Loced in Amber

Ed Locke stood nearby with his muscular arms crossed. At 6'4", with a salt-and-pepper crewcut crowning a face whose texture matched his voice, he dominated the room. His steel-grey eyes bore down on Amber while his countenance was reminiscent of a brewing tornado. Amber knew that look and the elation that had been in her chest moments before instantly evaporated.

"Uh, hey, Dad," Amber stated, trying to inject a false light-heartedness into her voice. "You're, umm, you're back early. How did the repairs go?" She tried to appear nonchalant, but her heart was pounding.

"They went well," he growled, "hence my being home early, as you say. Now, would you kindly introduce me to your...

friend

." His eyes slid over to Spencer and it was clear he was trying to control the tone of his voice.

"Ahh, yeah, um, Dad, this is Spencer," Amber stuttered, her voice shaky as she went to stand near him. "He's, uh, a friend I met through work. We, uh, started hanging out recently at a party." She cringed.

Oh God, I'm making this worse!

"I mean, we've known each other for a few months though, not just at a party."

"Spencer, this is Dad, I mean Ed. He's my dad." She smiled weakly. Internally, she wished she could melt into the floor.

Spencer seemed calm, all things considered. "Yes, we, uh, we unexpectedly met a moment ago," he said. He put out his hand for a handshake. Ed looked at it momentarily, then took it and gave it a firm, single shake.

"So, Amber," Ed began, reverting his attention to his daughter. "I'm gone for a week and come back to find a young man making himself comfortable in my living room. Would you care to explain?"

Despite knowing she was an adult and technically wasn't doing anything wrong, she still felt the weight and pressure of that drilling gaze. Parental influence doesn't just go away when someone turns 18. "Well, um, we were just going to go out on a, uh, on a date. Dinner. And then maybe a hike with some stargazing, I think." She looked up at Spencer.

"Yes, something like that," he replied, giving her a small smile.

How is he so calm?

"So, yeah." She looked back at her father.

Pull it together, girl!

Ed just looked at her, the seconds feeling far longer. "Stargazing," he finally said. It was both a question and not a question. He turned his attention to Spencer. "So, Mr. Astronomy, tell me... what constellations are visible this time of year?"

Spencer seemed unperturbed at the grilling. "Well, I have a passing interest in astronomy, but I wouldn't claim to be an expert. I'm familiar with Pegasus, Hercules, and Draco. I have to admit I've always liked Orion, though he doesn't show up until early morning. However, tonight is a full moon, so visibility won't be as good for actual stargazing, especially without a telescope. My plan was more to take advantage of this unusually warm weather. I was thinking we'd look at the moon and enjoy a quiet evening in the woods while your daughter and I talked."

"Hmpf," Ed grunted. "'Taking advantage' indeed. And how do I know that you're not just some twit looking to get into my daughter's pants and then dump her the first chance you get?"

"DAD!" Amber glared at her father, her anger percolating up enough to temporarily overcome her nervousness. "Jesus!"

Spencer took a deep breath and seemed to be collecting his thoughts. "Sir," he started to say, before having to pause and clear his throat. "Sir, I respect your concern and agree that there are a lot of jerks out there. However, I assure you, I am not one of them."

Amber could hear the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice indicating that, despite his calm facade, Spencer wasn't completely immune to Ed's intensity. She was impressed that this was the only sign that he was nervous.

"I have come to realize," Spencer continued, "that your daughter means a great deal to me and I respect her very much." He briefly glanced over at Amber before returning his attention to her father. "I hope that you'll grant me the courtesy to prove it."

Amber's breath caught in her throat. It was such a confident and sweet thing to say. She smiled at him, but his attention was still on her father. Ed, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to come up with some other reason to not like Spencer. He was working his jaw and it looked like he was trying to crack walnuts.

"I'll grant that you carry yourself well," Ed grumbled, "but don't you go on thinking that being some silver-tongued—"

"Halloo?" a quiet voice called from the doorway.

"—devil means that you can get away with—" Ed continued, his voice dropping to a hiss.

"Edward? Is that your voice I hear?" The voice had raised in volume and was nearer. It was accompanied by the sound of the screen door closing.

Ed stopped his diatribe mid-sentence and looked across the room. Both Spencer and Amber looked up as well as Sophia Carlucci walked around the corner.

