass every time you screwed up because you were the mayor’s so-called daughter. My mother told me your mother was just a slut who enjoyed tempting weak men away, not caring who she hurt in the process. I have no desire to have anything to do with that woman’s spawn.”

“At least you had a mother who loved you. And we’re both the spawn of the same weak father. But if you really feel that way, then why were you coming on to Josh? You’d think after what happened to your mother you’d never cheat.”

Hurt flashed in Amber’s eyes for a nanosecond before she shut it down. “Randy and I have an open marriage. No man will ever destroy me like my mother. I’m late. I have to go.”

An open marriage? That couldn’t have been Amber’s idea. When they were kids, Amber wanted that prince in shining armor who’d only ever have eyes for her as much as any other starry-eyed little girl who’d seen every Disney movie ever made.

Meg couldn’t help it—she had to know. “So, do you even love Randy? Or did you steal him away just to hurt me for what my mother did?”

Amber whirled around. “Everyone knew Randy was guaranteed a great job from his father after college. Set for the rest of his life. No way was I going to let you continue to live the life I deserved. But look at you now, Meg. Little Miss Rich Girl who hasn’t got two dimes to rub together and is living in her grandmother’s guesthouse. Karma’s a real bitch, right?” Amber poked Meg in the chest. “I’m already taking steps to run your sorry ass out of town. Nobody wants you here, Megan.” She spun on her ice pick heels and left.

Meg sank down on the steps and watched Amber walk away. Was it true? Did people want to see her gone?

Where was that great comeback, Muck? Why was it easier to stand up to her father, the most powerful man in town, than to Amber?

So much for being tough.

Hard to believe she’d once idolized Amber and loved being her friend. All those sleepovers every weekend and staying up all night talking about boys. She hadn’t seen the dark side until it was aimed at her. Casey had mentioned Amber had found out about their father in their junior year of high school. That had been right when Amber had changed.

After Amber had turned into the queen bitch, she’d reduced many girls to tears by betraying trusts and revealing everyone’s most sacred secrets. Amber was probably serious about trying to run Meg out of town.

According to her dad, everyone in Anderson Butte had secrets—but she didn’t. So what could Amber do that’d be so bad? The even bigger mystery was, why did her confrontation with Amber make her more sad than angry?

“Megan?”

She looked up to find Walt, one of her potential contractors, standing in front of her with a fat envelope in his hand.

She sent him a smile and said, “Hey. So how’d we do? Somewhere in the ballpark we discussed?”