"Sorry," she apologized, her Italian accent rolling the r's. "I tried knocking, but no one answered. I heard voices and let myself in. Please forgive me." She looked at each of them in turn and then smiled at Amber and walked over to give her a light hug.

Ed looked as if he'd swallowed his next words sideways. "Uh... hello, Sophia," he rumbled.

Sophia glanced at him and tipped her head in acknowledgment. She then disengaged from Amber and asked her, "Is this the young man you spoke of the other day?"

Amber nodded. "Yes. This is Spencer." She glanced over at her father, but he was just staring at Sophia, a hint of confusion creeping into his eyes.

Sophia's face brightened with a smile, her white teeth flashing as she stepped over to Spencer. It was as if the tension in the room faded slightly. "Ahh, it is so nice to meet you. I have heard wonderful things. Sophia Carlucci." She held out her hand.

Spencer gave it a gentle shake and smiled. "Spencer Keyes. And you must be the one who made that delicious lasagna. Ahh...

complimenti alla... cucina?

No, wait, that's 'kitchen'...

cuoca?

Did I say that correctly?"

"

Cuoca, Sì!

" She grinned and patted his hand. "I am glad you enjoyed it."

Ed frowned at the mention of lasagna and looked over at Amber. "I thought I told you to call her," he growled, trying to retake control of the situation. "I didn't want her to waste—"

"I had already made it," Sophia interjected, first glancing at Amber before turning to Ed. "And I am glad it didn't go to waste," she said, pointedly. "As for you," she continued, "I was just coming by to ask Amber when you would be home. I was thinking of bringing something by. Well, now I know you are here and I have a perfect idea."

Sophia Carlucci looped her arms around those of Amber and Spencer and escorted them to the door. "Now, Edward, let's let these two young

adults

be on their way to enjoy the evening. I'm sure they have somewhere they'd rather be than get the third degree from you. Meanwhile, you and I will catch up. I'll whip us up something here in no time. You look tired and in need of some quality cooking."

Ed just stood there, slightly dumbstruck, all evidence of his previous storm completely washed away. As they slipped on their shoes and jackets, Sophia turned her back to him and,

sotto voce

, said to the kids, "Don't worry about him. Enjoy your evening. Oh, and don't hurry back." She winked at Amber before turning back to Amber's father and, in a normal voice, said, "Now let's see what Amber has in the kitchen while you tell me about your week. Come." Amber's father glanced at his daughter briefly and then followed Sophia into the kitchen, a somewhat muddled expression on his face.

Amber called out a quick, "Bye, Dad," before grabbing Spencer's hand and leaving the house as rapidly as she could without seeming to rush. She knew better than to question the opportunity she'd been given.

As the two settled into Spencer's car, he turned to her and said, "Wow! Your dad is a bit intense."

Amber let out a half-laugh. "Heh, yeah. He's a good man and father, but he definitely takes the Family Protector title

very

seriously... especially after... you know." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "But you seemed to handle it pretty well though. I was cringing inside."

Spencer started the car and backed out. "Thanks. I've got to admit though, I was rather shocked when he walked in. The guy moves like a mountain. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. But I tried to look at it from where he's coming from... I was a total stranger wandering around his living room. Plus, I try not to take other people's behaviors personally. Sometimes it's harder than others. But, in this case, it was especially important for me to come across as not being dissuaded." Spencer glanced over at Amber as he pulled out into the road.

Amber smiled and reached over and held his hand. This was quickly becoming more and more natural.

About a block down the road, Spencer spoke again. "Ms. Carlucci seems pretty cool."

"Yeah, she's really nice."

Spencer paused a moment before continuing. "Now is it me, or did she just totally play your dad?"

Amber laughed. "Like a maestro on a fiddle."

******

As the Subaru pulled into Spencer's driveway, Amber admired the architecture once again.

This place really is beautiful

. A green Jeep Wrangler was parked next to Elise's sports car. "Looks like you have a visitor."

"That would be Nicolette. Maybe you'll get to meet her, assuming she and Ell aren't locked away in a bedroom." Spencer grinned as he got out of the Subaru and opened the back hatch. "Hey, can you help me with these bags?"

The two made their way to the kitchen. A woman who looked to be about 30 was filling a glass of water at the sink. She was lean and muscular, with olive skin used to days under the sun. Her thick black hair was tied in a ponytail and hung over the back of her blue tee-shirt. As she turned around and saw the two of them, she smiled. "Heya, Spencer. How's it goin'?"

"Hey, Nicolette. It's great. Back in town for a while? What exotic location were you visiting this time?"

"Phoenix." She chuckled at Spencer's slightly perplexed look. "Went down to visit with my folks. Hadn't seen them in a while. Who's your friend?"

"This is Amber, she's my—" Spencer caught himself. "We, uh, we've kind of been friends for a bit and recently started dating." He glanced over at Amber as if a bit unsure of how to proceed. "Amber, this is Nicolette."

Hmm, we're going to have to talk about that little catch in his phrasing

, Amber thought. "Nice to meet you," she said as Nicolette maneuvered around the island to shake her hand. Her grip was firm and her hands, while well-maintained, were clearly no stranger to work. "I just met Elise the other day."

"Nice to meet you as well. Speaking of Elise, she's down by the pool. I'll see you two later?"

Amber looked at Spencer, questioningly. "Possibly," he said. "We're going out on a hike and plan to look at the moon."

Nicolette nodded. "Should be a nice night for it. This weather is weird, but I'm not going to complain. It'll be the usual cold and damp soon enough. Have fun." She headed towards the living room. A moment later, the sliding glass door to the back deck opened and closed.

Spencer began unpacking the groceries. He grabbed a knapsack from the pantry and began putting some food items inside. Amber helped and they were ready in short order. They each made a pitstop to the bathroom and then Spencer made one last check with everything before throwing the knapsack over his shoulder. "Okay, we're off," he said excitedly while handing Amber her water bottle.

Amber followed him as they made their way across the back deck and down the stone steps to the pool. Nicolette was just stripping off her pants and standing there in a bikini, the bright white even more striking against her tanned skin. Her legs were just as toned as her arms. Elise was already in the pool floating on her back, her auburn hair trailing in the water behind her. A pair of large red sunglasses covered her eyes and a blood-red bikini made a meager attempt to cover her body. Amber tried not to stare.

"Hey, Sis. Heading up to my spot," Spencer called out as they continued around the pool. "Won't be back until late." Elise gave him a nonchalant thumb's up signal and then a gentle wave to Amber. Amber waved back and turned to follow Spencer who was making his way past the hot tub area to a trail on the far side.

"I give them 10 minutes before they're going at it," he grinned at her when she caught up. Amber blushed. "Sorry, didn't mean to embarrass you. But you know my sister. The two of them haven't been together in a while. Well, they were the other night, but that probably wasn't enough. Might be best we're out of the house." He wiggled his eyebrows and made a goofy face.

Amber laughed. "It's okay. I'm getting used to it. Besides, it's no different than being around Kat. She's a total horndog too. But I've just known her forever and Elise is new. I'm happy they're, uh... happy together." She tried not to imagine the two women kissing in the pool. She also tried not to think of the feel of Elise's lips from the other night.

The two worked their way up the trail and ended up again holding hands. The path quickly began to rise once it hit the treeline. Spencer's familiarity with the area was evident as he pointed out the occasional rock or tree root that might catch an unsuspecting toe. They worked their way upward and Amber found herself breathing heavily. Thankfully, the path itself was relatively easy to traverse, despite the steepness.

"Whew, I hadn't realized we were going for a serious hike," she gasped, recovering from the jolt of her foot slipping on some loose stones. "I was just picturing a walk in the woods."

"Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear," he said as he helped her regain her balance. "I'm so used to it, I didn't think about what it would be like for someone new. This part's the most difficult, but it'll even out a bit up here soon. We aren't going a long way. And it's worth it, trust me."

After a bit more climbing, the path did seem to get a bit easier, though it continued to rise. They stopped for a minute to catch their breath and have a drink. "You know," Amber said as she recapped her bottle, "there's something I wanted to talk a bit about and you said something in the kitchen that reminded me."

Spencer looked a bit uncomfortable and then looked at his watch. "Yeah? Can you tell me while we walk? I don't want to rush, but there's something time-sensitive too."

"Oh. Sure." She stepped up to him and held his hand as they proceeded on the now (thankfully) less rocky trail. "What's time-sensitive?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise. What did you want to talk about?" He pointed to the trail. "Oh, mind that root there. It gets me all the time."

"Oh, thanks," she said, carefully stepping over wood worn smooth from frequent traction. She chewed her lip, trying to figure out the right words for what she wanted to say next. "Well, basically, it's about us. I mean, given the past few days and what we've both done and said, I just wanted to check in with you and see how you felt about it all. I mean, like what do you think of us? Together, you know? In the kitchen, it almost sounded like you were going to say—"

"Girlfriend." He interjected, looking over at her. "I almost said 'girlfriend', but then realized we hadn't really talked about it and, as you said, it's only been a few days. I didn't want to presume, especially in front of someone you didn't know, but it almost just rolled off my tongue."

"Yeah, that's what I thought you were going to say." She squeezed his hand. She thought back to her conversation with Kat about time frames and feelings. "You know... I'm okay with it... if you are." She looked up at him.

He stopped walking and then leaned in, his forehead almost touching hers. "Yeah, I'm

definitely

okay with it," he murmured warmly, his eyes staring into hers. His lips nuzzled hers and she hungrily nibbled his, her tongue darting out as they began exploring one another's mouths. Amber felt like her chest was filled with helium. There was a lightness to her body, a giddiness to her soul. The feel of his arms wrapped around her was ecstatic and she savored every moment of it, every worry melting away.

An eternity of moments later, they parted to catch their breath.

We admitted it! Finally, we just came out and admitted it.

"Well, I guess that makes that official," he said with a wink.

"Gladly," she replied with a smile. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

Spencer raised his wrist and glanced at his watch, then looked up the trail as if evaluating something. The then took her hand. "Hey, as awesome as this moment is, we need to keep going."

She started to move with him as he picked up the pace. She kept hold of his hand—the touch felt electrifying. "So how much further? You've got me intrigued."

"We're almost there. Just right around that rock outcropping," he explained, pointing up the hill.

Amber looked up as they climbed a bit more. The path had meandered through the trees, ever-rising from where they'd left the grassy area next to the pool. She could see that it was curving next to a large rocky area and disappeared out of sight. It took them several more minutes of climbing to reach it, and as they curved around a large boulder next to the outcrop, Spencer let go of her hand and bowed dramatically with a grand gesture of his arm. "Your view awaits, m'lady."

Amber's jaw dropped. The path had ended at a flat, grassy area next to the rock outcropping. To her left, the outcropping jutted out over a cave entrance, making a natural overhang. Underneath, protected from the weather, a fire pit was ringed with several large rocks. Charred pieces of log and ash inside as well as a log set nearby as a seat indicated previous use.  But as surprising as these features were, they weren't what had caused her shock. On the opposite side of the grassy opening, the ground dropped away, a sheer cliff descending roughly a hundred feet or more to the trees below. With all the tree cover, Amber hadn't realized how much they had climbed. A gorgeous view of the valley opened up before them. The sun was approaching the horizon as dusk loomed in the east.

"Oh. My. God!" Amber exclaimed. "This is gorgeous! This is your surprise?" She kept looking back and forth between him and the view.

Spencer was grinning as he removed his knapsack and set it down next to the boulder. "Well, part of it. It'll get even better. C'mon, help me prep." He went over to the cave and she followed him in. It wasn't huge—maybe 20 feet deep and 30 feet across. Except for the back and one corner, one could easily stand without needing to duck. It was obvious that someone had spent a fair amount of time and effort to clean it out. The floor was relatively flat and free of the typical rocks and dirt one would find in a natural recess of this nature and the area near the firepit even had some wood chips thrown down. A stack of firewood was neatly piled along the far wall with a shovel leaning against it.

Spencer was standing next to a pair of metal storage boxes like one would find at a construction site. He had opened the lid of one and was pulling out a blanket. Next to the container, a simple table had been built out of construction lumber and an unlit lantern sat upon it. Spencer handed her the blanket and then pulled out another followed by a folded piece of canvas.

He grinned when he saw her looking around at everything. "It's taken me a while to get set up, but the boxes were well worth the hassle. Keeps out the weather and critters and I don't have to pack as much in." He glanced back out the cave at the sky. "I'll have to give you the tour later. Let's hurry."